Penny French  on  07776 245726

From our  Village Agent:-

Helping older people in Gloucestershire have a better quality of life - working with the over 50s, providing easy access to a wide range of information that will enable them to make informed choices about their present and future needs.

This month I need to tell you all about some changes that are going to happen soon. The Village and Community Agent scheme is combining with Social Prescribing to become a new service called "Community Connectors".

Village Agents have been working across the county for 11 years and have helped thousands of older people and communities gain better access to services and information as well as providing support and assistance to those who need it most. Over the past 4 years, Social Prescribing has offered GP practices and other health care professionals a mechanism for referring patients who are in need of alternatives to prescribed medicines. The schemes have evolved tremendously over the years, building up networks of referral partners and gaining vital knowledge about the areas in which they work.

Community Connectors will be accessible in each district of Gloucestershire with 5 providers delivering the new service. The contracts for Community Connectors will begin of 1st October. Until then, existing Village Agents like myself will continue to take referrals and visit clients. We are in a period of change, but have been assured that over the coming months things will evolve into the new service in as smooth a way as possible. I will soon be in a position to publish the relevant contact details so that readers will be able to get in touch with the new providers direct.

I also have some information about the Cotswold Vale Talking Newspaper.

If you would like to receive your local newspaper in audio form or if you, a friend or family member are visually impaired and unable to read the newspaper, then this service will be of interest to you. The Cotswold Vale Talking Newspaper is a group of volunteers based in Dursley, Berkeley and Wotton.  At their studio in Kingshill House they record the Gazette together with other publications onto memory sticks every week and post them, free of charge, to visually impaired people throughout the area. New listeners are given a free sound box if needed, which is very easy to use and there is plenty of help to get people started.

Visit their website www.cvtn.org.uk to find out more, and click on "Listen to the news" to hear this week's edition. If you would like to know more about the Cotswold Vale Talking Newspaper please call Kingshill House on 01453 549133 or Mary Moss on 01453 860801.

Penny French. Tel: 07776 245 726.    Email: pennyf@villageagent.grcc.org