Hi readers! When you read this, members of the North Dorset Friendship Club will be recovering from last night’s party.

For those of you who don’t know the Friendship Club, it is led and run by people who have a learning disability, helping each other to get out in the community and meet friends. It’s changed my life and many others lives too.

We run monthly events in North Dorset and last night everyone was at Folke Golf Club celebrating John Miller’s 70th birthday. John is a legend, not just because he looks just like Jack Nicholson, but because he organises and drives the Sherborne Ambulance Community bus which takes many of our members to the North Dorset events.

Without John and the bus, we would struggle to get members to events like Folke Golf Club or bowling in Yeovil - activities which everyone wants to go to.

Not only are Friendship Club members lucky to have John helping us, he is also lucky to be alive! In 2000 John was out delivering Christmas hampers to the elderly when he slipped down a bank. This might not sound bad but it was for John, who nearly died from his injuries. Luckily the Air Ambulance whisked him to hospital and three surgeons operated for five hours to save him. Apparently he even died twice on the operating table but luckily he was revived each time.

Since then he has not been allowed to work because of the long term injuries, so instead he volunteers all his time to run the Community Bus. I would like to take this moment to say a huge thank you to John for all your driving and work for the community of North Dorset. You are a hero and much liked person by everyone. Happy Birthday John!

The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by The Friendship Club– a project for adults with learning disabilities, run by People First Dorset