News and Events - March 2010

Amongst these service requests we have:

• Assisted an 84 year old Chesterfield resident who had not received her Cold Weather Payment.  This unfortunate situation had arisen because she had returned to the UK having previously lived in the Channel Islands.  After making appropriate interventions we secured this years payment of over £200 and made sure that the lady continues to receive appropriate benefit support in the future.

• During the recent cold weather we received a telephone call from a 76 year old North East Derbyshire lady who lives in a mobile home, in an isolated location, saying that her heating system was not working as she believed that her water pipes had frozen.  Within a matter of hours we were able to get another helping agency to attend her home and thaw out the frozen water pipes and insulate them to prevent this happening again.

• Advised a recently bereaved 80 year old man in the Bolsover area to sort out Pension arrangements following the death of his wife and made a referral to the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that his future benefits claims continued.

• During recent months we have also dealt with a large volume of queries about the Home Front Heating Service. These have been referred on to the appropriate local politicians in order to take matters further.

• Assisted a Chesterfield resident to locate an emergency plumber using the Derbyshire County Council Trusted Trader Scheme.

• Given advocacy, advice and support to an elderly Care Home resident with some mental health problems.  This lady needed to sell her home in order to pay for her continuing care.

These are just a small sample of the many instances of help that we have given. Other services we have provided include:-

In conjunction with a local firm of solicitors we hold a Legal Advice Surgery every Tuesday morning where a total of 10 people have been seen and advised on matters such as Wills, Probate, Powers of Attorney and other legal matters.

Carol, one of our newer volunteers, has given a number of talks to local clubs and groups on the subject of “Bogus Officials and Doorstep Crime” - See information below.

Our Care Line Service volunteers have made over 120 telephone calls to very isolated and vulnerable local residents assisting them in dealing with a multitude of problems and importunately helping to reduce their isolation.

As I look through this list of this month’s actions, I become increasingly proud of the assistance that we give to our service users as we are merely 1.6 full-time employees.  We would not be able to provide these services without the support and commitment of our team of volunteers.

We are very dependant upon voluntary donations and would welcome any help to assist us with fund raising.  If you are able to help with this, or wish to become a volunteer, then please ask to speak with John or Sheelagh at our office at 21,Stephenson Place, Chesterfield or contact us by telephone on: 01246 273333.

Keep Bogus Callers Out In The Cold This Winter !

A knock at the door. A neatly-dressed stranger is standing on your doorstep:

“Hello, dear.  I’ve come from the Gas Board.  We’re giving free checks on your heating system this winter.  That’s good news, isn’t it?  We want you to stay nice and warm this winter, don’t we?  Is it all right if I come in and have a look at your boiler?”

Well, you can’t leave them standing on the doorstep, can you?

YES, YOU CAN!

Because this is just one of many tricks that criminals use to get past your doorstep and into your home, either to steal from you, or to persuade you to part with money for goods or services you will never see.



AgeUK in Chesterfield is helping older people to feel more secure at home this winter by providing information on how to beat bogus callers.

Doorstep crime committed by bogus callers is a heartless crime and can have a devastating effect on older people both emotionally and financially, but there are a lot of simple and effective things you can do to protect yourself from these criminals.

One of our newest volunteers has recently been trained to give talks to older people on how to identify and deal with bogus callers, as part of a national campaign on Action against Burglary supported by AgeUK and the Home Office.

These talks will provide you with:

• Information about how to spot a bogus caller
• Ways of making sure that they can’t talk their way into your home
• A very interesting film that puts these things into action
• A free ‘goody bag’ for everyone who comes along to the talk

The talks aim to make older people feel more confident about dealing with bogus callers and avoiding becoming a victim of this kind of crime.  They are free of charge and are available from January to March this year.

If you belong to or organise a group of older people who would like to receive one of these talks, please contact the Chesterfield office on 01246 273333 for further details as soon as possible!

Click below for the “YOUR SECURITY” booklet full of great advice

www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/Documents/your_security_adv.pdf