Police in Watford have teamed up with a local charity to help safeguard elderly and vulnerable members of the community.
Small Acts of Kindness is an organisation which works to reduce the negative impact that loneliness and isolation can have on the physical and mental wellbeing of older people, particularly those who are cold in their homes.
One of the ways in which they do this is by providing gift bags containing essential and practical items such as blankets, hats, gloves, socks, soups and hot drinks, as well as information about local social activities and services.
Since the project launched in 2014, they have reached more than 8,300 people across the county.
PCSO Dominik Tokarczyk, from the Watford Safer Neighbourhood Team, explained: “I met the charity’s founder, Lynne Misner, at a local older person’s liaison event and was really interested in their work.
“I was keen to develop a partnership with the organisation, as I saw the potential for them to help us reach older members of the community more easily, to provide them with valuable crime prevention advice. The project also allows us to visit people in their homes, to assess whether they require any extra support.”
Dominik continued: “The whole team has really embraced the project and we have already identified and delivered packages to people who we felt would benefit from an extra helping hand.
“Partnership working is absolutely essential and we hope that this project can help to build relationships, reduce crime and better safeguard elderly and vulnerable members of our community.”
Lynne Misner, CEO and Founder of Small Acts of Kindness, said: “Keeping older people safe and warm is of huge importance to us, particularly those who are more vulnerable, lonely and isolated. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the police in Watford on this project and hope that it will be the first of many similar projects across the county.”
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