Community News

Travel fund tackles loneliness

A new grant fund has been launched by Devon County Council to tackle loneliness through transport. The Connecting You Community Grants Fund will provide grants to projects and organisations to connect people to activities that help combat loneliness. The fund is open for applications from projects and charities across Devon. Grants can be applied for to fund specific transport projects tackling loneliness, or transport related activities enabling people to access activities that will help. The grant is part of a Department for Transport funded project that Devon County Council successfully bid for earlier this year, which will deliver a series of initiatives tackling loneliness. Projects already tackling loneliness with transport, include Chatty Bus, serving Exeter to Exmouth, and there are plans for it to start on other routes. Councillor Andrea Davis, portfolio holder for transport, Devon County Council said: “We know that transport can often be a barrier to connecting with others, perhaps due to living in a rural area or simply through lack of confidence in using public transport. Loneliness or isolation can negatively impact people’s wellbeing and can affect all ages. The Connecting You initiative invites community organisations to apply for grants to provide transport solutions to enable people experiencing or at risk of loneliness to access opportunities. Loneliness is not always about being alone, sometimes people can experience it when a set of circumstances make them feel isolated, for example having a disability or being a young carer. Transport can help solve this problem by connecting us to people, places, and experiences.”

Devon’s pilot project involves a variety of support aimed at reducing loneliness in over-55s and young people aged 16-24. For full grant criteria and to apply, organisations should visit: www.traveldevon.info/accessibility/connecting-you

Devon County Council will be working with partners to deliver a series of other innovative transport schemes tackling loneliness. Partners include Devon Communities Together, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, One Northern Devon and WestBank Community Health and Care. Initiatives to support people with travel include:

• Recruiting travel trainers who provide support to help passengers gain confidence in using public transport, understanding timetables, and buying tickets or using travel passes to encourage increased independent travel.

• Introducing a travel buddy system and developing on board support from staff/volunteers. This builds on the successful trial of the ‘Chatty Bus’ services in the Exeter to Exmouth area to encourage sociable travel and help people to switch to public transport from the car for some journeys. • Working with public and community transport operators on driver training initiatives to help improve the journey for passengers. • Targeting young people with a community rail project in Okehampton and a Try the Train initiative on the Waterloo line between Exeter and Axminster in East Devon.

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We must and can act

It’s hard to imagine what winter might feel like as we leave the hottest summer in UK records. Some days I forgot I would ever need to switch the heating on again. This was more than we are used to, a reminder that global warming is reality not conspiracy, yet at times it felt great to experience ‘Mediterranean’ Devon. This is changing now as temperatures fall, the heating is back on and we are facing greater increases in energy costs than most of us have ever known, with an 80% rise for the new fuel cap in October, and then another rise in January. You may have already received your latest bill and are wondering how you are going to get through the next few months. Like most things in our 21st century world, conversations about energy are complex: deeply personal, hugely political and increasingly global. At times it can seem that little makes sense: consumers paying the highest bills ever; some energy providers making huge profits; the war in Ukraine, sometimes a convenient scapegoat for a historical problem; an ideological debate over privatised energy; the urgent need to invest in renewables and the problem of poorly insulated housing stock. All these things contribute to harsh, financial realities: choices for many between heat and food; between heat, food and clothes; between heat, food, clothes and visiting relatives. The energy challenge is a holistic problem so needs holistic solutions: we can take practical action to reduce energy bills in the short and longer term, and we can also consider questioning the system that is creating the problem. No potential solutions are easy yet this is our current reality and we must act.

Five things that can have immediate impact:

• When possible, turn your thermostat down 1ºC and wear more layers • Only boil the amount of water you need in the kettle • Use a 30ºc wash cycle and do one less wash per week • Seal out draughts around windows and doors • Turn off appliances on standby when not in use Five tips for the medium term:

• Insulate your loft space • Install LED light bulbs • Use microwaves, slow cookers & air fryers for cooking

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• Install thermostatic radiator valves to only heat rooms to required temperature • Ask your supplier to fit a smart meter so you can monitor energy use Five tips for the longer term:

• When old appliances stop working or are inefficient, replace with energy efficient ones (A+++ rated) • Upgrade your boiler/heating system if more than 10 years old • Install A-rated double glazing • Retrofit your house for greater energy efficiency • Install renewable energy systems (solar PV, air or ground source heat pumps) As I read this list my heart sinks, so many solutions cost money that I don’t really have, require skills I don’t yet possess, and take mental, emotional and physical energy I can’t always find. I know that when I worry about things, I become closed and find it hard to reach out; yet over the past few years I have asked for help from those who know more than I do. Here are some organisations that can help: Tamar Energy for energy advice and retrofit surveys: tamarenergycommunity. com

Tamar Energy Community advisors: Neil Martin, Kate Royston, Mozza Brewer and Jeff Evenett

Devon Climate Emergency for hints and tips: devonclimateemergency.org.uk/ individual-top-tips

Monthly Green Drinks with Transition Tavistock: transitiontavistock.org.uk/ events/green-drinks

The Cosy Devon Scheme: cosydevon.com Looking at my own life, I ask myself: How conscious am I of my energy use? Do I need all the appliances I have? As energy costs rise, where else I can reduce spending? Do I need to travel as much and can I travel differently? What choices can I make to invest in a more energy efficient future? What can I do to support those around me who will struggle this winter? When some people are making so much money from something that is a basic human need, how can we help raise awareness of a system that seems to be increasingly unfair – maybe by talking to our MP, writing to our energy suppliers, having conversations with friends and family? We are beginning a new conversation about energy, a conversation that is likely to be with us for a long time. As we navigate the current crisis and continue to transition from fossil fuels, we need to take a different view of our priorities: How do we use limited resources? What is really important in life?

