A group of villagers from Horringer near Bury St Edmunds have launched a new scheme to help and support local people. Left to right, Helen Crown and Wendy Cullingworth

A NEW “good neighbour” scheme in a Suffolk village is already improving residents’ lives.

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A group of villagers from Horringer, near Bury St Edmunds, have launched the initiative which aims to help residents with daily needs such as shopping, lifts or jobs in the home.

The East Anglian Daily Times has just launched its Year of the Village campaign to celebrate and support everything that is good about village life in Suffolk and Essex.

The good neighbour scheme also aims to bring villagers together socially, and this is where the scheme is already having a real impact, its chairman Geoff Gow has said.

He said: “It’s already having a benefit. I can honestly say we have had people come to the afternoon teas who meet up with other people in the village they haven’t seen for a long while.”

A questionnaire, which was dropped off to households in the village to gauge their views prior to establishing the scheme, found that people were really interested in having social events.

Mr Gow said more than 100 questionnaires had been returned out of the 460 or so that had been given out.

He said there were people who had lived in the village all of their lives, but there were also plenty who were new.

“Some have relatives in the village. For some their nearest relative is perhaps 100 miles away so, if they find themselves on their own, they have to fend for themselves and that’s where we can plug that gap.” He thought the good neighbour scheme – which is aimed at carers and those with health and mobility problems as well as older people – was a positive thing to do, particularly in rural villages.

“In lots of villages now you don’t necessarily have the over-65 clubs, that sort of thing, they have come and gone,” he said.

The closure of post offices was a problem, he said. “To be honest, for some older people that was a meet and greet type of place, where they went to exchange the time of day with different people.”

He added: “I think in rural communities there’s the support and goodwill to do something about it and make sure nobody is left out.”

The scheme was launched last Thursday at the Horringer Community Centre, where the monthly afternoon teas are held from 3pm to 4.30pm on the third Thursday of every month.

The initiative went live this week with offers of practical help.

Villagers who need help can call 07532 274795 between 9am and 5.30pm weekdays.

The on-call operator links the person needing help with a local volunteer.

All volunteers have been registered with the scheme and will wear ID badges.

Support in setting up the scheme has been provided by Suffolk Acre (Action with Communities in Rural England).