THE new director of the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust has taken up her post.

After retiring as regional controller for House of Fraser Jennie Shaw met one of the trustees and offered to help out as a fundraiser.

Now Jennie, who lives in Bremhill, near Calne, is running the whole show.

The Bobby Van Trust is a registered charity, which comprises two vans with drivers, which cover the whole of Wiltshire, carrying out repairs to doors and windows of properties, which have been targeted by criminals.

She said: "After I found out about the directorship at the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust and heard about and even saw first hand some of the fantastic work that the Trust achieves in helping vulnerable and elderly victims of burglary, as well as carrying out fire risk assessments and fitting smoke detectors, I suddenly felt very excited.

"Here was something I could do on a part-time basis, that was very different to my work in London, and with far less travelling, yet which would represent an opportunity for me to both use my skills and do something really worthwhile."

So far the Wiltshire Bobby Van has helped 7,031 elderly, disadvantaged, or vulnerable people.

Its patron is Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.