Husband-and-wife team Zororo Mubaya and Terence Kavuru, joined the Driving Miss Daisy franchise in August last year, launching the Didcot branch in December to assist anyone of any age who needs a hand when their family isn’t available to help.
The couple – who once ran a recruitment service on Oxford Business Park North – have lived in Didcot since 2005 and wanted to provide a service giving peace of mind to those with older family members. The company offers assistance of all kinds ranging from help with shopping trips to support at family events or even just spending a couple of hours chatting or playing board games with someone who might spend a lot of time alone.
The team is DBS-checked, first-aid trained and Dementia Friends, plus their drivers hold a Private Hire Licence so can help with day trips to perhaps a garden centre or to the seaside, or even airport runs for people with mobility issues.
The Wantage Road-based team can also help people get to appointments and will wait with the patient before bringing them home. They can even help collect children from school and take them to after school activities if working parents are unable to make it in time for school pick-up. A fully-licensed wheelchair accessible vehicle is available.
Terence and Zororo have two sons and a varied background ranging from sound engineering to health and social care recruitment.
Zororo, also registered as a volunteer with Oxfordshire All In, says, “With our experience we wanted to take our transferable skills and experiences with working with supported living and social care clients who have a need for the transport and companionship that Driving Miss Daisy can offer.
“Driving Miss Daisy is often described as ‘family when family can’t be there’. When times are busy and people sometimes live a long way from their elderly relatives, we want to be able to provide peace of mind.
“We are really enjoying doing this so far – every day has been different, and we have the pleasure of helping and chatting to people from all walks of life.”
The Didcot branch opened for business on Christmas Day 2019 when Zororo took a stroke patient from Abingdon Community Hospital to her house for Christmas. She then spent four hours with family then was back in time for medication round. The business has been growing steadily since then and the couple felt the time was right to have a high street presence so people can come and in and get to know them.
Terence says: “It’s a people business and so we want our customers to know that they come in and have a chat and a cup of tea. Trust and reliability are completely integral to what we do, so we want people to know that we are here, and approachable. We’re so much more than just a blue van!”
Prices vary and quotes are available by contacting 07308 475489 or drivingmissdaisy.co.uk or facebook.co.uk/drivingmissdaisydidcot