With the recent heavy snow, it wasn't much of a surprise when the Northants 4x4 Response Team was called into action to assist the council and other services. Responders were out continuously through the Saturday night, all day Sunday and in the late evening on Sunday night.
My own call out came on Sunday morning: could I go to Wellingborough to assist with Meals-on-Wheels... and PS, there'll be a BBC cameraman waiting for you.
Arriving at MoW HQ in the Defender, I met up with two other responders, Dave and Mark, and was introduced to the MoW team and the cameraman. The plan was to go out delivering the hot meals in our Land Rovers, escorting the lady who usually does the round, starting in Wellingborough and heading in a circular route out to Woodford and back.
Time is of the essence with MoW as the food needs to arrive hot, and at lunchtime. Unfortunately the needs to filming slows the process down, so the meals were transferred to Dave's vehicle while Mark and I helped the cameraman get the footage he required.
By early afternoon the meals were delivered, the BBC had their footage, and an interview with me, destined for the regional BBC Look East programme that night.
At 18.50 I sat with bated breath wondering exactly what the results of our effort would be:
Not too painful, but do I really sound like that?!?
Next morning, I'm having breakfast when the Breakfast edition of Look East starts and to my surprise I'm on it again, with a different part of the interview and Mark in a supporting role as we point at a map:
A great bit of publicity for the Response Team, which has been picked up by other groups and the national 4x4 Response forum too. It's an honour to be able to represent the Response Team network like that, and to show that we, often criticised, 4x4 drivers aren't all bad.