Community Watch 2017

Neighbours helping Neighbours in East Dean, Friston, Birling Gap and Crowlink

Community Watch offers a free, confidential and informal service to residents. In its five-year history it has received 238 calls. Many requests have been for lifts to the DGH, GPs, or dentists and although free transport may be an attraction, having someone to talk to at what can be a critical time makes this an invaluable CW service. There has also been some demand for relief for carers, or simply for company, which is something the volunteers hope to build on.

Volunteers have also collected prescriptions, taken residents to the supermarket (or done their shopping), returned library books, given transport to the village hall and helped with practical problems such as dog-walking and simple DIY tasks. One of the many advantages of this scheme is that it overcomes one’s natural reluctance to ask for help.

We are unable to offer advice involving nursing or health concerns, benefits or legal and financial matters. However, we can provide details of organisations that may be able to assist. Apart from that, we can turn our hand to most reasonable requests for help!

The number of recorded calls only tells a very small part of the story. Once a link is made with a volunteer many future arrangements are made ‘under the radar’ and maybe this is the most important part of the Community Watch service. Volunteers speak of how a single request for help often develops into genuine friendship and ongoing, direct support.

In the spring of 2016 our team heard an informative ‘chalk-face’ talk on dementia from Rob Page and at this year’s ‘open’ spring meeting Joanna Shawcross led a discussion on the subject of a ‘Compassionate Neighbours’ scheme which focuses on the care of those discharged from hospital or the terminally ill. If it progresses, it will be a separate organisation from Community Watch.

A programme for future meetings is being devised to include items such as: Loneliness, ‘How To Say No’ and the topical issue of Fraud and Internet Scams.

In order to carry out our aim of putting callers in touch with someone living nearby, we are always very happy to hear from prospective volunteers. If you are interested in being a volunteer for this most important of village activities, please telephone one of our three call co-ordinators (423311, 423101 or 423611) to find out more.