WILTSHIRE’S High Sheriff has spoken of the remarkable difference a simple home visit can make after spending three days shadowing the Wiltshire Bobby Van team.

Dr Alex Goodwin joined operators from the charity as they travelled across the county helping elderly victims of crime and people at risk of domestic abuse, fitting security measures and offering reassurance to those who need it most.

The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust operates three mobile workshops, working with police and self-referrals to provide free home security support to vulnerable people.

After seeing the work first-hand, Dr Goodwin was full of praise.

“I just think they’re incredible,” he said. “I saw little things being done that made such a big difference to the individuals concerned.

“These guys go out and they do good, they have a wonderful way with them and they treat the individuals with respect, compassion and kindness.”

One visit, in particular, stayed with him.

“We went to see one gentleman at Warminster and when we arrived, he was slightly cowed, shoulders down,” he said.

“But when we left, his shoulders were back, he was a little more upright and he was keen to talk to us about his rhubarb. He was just a different character, and we’d only been there an hour.”

Dr Goodwin, who recently retired after 31 years as a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine at Bath’s Royal United Hospital, said he was struck by the number of people living in fear of domestic abuse.

“Some of the cases we saw really resonated with me because it’s a world that I had no exposure to,” he said.

“I was impressed with the care and patience shown those we went to visit, and the measures taken to make them feel safe, like fitting vibration alarms on windows for those who are feeling threatened by partners.”

He was also surprised by the scale of demand facing the charity, which receives no government funding and must raise more than £400,000 each year to continue operating.

“Now I keep telling people that they should go out with a van just to see what they do because it is incredible,” he said.

The charity supports more than 2,500 people every year across Wiltshire.