About VA
Volunteer Action (VA) is a local charity, whose mission statement is “Volunteering to help local people in need”. The Charity was founded in 1995 and has gone from strength to strength since. VA covers the entire of what is known as East Northants North Place – the boundaries being the A14 to the south, encompassing Thrapston and up to Easton-on-the-Hill in the north.
Its aim is to meet the needs of local people who are of an age to draw a state pension and those with disabilities or additional needs, who find it more difficult to get out and about. This is particularly pertinent in our rural location, where public transport is extremely limited and access to taxis can prove to be very expensive.
VA operates a Community Transport Scheme and a offers a Befriending Service. The Transport or Community Car Scheme provides the means by which those without reasonable access to transport of their own can travel to such places as the doctor’s surgery, hospitals and dentists. It also provides a means to visit friends and family or to make a social trip.
The VA Befriending Service offers companionship and friendship to those who are more isolated and who find it more difficult to leave their homes. Members are carefully paired with a Befriender who will keep in touch on the phone or visit the member at home on a regular basis.