Driving Miss Daisy Bersted

Driving Miss Daisy

For our next Client Feature, I spoke to Julian and Rachel Staddon of ‘Driving Miss Daisy, Bersted’ who provide a ‘Companion Driving’ service for anyone who is unable to drive but wishes to remain independent.

Tell us a little bit about your business:

We came across the Driving Miss Daisy franchise completely by accident in 2016 whilst living in Cape Town. We had been searching the internet for possible ways to help Rachels’ parents, who had retired to Bognor Regis several years ago.

We loved the Driving Miss Daisy concept of ‘We’re family when family can’t be there’ and decided to relocate back to the UK after 27 years in South Africa, and take up the challenge of starting our own ‘Daisy’ franchise in the greater Chichester area operating with two wheelchair adapted vehicles.

Driving Miss Daisy

We arrived in April 2017 just with our pets and suitcases, and after a whirlwind of preparatory work and training, we commenced trading in June 2017.

What does a normal day consist of/look like for you ?

All of our clients at Driving Miss Daisy have different needs and requirements, but typically…

Driving Miss Daisy

A Companion Driver will accompany our clients for shopping trips, medical appointments, social outings, family events or even just a visit to the seafront for coffee, cake and a friendly chat.

Short or long distances are not a problem.

What do you love about where you are based?

We love the easy access to the huge variety of beautiful and interesting places in West Sussex and Hampshire.

What have been some of your biggest challenges during the global pandemic?

Driving Miss Daisy Bersted

The additional restrictions of movement made it very difficult for a lot of our clients, many of whom felt isolated from family and friends as all of their routine social activities were stopped.

Even long awaited hospital/physio appointments were being cancelled at the last minute, understandably, but frustrating nonetheless. 

We are all slowly emerging back into the daylight and adapting to the ‘new’ normal.  

Do you have any future goals for the business or things you are looking forward to in 2022?

Just getting back to the same level of business as we were pre-pandemic.

How have Blue Spire helped you with your business:

Mainly with questions I have had on the Xero accounting package as there is always someone available to help me and explain how to process/categorise items I am entering on the system, which has been invaluable.

For any help or business advice, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Blue Spire today.
Bridget

Bridget

Digital Marketing Manager

We're Here For you

Let's talk

Our friendly team are ready to help you and answer any questions you may have. Just use the form below and get in touch.

Scroll to Top