Care Bank Scheme

The Royal Borough and WRVS launched the Care Bank pilot to provide 'time credit' rewards for those who use their time to help older or vulnerable people, bringing the community together to help each other.

As part of the borough's Big Society programme, local people are encouraged to join the scheme which provides the flexibility to support others in the way that suits them, even if they can only spare a couple of hours a week.

Volunteers can choose how to exchange their credits and also how they would like to help people in their community, whether by cutting a lawn, taking someone to the shops or helping around the house.

Those involved in the project can benefit in a variety of ways. Gaining one credit for each hour they give, they can receive rewards such as a free swim, donate their credits or store them to use during the pilot period.

The pilot was launched on Tuesday 6 March 2012 and will run for a year. In the longer term the plan is for the partnership to expand the scheme nationally. This would allow a volunteer to exchange accrued credits to, for example, help an elderly relative living in another part of the country.

For more information on the Care Bank scheme and to register, please visit the WRVS website or call 0845 600 5885.

Amey helps community volunteers prepare for winter driving

With wintry weather gripping the country, community volunteers are better prepared for winter driving thanks to a special event put on for them by Amey, The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's highways maintenance partner.

Volunteers with the WRVS attended the event on Tuesday (15th January) at The York Centre in Maidenhead. The volunteers deliver a variety of community services in Windsor and Maidenhead, including meals-on-wheels and the Carebank good-neighbour scheme.

At the event they learned how Amey manages the Borough's road network through the winter, and what they can do themselves to prepare for driving in icy conditions and stay safe on the roads. Winter driving kits were also given away to help the volunteers put theory into practice. These included a blanket, thermal mug, tyre pressure gauge, screen wash and an ice scraper.

David Ogden, Amey's Account Director for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead says: "Community services are essential to many of the Borough's vulnerable residents, particularly during winter. We wanted to help ensure the volunteers who deliver them are better prepared for winter driving conditions which can be quite challenging.

"The event and giveaway is part of an on-going Amey campaign to encourage winter resilience and keep Windsor and Maidenhead's roads clear and safe. Overall, we want to encourage people to 'think winter' before they get into their cars, which means planning journeys and being equipped for snow and ice before it's encountered."

Liz Price from the WRVS said: "Thank you to Amey for hosting such a useful and informative event. The residents who use our services rely on us, so not turning up because of bad driving conditions isn't really an option. It's been particularly useful to understand how the roads are managed throughout winter and I'd encourage people to take a look at the Council's website where there is lots of information about gritting routes, salt bins and how to stay safe on the roads."

Amey's winter roads service starts on October 1, with staff on full alert to deal with bad weather through until the end of April. Further information can be found on The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's website at www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/pe_winter_services.htm . On Twitter follow @rbwm_ws to stay up to date with the latest news about traffic and travelling in bad weather.

For more information about these services see The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's Meals on Wheels and Carebank services, including how to volunteer for these vital community initiatives.

How do you rate this information/service?