Neighbour could be a not-so-secret agent

The Volunteer Centre West Berkshire has secured funding to pilot a village agent scheme, which will see volunteers from a number of local parishes help put residents in touch with local services, and the centre is now calling on volunteers to sign up to see the scheme rolled out as soon as possible.
The scheme, which will be free, will largely benefit elderly and vulnerable residents, and will put them in touch with relevant agencies and charities to make them aware of services, groups and clubs in the area in which they live.
The director of the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, Garry Poulson, said it could have both social and health benefits from directing them to lunch clubs so they can meet new people, signing them up to car clubs or putting them in touch with agencies which offer advice and support.
He said that the scheme could be rolled out to other age groups if the demand was there, and that it had already proven successful in Gloucestershire and Hampshire in which every parish has a Village Agent.
“Volunteers will be recruited from the parishes in which they live – the idea is that people from those parishes will become a trusted friend,” said Mr Poulson. “It gives people the best possible access to the services that already exist within a parish or services that are delivered on a countywide or district-wide basis that not everyone knows about.
“It’s not a question of knocking on doors saying ‘I want to come and sort out your life’, it’s a question of opening the door to local services, just giving that little push into using what’s out there.”
Greenham, Thatcham, Theale and Holybrook, Burghfield, Lambourn, Hungerford, Kintbury, Compton and Stratfield Mortimer have already signed up to the scheme, with other parishes expected to join in the following weeks.
Volunteers are now urgently needed to see the scheme rolled out as quickly as possible, with two to three volunteers needed for each parish.
Mr Poulson said: “We are looking for people to become trusted friends, who will have the tenacity to get people the services that they need, want or have been in search of.
“Someone with common sense – that’s the only qualification they need.”
Each volunteer will be required to attend a training course which will cover safeguarding, listening and lone worker skills, and an induction meeting on October 30.
The scheme is expected to be up-and-running by early next year.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should contact village agent co-ordinator Gill Comley by calling (01635) 49004, 07775 366812 or emailing