Caernarfon Herald

GOOD JOB, JOE

TAXI DRIVER WHO HELPED THE NHS AT HEIGHT OF PANDEMIC HONOURED

- Amelia Shaw Joe with his Captain Tom award. Picture: Hadyn Iball

ATAXI driver who volunteere­d to drive patients up and down the country at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic has received an award for his services.

Joe Griffiths, from Llandwrog, started his own taxi business in 2014 called Tacsi Joe Taxi and has built a successful business with the help of family, friends, and local people within and beyond the Gwynedd area.

The 63-year-old had also worked as an NHS Patient Transport Volunteer for several years and with the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020, Joe felt more compelled than ever to offer his support.

Throughout the pandemic, he drove patients to various hospitals as far as London and across the UK.

When coronaviru­s took hold, Joe said he felt “a calling” to help the NHS due to having so much free time after his taxi business quietened down with lockdown.

Despite the peak of the pandemic being a dangerous time for everyone, he told the NHS that he would continue to offer his support regardless.

Earlier this month Joe was given a prestigiou­s medal from the NHS in recognitio­n of his service to the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust during the Covid 19 Pandemic.

His wife, Helen, says she is very proud of her husband and his achievemen­ts and has told of how he became “very emotional” while telling her about the award.

She said: “Joe, being quite a humble character, felt very emotional and great pride and gratitude for the award.

“He became quite tearful while telling me and was especially emotional when he was informed it was from the funds from Captain Sir Tom Moore who he admired greatly.

“Joe has always taken pride in his fleet and daily disinfects and cleans them to ensure the safety of all concerned. Joe never failed to conduct the lateral flow test to ensure that he did not present a danger to any passengers.”

Speaking of his decision to continue offering his services over the last two years, Joe said: “Everyone in the NHS deserves much more financiall­y and great respect and love for what they have done for their patients.

“I just felt that they needed help with the transport of patients during Covid so I volunteere­d myself to do so. We’ve done it throughout the Covid pandemic.

“I’ve transporte­d patients from Caernarfon, Pwllheli and Menai Bridge all the way down to London. Also to Manchester, Liverpool and

Birmingham – across the country really.

“I have benefitted from it because I have taken great pride in being able to help the NHS when they needed our help the most.

“I will continue to help the NHS for as long as I can and I hope that more people who have some free time might offer their services to help.”

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