Gearing Up for Autumn - Latest Extra Mile Delivered

Can you believe we're already in September? Where has this year gone?! I hope you've all had a great summer and are ready to take on the busy autumn months ahead. Although the sudden sunshine isn't what we were expecting, I'm sure it's welcomed by many.

There's been so much going on in the world of sport recently. We were all cheering on the Lionesses as they made history by reaching the Women's World Cup Final ⚽. What an amazing achievement! Unfortunately they couldn't clinch the win, but we're still so proud.

🏉 With the Rugby World Cup just around the corner, it's an exciting time for sports fans. No doubt there will be many glued to the games over the next few weeks. Let's hope the England team can improve on their performances in the warm up stages!

Of course, it's not just the world of sport that's gearing up for a busy autumn. The new school term is starting, so we're sure many of you have had your holidays cut short to get the kids back to school. We hope the transition back to the classroom has been smooth for your children!

When it comes to awareness days there's an incredibly important one coming up; 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. Below we have included a series of helplines for those who may be struggling. Please reach out if you need support - you are not alone.

As always, we hope you enjoy this read. We'd love to hear your feedback🗨️

Every year on the 10th September, organisations and communities around the world come together to raise awareness of how we can create a world where fewer people die by suicide. Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, if you are struggling please refer to the helplines above for professional help.

Alternatively, if you're worried about a friend or a loved one, below are some tips on how to open up a conversation with them:

Choose a good time, and somewhere without distractions
Use open questions that need more than a yes/no answer
‘How are things, I’ve noticed you don’t seem quite yourself?’
Listen well. ‘How’s that making you feel?’
Avoid giving your view of what’s wrong, or what they should do

It's normal to feel anxious about asking someone if they’re suicidal, but it could save someone's life. Try and avoid saying things like ‘you’re not thinking of doing something stupid are you?’. Being patient and showing you care builds trust and helps someone to open up.

You could ask:

Have you thought about ending your life?
Are you saying that you want to die?
Are you thinking of ending your life because you want to be dead, or is it because you want the situation you're in or the way you feel to stop?

To find out more, please visit the Samaritans website here.

In our last edition of The Extra Mile we shared with you our bulletin 'HGV Driver Shortage Crisis: Where Are We Now'. Since then, we've received revised statistics from the Office for National Statistics ("ONS") which have shed some interesting light.

Most importantly; another HGV Driver Shortage Crisis could be on the horizon much sooner than originally anticipated. The timeframe has been reduced from a decade to just 7 years.

In our latest bulletin we re-examine our previous conclusions in light of these new, more accurate ONS statistics. This provides fresh insight into the factors behind the 2021 Driver Shortage Crisis - download here.

Our Driver of the Month for September is Paulius Kubilickas, a driver for Ocado Erith. The team at Ocado sent over an email complimenting Paulius, they shared:

"I just wanted to pass on a compliment regarding Paulius. He has a habit of being on site about 30 minutes early and the past two mornings I have had to start him early to assist with lateness, or no show. Monday morning it was a driver that forgot their wallet at home who he stepped in for, this morning it was for a no show that he took an earlier run to buy me time to resolve the issue. A big thank you for his good habit."

As a big “THANK YOU” for being a Driver Require Superhero we will be sending Paulius a £25 Amazon gift card. Thank you for all your hard work Paulius and for Going the Extra Mile, we are delighted to have you part of the Driver Require Team.