Nevill Good Neighbours is now in possession of a wheelchair for use when giving lifts to residents with mobility issues. The wheelchair is for use by our Volunteers in getting you between your home, and their vehicle, and your destination.

We have received the following very helpful information from East Sussex County Council about the Priority Services Registers operated by energy, water, and network providers.

The Priority Services Register is a free support service to help people in vulnerable situations. Energy suppliers and network operators offer it. Each keeps their own register, although some share with each other.

We recommend that people who may be vulnerable or at risk during severe weather should be on a Priority Services Register. Friends and relatives can assist those who may be in need of a bit of help to register, such as the elderly or people with serious medical conditions, or those who may not have Internet access and therefore may not have received this message. Each operator can be contacted online or by phone.

Similarly, if your household is already registered, please make sure that your registation is fully up to date, for example, contact details and special needs remain accurate.

Please act now, don’t wait!

Power cuts don’t happen very often but if the electricity, gas or water supply network is damaged or develops a fault, engineers work around the clock 24/7 to restore supplies as quickly as is safely possible. Being on a Priority Services Register will ensure that extra support will be received if the customer experiences an outage. Support is likely to include: 

A priority number that you can call 24 hours a day

Text and voice message alerts, letting you know when they are aware of a large power cut in your area or should your water supply be interrupted

Tailored support if needed such as home visits, hot meals, advice and keeping your friends and relatives updated

Where possible they will send you text and voice messages when severe weather is expected, to help you prepare

In certain scenarios they may also offer a free hotel overnight and transport to the hotel

For complex power cuts, community welfare teams provide on-site support which includes hot drinks, hot meals, a Wi-Fi connection and charge points.

OFGEM has a summary at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-extra-help-priority-services-register, and this includes help in finding the suppliers in your area. As various energy suppliers and network operators are active in Sussex, the following are the ones who cover most of the county, but there are some others. If you try to register with the wrong operator they will usually steer you in the right direction.

Electricity
UK Power Networks – most of the SE of England https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/priority-services/about-the-priority-services-register
SSEN – parts of the West of Sussex https://www.ssen.co.uk/PriorityServices/

Water
Southern Water https://www.southernwater.co.uk/help-advice/join-our-priority-services-register
South East Water https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/get-help/help-for-priority-customers

Some Nevill Good Neighbours volunteers recently attended an excellent workshop run by Citizens Advice and East Sussex County Council. We received a great deal of useful information on using less energy, getting help with fuel costs, and spottong signs of fuel poverty. If you would like the complete set of slides, email us and we will send them to you.

Here is some of the advice that was shared:

• its generally best to stay on your current tarrif
• submit regular meter readings
• use a timer and radiator thermostats to control your central heating
• keep the rooms you use at 18 degrees Centigrade or above

• ESCC are providing Winter Warmth Packs
• they are also creating and publicising Warm Spaces
• some households will be eligible for a Warm Home Discount
• beware of scams

ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019

NEVILL GOOD NEIGHBOURS

We have now been running for two years and the scheme is being used
increasingly frequently. In our first year (2017/2018) we answered 105
requests for help and this year (2018/2019) this has increased to165, and may even have been under recorded. This shows a minimum increase of 57%. Requests for lifts remain our most frequent form of help.

COMMITTEE

We have not needed to meet as frequently as we did in our first year because the scheme is running smoothly, although we email one another when
matters need to be discussed. Considerable thanks are due to our secretary, Sue, who writes detailed minutes which are always produced within hours of each meeting.

TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Action in Rural Sussex (AIRS) organised regular network meetings for all the local good neighbour schemes, where experiences and ideas were
exchanged and training offered. We hosted a Falls Prevention Course at St Mary’s Church Hall, which was attended by several members of the Ringmer Good Neighbour Scheme as well as some of our own members.

Readers of Lewes News will have noticed that Jane Goyder is interested in starting up a GNS in the Southover area and Nevill GNS has offered support. Someone living in the Wallands area also contacted us for information and is interested in doing the same.

VOLUNTEERS and HELPED NEIGHBOURS

Enormous thanks to all our volunteers who provide such important and
valuable support. We have a core group of around twenty volunteers and,
although there have been several enquiries from prospective new volunteers, none has progressed any further, despite follow up calls and emails. Thank you Felicity-Ann for both looking after volunteers and keeping records up to date. Many thanks are due to all who act as phone holder on a monthly basis, and particular thanks go to John, who has decided to step down; fortunately he is willing to continue as a committee member, as we value both his expertise and humour. We continue to receive appreciative thanks from our users, particularly those who use the service frequently.
COMMUNICATION

The website continues to provide important information and has been visited by several care professionals looking to network and access support for clients. Comments from users have been complimentary. Thank you Mike for your web mastery and general technical support.

FINANCE

Our Treasurer, Simmy, has provided a separate financial report which details our income and expenditure for the year. Thank you for keeping a close eye on our finances and for arranging for our accounts to be independently
examined. A donation from St Anne’s church and cash donations from several private individuals have increased our balance significantly. When DBS checks come up for renewal within the next year, we will have funds ready to pay for them.

PUBLICITY

Kate has been active in publicising our scheme by: sending a write up of our first AGM and an article from Sheila Kay to the Sussex Express; sharing our leaflet on Facebook (attracting several likes and shares); having an article
included in January’s Lewes News; putting up posters in the shop and at St Mary’s Church Hall; and advertising today’s AGM on Nextdoor and the Lewes Facebook page. Thank you for being so proactive.

FUNDING

Frances successfully applied for grants to ESCC which provide important funding for our running costs, largely insurance, publicity, DBS checks, website and phone. Thank you for taking on the unenviable job of extensive form filling and for gathering together important data.

SOCIAL

AIRS have invited all members of local GNSs to a get together in the Lecture Room of the Town Hall (first entrance in Fisher Street, room on the left at the top of the stairs, there is a lift) on Wednesday 12th June, 7-10 pm, where refreshments will be provide. All are welcome, lifts available if needed.

Penny Ollosson
Chair

Continue reading “Annual Report 2018-19” →

Nevill Residents Good Neighbour Scheme

Personal Data Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice tells you:

the personal data we hold on you
what we do with your personal data
your rights under the Data Protection rules
additional use of your personal data if you become a Volunteer

You may obtain copies of this Privacy Notice from the website:

nevillgoodneighbours.org

The personal data we hold on you

When you make a request for assistance from the Good Neighbour Scheme, either by phone or email, you provide us with personal data. We hold this information, together with any other information we may have asked you for, in order to manage your request.

What we do with your personal data

This personal data which we hold on you is kept by our volunteer staff: the rotating phone holder, and volunteers fulfilling your request. It is kept confidential from all others, and is held securely.

Your Data Protection rights

The Data Protection legislation grants you the following rights in regard to the personal data we hold on you:

to be informed (this Privacy Notice)
to have access
to have any of the information amended
to have any of the information erased
to restrict how we may use the information and who we may disclose it to
to have an electronic copy of the information
to remove a consent you have granted for us to use your information in a particular way

You may exercise these rights at any time by contacting us using our requests phone number or email.:

Volunteers

If you are one of our Volunteers your name, address and contact details will be disclosed to the Phone Holders and used to inform you of requests and information relevant to Volunteers.

Summary

In summary, NRGNS will ensure your personal data is:

used fairly and lawfully;
kept accurate and up to date;
used for limited, stated purposes;
used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive;
kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary;
handled according to your Data Protection rights;
kept safe and secure.

1 May 2019