The Taxi Fund

Monday December 18 2023

Some elderly people struggle to get to church. It can be for a variety of reasons; illness, infirmity, injury or just plain old age and lack of mobility.

But for those who attend Coldside Church in Dundee, there’s a solution. Thanks to a generous bequest, people who are infirm, elderly or injured can call a taxi to take them to church and back.

Marilyn Lawson, acting Session Clerk, said: “Some years ago, we received a bequest from a man whose wife had been a member. He wanted to give money to the church so that it would be used to help the older members of the congregation. We had a think how that would best be accomplished and realised we could help them directly by making it easier to access the church on a Sunday.

“We decided the best way to do this would be to set up a dedicated taxi account that members of the congregation could use to get them to and from the church. It’s been especially useful since we had to close one church and so some members of the congregation have to travel further now. It’s been a real blessing.”

The taxi account can only be used for trips to and from the church and is largely for those who don’t have their own transport, but it can also be used by people who have sustained an injury that makes them temporarily unable to travel as they normally would.

One member of the congregation, who is in her nineties, said that she uses the taxi service every Sunday: “I used to be able to make it on foot when the church was round in the next street, but since that one was closed down and sold off, I’d have probably not been able to get to church unless someone could drive me and I hate having to rely on others for favours. This fund has made it possible for me to get in to church irrespective of the weather and the drivers are always so helpful. I chipped a bone recently so the taxi service has been a real Godsend.”

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