UPTON-upon-Severn resident Stephen Clutterbuck is not one to give up easily – even though he has experienced more than his fair share of setbacks during his life.

The 44-year-old who was born and brought up in Malvern says he was registered disabled in 1977 at the age of five, diagnosed with autism in 1978 and subsequently diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 2007.

He had to contend with bullying at school and work as well as a string of rejections from prospective employers meaning he could only get voluntary or agency work.

He discovered he was good with children and worked as a volunteer with nurseries, hoping to become trained and qualified as an early years practitioner but changes to the training process put it beyond his reach, he said.

But a Good Samaritan act while out with a friend from Dines Green in Worcester has led to a change in career he hopes will result in success and fulfilment.

“I and my friend in Dines Green saw an injured hedgehog in the road. We managed to save it from further harm and rang the Malvern Hedgehog Rescue. They said to take it to the vet’s surgery at Whittington near Worcester and they would collect it from there,” said Stephen.

“My friend said ‘Why don’t you start a pet taxi service for people who cannot get out and about or do not have time in their busy schedule to take them to the vet’s or for grooming’?”

Stephen admitted he had tried setting up his own business before as a courier but it wasn’t a success – probably because it is such a competitive market with many large courier companies.

However, he likes animals, liked the idea of running his own business and there didn’t seem to be anyone else offering a similar local service.

Stephen said: “I tried very hard for years to fit in to a job but without much hope. I only managed to get voluntary or agency jobs and no proper full-time job and I was getting more and more depressed about why I wasn’t getting a normal job like most people.”

One way to overcome this was to become self-employed. “I thought to myself ‘what about self-employment as then I would be working by myself, choosing my own hours, meeting people I can get on with and also doing a job where I can work closely with pets as I can relate to pets?’,” he said.

“I know pets are happy around me and they know I will take care of them and take them back to their owners after they’ve been to the vet or groomer. I really enjoy driving and enjoy being around animals but I wasn’t clever enough to be a veterinary surgeon or even working in a surgery with the animals.”

Stephen said when he was young his family had guinea pigs and cats which he loved. “I have a couple of friends who have dogs and pets seem to like me.”

He said his autism and Asperger Syndrome make it difficult for him to have eye contact and social interactions with people and this affects his ability to make friends and have relationships. But pets are a completely different matter and respond well to Stephen – and with no judgement.

“The aim is to offer a service for people who have pets but have difficulty in getting their animals to the vet or groomer and it will be a lifeline, especially for elderly people who have pets and can’t get out and about very much to take their pets to places or people who work full-time and have other commitments in the day.”

Enthused by this idea, Stephen Named his business Noah’s Ark Pet Taxi Service and designed and set up a website himself - http://www.noahsarkpettaxiservice.co.uk/. He also equipped his car to be able to accommodate dogs, cats and other small domestic pets.

He said the business is operating mainly in south Worcestershire offering trips to vet surgeries, pet groomers, dog boarding homes, kennels and catteries, the new home when the owners are relocation, animal rescue/rehoming centres and to pet cremations.

Stephen is also offering a pet food delivery service for people who can’t get to the shops and plans to extend his range of services to include airport transport when a pet is going aboard with its owners.

He expects most of the trips will be routine visits to the vet but if a pet is ill he will take it too. He will also take the owner if they need to talk to the vet about their pet. He stressed that he does not take injured animals – these require an animal ambulance – and he does not take larger animals which require a livestock licence.

He said the feedback from customers so far was very good and he is thrilled to be running his own business.

“It feels superb to be running my own business. I had lots of stress from not having a job and I was let down by employers. I got more and more stressed and anxious and frustrated by it. I have been driving for 25 years and I like driving.”