The West Midlands roads were at a standstill as six inches of snow battered the region before Christmas. But transport driver Kevin Robinson wasn’t going to let the weather stop him from helping his NHS colleagues to work. So he volunteered to drive them to work and back home, covering a mammoth 130 miles.
The 58-year-old, who has worked for Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust for 20 years, received a call from his boss on the Sunday morning at around 10am. He recalled: “My manager phoned to ask if I could help get staff into work that day. My car was stuck in the snow, but they sent over a 4×4 vehicle to my home, which I used to then go and pick up staff and take others home after they had finished their shift.
“I drove across the area to pick up in total around 20 members of staff and I must have covered 130 miles. That included taking community staff nurses to a patient’s home so they could care for him. There were another two members of my team who also volunteered to come in and we were all glad that we could help.
“Staff said they were very impressed with our support and were grateful for their door to door lifts. We also received a thank you letter from Toby Lewis, our chief executive, which really made us all happy and proud.”
This isn’t the first time that Kevin, from Smethwick, has jumped in to help when others needed him. He explained: “Around five years ago in heavy snow I did the same thing as it’s the right thing to do. I never say no to people when they ask for my help.”
On normal days when he doesn’t have to battle with extreme weather conditions, Kevin is a familiar face as he drives our local road network. He said: “I love my job so much. I get to be on the road every day and meet different people. Everywhere I go, people are very nice to me and I learn a lot from just talking to them. As a driver, I just want to do my best to make a difference for our patients. Every day, I will drive around 80 to 90 miles and I don’t even need a GPS to show me the way.”
So who is Kevin’s inspiration? “My mother is my hero,” he said. “She inspired me to learn and to look after others. I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the care and love that she gave me.”
Kevin’s next challenge is to go back to college to carry out a carpentry course. He explained: “I love working with wood and I do enjoy decorating. So when I retire, I would like to learn more about carpentry.”
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