Leamington man's plea for 4x4 drivers to join volunteer group to help NHS in bad weather

Graeme Wright, who works part time as a Land Rover Experience instructor, wants a dedicated group which will provide a coordinated response when the NHS needs them.

During the recent spell of heavy snow, Warwick Hospital appealed to people with 4x4s to help drive staff to the hospital.

Although around 80 people answered the call to help, Graeme felt the response was disorganised and could have been coordinated better.

He said: “Apparently many 4x4 owners did respond to the appeal from Warwick Hospital which is fantastic, however they cannot be sure exactly how many will, or are able to respond at the time when they are required.

“We all support the NHS and what it does every day but it cannot be ready for every eventuality.

“But if 80 people or so volunteer, who’s organising it?”

Graeme said he was keen on setting up such a group, but also said he needed to gauge how many people were interested beforehand.

He added: “I can’t set one up until I know if we’ve got some 4x4 drivers in Warwickshire that will be interested in getting together and helping - you can’t really take it any further otherwise.

“Once the bad weather has passed, the requirement for such 4x4 assistance is forgotten until the next time.

“We would not expect any 4x4 owner to do anything beyond their individual ability and if requested some training in driving in adverse weather can be given.”

Anyone interested in joining such a group should email Graeme at [email protected]