In this month’s ‘Driving Mobility Centre of the Month’ we say hello to The Driving and Mobility Centre of West England in Bristol
The main Driving and Mobility Centre for the West of England team is in the Vassall Centre in Bristol (pictured above). They currently offer fitness to drive and driving adaptations assessments, as well as passenger and scooter assessments, carried out by an expert team of Occupational Therapists and Driving Advisors.
There is also fitness to drive assessments at their outreach venues in Yeovil and Weymouth, and the team are looking to expand their outreach venues in future to include Cheltenham and Bridgwater.
As with all Driving Mobility Assessment Centres, the team’s aim is to help disabled and older people keep mobile and independent and help those affected by medical conditions stay safe on the road.
Photographed above is Mark Blackhall, the new Centre Manager at The Driving and Mobility Centre, West of England.
The Driving and Mobility Centre in Bristol has seen some major changes in the last two years. At the beginning of 2020, the existing Centre Manager Daniela was looking to retire, but she delayed her departure to see the centre through the pandemic but as the situation stabilized she was finally able to retire at the end of September 2021. During this period ADI, Mark Blackhall, took on additional management duties until Mark officially became the new Centre Manager at the beginning of November. The Driving Mobility team wish him well in his new position.
In addition to a change of management, the team has also recently welcomed two new ADIs, Tony and Nicky, who are currently undergoing training and are hoping to be fully-fledged Driving Advisors by the New Year. They will be joining ADI Paul and OTs Helen, Vicky and Clea to conduct fitness to drive assessments.
Supporting the Centre Manager and Assessors is the Administration team are Rachel, Marie and Bobby. Rachel joined the centre at the end of the first lockdown and has been Lead Administrator since April 2021.
Future plans include the main centre relocating to a new venue, further collaborations with two local police forces to deliver fitness to drive assessments and becoming part of the Driving Mobility Hubs project in 2022.
If you are local to the Bristol area and want to find out more about how the Driving and Mobility Centre of West England team can help you or someone you know please visit:
http://www.drivingandmobility.org
Tel: 0117 9659353
Email: mobserv@drivingandmobility.org