fbpx

Why taxi firm is boosting our Sponsor a Nurse campaign

23rd September 2024

Emotional patient journey inspires Alin’s passion to give back to St Luke’s

Driving a poorly patient on his final journey from home to St Luke’s specialist unit had a deep and emotional effect on Plymouth taxi business owners Alin and Peter.

Appreciating for the first time the exceptional service the hospice provides for people at the end of their lives, Alin Turi promised himself that he would support St Luke’s in the future.

Three years later, Alin’s DevonXpress Travel has not only become the chief corporate backer for St Luke’s Sponsor a Nurse campaign, but two per cent of every customer’s fare collected via a special online link will be donated directly to St Luke’s to support patient and family care.

And one of the company’s cars will be decked out in special St Luke’s Sponsor a Nurse livery to promote the campaign as it travels around the city and beyond.

“I felt proud that I have created and built a business that is not just for me – it is for helping others.”

Alin recalled the day he became aware of St Luke’s work: “I had been driving this customer to dialysis appointments at the hospital but this day, when I picked him up, he said it would be the last journey. The doctor had given him one month to live and he was going to St Luke’s.

“That is when I realised how amazing St Luke’s is and I looked into how it is helping people and getting involved in the community. I said when the business is really good, I will come back to St Luke’s and that’s what I’m doing.

“I know how amazing the nurses are and what they do for our community, and I know that requires money and support. When we signed the sponsorship contract with St Luke’s I literally had tears in my eyes. I felt proud that I have created and built a business that is not just for me – it is for helping others.”

We will be there

In addition to financial sponsorship, Alin’s wonderful kindness includes a pledge to provide suitable transport – including wheelchair accessible vehicles if appropriate – for special days out in the Plymouth area for patients and their family members.

“I was so impressed when I heard about St Luke’s granting wishes for patients. For example when it was someone’s last wish to see their grandson play at the seaside, because they weren’t well enough to go you brought the beach to the hospice,” he said.

“I know transport for patients can be quite hard sometimes, especially if they need a wheelchair. As long as this company is in Plymouth, if St Luke’s requires wheelchair transport, or if someone has a last wish and we can help with transport, then we will be there. If they want to go to Kingsbridge or Kingsand, we can take them there. Or they might want to do a tour of Plymouth for an hour. These are things we can do.”

Helping is caring

The company also aims provide transport for St Luke’s nursing teams if any of the hospice’s in-house vehicles are out of action.

“Everyone wants to help, and all the little bits add up to make a difference. I’ve talked to my drivers, and some will also give a donation to St Luke’s via their tax return. We want to make an impact and show that helping is caring.”

Thank you

Alin, who lives in the city with his wife and two children, started his local company in 2016. He came to Plymouth from Romania in 2008, then worked in London for a few years before returning to the West Country. His business now has 60 vehicles, 12 of which can be used for wheelchairs or as seven-seaters.

“We are living in this amazing community of Plymouth, and we want to give something back. This is our way of saying thank you and I know that helping St Luke’s will have a huge impact,” he said.

Support St Luke’s by sponsoring a nurse

“If you need a taxi, please use us because we are giving back. From the money customers are paying us, the company is giving back to St Luke’s. It does not cost me anything, but the impact is huge within the community. We are the first taxi company to do this; I hope maybe others will follow.”

If you bookmark this link on your phone, it will connect you to a special DevonXpress Travel taxi booking platform that will automatically donate two per cent of your fare to St Luke’s. https://ebooker.devonxpress.taxi/c749e77a-8c9b-4400-946f-d37a7bc36853

For information about how to Sponsor a Nurse through personal regular giving visit https://www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/nurse/

Sponsor a St Luke’s nurse Devon Xpress Travel taxi booking

Related articles

, ,

BLOG: Like father, like son: London to Paris for St Luke’s

A father and son duo will be pushing the pedals in aid of St Luke’s this summer as they take on a 250 mile cycling challenge from London to Paris. Luke Clement and his 10-year-old son James, from Horrabridge are no strangers to two-wheeled escapades, so their chosen mode of transport for their upcoming challenge comes as no surprise. This summer the pair will be cycling from London to Paris while raising money for St Luke’s. The challenge will be over the course of 5 days and will see them cycling 250 miles, starting at The Tower of London and finishing at The Eiffel Tower.
, ,

