News Release

14th June 2010

DUNDEE RESIDENTS PLEDGE THEIR HELP FOR THE DIGITAL SWITCHOVER

Dundee residents join technology guru Maggie Philbin on board the Switchover Help Scheme Bus

BBC technology expert Maggie Philbin today (Monday 14 June) met with Dundee residents at a public exhibition in the city to encourage them to pledge their support to lend a Helping Hand for the digital switchover.

Former Tomorrow’s World presenter Maggie Philbin and representatives from the Switchover Help Scheme visited the City of Discovery to share information about the practical help available for eligible older and disabled people to convert their television set to digital.

Locals boarded the Switchover Help Scheme Bus, which is currently touring the country, and pledged their help to others by adding their name to a giant pledge board.

The Angus transmitter group, serving areas of Angus, Dundee, Perthshire and parts of Fife, will start to switch on 4 August.

Maggie Philbin said: “Switchover is coming and the Help Scheme can give eligible people the help they need to convert one of their TV sets to digital. Many of you will already have converted your TV, but some older and disabled people will find it more difficult. We’re encouraging everyone to think about the people that might need extra support to make the change to digital – you can help them by telling them about the Switchover Help Scheme.”

Luke McCullough, Switchover Help Scheme national manager for Scotland, added: “Even if you’ve had digital telly for years, you may have friends or neighbours who haven’t made the switch yet, and who may be confused about the process. We can all lend a Helping Hand by making sure that older and disabled members of our community know about the help they can get from the Help Scheme.”

People are eligible if:

• They are aged 75 or over, or
• They have lived in a care home for six months or more
• They get (or could get) disability living allowance, or attendance or constant attendance allowance, or mobility supplement, or
• They are registered blind or partially sighted

What’s on offer?

For a one-off payment of £40, eligible people will be offered;
• Easy-to-use equipment to convert one television set,
• Installation of that equipment if requested (a delivery only option is available),
• An aerial check and upgrade if necessary and where possible 
• A demonstration of how it works, and
• A twelve month aftercare service

The standard offer for eligible people in the STV North TV region is for a Freeview set-top box installed on one TV. Most households will be able to receive more than 40 Freeview channels via an aerial. Around 15 of the most watched Freeview channels will be available throughout the region, including all of the public service channels.

Most people will be asked to pay £40 towards the standard offer of help. For eligible people who are also on pension credit, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance or income-related employment and support allowance, the help is free.
All eligible people in the STV North TV region can also choose from other digital options, including freesat and Sky amongst others, some of which cost extra.

As well as the Help Scheme events, eligible people are being asked to respond to their Information Packs as soon as possible. Or to make it even easier, eligible people can choose to apply by calling the Help Scheme free on 0800 408 7654 or instead they can nominate someone else to make their application for them.

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Media Contacts:
Jenny McMahon / Roisin-Alana Di Giacomo
Weber Shandwick
T: 0131 556 6649 / 01463 716 739
M: 07770 886 925
E: jmcmahon@webershandwick.com / rdigiacomo@webershandwick.com