The Duke Pub- Hilmarton

New Ownership and New Menus

Please show your support for the Duke Pub in Hilmarton. We have a new landlord and landlady who are set to turn the pub around. There are new menus in place which look great and very reasonable. On offer is a 2 course lunch for £8. I had scampi and apple crumble yesterday and enjoyed it very much! The Christmas menus are currently at the printers and will be available next week.

I would love to hear from anyone who gives the Duke a try. I am always available to meet there for coffee, should anyone need a chat.

 

Emma Dowie

Good Neighbour Co-ordinator for Bremhill, Hilmarton and Compton Bassett

07557 922029

Community Oil Scheme

Get involved in new community oil scheme and save money

 

Join the super savvy savers of Wiltshire who have between them saved almost £23,000 in the past 10 months on fuel bills.

 

Anyone who wants to save money on their fuel bills and help the environment too is invited to get involved in an innovative new scheme. Community First Wiltshire has developed CF Oil – a brilliant way to negotiate and buy oil for the best price and help local communities save money on their heating fuel.

 

Members in each area can have their oil delivered every month at the same time, saving on fuel miles for the lorries as well as on cash for themselves. Once it receives all the orders Community First organises bulk purchase and delivery of the oil from different suppliers at the best prices, achieving collective savings for all the members in the group.  

 

Since starting in October 2011 we have saved clients £21,688.82 on their combined fuel bills; an average saving of £150 and the highest saving on a single order being £499. 

CF Oil now wants to recruit more members and more co-ordinators all across Wiltshire to make the scheme even more economical and worthwhile. 

Co-ordinators only have to volunteer for an hour or two each month. They save on the annual membership fee for the scheme, currently £20 a year for private households, £30 for community buildings and £100 for businesses, and don’t have to handle any money, since members pay for their order direct to the delivery company.

 

“This is a great scheme which benefits everyone,” said Philippa Read, Chief Executive of Community First.  “Every time a tanker comes out to make a delivery, it is using a lot of diesel - a full tanker can get as little as a horrifying eight miles per gallon. If deliveries are organised so that one tanker delivers to several customers in a village instead of making lots of individual deliveries, the fuel consumption is reduced and so is traffic in the village.

 

If you want to join those who are saving hundreds of pounds on their fuel bills – or would like to know more about being a local co-ordinator please contact CF Oil at Community First, Wyndhams, St Joseph’s Place, Devizes, Wilts SN10 1DD; on tel 01380 732809 or email oil@communityfirst.org.uk

Come and Meet Me at the Village Show!

WILTSHIRE GOOD NEIGHBOURS ARE DELIGHTED TO BE ATTENDING THE BREMHILL VILLAGE PRODUCE SHOW ON SATURDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 2012

I will be on hand to meet local residents, drink tea and generally answer any questions about Wiltshire Good Neighbours. I will have a selection of leaflets and information with me should anyone require any on-the-spot information. I will also have my diary, should anyone want to book me for a more private home visit.

As a reminder Wiltshire Good Neighbours is a service for older residents living in rural locations such as Bremhill. I can help provide information and put you in touch with service providers and people who can help improve/maintain your independence. I can provide information on a variety of topics, such as:

• Transport
• Where to get financial advice about benefits
• Social opportunities
• Home Security
• Any Other Query- no problem is silly!

I can be contacted on 07557 922029

I hope to meet you soon, Emma Dowie.

Bremhill, Hilmarton & Compton Bassett- Carers

 In Sickness & In Health

18^th-24^th June 2012 is National Carers Week

aRE YOU A CARER? Carers provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner.

Caring in numbers (All these figures are from the 2001 Census).

·        There are 1.9 million people caring for more than 20 hours per week and 1.25 million care for more than 50 hours per week.

·         Women are more likely to be carers than men.

·         The peak age for caring is 50 to 59.

·         10% of the total population of the UK are carers.

GET A CARERS ASSESSMENT: Carers assessments are a way of identifying your needs as a carer. They look at your role as a carer: how being a carer affects you, how much caring you can realistically do.  

benefits: Social care is not usually free. Take the opportunity to have a benefits check to make sure you are claiming everything that you are entitled to such as:

Benefits for the person you care for, like Disability Living Allowance, for people under the age of 65 or Attendance Allowance for those over 65.

·        Carers’ benefits such as Carer’s Allowance if you are providing care, unpaid, for 35 hours or more for someone who receives the right level of disability benefit.

·         Council tax discounts.

·         Discounts on fuel bills if you receive certain benefits.

·         Protection for your state pension.

Speak to me Emma Dowie, Good Neighbour Coordinator for Hilmarton, Bremhill & Compton Bassett on 07557 922029 or email gncarea18@communityfirst.org.uk

Bremhill, Hilmarton & Compton Bassett

My name is Emma Dowie and I have been working as your Good Neighbour Coordinator since Sept 2011. My patch covers the parishes of Hilmarton, Bremhill and Compton Bassett. 

The Wiltshire Good Neighbours service aims to support older residents of rural areas to continue to live independently for as long as they wish to. We are funded by Wiltshire Council and provide this service through a partnership with Age UK Wiltshire and Age UK Salisbury.  

Ask me about:

• Transport for appointments
• Social opportunities
• Health issues
• Isolation
• Benefits
• Or any other query. No question is too small!

I can be contacted on 07557 922029.