Launching 3rd February
Debra Aitken, Good Neighbour Scheme Support Officer at Bedford Rural Counties Charity (BedsRCC), is responsible for setting up Good Neighbour Schemes across Bedfordshire. A new scheme will be launched in Biddenham on 3rd February. We caught up with Debra to find out more.
What is the Good Neighbour Scheme?
BedsRCC runs lots of different projects around wellbeing and communities and this is one project within the organisation.
A Good Neighbours Scheme is a group of volunteers in the village who provide occasional help to residents. Tasks may include driving people to appointments, small gardening and DIY jobs, collecting prescriptions and shopping, dog walking or popping round for a chat. We are also looking at providing lifts to the First Friday Lunch and Café B.
Volunteers can’t provide long term support or carry out jobs that would be done by a professional, including any personal care.
The Biddenham team is made up of local volunteers set up with support from BedsRCC and Biddenham Parish Council. All volunteers are insured and have a DBS check.
Who can benefit from the Good Neighbour Scheme?
Anybody and everybody, though primarily it tends to be older people. Elderly people often tell us they don’t want to be a nuisance, but our volunteers are there to help them.
Does it also cover Great Denham?
Each scheme is restricted to one village, so we don’t cover Great Denham, though they may have their own scheme at some point if there is demand.
How do residents use the scheme?
We will be launching in Biddenham on 3rd February and people can start to use the scheme from then.
People can request help via the telephone number (07956 921280) which is answered by volunteers between 10.00am and 3.00pm Monday to Friday, giving as much notice as possible.
It is not an emergency service and a response to a request will be dependent on a volunteer being available.
Is there a charge to use the service?
For any jobs that involve help around the house like changing a light bulb, ad hoc gardening or light shopping there’s no charge. If somebody requires a lift to an appointment, there’s a small charge to cover the driver’s expenses.
What are the biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge is how to access the people who may need the service and how to access volunteers who may be interested in helping.
It takes time to get it going. People need to get comfortable with having volunteers in their home and that trust usually builds via word of mouth.
How can volunteers get involved?
If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact Debra at debra.aitken@bedsrcc.org.uk or 07951 175241.
Volunteers of any age and gender are welcome. Volunteers are not tied to specific days and times; they can give as much or as little time as they can offer. Even an hour every now and then will make a difference to somebody. We want a commitment, but volunteers don’t need to be available all the time.
No specific skills are required, other than a driver’s licence for volunteers doing driving jobs. I hold face-to-face meetings with volunteers to explain how the scheme works.
BRCC offers training and information sessions for volunteers such as scam awareness, fire safety, wills and Lasting Power of Attorneys and the changeover to digital phone lines.
We also hold ad hoc socials for volunteers, including a day out in the summer to the vineyard we run in Old Warden, which is always popular.
Help needed with venues
We also need help with venues for volunteer meetings as we don’t have a budget to hire venues. Our first meeting was at The Three Tuns, but we don’t have a budget to buy everyone drinks. We held a meeting at Bentley Grange too and Davidsons Homes have offered to help fund a future meeting.