Village agent for Whiteshill and Randwick

In June this year a joint project between Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire Rural Community Council was granted just under £1million to deliver the Village Agents scheme over two years, to help older and vulnerable people in rural areas access information about services.

Older people living in rural areas are considered a hard to reach group. Whilst frequently masked by a veneer of affluence, these communities often experience high levels of social isolation and poor transport links. They are usually very ‘self contained’ and because of this, are reluctant to find help outside of their local community.

The Village Agent concept was first identified as a recommendation from rurality research funded by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2002/03 in three localities. This research gathered the views of 160 older people aged over 60 living in some of the most rural areas of Gloucestershire and identified that an average of 83% of respondents would be happy approaching someone they knew and trusted within the community for help and advice.

In the scheme, about 29 Village Agents aim to fill this information gap and they will form part of a network of local contact points, providing an essential role in taking information and support to some of the most rural areas in the county. Support for the Agents will be through the provision of training, publicity materials, high quality information resources and support both on a one-to-one and through the network. The Village Agents will be CRB checked and will have key roles within the community to:

• act as facilitator in the provision of high quality face to face information to older people
• promote access to services
• carry out a series of practical checks
• identify unmet need within communities

Village Agents will be paid a small ‘retainer’ to work ten hours per week in the community, providing access to information via broadband and the web through lap tops. This will be achieved by weekly surgeries in the Village Hall or other suitable places, and home visits where appropriate.

Pamela Thorne will be village agent for Whiteshill and Randwick and should be in post by December. There are likely to be 7 other agents in Stroud District.
More details from: Rosie Callinan Gloucestershire County Council 01452 427385