Former postie delivers four decades of volunteering for the Welsh Ambulance Service
24.01.2025
A GWYNEDD man is still going strong after 40 years of service as a Welsh Ambulance Service volunteer.
Brian O'Shaughnessy has been a Volunteer Car Service Driver for over four decades in north Wales.
Volunteer Car Service Drivers use their own vehicles to transport people to and from routine hospital appointments, including dialysis, oncology and outpatient appointments.
Last year, they made 43,961 journeys across Wales, covering 1,403,901 miles in their own vehicles.
Despite this remarkable achievement, he has no plans to slow down or retire from the role he has been doing since 1984.
Brian, 73, has five grandchildren and lives in Caernarfon with his wife Margaret, 71.
Jenny Wilson, the Trust’s National Volunteer Manager, said: “Volunteering at the Welsh Ambulance Service has come a long way since Brian joined us way back in 1984.
“The Volunteer Car Service is an important cog in the wheel of the non-emergency service.
“Volunteers get to know their patients, especially those they transport regularly, and it’s as rewarding an experience for them as it is for patients.”
Prior to joining the Welsh Ambulance Service, Brian spent 25 years working for Royal Mail before offering his services in 1984 after a chance encounter with an ambulance staff member.
He said: “When I worked for Royal Mail, I would begin my days very early and would be finished by the early afternoon.
“I wanted to do something to fill my afternoons and after chatting with one of the ambulance crew, I was told about the Volunteer Car Service.
“It sounded ideal and after looking into it further, I applied and haven’t looked back since.”
Over the years, Brian has travelled all over the UK with patients and on one occasion, transferred a patient who had injured themselves while on holiday in north Wales all the way back to their home in Plymouth.
All of the travelling has meant that Brian has clocked up some hefty mileage on his vehicles with each of his last four cars all doing in excess of 500,000 miles.
Brian continued: “I look after my cars myself and make sure they are serviced regularly.
“My current car has already done over 300,000 miles and is still driving perfectly.”
Gareth Parry, Operations Manager (Volunteer Car Service), said: “Brian has been an integral part of the Volunteer Car Service over the last 40 years.
“Throughout that time, he has had a hugely positive impact on countless patients across north Wales, covering hundreds of thousands of miles.
“Everyone in the team continues to marvel at his length of service and his desire to keep going, so it is only right that we recognise and thank him for his impeccable service to volunteering within the Welsh Ambulance Service.”
The former postie even provided a first-class service throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, continuing to transport patients to and from appointments.
Over the decades, Brian has got to know some of his regular patients well and is often surprised at how quickly some of them will open up about their treatment and their lives in general.
He said: “Some of the people I transport to appointments can be very unwell and are often feeling apprehensive and uncertain about what the future may hold.
“I suppose sometimes it can be easier to open up to a stranger and quite often, within 15 minutes of them getting in my car, they are chatting away about all sorts of things.
“Every now and then, someone will approach me and ask if I remember them before going on to talk about how they are doing and it’s always nice to see patients doing well after they have received treatment.”
Judith Bryce, Assistant Director of Operations, said: “We are extremely grateful to Brian and would like to thank him for his service over the last four decades.
“His passion for volunteering remains strong and he is a wonderful example for others to follow if they are considering becoming a volunteer for the Welsh Ambulance Service.”
To learn more about the Volunteer Car Service or about volunteering in general, visit: Volunteer For Us - Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust