South Depot Non-Driver of the Year

Last November saw the 25th Anniversary of Ring and Ride. To mark this occasion, an event was held on the 2nd December at the Clarendon Suites in Birmingham which is located close to Ladywood where the service began 25 years ago.

The theme of the event was to celebrate the huge impact that Ring and Ride has had in helping thousands of people in the West Midlands with limited mobility maintain control of their lives and enable them to travel independently. The event was also used as a platform to look at the future development of the service and the challenges that it will have to respond to effectively, resulting from population ageing and helping younger disabled people meet their potential.

The efforts of Ring and Ride's greatest asset its staff, were also recognised with Driver and Non-Driver of the year awards. These were awarded to staff who had shown outstanding commitment to the service with the final winner being decided by a series of tests, which in the case of the drivers examined their driving skills and non-drivers their knowledge of the Charity's activities.

The Non-Driver of the Year Award has been named after Renee Spector in recognition of the tireless work that Renee has devoted to the Ring and Ride service. Renee , pictured, presented the award to Steve Olden. Steve, who is a Controller based at the South Birmingham Depot, has been with the Charity for 20 years starting as a driver at North Birmingham.

Having been nominated by his depot, Steve was one of 8 other non-driverscompeting for the award, which the final winner was decided by completing a test about the service.