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News Release
11th March 2010
North Somerset Council gives a ‘Helping Hand’ with Help Scheme
The Switchover Help Scheme has teamed up with North Somerset Council as part of its ‘Helping Hand’ campaign to ensure older and disabled people know about the help available to make the switch to digital TV.
Switchover to digital television starts on Wednesday 24 March in the West TV region (Bristol, parts of Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire) and help is available to older and disabled people via the Switchover Help Scheme which is run by the BBC under an agreement with the government.
With less than two weeks to go to until switchover, North Somerset Council is looking out for those who might need help and passing on information about the Scheme. Many people turn to North Somerset Council for advice about events that affect them, including switchover. All social services mental health, elderly services and learning disabilities teams have attended switchover and Help Scheme awareness sessions to ensure people have the right information.
400 carers working for the Crossroads teams and Extra Care Housing teams are also reaching out to older and disabled people in their communities and encouraging them to make contact with the Switchover Help Scheme.
The council has also included regular articles about switchover and the help scheme in its monthly magazine North Somerset Life which reaches 90,000 homes in the area.
Jane Smith, director of adult social services and housing at North Somerset Council, said: “Our work has centred around raising awareness about the switchover and encouraging people to get ready, whether that’s through the Help Scheme or through upgrading their equipment. As well as face-to-face briefings for teams who work most closely with elderly or disabled people, we have also featured switchover messages in our ‘council connect’ locations with leaflets and displays. For many people, television is a lifeline and we want to help ensure nobody is left with a blank screen at switchover time.”
Ed Jezard, Regional Manager for the Switchover Help Scheme said: “We want to ensure that every eligible person knows about the Switchover Help Scheme. North Somerset Council is doing a great job by lending a helping hand to older and disabled people in this way. We want to encourage everyone to do the same because most people will know someone who is entitled to help from the Scheme. It may only take a minute of your time and you may be the only person that tells them about the Switchover Help Scheme.”
To apply for help from the Switchover Help Scheme, or to find out if you are eligible for help, call the free helpline number on 0800 40 87 654. Text phone users can call 0800 40 85 936. For more information, please visit www.helpscheme.co.uk or e-mail info@helpscheme.co.uk. To find out more about the digital switchover, visit www.digitaluk.co.uk or call 08456 50 50 50.
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Notes to editors
Switchover Help Scheme – People aged 75 and over, eligible for certain disability benefits, registered blind or partially sighted or living in care homes are entitled to practical help from the BBC-run Switchover Help Scheme. For £40, they will be given equipment to switch one TV per household to digital. They will be able to have that equipment installed if they want it, a demonstration of how it works and a number to call while they get used to things. If they’re eligible and also on income-related benefits, the help will be free. Everyone eligible will be contacted directly before switchover. More information is available on 0800 408 7654.
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.
Eaga - Eaga, the provider of residential energy efficiency and outsourcing services, has been selected by the BBC as the Help Scheme service provider to deliver the help available under the scheme from the ITV Border region onwards.
Digital Outreach Limited - Digital Outreach Ltd was set up through a third/private sector partnership between Age Concern; Help the Aged, Community Service Volunteers and Collective Enterprises Ltd to help older and disabled people benefit from new technology and services delivered in their own homes. Digital Outreach Ltd currently works under contract with Digital UK to deliver the Digital Switchover Community Outreach Programme.
For more information, please contact:
Ryan Martinez, Deborah Clark Associates
E: ryan.martinez@dca-pr.co.uk
T: 01208 77900