A TRANSPORT service helping get Pembrokeshire families home after hospital appointments is in urgent need of volunteer drivers.

Action for Children is appealing for volunteer drivers to support its transport service for families in Pembrokeshire who need to go to Withybush and Glangwili hospitals but don’t have access to a vehicle or public transport.

The much-needed project, in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board, launched at the start of September and is initially running as a pilot project for a year.

It hopes to reduce the number of missed appointments and prevent young families who have attended hospital urgently from being stranded.

But the service currently only has two of the 15 drivers needed, it was heard at a meeting of patient voice panel Hywel Dda Community Health Council (CHC) on Thursday (October 8).

Chairman Ray Hine said the charity was also short on child seats.

The service works in partnership with community midwives and midwifery-led and paediatric ambulatory care units at both Withybush and Glangwili.

Sandra White, children services manager for Action for Children in Pembrokeshire, said: “We urgently need volunteers who will work on a rota basis to transport families to and from hospital depending on the individual requirements of the family.

"Being such a rural county, people can be isolated from key public services especially in areas where families face many issues in their day to day lives.

“This is an incredibly important project and those with spare time and a suitable vehicle can make a huge difference to those families in Pembrokeshire who need it most.

"Volunteering is a wonderfully satisfying thing to do, whether you’re retired, looking for work or have some spare time, we want to hear from you.

"You’ll be fully supported and given all the training you need, so I urge anyone interested to get in touch with us.”

For more information on how you could make a difference to peoples’ lives in Pembrokeshire, please contact Michaela Squelch on 01437 761330 or email Michaela.Squelch@actionforchildren.org.uk.