Locals who have volunteered their time to drive free health shuttles for Hato Hone St John will be part of a celebration this weekend.

An afternoon tea is being held on Sunday to mark 25 years since the service began in Tauranga.

Alan Pine has been a volunteer for the organisation for 69 years and says it takes a great deal of commitment.

“Our drivers are mostly retired,” he says. “Once they’ve gone through the initial interview and checks, they complete a first aid course, driving assessment and an observer shift before we consider them ready to be rostered on.”

The official launch of the service in Tauranga was held on July 24, 1999, with a purpose-built Ford Courier van that could take seated and wheelchair customers. The original team comprised six volunteers. That number has now grown to 30 who’ve racked up 4847 driver hours in the last twelve months transporting 800 customers.

Around 40 past and present volunteers along with their partners are expected to join the celebration this weekend.

“The volunteers do great work,” says Alan. “It’s a very worthwhile job because people who use our service have no other means of getting to their medical appointments. It’s not just for the elderly; we’ll take anyone who needs help.”

Hato Hone St John Ambulance Health Shuttle is a free service operating two vans that gets around half its running costs from donations. It’s currently looking for more volunteer drivers to keep the service operating, along with funding streams for ongoing Health Shuttle operating expenses.