Rotary gives 91 year old the drive of his life

Members of Taunton Vale Rotary Club have made a dream come true for Roy Bates, a 91 year old resident at Abbeyfield Care Home in Heron Drive, Taunton.

Roy and his wife of 65yrs both live at Abbeyfield. He did an apprenticeship in the motor engineering industry just after the second world war before doing National Service as a mechanic in the Army. He subsequently became a technician in the aircraft industry.

Roy was delighted to discover that Abbeyfield regularly ask their residents if they have anything left in their bucket list and Roy expressed his desire to drive in a classic car that he both remembered and admired as a keen enthusiast.

Three Rotarian members, Mike King, Derek Johnson and Adam Keates brought their classic cars to Abbeyfield and Roy and his wife were taken for a drive and a cream tea at Oake Manor.

Building the Abbeyfield home was one of the Club’s first projects and the connections between the care-home and Taunton Vale Rotary have been maintained for nearly 4 decades.

Rotarian, Gary Davies (Chair of the Trustees ) says ‘ Abbeyfield makes dreams come true, it’s a lovely feature of the home, it is a privilege to go that extra mile for the residents”

Paula Howlett (manager of the home) said “ We feel deeply privileged to hear the stories and history the residents tell us. It is about having an adventure, making new friends and doing things they thought they would never get the chance to do. The residents have told us about their bucket list wishes and we try to make then come true.”

Richard Austin (President of Taunton Vale Rotary Club) added “ This event is just one example of the way in which Rotarians give their time and share experience to help individuals and communities both locally and across the world.”

You can see a video about the event at https://www.facebook.com/bbcsomerset/videos/208172608840992