Members of the Carer Support Dorset team: Trevor Davies, Carer Adviser and Poppy Connell, Lead Carer Adviser.
Published: November 23, 2020 | Updated: 23rd November 2020
Happy Birthday Carer Support Dorset!
Carer Support Dorset has celebrated its first anniversary.
It marked its first 12 months with new video content on carersupportdorset.co.uk, a virtual celebration and announcing the winner of a cake competition.
Since launch, Carer Support Dorset has helped more than 2,000 of Dorset’s unpaid carers by providing support via phone, email, website and virtual services.
Services include signposting carers to organisations that may be able to provide financial, emotional or practical support.
The team can also refer carers for a Carers Assessment via Dorset Council, post out Dorset Carers Cards (giving carers discounts across the county), offer training opportunities and send out regular postal and digital communications to carers.
Anna Elston, Manager, pictured left, said: “A particular highlight this year has been the establishment of Virtual Cuppa sessions, giving carers a chance to chat informally with each other and the Carer Support Dorset team on a regular basis.
“Our ‘Here to Talk’ befriending service, where we match up carers with volunteers for regular telephone calls, and the establishment of free training opportunities for carers on subjects such as mental health and dementia, have been well received.”
Judy Walker, Chief Executive, said: “This past year has been a fantastic opportunity for us to raise awareness of unpaid carers across the county.
“We have been working alongside other leading organisations to improve the lives of carers.
“It has been an extremely challenging time for carers, particularly with the impact of Covid-19 and the increased isolation that some are feeling.
“Our aim is to be part of a society which understands and supports unpaid carers and we will continue to strive to achieve this over the coming years.”
Carer Support Dorset is commissioned by Dorset Council and Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group.
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Couple crowned community hero for coming to aid of neighbour
A couple who helped a neighbour after the loss of her husband have been crowned as a ‘Neighbourhood Hero’.
Residents of nationwide bungalow provider RoyaleLife voted for those who have gone the extra mile for their community .
The RoyaleLife Neighbourhood Hero initiative saw more than 50 nominations from kind-hearted neighbours, spanning ten locations.
Winners received an engraved trophy, luxury hamper and personalised ‘thank you’ from RoyaleLife, which specialises in high-quality bungalows for the over 45s.
Many nominees were praised by grateful residents, some still shielding, after receiving much needed help with shopping, housework, and emotional support over the last few months.
They included Phillip and Janet Myall, pictured, from Royale Heights in Beacon Hill, Corfe Mullen, who gave daily support to their neighbour after the death of her husband.
Robert Bull, CEO at RoyaleLife, pictured right, said: “As a nation, it once seemed that we had lost the sense of what being a good neighbour was, with many of us not even knowing the names of those who live next door to us.
“However, since the pandemic, there has been a huge outpouring of support between households which we felt needed to be recognised – and celebrated – during these difficult times.”
RoyaleLife is also bringing new homes to Dorset through its New Forest Glades development in Christchurch.
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Comms reseller joins global powerhouse JPL Telecom
Dorset-based JPL Telecom, which designs and engineers wired and wireless headsets, has appointed its latest UK based reseller.
Norwich-based MT Communications has been trading for more than eight years and operates in East Anglia.
It is primarily known as a CCTV and voice and data provider and is now offering telecoms and wi-fi solutions.
Mark Tweddle, Managing Director, pictured left, said: “JPL headsets are well-built and designed.
“They offer quality products, that feel great and fit well, and their products are competitively priced.
“Our customer feedback with the JPL product line has been excellent and well received.
“We were so impressed with the JPL range that we have made the decision to partner directly with them and to exclusively sell their range.”
James Clarke, CEO, JPL Telecom, pictured right, said: “The lines of communication opened up with MT Communications when it became clear our headsets were selling well.
“In a short time they’ve become a strong and committed supporter of our range and they’ve taken on a variety of product lines.
“The Vision+ video solutions are at the heart of our new range.
“We have been fortunate that we have the right products, at the right time, as well as product availability and as a result we’ve increased our production capacity to meet the high demand.
“No one could have foreseen how B2B communications would alter so drastically at the start of 2020.
“We are going from strength to strength and every new innovation brought to market drives us to design and perfect more diverse technical solutions for our global customer base.”
