At the Parish Council Meeting on 20 September, the Parish Council and members of the public were addressed by Nat Bocking from Suffolk Acre on the subject of the Good Neighbour Scheme. The Suffolk Acre Good Neighbour Scheme was launched in 2003 to help members of the community help each other. For each scheme (of which there are currently 22) a team of volunteers is raised to offer a variety of help, principally to the elderly and vulnerable, although any local resident can use the scheme. The reasons for joining the scheme could include:
Helping to create a strong social bond; offering valuable but informal support and advice; allowing some people to retain their independence; reducing feelings of isolation; lessening the impact of the ongoing decline in village services; providing a link between younger and older members of the community and also between newcomers and more established residents.
Some of the services that could be offerred might be:
Giving lifts, especially to doctors' surgeries and hospital appointments; shopping and letter posting; minor domestic repairs (light bulb changing, smoke alarm battery changing); befriending the elderly and/or lonely; help with filling in forms etc; help with walking dogs, feeding pets etc; help with a garden.
A typical volunteer group (with the help of Suffolk Acre) would form a small committee and organise a list of volunteers. A mobile phone, specially designated for the use of the scheme, would be held in turn by each volunteer, who would co-ordinate helpers and those in need of help. Volunteers would have to have a CRB check and be insured and this can be arranged at reduced cost by Suffolk Acre.
More about the scheme can be found on the Suffolk Acre website: www.suffolkacre.org.uk
If anyone is interested in getting a Good Neighbours Scheme started in Clopton, please contact news@cloptonvillage.co.uk who will arrange contact between volunteers, Clopton Parish Council, and Suffolk Acre.
To see a clip from The One Show entitled "Love Thy Neighbour" about the Suffolk ACRE Good Neighbour Scheme click: http://www.suffolkonline.net/videos.php/14