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Scope’s Disability Energy Support Service

Free energy advice to any household where a disabled person lives across England and Wales.
Expert energy advisers can offer support with:

• Energy debt
• Switching tariffs or supplier
• Changing your meter
• Green energy
• Becoming more energy efficient
• Accessing energy benefits, grant and trusts
• Contact or complaining to your supplier
• Understanding your bills
• Understanding how to use your heating systems
• Free pre-payment fuel vouchers (conditions apply)

Check details online or call Freephone: 0808 801 0828
 

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Working from home can sometimes feel like a challenge. Charity digital offer some tips and tricks to help you stay motivated and get you through the day. 

Working from home: digital life hacks

The Citizens Advice website gives information to make the right choices, including help to deal with debt problems, how to avoid losing your home and how to get your finances back into shape.

For advice Citizens Advice Craven and Harrogate districts are help to help.  
 

The Register is a free service provided by suppliers and network operators. Being on the Register enables people to have extra support from their energy supplier such as advance notice of planned power cuts, priority support in an emergency, meter reading services and identification of callers, for example.

Working from home can sometimes feel like a challenge. Charity digital offer some tips and tricks to help you stay motivated and get you through the day. 

Working from home: digital life hacks

Where To Turn for more local support 

Hundreds of local support services and activities are listed in our searchable HADCA Where To Turn Community Information Directory for Harrogate district  

Open Country Spring Nature Activities Pack

There’s so much to explore and discover in nature over these next few months and this Spring Nature Activities Pack will help you to get involved in wildlife in your own homes, gardens and local parks.

Beginners’ cycling group ‘Liferiders’ – Community Cycling and Wellbeing 

For the past 4 years, Liferiders has been organising weekly bike rides with a difference. Aimed at novices and beginners, Liferiders offers a supportive, friendly and FREE way to enjoy the social, mental and physical benefits from riding bikes together in the countryside. Liferiders aims to make cycling accessible and inclusive, with members ranging in age from 17 to 65+.
 
Covid Lockdown guidelines have meant that the regular Wednesday and Sunday group rides have not been able to happen, enabling the trustees to invest time in successfully upgrading Liferiders to Charitable Incorporated Organisation (foundation) status (Reg No. 1193499).
 
The charity has acquired 5 loan bikes for use by anyone who doesn’t have access to a bike. Liferiders also offers an introductory 1-2-1 support service, helping potential members to check that their bike is roadworthy, answering questions, and easing any concerns about coming along for their first ride.

During the rides there’s always plenty of support on hand to help with punctures and mechanicals that sometimes occur. Notwithstanding the Pandemic, there is often a cafe / pub stop en route for refreshments
 
The pace of the rides is slow, steady and leisurely, with an emphasis on enjoying the conversation, making new friends and connecting with nature. There is a mental health first aider on most rides, if anyone is going through a difficult time and would like to talk about it.
 
Liferiders is entirely funded by donations and grants. To find out more check out the website or email suziesijack@hotmail.com 
 

Friends of the Elderly small grants

Small grants (normally up to £400) to older people who are:

• Resident in England and Wales
• Of/over state pension age
• Who are living on low incomes and with little savings
• Who do not fit the criteria for other funders

Grants for older people can only be accessed via a third-party Referral Agent who knows the person in a professional or community capacity and submits the application on their behalf.

With the better weather comes more activity in the nature reserve and we don’t just mean the wildlife! There have been a number of incidents recently which have led to complaints by residents, please be aware that although the Parish Council is interested in all that occurs in our villages we can be rather limited in what action we may take.

Going forward should there be an issue in relation to illegal parking please contact the local police on 101 or if the issue relates to breaches of social distancing or the Government lockdown rules in general and you feel action is required, again please contact the police.

Unfortunately we are again seeing at least one of the bird hides being used for purposes other than those intended, where you perceive there to be an issue relating to public safety please contact the police, where the issue relates to antisocial behaviour then YWT should be your first port of call as they can keep a log of such issues, and as the landowners, work with the police to deal with the issue effectively once they are aware.

The YWT officer responsible for the Staveley Reserve is Laura Harman and she can be contacted either by phone on 01904 659570 or 07896 674810 and by email
at laura.harman@ywt.org.uk

On a more positive note has anyone heard the cuckoo yet or are the geese making too much noise?