A BUSY few days for group representatives, including tea with the Mayor, being involved with the St George’s Day parade followed by tea at the Guildhall, then the second April meeting of the month – where a member celebrated a birthday; yet more cake.

The Village Agent from Community Care Somerset, Pete Coller, and the Carers’ Support Group Co-ordinator from Spark Somerset, Cath Holloway, were present for this meeting.

Both are well known to the group and are regular visitors as there are always new members or people who prefer a 1:1 talk rather than picking up the telephone.

Village Agents take referrals from adult social care, GPs, etc but can signpost anyone in the local area who needs advice about a diverse range of subjects.

The general discussion moved on to talking about local micro providers (accredited self-employed carers) and Cath Holloway keeps a record of all these, which she updates and distributes to group leaders on a regular basis.

We then had a lively and interactive presentation by Deborah Geraghty from the Centre for Sustainable Energy – an important talk considering the rise in costs we have all been experiencing in the last few months.

Deborah explained some of the terms the media and government are using at the moment, for instance ‘fuel poverty’ is a phrase bandied about, but do we actually know what that means? The answer? If more than 10 per cent of your income is being spent on energy bills, you are classed as being in fuel poverty.

We were advised and shown some gadgets for helping keep our homes warm and mould free, including

  • A readily available hygrometer to measure humidity (mould grows in humidity above 60 per cent),
  • A device for putting up the chimney to stop draughts, draught excluders that fit under both sides of the door (a better idea than the traditional and moveable alternatives that can be a trip hazard for the infirm),
  • Some samples of the insulating materials that now fill cavity walls (a far cry from the injectable foam of the past) and insulation ideas to prevent condensation on single-glazedws.

There are government schemes to help meet the cost of energy bills, dependent on your income and circumstances.

The CSE advice line is open 9-5 Monday to Friday and they are happy to talk about energy efficiency/alternatives with callers and can work 1:1 on more complicated issues. 0800 038 5730.

Both the Village Agent and CSE mentioned that carers should ensure they are registered as carers with their GPs and are on the Priority Services Register for the National Grid, who would like to know about the vulnerable in case of power cuts.

The next meeting is Monday 15 May – again a change because of bank holidays and the coronation – 10.30am-12.30pm in the hall behind English Martyrs at the traffic lights in Chard.

If you need a chat or more advice, ring Pat on 01460 220026 or Kate on 01460 394331, email us on chardcarers@aol.com or find us on Facebook.

Written by Chard Carers Support Group