BLOG: Danielle’s six halves in six weeks in Toby’s memory

A half marathon is a major challenge for the majority of us, however one of our supporters has decided to take on six in six weeks all in memory of her cousin Toby. Danielle Parkes (or Danni as she is known to many) will be running six different half marathons over six weeks all in memory of her 23-year-old cousin Toby Brann, who died almost a year ago. In his final weeks Toby was cared for by our St Luke’s at home team, giving him the opportunity to make lasting memories with his loved ones, including granting his wish of watching his home team Plymouth Argyle play at home against Ipswich.
, ,

BLOG: Argyle match day with a difference to spotlight local hospice care

Classic Builders will combine football with fundraising as they gift their front of shirt sponsorship to St Luke’s for Argyle’s Sky Bet Championship match against Derby County on Saturday 15 March. This generous gesture from one of the city’s premier construction companies means that St Luke’s logo will emblazon the front of Argyle’s famous Green for this very special home match day as all parties aim to raise awareness and funds to make a vital difference to local families when they need it most.
, ,

BLOG: Company kindness helps keep the wheels of local hospice care turning

A premier southwest car dealership is continuing to go the extra mile in support of St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth. With the hospice facing the challenge of delivering its specialist end-of-life care in an increasingly tough financial climate, big-hearted business Roger Young – which opened its Suzuki dealership in Saltash in 2024 - has stepped up to lease five smart new Suzuki vehicles to the charity at a specially discounted rate.
, ,

BLOG: Callington crafters put their sewing skills to good use for St Luke’s

When local crafter Elaine Pluckrose found herself at our specialist unit, it wasn’t going to put a stop to her creative ideas. Elaine runs a Callington based craft group called ‘This, that and chat’, although as she puts it “it is more about chat than this and that”. The group meet on a Tuesday morning and from sewing and crocheting to art and sea glass painting, the talented crafters are always hard at work creating their masterpieces. But their latest creations have been inspired by Elaine’s stay at our specialist unit, sewing syringe driver bags for our patients.
, ,

BLOG: National Apprenticeship Week 2025

St Luke’s is so much more than just hands on care. While the care is an intrinsic part of our service, there are so many cogs moving in the background keeping our charity running. Every member of the St Luke’s team works tirelessly to ensure that our services are the best they can be and for some that means working hard beyond their day job. This coming week is National Apprenticeship Week (10 – 16 February), a chance to celebrate our apprentices at St Luke’s and shine a light on how they are working to develop and strengthen their own skillsets.
, ,

BLOG: St Luke’s closes its b.kinda coffee shop

St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth is sad to announce the immediate closure of our b.kinda coffee shop off the Ridgeway in Plympton. Unfortunately, financial challenges, including large and rising overheads, have made it challenging to make the coffee shop commercially successful, in spite of all the hard work and dedication of its staff and the loyal support of local customers. When our commercial arm opened the business 15 months ago, the aim was to explore a new, sustainable income stream with all profits going towards funding the end of life care we provide for patients and their families.
, ,

BLOG: Men’s Day Out poster boy Phil is looking straw-some!

The men who take part in our Men’s Day Out are a special breed. They join together with a sense of camaraderie and passion to make a real difference to the lives of local families while highlighting the importance of men’s mental health. Our very own poster boy, Philip Clench is no stranger to our annual charity walk. Phil has taken part in the walk nearly every year since it started over a decade ago. You may have even spotted him on our posters last year dressed up as a scarecrow. Local boy Phil has worked at the dockyard for the majority of his career and witnessed the compassionate care St Luke’s provides when we cared for his sister 15 years ago.
, ,

BLOG: Government regulator CQC rates St Luke’s care ‘outstanding’

Staff at St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth are celebrating a top rating of “Outstanding” from the Care Quality Commission, the official government body responsible for assessing and regulating all England’s health and care providers. The CQC report, issued this week following their autumn 2024 inspection, acknowledges that St Luke’s services, delivered in the community and at its specialist unit at Turnchapel, are performing “exceptionally well”, with consistently positive feedback received from patients, their families, staff and partner organisations.

Our Care

Support us

Courses

Information

BLOG: Making a Difference – our brand new Impact ReportBLOG: Suzy and Willy’s forget-me-not wedding