Wivey Link has been providing an essential service around the local area for many years, and their iconic red vehicles can be spotted all over West Somerset and beyond.

Many of the most vulnerable people in our local communities need extra help to be able to carry out daily tasks which others would take for granted, such as going to hospital appointments or to see the dentist.

And this can be compounded by living in a more rural area, due to a lack of transport, leading to feelings of isolation for those unable to get out and about.

The service was originally set up to help combat rural isolation and this is still its prime focus. But the service is open to anyone, whatever their age, who for whatever reason, have no access to transport and to those residents who are chronically sick or disabled.

Christine Brooker, 70, is Wiveliscombe born and bred and has volunteered as a driver for two years. She knows the area like the back of her hand. Christine said: “We have a lot of regulars that rely on this service, you have to be quite fit to do this job, I had to pass a manual handling course before I was allowed to assist anyone into the vehicle.”

During my time with Christine it really hit home how dedicated she was to the cause, working through all weathers, including the recent heatwave, to take people to Musgrove Park Hospital and her relationship with all her customers shows how important the service is. She said: “For a lot of people this is their chance of socialising and chatting about their day, it is a very important interaction.”

After pre-trip vehicle checks and initial paperwork was done, the day began. Throughout the day we picked up various local people all with different stories to tell. One such trip was with Hazel Ramsay 83, a regular user of the service. She said: Every single driver I’ve had over the eight years I’ve used this service has been wonderful. The people I travel with are most interesting and they are very helpful in the community office.”

During our journey into Taunton we spoke about current affairs, politics and many other topics. Hazel used to be a journalist herself and still writes to this day. She was born in 1939 and was evacuated to the West Country from Guernsey a day before the bombing of the harbour by the Luftwaffe. Since then she has had a strong connection with the area and now lives in Wiveliscombe.

At the end of our trip it was clear that the relationship people have with Wivey Link is very personal - helped by the friendly drivers and the accessibility of the service.