CHARITY CORNER


BIG HEARTED LIVINGSTON TAXI FIRM IS GETTING OAPs ON THE ROAD WITH FREE TRIPS


Big hearted staff at a popular tax firm are offering free lifts to pensioners to help them do their shopping or see friends and family. Smart Cabs, based in Livingston, were spurred into helping local old folk after hearing about the plight of one of their passengers, who had lost his wife and was struggling with bills. And so every Wednesday the company offers a free service between 10am and 2pm for pensioners. The owners of the company, said: “One of the drivers was picking up an elderly gentleman who was really upset. Our driver asked what the problem was, he said his wife had passed away and he was


unable to cope with buying food and paying bills. “His utility company had kept putting his bills up to the stage he was unable to make his mind up whether to eat or heat his home. “This is something we


find


unacceptable. One of our controllers spoke to him and went


through his bills with him - she went above and beyond and it turned out he was actually OK, they had been putting his payments up when it wasn’t needed, but it’s now all been sorted out for him.” David said the free service has proved a hit and they are teaming up with Buchan park Bowling Club and Hanover Court to help local old folk, and hopes other businesses will get on board. He continued: “The energy companies really are fleecing people. They’re being pushed to the brink. We had toyed with the idea for a while and it’s really grown arms and legs.”


CHELTENHAM TAXI DRIVER DISTRIBUTING AID TO EARTHQUAKE HIT TURKEY


A taxi driver is seeing for himself the horrendous conditions in Turkey while distributing aid to homeless people after the country’s massive earthquake. Thousands of people died and many were left homeless after the February 6 disaster hit southern Turkey and northern Syria. Mohsin Shaikh was so moved by television news reports about the devastation that he began to raise money to help those in need. When the appeal brought in £20,000, he and a friend from Leicester decided to go to Turkey to hand out essentials. Mohsin, a British Indian who works for Spa Tax in Cheltenham, said: “I saw every day on the news that there were small children there


PHTM MARCH 2023


and they needed help. I also have children so I decided to go there and do whatever I could for them.” He has been in the southern Hatay province since Friday of last week, seeing many people living outdoors and without power. He has also seen many buildings that have collapsed or been seriously damaged and roads wrecked by huge cracks. He said: “Things here are in a very bad condition. People are living in tents and some are living on the street. They are without power and food. There is government help but it has not reached some places. There are many small kids who haven’t had a shower for a week.” He and his friend have been giving out kit bags containing soap,


towels, socks, gloves, underwear, hats, chocolates and juice. Mohsin is staying in a hotel in Adana and, with his friend, is driving to Hatay each day in a van they hired. He stressed that they hired it at their own cost and none of the charity money was being used for their travelling He added: “It is a very bad situation here. There is no power at all in Hatay Town. There is no-one in the houses and buildings. All of them are damaged. There is not a single house in good condition.” Mohsin, who is due back in Cheltenham on Thursday, February 23, said they met the Turkish foreign minister and when they said they had come from the UK to help, he was very grateful.


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