Blog contribution by Laura Quinn – Development Officer with Rosie’s Trust and new fan of electric vehicles!

I have had a somewhat colourful history with Rosie’s Trust vans over the years. There has been a van fire, a breakdown on a very busy roundabout and more than a few journeys where getting from A to B felt slightly more eventful than it really needed to be. So, when we were given the incredible opportunity to have a brand-new electric van, it genuinely felt like a huge moment for us.

I’ll admit that alongside the excitement, I was a little apprehensive. I had never driven an electric vehicle before and suddenly found myself thinking about charging points, battery percentages and whether I would make it home from longer journeys. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to win me over. It is quiet, comfortable and an absolute joy to drive. There is also one particular benefit that anyone who knows me will appreciate: I am no longer the person who leaves filling the tank until the very last minute, then drives to the petrol station watching the fuel gauge and hoping for the best! Plugging the van in at the end of the day and having it ready to go again has been a revelation.

More importantly, the van is a working part of what we do at Rosie’s Trust. Our service takes us across Northern Ireland supporting people who, because of illness, disability or reduced mobility, need a little help to continue caring for the pets they love. Much of my time on the road is spent travelling to the homes of new referrals to carry out assessments, and meeting volunteers to introduce them to the people and pets they will be supporting. The van also helps us get people, pets and equipment where they need to be and gives us the reliability to know that when somebody needs our support, we can get there. Those journeys might look fairly ordinary from the outside, but they can make an enormous difference to someone who is struggling.

Having a reliable electric van also means those miles can be travelled in a more environmentally responsible way. We cover a lot of ground, so reducing the environmental impact of those journeys while also benefiting from the lower running costs of an electric vehicle is a real win for the charity.

I have settled into being an EV driver really well and the change from those first nervous journeys has been enormous. The van has quickly become an invaluable part of our work and, given my previous adventures with Rosie’s Trust vehicles, having something reliable, economical, environmentally friendly and genuinely lovely to drive is something I definitely don’t take for granted.

Thank you so much Action Renewables – you have made a massive difference to Rosie’s Trust.

Author: Laura Quinn, Rosie's Trust