You've had a hard day at work and had to fight through the rush-hour traffic to get home.

The last thing you want to do is pop round to your granny's to try to fix her washing machine or check up on your Uncle Albert after his hip operation.

Well, now a company will do it for you.

Worthing-based Dial-a-hubby, which launched in 2004 to do odd jobs that the "man of the house" couldn't or wouldn't do, is now offering to visit your elderly or needy relatives for you.

Founder Stephen Murray, 50, said: "Most people use the service because their geographical or work situation makes a visit themselves impossible but we would still go round if it was someone local who couldn't be bothered.

"Some people say that tongue in cheek. There aren't many people who would admit that they would rather watch the football."

The company's four "hubbies", who drive around in bright pink vans, will do almost anything for their clients, from changing a light bulb and hanging a door to rescuing fish from a draining pond or taking round a bunch of flowers and singing Happy Birthday.

Mr Murray said he came up with the idea of visiting relatives after talking to many of the company's original clients who said their family had moved away.

He said: "We live in a very fluid society now where people don't stay in one place. I kept wondering what I would do if my mother's washing machine stopped working in Worthing and I lived in Scotland.

"You can look someone up in the Yellow Pages but you don't know if they are going to be nice or rip your mother off.

"We are a community-based company and I only employ staff who are like me and really care. If we can't sort the problem out ourselves, we will find someone trustworthy who can."

The visits are free unless work needs doing and then the bill is sent to whoever called the company.

Mr Murray is also hosting a series of lectures for people who work with the elderly such as carers and the police.

He said: "Most people don't know where their stop-cock is or their electricity board and don't know what to do if something goes wrong. It's not something they can call the police or social services about and they might mention it to their carer who could recommend us."

For more information visit www.dial-ahubby.com or call 0870 1993007.

Monday, January 23, 2006