If you are an unpaid carer, Carers Northumberland’s information and advice team is available from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, to help you find your way around the social care system, tell you about your legal rights, and signpost you to organisations and services that can support you in your caring role. Carers Northumberland also administers the Carer Support Fund, which provides small grants to enable unpaid carers to take short breaks from their caring responsibilities. You can email Carers Northumberland or call 01670 320 025, or attend the free event that’s taking place on Thursday 24 November in Alnwick where you can talk to Carers Northumberland and a range of other organisations. If you know an unpaid carer who might find this information useful, please pass it on.
Category: offers and opportunities
Opportunities and offers from third parties that may be of interest to residents of Carham parish.
Cost of Living Support
Northumberland County Council is offering information and advice to help residents who may be feeling the pressure of the cost of living crisis. The information covers a wide range of subjects, from household costs and bills through to mental health and wellbeing, and includes details of benefits, discounts and payments for those who are eligible. There is also guidance for anyone who is interested in volunteering to help others. The information is available on the Northumberland County Council website, or you can call Northumberland Communities Together on 01670 620 015 9am-6pm, seven days a week, or send an email.
Northumberland Libraries’ Digital Help Line
Northumberland Libraries’ staff can provide basic help with IT queries, free of charge. Help might include, but is not limited to, getting online (connecting to existing WiFi at home), using the internet, setting up a free email account, accessing free digital books to read or listen to, supporting access to all digital NHS services, setting up Zoom, Skype and other video chats, online shopping, and troubleshooting other basic problems. All help is free of charge, private, and given by library staff. Call 0345 600 6400 (Monday to Thursday 08.30 to 17.00 and Friday 08.30 to 16.30) to arrange a call-back appointment. You will be called back by a staff member on either a Tuesday or a Thursday between 10.00 and 19.00. While some IT problems may be too tricky to fix over the phone, you are invited to get in touch if you are struggling, and staff will try to help. If you know someone in the parish who might find this kind of help useful, please let them know about this service.
Citizens Advice Northumberland
Citizens Advice Northumberland has asked us to spread the word about the services it offers. It gives free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects, including debt, energy, benefits and consumer advice, and can support families after a cancer diagnosis through its Macmillan Benefits Advice team. For more information, visit Citizens Advice Northumberland or call 0808 278 7944 (Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 4.30 pm).
Christmas Treats
Glendale Connect is asking for help in identifying people in our community who might benefit from receiving a bag of treats this Christmas. If you know anyone in Carham parish who is finding life difficult at the moment, is ill or is isolated, and you think they would be cheered by receiving a bag of treats, please contact the Parish Clerk by Friday 5 November.
Have Your Say on NHS and Social Care Services
Healthwatch Northumberland is an independent organisation that exists to make sure that people’s views on health and social care are heard. It is now holding monthly drop-in sessions to give residents the opportunity to talk about their experiences of NHS and social care services. The nearest drop-in sessions are held in Berwick-upon-Tweed on the second Wednesday of the month, from 10.00 am to 12.00 noon, or you can join the monthly online drop-in sessions on the second Friday of the month from 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm. For more information, go to the Healthwatch Northumberland website, call 03332 408 468, or send an email. The equivalent service in Scotland is Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
Free Energy Efficiency Improvements
Northumberland County Council is offering free energy efficiency improvements, such as wall insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps, to help homeowners cut energy bills and improve the warmth of their homes. To be eligible, you must own your own home and have a household income of less than £30,000, or someone living in your home receiving benefits, and your home must hold an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. The improvements scheme – the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme – is funded by the government and delivered by E.ON in partnership with Northumberland County Council. To apply, visit E.ON’s Green Homes Grant page or call 0333 202 4820 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. You do not need to be an E.ON customer to benefit from this scheme.
Free Trees
Northumberland County Council is giving all residents the opportunity to obtain a free tree to plant on their property. Two tree species are available for small, medium and large sized gardens, as well as shrubs suitable for planters for those with limited garden space, balconies or rented properties. The trees are small cell-grown plants, sourced from the UK, and will be provided with a biodegradable tree shelter guard, a cane, and planting and care instructions. To order a tree and book a date to collect it, go to https://nland.uk/freetrees. For enquiries, contact Northumberland County Council’s Climate Change team.
Local Elections Jobs
Northumberland County Council’s Elections Office is recruiting for the elections that take place on 6 May. Available roles, which are paid, include polling station staff and safety marshalls across Northumberland, including in the north of the county. There are also roles for postal vote opening staff and verification and count staff at Blyth.
Job descriptions for most of these roles are on the Northumberland County Council Elections page – click on 2021 Police and Crime Commissioner, County and Parish elections and go to General information to find them. To request further information about the safety marshall role, please email the Elections Office. To apply for a post, or posts, complete the online application form which is underneath the job descriptions.
The Elections Office advises that Public Health for England guidance on Covid-19 will be adhered to at this election and you may be required to use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) which will be provided where it is deemed necessary.
Waste Not, Want Not
Northumberland County Council’s garden waste kerbside collection service for 2021 will resume in March. For a single annual payment of £43, the service offers the opportunity to receive 20 garden waste collections over the main growing season, running from early March through to late November. For details, visit Northumberland’s garden waste page. The green waste that is collected is composted and the compost is available to buy. If you want to make your own compost, Northumberland County Council offers a range of bins with getcomposting.com. As well as standard compost bins for garden waste, the range includes wormeries and Hot Bins which you can use to make compost out of waste food.
Carham Community Website 