Verwood Good Neighbours

 Members Update

We are coming to the end of August and have been operating for nearly a full year of good work in our area.

To date we have 538 Journeys booked and 75 Clients.

On the 500^th journey we presented the client with a bouquet of flowers and a certificate.

East Dorset Travel Tokens.

We can now accept these tokens for travel.

Tokens are worth £1 each.

Weekend and Evening journeys.

We now have drivers willing to undertake some weekend and evening journeys.

Drivers.

If you know of anyone who would volunteer to drive for us get them to give me a ring Eddie on 01202 826764.

If you have any ideas or thoughts on how to improve our scheme please phone or e-mail Eddie 826764  

WHAT CAN THE GOOD NEIGHBOURS OF  VERWOOD DO FOR ME?

Our transport scheme operates Monday to Friday. Just ring us on 07593 373580 between 10 am and 12 noon

Let us help you visit any local shops, Surgery, Library, Heritage Centre, or Morrisons etc..

In the New Year we plan to hold a Monthly  ’Drop In’  meeting.

It is planned to be held alternately at Verwood and Three Cross.  We are currently planning the venue and date - please tell us if you would like more details.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE ISOLATED OR HOUSEBOUND

If you would like us to, we also have volunteers who would visit you at home. You will find a friend in us!

Do call us on 07825 206058 And let us know how we can help ....

    Verwood Area   Good Neighbours

Telephone: 07593 373580

SERVICE:  Volunteers kindly assisting with safe transport on weekdays (up to 5 miles from Hub), for over 50’s to clubs, doctors, shops etc. and home.

CLIENTS:  need to contribute to petrol (Minimum of £4) by a donation into a provided envelope; payment can be either by cash or a cheque payable to V.A.G.N.

ALL DRIVERS:  are CRB cleared and refunded for their mileage

They can only handle donation envelopes – so please have the correct change available.

OUR FACILITATORS: answer the mobile phone (number above) every weekday 10^am to 12 noon: so you can book up to 2 wks ahead! Just leave us your details and destination required and we will get back to you next day. Availability isn’t guaranteed, but our Facilitators try to find someone to help: so please give them lots of notice.

The Verwood Area Good Neighbour Network is under the auspices of Dorset County Council POPP and Neighbourhood Watch

Another free service provided by POPP is the Wayfinder service: which has links to recreation, health promotion and support services available within the community: our Wayfinder, Liz Young, is in the Library Monday mornings, or leave a message anytime with your details on 07971 338495 and she will get back to you.

POPP Project: details from the Council Offices, 01202 820880, or call the Project Leader on 07825 206058 for volunteering details.

To all NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH members: as you know, at our AGM we launched the NHW Good Neighbour Scheme - a network of volunteers, assisting one another, and those who are less mobile, with transport to shops, hospitals, clubs to extend their own contacts, etc.

We are proud to have achieved 69 runs since September, for 18 regular passengers, who are so grateful for the help they have received - but many have been saying it was their first conversation in a week, so we have decided to extend this service to include a Befriender scheme!

So please, can we ask you, in all the various groups that you attend, to spread the word that help is available for those who need it?  It is so very difficult to get the message to the many isolated seniors, widowers, etc who have no family or close friends in the area to help them out.

If you can take some A5 leaflets, for those you know to put through a few appropriate letter boxes, or in their Christmas publications / cards / newsletters, that would also help – please just let us know?

And naturally if you know anyone who could spare 2 hours a month to make, or receive, a couple of calls on our mobile phone, they would form part of the network, and so be eligible for assistance themselves!

So do please contact us on 07825 206058, or send an email to vvstilwell@hotmail.com , so we can give you more details…

V Stilwell

Area 11 Coordinator

GOOD NEIGHBOURS SCHEME UPDATE

Up to the 7^th of May the scheme had made 324 journeys since its start in August of last year. There are 70 persons involved who are either regular clients or facilitators and drivers. The committee is working well together and are considering some improvements to the systems in the scheme after talking with Heather Teasdale the new POPP Community Leader for Verwood who has taken over from Val Stillwell.

We have enough facilitators to answer the telephones but we do require volunteer drivers urgently