|
Vulnerable
people given a helping hand
HUNDREDS of Liverpool
pensioners and disabled people will be safer, healthier and more
secure in their homes, thanks to a new Handy Persons project.
Liverpool City Council is teaming-up with Riverside Housing and
Housing Maintenance Solutions (HMS) (a wholly owned subsidiary of
Liverpool Mutual Homes) for the scheme. It will put a team of DIY
professionals at the beck and call of over 65s and those with a
disability.
The City Council has awarded Riverside and HMS a grant of £250,000
to deliver the pilot scheme. It means residents will be able to call
a dedicated hotline and request a visit from a handyperson to carry
out tasks; at a subsidised rate of £15 per hour, plus materials -
such as:-
► Fitting locks, spyholes and door chains.
► Replacing light bulbs, electric fuses and plugs.
► Installing grab rails.
► Fitting doorbells and smoke alarms.
► Assembling flat pack furniture.
► Unblocking sinks.
► One-off garden clean-ups.
The scheme aims to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life
of vulnerable people, helping them maintain their independence in
their own home and cutting hospital admissions.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann
O'Byrne, said:- "It's so, so important that older residents
and vulnerable people can live safely and independently in their
homes for as long as possible; and we're determined to do
everything we can to support them.
The new Handy Persons scheme will provide a real lifeline for
residents who need it most. It will give them access to an
affordable, speedy and trustworthy means of carrying out those often
small but vital household tasks which can make such a difference to
the quality of people's lives."
An apprenticeship scheme will form part of the Handypersons service,
with Liverpool Community College providing a pool of apprentices –
including plumbers, electricians and joiners - to support HMS and
Riverside and develop their own skills. As well as being given vital
training and experience, the apprentices will also be supported in
gaining permanent employment through the scheme.
Liverpool's Mayoral Lead for Older People, Councillor Gerard
Woodhouse, said:- "I spend a lot of time talking to older
people about the challenges they face in living independently, and I
know that it's often the small jobs that can cause them the biggest
problems. That's why I'm so pleased that this service is being made
available for them.
Having a reliable handy person on-call is going to be a real help to
many, many older residents, as well as those with disabilities. I'm
looking forward to the scheme getting underway."
Paul Booth, Riverside's Regeneration Manager said:- "We are
looking forward to working with the City Council to deliver this
vitally important service for older residents and those with
disabilities in Liverpool. Our service will help people retain the
greatest possible control of their lives by completing a range of
tasks to the highest standards. Our highly skilled Handy Persons and
dedicated team are ready to provide a tailored approach for each
client – to remove the stress and worry of getting small jobs
completed around the home."
Managing Director at Housing Maintenance Solutions, Paul
Worthington, said:- "The scheme will allow residents to
benefit from using regulated and highly trained trades people at a
fraction of the cost. Furthermore, people can feel safe about
letting our staff into their homes and have confidence the work will
meet the highest standards with a minimum of disruption. The
college partnership means more people in the community will benefit
too and it will give them an insight into the work HMS carries out.
And if they enjoy it, they can apply to our apprenticeship programme
and develop their careers."
The Liverpool City Council Handy Persons scheme officially launches
this week. |
 |
Charity begins
at the Town Hall
MONEYBOXES designed by the
new Lord Mayor of Liverpool are going on sale this week as one of a
number of unique ways to raise money for charity.
Local residents and visitors to the City are being asked to support
the Lord Mayor's homelessness charity work by buying one of the
three brightly coloured house shaped moneyboxes.
By purchasing a 'City of Liverpool' Money Bank; £5 each in
either transparent red, blue or white; members of the public will
not only be donating to the Lord Mayor's charities, but will also
have their own way of saving for a rainy day. Pop into Liverpool's
Town Hall and pick on up.
It is just one of a number of exciting ideas being driven by the
Lord Mayor's new Charity Fundraising Committee, chaired by the Lord
Mayor's Consort, Steve Macfarlane.
Steve Macfarlane said:- "We've got a fantastic team of
dedicated professionals who between them have already raised several
million for other charities and good causes.
This is going to be an exciting year and we wanted to offer
something that people could keep and that would be unique to the
current Lord Mayor's year. We have some fantastic events
planned and interesting ideas to build on and the team have already
helped make a big difference to what we can do together. We
are sure that the very generous people of Liverpool will be there to
support all that we do over the next 12 months."
Another scheme is the Lord Mayor's '1000 Club', in which 1000
large companies and organisations are being approached by the
committee to consider donating £1000 either as a one-off donation or
spread over the course of a year. And, for the first time ever,
people can donate by text message. Simply text the words donation LMAY followed by the amount to 70070. So if you want to give £10 you
would type donation LMAY13 £10 and send it to 70070.
Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Gary Millar, added:- "I
have set a significant target for my charity for the next 12 months
and recognise we need to be doing something entrepreneurial and
exciting. That's why I love the idea of the moneyboxes, I think it's
a great and fun way to start raising money for some very worthy
causes.
For this year I want to raise funds to tackle cancer and
homelessness; to support vulnerable, special educational needs and
disabled children; and to create a safe haven for LGBT youth.
My nominated charities are all doing fantastic work in this City and
as I've already been involved in what they do I wanted to use my
term as Lord Mayor to help them make a real difference. This amazing
committee will do a great job and I know our fundraising is in the
best hands."
The committee, made up of 14 members; including one from each of
the chosen charities - has also set plans in motion for several
major events, one of which will be the annual Lord Mayor's Ball.
The full list of charity committee members
is:- 1. Steve Macfarlane, Chair (Lord Mayor's Consort).
2. Lyn Staunton - Variety, the Children's Charity.
3. Ruth McCaughley - The Whitechapel Centre.
4. Danny Kilbride - Michael Causer Foundation.
5. Rebecca Grimes - Linda McCartney Centre & R Charity.
6. Clare Bevan - LCVS.
7. Stuart Fitzgerald - Buy Liverpool Savers & Entrepreneur.
8. Sylvia Lewis - Professional Fundraiser.
9. Jayne Moore - Moore PR & Media.
10. Maxine Shiselle - Artist & Fundraiser.
11. Maureen Walsh - Radio Broadcaster.
12. Colin Ling - Chairman, Chinese Wellbeing.
13. Margaret Harry - Fundraiser & Businesswoman (House Spa).
14. Chris Shirling-Rooke - Founder & Chair of Positivity
Club/Commercial Director of Mersey Maritime.
Councillor Tony Crabtree now
holding regular surgeries
 THE
Cambridge Ward Conservative Councillor Tony Crabtree will be holding
a surgery on the 2nd Friday of each month at the Crema Café from
2:00pm to 3:00pm. The next Surgeries will take place on Friday, 12
July 2013, from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. The
Crema Café is located at
48 Park Road; this is part of Hesketh Park Shops on the corner of
Queens Road and Park Road, Southport. Tony will be there to meet you
and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment
necessary - just pop in. If you prefer, Tony will make arrangements
for a home visit and can be contacted by via calling him on:-
(01704) 506 505, or sending him an email:-
tony@dolphinman.co.uk. |
