‘Neighbour watch’ to support villagers

A close-knit Perthshire community is rallying together to support vulnerable people in lockdown with its own “neighbour watch scheme”.

Community councillors in Scone, Tayside’s biggest village, issued a call to arms in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.

Within a matter of hours, nearly 8% of the population signed up to help, while organisers secured themselves a fleet of vehicles.

The group – SDCC Helpers – began with a leaflet drop to pass on vital information and contact details to those in need.

But as the pandemic intensified, leaflet deliveries were deemed too risky and organisers have now set up a new system to keep people safe.

Jill Belch, who helped set up the group with local nurse Vanessa Shand, said: “It was very disappointing that we had to cancel our leaflets.

“We took advice on this and were told we could be putting helpers and others at risk, so reluctantly we had to stop.

“However, we are not being despondent. Instead of a neighbourhood watch scheme, we are setting up a ‘neighbour watch scheme’. We’re encouraging people to keep an eye on their neighbours and if anyone seems to be in need of help, they can get in touch with us.”

A new helpline number – 07595 242283 – has gone live and will be manned from 11am to 4pm Monday to Saturday. A team of 120 volunteers are ready to support over-70s, those in self-isolation and people who are housebound because of a non-viral illness.

The group is offering a range of services, from picking up shopping to posting letters. Residents living alone can even arrange for volunteers to knock on their windows every few days, just to check they’re OK.

“I am incredibly proud of our community,” said Jill, who is a cardiovascular physician at Ninewells Hospital.

“We now have around 200 people out of 2,500 households offering to help.

“The chemist had put out an appeal because they were getting swamped with inquiries from people who couldn’t leave their homes, asking if they could get their prescriptions delivered.

“We asked for anyone who was PVG-registered to get in touch, and we were quickly inundated with calls from teachers, policemen, carers, social workers and people from Scone Thistle.

“The speed of their response was quite remarkable.”

As well as an army of volunteers, the Scone team were offered a fleet of vans by the local Safer Community Wardens Service.

Jill added: “The problem we are facing now is that a lot of people who are isolating have run out of money.

“We have asked some of the shops here if they can start doing payments over the phone, and that is something they are considering.

“We are also hoping that some supermarkets start opening delivery slots for older people. We really admire that they offered them dedicated time to do their shopping, but it would be good if they could ensure them delivery slots as well.”