Good Neighbour Scheme

What are Good Neighbour Schemes?

Good Neighbour Schemes are local voluntary groups which offer a service in their community for those in need of help and support. The people who may need support may be the elderly, disable, single parents and young mothers, those temporarily in need through illness or anyone who may be isolated within the community.

Good Neighbour Schemes are not there to replace the work done by Social Services and other professional care agencies. They operate on a more personal level than many agency-led schemes, often starting as simple offers of help to an acquaintance in need. However, they can improve the quality of life for people living more isolated lives in rural communities.

The help offered by Good Neighbour Schemes may include:

	Providing transport for appointments, hospital visits or to Day Centres;
	Errands, shopping or collecting prescriptions;
	Preparing emergency meals;
	Household tasks or gardening;
	Visiting or befriending;
	Letter-writing or form-filling;
	Looking after or transporting children;
	Helping people after discharge from hospital;
	Giving carers a break;
	Reading to partially sighted or blind people;
	Providing information.

What’s in it for me?

The main advantage of a Good Neighbour Scheme is that it will help others and enhance the community by improving the neighbourly spirit and goodwill. However, the testimony of other volunteers demonstrates that volunteering can be a very rewarding experience:

	It can be good fun;
	You can make new friends and it can help against feelings of isolation;
	Helping others will make you feel good, build your confidence and improve your self-esteem;
	You can gain an enormous sense of achievement and feel part of a team;
	You are doing something really useful that won’t get done without your help;
	You can use your talents and prove your capabilities;
	You can learn new skills and develop new interests;
	You can gain valuable experience that may lead to paid work later;
	You can find out more about a type of work you may be considering as a career.

Who are they for?

Most schemes do not have strict rules about who can use the scheme, although many limit their services to those that live in the village or parish. There is an understanding that the scheme is only there to help people in need, those who for whatever reason, are unable to help themselves and have no family or friends available.

In reality most of the people who use Good Neighbour Schemes are the elderly, disabled people, the housebound, or those without the use of a car, but it rather depends on the scope of the scheme – each scheme will vary since they are set up to meet specific needs.

Why have a Good Neighbour Scheme?

Rural service provision continues to decline and demographic change is leading to a loss of community spirit and cohesion together with increasing isolation in rural communities. Experience from other areas suggests that Good Neighbour Schemes can play a key role in village life.

They can:

	Aid community involvement, helping to create a strong social bond and promoting people’s well-being and self-esteem;
	Offer valuable, but informal support and advice – a helping hand;
	Allow some people to retain their independence and remain in their homes for longer than would otherwise be possible;
	Reduce feelings of isolation, exclusion and loneliness;
	Lessen the impact of the ongoing decline in village services such as Post Offices, shops, pubs and public transport;
	Be seen as preventative services, preventing or delaying the need for more costly intensive or specialist care;
	Provide a link between younger and older members of the community, and also between newcomers and more established residents;
	Be seen to have wider consequences within rural areas and often improve the viability and validity of rural communities.

What should you do next?

Find out more information by contacting either:

Cllr Debbie Wright on 01376 345206

Clerk Angela Balcombe on 01376 528081 email Clerk@greatnotley.gov.uk