News Release

25th January 2012

West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team Pledges to Lend a Helping Hand

West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team spreads word about
Switchover Help Scheme to residents

West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team has pledged to lend a Helping Hand by telling older and disabled members of the Isle of Wight community about the help they can get from the BBC-run Switchover Help Scheme.

With only six weeks to go to switchover - the team, part of Yarmouth Police Force on the Isle of Wight, is urging residents on the island to think of someone they know, such as a family member, neighbour or friend, that may need help switching to digital and telling them about the Switchover Help Scheme.

West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team is backing the Switchover Help Scheme’s ‘Helping Hand’ campaign to make sure every eligible older and disabled person in the area knows about the help they can get from the Help Scheme to convert one of their TV sets to digital.
Justin Keefe, member of the West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team and an authorised Help Scheme volunteer, said: “As part of the West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team, we are pleased to assist colleagues from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme.  

“We work very closely with partner agencies in rural communities in the West Wight area.  As part of my role as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), my colleagues and I get involved with a variety of projects which benefit our communities.  A significant number of the population in the West Wight area are elderly and need support.  These are the type of people who will be the most affected by the switchover as many of them will have the old analogue televisions. 

“When we carry out our patrols and visits to these members of the community we will be able to remind and reassure them about the upcoming switch over to digital television.  We will also pass information to our Neighbourhood Watch schemes, many of whom operate all across the West Wight area.  The co-ordinators, who are invaluable to us, will pass on information to their members and their members will pass this information to their friends also.

“Personally I have found the Switchover Help Scheme team to be very professional and pleasant to deal with.  My mother in law, who is virtually blind, has just recently had her digital box installed.  The technician who installed the equipment had a great knowledge of this device and he displayed great patience when explaining how to use the equipment.  My mother in law and I were very impressed with this service, so I am very pleased to spread the word about it to others’’.

The Rowridge transmitter, serving parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, parts of Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex, will begin to switch to digital on 7 March 2012.

Eligible people in the Rowridge transmitter area have been posted a Help Scheme information pack explaining the offer available and a follow up reminder letter will be posted out soon. However, West Wight Safer Neighbourhood Team is urging everyone who has already switched to digital to reach out to those older and disabled people who may still need help, and have not yet made contact with the Help Scheme.

Partner organisation, Isle of Wight Age Concern is holding an event on Tuesday 7th February to help spread the Helping Hand message:

To find out more about how you can help, simply come along to this or any of the other Helping Hand events happening in your area:

Newport Library
Orchard Street
Newport
PO30 1LL 

7th February 2012 10.00-13.00

To find out more about how you can help, simply come along to this or any of the other Helping Hand events happening in your area. You can find a list of Helping Hand events in your area by visiting www.helpscheme.co.uk/meridian/events

Helping Hand leaflets and bookmarks can be picked up at events and other public information points so that people can ‘lend a Helping Hand’ and tell someone they know about the Help Scheme by simply passing this information on.

The Help Scheme makes it easier for eligible older and disabled to switch to digital TV. People are eligible for the Help Scheme if they are:

• Aged 75 or over, or
• Have lived in a care home for six months or more, or
• Get (or could get):
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or
  • Attendance or Constant Attendance Allowance, or
  • Mobility supplement, or
• Are registered blind or partially sighted

Most eligible people will be asked to pay £40 towards the standard option of help which includes:

• Easy to use equipment to convert one set
• An approved installer to supply and install the necessary equipment, and
• A 12 month aftercare service including a free helpline
• A check on their TV aerial and replacement if necessary, where possible

This service is free for people who are eligible and who also receive pension credit income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance or income-related employment and support allowance.

People need to respond to get the help. Completed information pack forms can be returned to the Help Scheme, or, to make it even easier to apply, eligible people can also apply by calling the Help Scheme free on 0800 408 7654. Any eligible person who needs help to apply can nominate someone else to complete their form for them.
If you would like to find out more about the Help Scheme and who is eligible to apply, please log onto helpscheme.co.uk.
ENDS
Media contacts
For more information please contact the Help Scheme Press office on on 0800 40 87 658  or email pressoffice@helpscheme.co.uk. 

Notes to editor:

The dates for switchover in the Meridian TV region are as follows:

Transmitter group Area Stage one
(BBC Two analogue off) Stage two
(all analogue channels off)
Hannington  Parts of Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey  08.02.12 22.02.12
Midhurst  Much of West Sussex  29.02.12 14.03.12
Rowridge  Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, parts of Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex 07.03.12 21.03.12
Whitehawk Hill The Brighton area 07.03.12 21.03.12
Heathfield  Much of East Sussex and south west Kent  30.05.12 13.06.12
Tunbridge Wells  The Tunbridge Wells area 30.05.12 13.06.12
Hastings  The Hastings area 30.05.12 13.06.12
Dover South and east Kent, and parts of East Sussex  13.06.12 27.06.12
Bluebell Hill  North and mid Kent  13.06.12 27.06.12

 
Switchover Help Scheme
The Switchover Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement with the Government to help older and disabled people make the change to digital. 

In the run-up to switchover in each region, every eligible person will be offered practical help to convert one of their TV sets to digital. People are eligible if they are aged 75 years or more, or if they are registered blind or partially sighted. Also eligible are people who get (or could get) attendance or constant attendance allowance, mobility supplement, or disability living allowance and those who have lived in a care home for six months or more.

Most people will be asked to contribute £40 towards the help.  The service is free for people who are eligible and also get pension credit, income support, income-based jobseekers allowance or income-related employment and support allowance.

For further information visit helpscheme.co.uk

Digital television switchover is the process of converting the UK’s terrestrial television system to digital. Between now and 2012, analogue channels will be switched off region by region and replaced with free-to-air digital TV and radio services (Freeview). Switchover will extend Freeview coverage to the whole of the UK and free up airwaves for new services such as ultra-fast wireless broadband and mobile television. 

Digital UK
Digital UK is the independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2005 to implement digital switchover. It is jointly owned and funded by the public-service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, S4C and Teletext), and the digital multiplex operators.

For further information visit digitaluk.co.uk