Rob Husband, Transition Tavistock

See What’s On for details of the Tamar Energy Fest on 12 November.

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Fiver Fest, Halloween & then Christmas!

After two summers of uncertainty, it was wonderful to see the town alive and bustling with activity once more. Occupancy levels in town centre premises are high for the region and we have a good offering for locals and visitors, which shows in our footfall numbers. With new businesses joining the high street, we can have confidence that our town continues to weather the storm.

Our new green spaces trail is now available from the Visitor Information Centre or at www.visit-tavistock. co.uk/branch-out. We are fortunate to have some tremendous, mature and interesting trees in our green spaces and we hope people will come and find out more. Our official town merchandise has gone down a storm and we have just designed a tote bag to go along with the other products. Currently available from Lawsons, the Visitor Information Centre, Dartmoor Deli, Devon & Moor Gifts and House of Cards.

We have more businesses joining the Tavistock Gift Card scheme all the time. Remember that they are valid for one year from the date of purchase. There are plenty of ways to spend them – shopping, eating out with friends, a date night or some well-earned pampering. For a list of participating businesses go to: www.tavistockgiftcard.co.uk Another Fiver Fest is on the cards for October, along with our annual Halloween Trail during October half-term - see www.visit-tavistock.co.uk/towntrails. Plans for Dickensian Evening 2022 on 2nd December are well advanced and this year will feature the Christmas light switch-on.

For more details on all the upcoming events visit www.visit-tavistock.co.uk/ whats-on

Seeking ‘amazing people’ to help in our library

Willow Tree Housing Partnership

Tavistock College’s re-stocked and redesigned library opened in September, and we are keen to recruit local volunteers to help us offer the best library support we can to our students. If you love reading, believe in the importance of keeping school libraries open, and would like to know more, please contact Shirley Young, our KS3 coordinator for English at the college, at s.young@tavistockcollege.org. (Please note all volunteers are required to complete an enhanced DBS check, which the college arranges.)

Reading volunteers

Research has shown that reading aloud and discussing books with students can have enormous benefits. Is this something you might be prepared to give an hour each week to do? You would be working alongside teachers in the classroom and library environments; training would be provided.

Library volunteers

We have a fantastically well stocked library and want students to browse and borrow as much as possible. However, this means we need to manage the stock and keep shelves in order. If you are a ‘systems’ person who is good at keeping things in order, this could be a role for you. Local businesses

Not everyone can donate time, but if you are part of a local business and would like to support the library in another way - perhaps sponsoring our library festival or an author visit – we would love to hear from you.

West Devon Council and Buckland Monachorum Parish Council held an event on 6 July to promote a Crapstone housing development which includes the provision of affordable rented and shared ownership accommodation. The parish council is very keen to ensure these houses are allocated to people who live locally and meet the eligibility criteria. The development is high quality and enjoys beautiful views of Crapstone and beyond. Should you want further information please contact Willow Tree Housing Partnership on 01934 750780 or customerservices@ willowtreehousing. co.uk. The event will be repeated nearer the time of completion so please keep an eye on the parish notice boards for more information.

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Steering you through choppy waters

The current economic climate presents many challenges, including how best to look after your finances. This applies to individuals and businesses alike. It can be difficult to budget and think about the long term when the news is all about inflation and rising energy costs – this is where I can help. Inflation and your savings

A sharp rise in the cost of living effectively takes a large chunk out of the purchasing power of money and thereby drastically erodes the real value of cash savings. For instance, if you held £10,000 in a building society account a year ago earning a rate of 1%, you would have received £100, and your total balance would be £10,100. However, with inflation running at 10%, the same £10,000 worth of goods and services bought a year earlier would now cost £11,000. So, although you may feel you have gained £100, when factoring in the effects of inflation, the value of your cash savings has actually dropped by £900 in real terms.

Getting investments to work for you

As well as potentially offering protection from inflation, some investment products also enjoy significant tax advantages that make them particularly attractive for the long term – pensions and stocks and shares ISAs fall within this category.

Saving money on protection insurance

You may be considering stopping your protection insurance or be thinking twice before taking out a policy. Cutting back on protection is not the same as spending less in the supermarket. Indeed, in turbulent economic times, protection is more important than ever. With the right protection, you are paying for peace of mind and the certainty that you and your loved ones will not suffer financial hardship. A policy doesn’t have to cost the earth – I can help you find a plan to suit your current and future needs.

Your local independent adviser – here to help

Gary Tromans from Equitas Financial provides advice to individuals and companies in your area: I am committed to putting clients at the heart of everything I do and providing the best possible service. I pride myself in offering clients a truly independent financial planning service. By spending time to understand your needs and aspirations, I can develop the most suitable individual solutions from the best offerings in the whole of the market from my 35 years of banking and financial services experience. I’m only a phone call away and based locally to you, so if you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect relating to the impact of inflation on your savings, investments, pensions or protection policies please get in touch. I offer a no fee/no obligation initial consultation.

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The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The purpose of this article is for general information and should not be interpreted as a personal recommendation or advice.

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