Yorkshire older people close the door on rogue traders

Area:

Yorkshire and the Humber

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

14 8 2012

A West Yorkshire project is receiving close to £215,000 in Lottery good cause cash to work with local older people and educate them about scams and the risks of rogue traders.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards is one of seven projects in Yorkshire and the Humber sharing over £1.8 million from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, which aims to help those most in need and build stronger communities.   

Their Scams and Fraud Education for Residents (SAFER) initiative will use community workshops with a combination of prevention and early intervention to reduce the number of older people falling victim to fraud, scams and con artists, which can have a hugely detrimental effect on their health, confidence and finances. The workshops will feature drama sessions to help people learn techniques to deal with doorstep callers, and will also look at improving finances, trusted trader schemes, building links within the community and addressing feelings of isolation.

Self-help packs will also be produced and include personal safety advice, useful telephone numbers and examples of common scams. Volunteers will be recruited to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the community and older people will be trained as community champions who will be involved in how the project is developed and run. It is estimated that approximately 5,000 older people will be helped by the scheme, while 400 volunteers and 250 community champions will be recruited.

Councillor Neil Taggart, Chair of the West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee, which oversees the work of West Yorkshire Trading Standards said: “We know thatolder,vulnerable adults often fall victim to scams and frauds all too easily. Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund we will be able to work more closely with local communities to build resilience to bogus callers, doorstep criminals and fraudsters, to avoid residents becoming prey to rogue traders and increasing theirconfidence to say ‘no' to doorstep callers.”

Also receiving funding this month is Leeds Rugby Foundation, which has been awarded just over £480,000 to work with disadvantaged young people and help them to improve their emotional and physical health, confidence and future job prospects. Staff and players from the team will support and mentor the young people and inspire them to make positive changes in their lives and avoid getting involved in antisocial behaviour. The young people will also be able to take part in activities at the Headingly Stadium and Kirstall training facility and go on residential courses where they can make new friends and learn living skills such as cooking and money management. As their confidence increases they will also get the opportunity to gain qualifications in rugby coaching, first aid and IT.

Just over £206,000 also goes to Moor Allerton Elderly Care to support older people to improve their physical and mental health. The group will use funding to extend the range of exercise activities on offer to include dance, yoga and swimming, while also training volunteers and setting up self-help groups. The volunteers will mainly be made up of older people who will support their peers and help to establish the self-help groups to focus on issues including bereavement, insomnia and depression.

Leonard Cheshire Disability also receives £53,054 funding this month to enable the residents of Wharfedale House in Wetherby, who have severe physical and sensory disabilities, to become more independent and involved in their community. This will be achieved through providing reliable transport and one-to-one support to enable the residents to take part in a range of social, educational, cultural and leisure activities such as visiting friends and family, shopping, going to the cinema and taking part in volunteering and work placements.

Vanessa White, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for Yorks and the Humber, said: “All the awards this month will bring real improvements to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the region, whether it’s through helping older people feel more confident dealing with doorstep callers, enabling people with disabilities to be more independent or helping disadvantaged young people to improve their prospects.”

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BigLotteryFund #BIGlf
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

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