Lottery windfall means handy home help for needy residents

A WINDFALL of nearly £100,000 from the Big Lottery fund means the Somerset Coast Home Improvement Agency (SCHIP) Fix-it Team will soon hit the streets of West Somerset in their Handy Repair Van.
West Somerset Council environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “We are delighted with the success of the SCHIP’s bid.”
SCHIP, a home improvements partnership between West Somerset Council and Sedgemoor District Council, carries out property repairs and adaptations for people in need who are over 60 or disabled.
The lottery fund has awarded it £98,205 over three years.
Mr Timms said: “The new service will complement the existing core service of organising building works and helping to raise funding for clients.
“We are delighted to be able to extend these services.”
Now, a home repair service, known as the ‘Fix-it Team’, will be able to carry out small jobs, emergency repairs, and help with hospital discharge.
It will work closely with existing projects such as the Safe and Secure scheme, Bobbyvan service, and Social Services, which already provides valuable assistance in West Somerset and Sedgemoor.
The Handyperson scheme will be run along the same lines as the existing gardening scheme - SCHIP Green-Team.

Council gives £280,000 for low-interest local home improvement loans

A FURTHER £70,000 has been pledged by West Somerset Council to a partnership offering low interest home loans for local people, making a total investment of £280,000 this year.
The loans are available via council partners Wessex Home Improvement Loans to local homeowners on low incomes who need to make essential repairs or improvements to their homes, but who cannot afford to borrow at high street interest rates.
Council environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “Specialist advisers help borrowers select the scheme that is most suited to their circumstances.
“They look at people’s income and expenditure and discuss how much they can comfortably afford to borrow.
“As well as support from a specialist adviser from Wessex Home Improvement Loans, an officer from West Somerset Council will inspect the finished work to confirm the work has been completed to an acceptable standard.”
There are three possible loan products - a capital repayment scheme, an interest-only scheme, and an interest roll-up scheme.
The maximum loan available is £15,000 and the loans are offered at a fixed rate of three per cent.
People borrowing £5,000 on an interest-only basis would have a monthly repayment of only £12.50.
Melanie Allen, an adviser with the council’s partner said: “It has been a real privilege working with West Somerset Council and the clients here, especially when you see the difference the loan scheme makes to people.
“We offer support and guidance throughout the process to ensure people get the right products.
“We value our partnership with West Somerset Council, which subsidises the scheme, so that we can offer local people such low interest rates.
“There is nothing like it on the high street and we are proud to be able to offer such a unique scheme which is entirely focussed on the needs of the client.”
West Somerset residents interested in the low cost loan scheme should contact Julie Payne on 01643 703704.

• Our photograph shows the £280,000 cheque being presented by West Somerset Council Environmental Health Manager Ian Timms to Somerset Coast Home Improvement Partnership home improvement officer Judy Ernest (left) and Wessex Home Improvement Loans adviser Melanie Allen. Photo submitted.