Community

Submit a listing

All Together In Charlbury

News Items

Support with cost-of-living increases

Conscious that we are all currently experiencing significant price increases which are likely to continue for some time, ATIC, Cornerstone and the Town Council have been gathering together some useful information, which we hope will interest anyone wondering how to try to manage increasing pressures on their finances.

There are currently leaflets on the following:

• Sources of help and advice on a range of cost-of-living issues, including help if you are struggling to pay bills

• Sources of debt advice

• Eligibility for benefits check for people over pension age produced by AgeUK

• Government cost-of-living grants – what they are, who will be receiving them and when - If one or more of these grants applies to you, the money will usually be paid automatically and it does not need to be paid back.

Copies of these leaflets are attached at the bottom of this page.

We hope we will all be able to benefit from practical hints and tips and suggestions of sources of information and advice and other support.

Car parking payment arrangements at the JR and Churchill Hospitals

ATIC has produced an information note giving full details of the payment arrangements, which it may be helpful to have before setting off for a JR or Churchill visit. This is attached at the bottom of this page or can be requested by emailing charlburyalltogether@gmail.com. There are also copies at Cornerstone in the Corner House.

All Together In Charlbury - Our local "helping hand" scheme

If you find that you need help with:
• transport to hospital or other medical/health/care appointments
• transport for other purposes like getting to the shops , taking part in a local activity or club or visiting someone in hospital or care home
• getting shopping or prescriptions
• household tasks (like changing a light bulb or smoke detector battery) or occasional gardening jobs
• letter writing or simple form-filling
• reading, if you have difficulty reading for yourself

Or if you would you like support from someone popping in for a chat;

All Together In Charlbury (ATIC) is here to help. Just ring us on 01993 776277.  This will get you to the staff of Volunteer Link-Up who kindly act as our call centre and who will see if we can meet your request. The phone line is staffed from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday with a regularly-checked answerphone when staff are not available.

If you've got something that needs doing which is not on this list, you can let us know and we will see what we can do.

Don't be shy to ask - we've all been in a position where we would welcome some practical help or moral support but there is no family member or friend available to provide it.

In the light of advice from AgeUK and Community First Oxfordshire's community transport expert, as well as health professionals, we will be continuing to implement the COVID19-safe precautions that we have had in place since we resumed activity last year, even though the Government's decision to lift all remaining legal restrictions on 19 July is now in place.

So for transport: social distancing, masks, passenger(s) normally in the back seat, car windows open, cleaning of commonly- touched items – and for befriending and other “face-to-face” activities: social distancing, masks, windows open.

Would you like to join our team of volunteers?

By volunteering for ATIC you will not be tied to specific days or times (unless you choose this). You can help in the way(s) that you want and when it suits you and your life. You can choose the tasks that you offer to help with depending on your interests and strengths and then on your availability. You will be under no obligation to agree to cover every request for help. We do not expect our volunteers to be out of pocket as a result of giving help. For example, if you provide transport, your passenger will pay you 45p per mile to cover expenses.

If you want to find out more, contact the ATIC Management Group on 07487 413892 or charlburyalltogether@gmail.com.

What is All Together In Charlbury?

All Together In Charlbury (ATIC) is a local voluntary group which aims to provide informal help and support to people in the community who need it by linking them up with someone who has offered some of their time to meet requests.

ATIC aims to help Charlbury residents of all ages and circumstances who, for whatever reason, are unable to carry out a task themselves and who have no family or friends available to help.

ATIC's services are free apart from a mileage charge where transport is involved.

How ATIC is run

All ATIC's organisers and volunteers are Charlbury residents. However, to save more of our time for meeting local needs, we have asked Volunteer Link-Up in Witney to do the work of linking up requests for help with one of our local volunteers. Volunteer Link-Up is an experienced and well-respected charity, which runs its own District-wide Good Neighbour Scheme: www.vlu.org.uk

That is why there is a Witney phone number to call, if you have a task that you would like someone from ATIC to help with. Volunteer Link-Up's friendly staff will answer your call for us and then link you up with a local ATIC volunteer.

All our volunteers:
• Have been police-checked
• Carry ID
• Are covered by public liability insurance arranged for ATIC

To ask for ATIC help call 01993 776277
Volunteer Link-Up's friendly staff will answer on our behalf.

Why not think about joining our team?
You don't have to commit to particular times and can help when it suits you and your life.

How to contact the ATIC Management Group
If you want to contact ATIC to find out more about us, to talk to us about local wellbeing and care issues or to offer to help us as a volunteer, ring 07487 413892 or email: charlburyalltogether@gmail.com.
Management Group members are: Jane Crane, Hugh Goyder, Meryl Smith, Sue Tokumine.

Our thanks are due to the following for their financial support
Charlbury and Overseas Community Projects Ltd (Charlbury Beer Festival)
Charlbury Town Council
Long Hedge and Ticknell Charity

Charlbury Website © 2012-2024. Contributions are the opinion of and property of their authors. Heading photo by Alan Sinclair. Code/design by Richard Fairhurst. Contact us. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.