Open Hands is a not-for-profit organisation and operates simply because we care. We are committed to providing a helpful and friendly service to all our clients.
Open Hands is friendly local charity, based in Poynton, Cheshire. Our primary role is to help vulnerable people who would otherwise find it difficult to use public transport to get them to appointments, etc.
How We Help
Our role now is transporting elderly, disabled and vulnerable local members of the community to medical appointments at hospitals, clinics, doctors, dentists or visiting loved ones in Nursing Homes or Hospitals.
Based at Poynton Centre we have a wonderful team of volunteers, from the ladies in the office answering the phones and booking drivers to of course the drivers themselves who collect the client from their homes and return them safely after their appointments.
Our History
Open hands has been an active community project in Poynton for over 35 years.
Initially the role of Open Hands was very different. It all began under the umbrella of the Council of the Churches and remained so very happily for the first ten years. In the beginning the role was that of a Friendly Neighbourhood Scheme with visiting and shopping being the main requests.
As time past and the majority of requests changed to the need of transportation.
Due to increased costs and expansion of the service it came necessary to seek funding, so Open Hands became a registered Charity in 1991, now completely independent. We only charge a small fee to cover our drivers expenses and a minimal administration charge. We rely on fund raising and donations to cover the cost of running our charity.
Please Volunteer
Open Hands has become an invaluable service to many of our clients.
We pride ourselves on making the life of others just that little bit easier.
We need more volunteer drivers and also volunteers to help in the office answering the phones and booking the trips.
Why we help
Have you ever wondered how the poorly or elderly residents of Poynton manage to get to hospital appointments or how cancer patients can get to Christies if they are too ill to drive themselves and are not lucky enough to have the support of family members in the community?
Sometimes public transport may be just a little too daunting for the elderly; they may feel too vulnerable or unsteady to travel alone. How does an elderly couple that need to attend a doctors or dentist appointment in the village get there, when walking is just not an option any more “it’s just too far”.
This is where we come in Open Hands Community Transport. We are a team of local volunteers who transport the vulnerable residents of Poynton to medical appointments. Whether it be locally around the village or further afield, Macclesfield General, Stepping Hill, Manchester Royal or Christies for example. We collect our clients from their homes in our own cars and take them to their appointments, wait with them and return them safely home.