Driving Miss Daisy arrived in England just 12 months ago, driven by the need for a trustworthy, reliable service to get people out and about when their mobility is limited. With a combination of an increasing ageing population and busy family lifestyles this means that the elderly, children and people with disabilities are missing out on the daily activities that most of us take for granted.

Driving Miss Daisy is a business with a heart. They offer assistance with anything from transport to medical appointments to a trip to the hairdressers or to make social outings possible and, most of all, enjoyable. The business has been running for two decades in both Canada and New Zealand with franchisees buying the rights to operate the Driving Miss Daisy business in their local area. It’s been popular with people who want to run their own business but also want to make a difference in their community.

The need for this business has been clear because during its first year in the UK, 5 regions have already been set up through franchising with several more in development. Everyone came together for the inaugural franchise conference on Saturday 10th October at Norton Park in Winchester including the full team from HQ, regional developers and franchisees as well as New Zealand founders Melanie and Jack Harper. They also welcomed special guests from Blind Veterans UK, The Blue Lamp Trust and keynote speaker, Jan Mitman from Drain Doctor.

The day was a combination of practical business and marketing advice for the franchisees, inspirational stories, sharing of best practice and guidance on supporting customers. Jan Mitman shared her 20+ years of franchising with the team including the lessons she’s learned on building a great team of successful franchisees.

During the conference, representatives from Blind Veterans UK showed franchisees the best ways to support visually impaired customers. When it came to giving a demonstration of how to assist someone in and out of a vehicle, they were the first to use the new wheelchair accessible Daisy car.

This spacious Citroen offers a comfortable, safe and secure ride for customers using wheelchairs but still gives plenty of space for those who just require a comfy car seat! Franchisees were once again impressed with the support offered by Driving Miss Daisy HQ who had done all the groundwork in selecting the most suitable vehicle and securing the best deals on branding and leasing for the network.

Paul Nuth, Business Development Director for Driving Miss Daisy UK, was really pleased with their first ever franchise conference: “It’s absolutely true to say that our franchise makes a difference in people’s lives and our network of Daisies is such a strong community already. Our franchisees can build profitable businesses but, more than that, they are all focused on delivering a valuable service. We are so excited to see what next year’s franchise conference will look like!”