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We know that most older and disabled people prefer to stay in their own homes, as their needs change.

This is what you tell us, and with the right advice, support and assistance to keep your property maintained and adapted for your needs, you can remain safely in your home. You might know that there is increasing emphasis by central and local Government and the Health Service on "preventative" services to enable you to remain at home, and there are proven benefits to this approach.

Anchor Staying Put exists to assist older and disabled people to "stay put" at home if that is what you want, and we provide a range of advice and support services to enable that to happen.

If you are aged over 60 or disabled, we can provide a full survey, assessment and technical service to help you manage repair work and adaptations to your home, as well as offering assistance in finding the funds to pay for these works. We find reputable building contractors to carry out the work on your home, and we fully inspect the work before you pay for it.
We also provide a number of complementary services, which are all focused on helping you 'stay put' at home. This includes a small repairs service, to do those little jobs around the house, such as putting up shelves, fixing dripping taps, or changing light bulbs. In addition, we have a minor adaptations service, which means that we can supply and fit adaptations such as lever taps, grab rails and handrails to help your mobility in and around your home. Further information and the costs for these jobs can be found on the 'Services' page.

We can assist you in applying for local authority and other grants, for which you may be eligible. Many of you, of course, are able to find the funds from your own savings and will not need this part of our service.

What is a "Home Improvement Agency"?

A Home Improvement Agency offers a comprehensive service to enable essential repair and adaptation work in your home, and helps to manage the whole process. Established over 12 years ago, the Tewkesbury Agency works in partnership with Tewkesbury Borough Council, Gloucestershire Adult Community Directorate (Social Services), Gloucestershire Supporting People Team, Gloucestershire Constabulary and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

Where we work and what we can do

We can offer our service to you if you live within the Tewkesbury Borough Council area. If you live outside this area or need assistance, which is beyond the scope of our service, we will provide details of other organisations that may be able to help.

We have assisted thousands of residents in the Tewkesbury area to remain independently in their own homes. The services provided and how much the services cost are:

• Disabled Facilities Grant Assistance – Supporting you through the process with practical support and advice. Work carried out includes providing level access showers, extensions and ramps. These grants are means tested. Our fee is usually paid by the grant. Private customers pay 12% of the cost of the building works, before VAT.
• Repairs – Arranging medium to large-scale repairs aimed at making the property safe, warm and watertight and bringing it up to the Government Decent Homes Standard. Occasionally these jobs can be funded by a local authority grant, which is means tested. Repairs might include replacing electrics and heating systems. Our fee is usually paid by the grant. Private customers pay 12% of the cost of the building works, before VAT.
• F.A.S.T Service – (Fast Access to Service Teams) – This is a countywide initiative to provide minor adaptations such as grab rails, keysafes, half steps and door entry systems quickly and efficiently. The majority of these works are free of charge. Please ask about eligibility.
• Small Repairs Service – Carrying out small repairs for people living across the whole of the Tewkesbury area. These works might include repairing a dripping tap, putting up a curtain rail or changing a light bulb. There is a small charge for this service, which is about £10.00 per hour. For larger jobs, we will give you a quote.

• Hard of Hearing Service – Referrals are made from the Community and Adult Care Directorate for items such as flashing doorbells, loop systems, telephone alerters and clarity amplifiers. These are supplied and fitted free following assessment by the Audiology Unit.
• Telecare Service – This service is administered by the Forest of Dean Linkline and provides equipment such as bed monitors, falls detectors and pressure mats. These are supplied and fitted free following assessment by the Specialist Occupational Therapist.
• Security Scheme – Carries out works such as fitting window locks and door viewers. There is a charge of £10 per hour for this service, unless the referral is from the Police on your behalf.
• Smoke Alarms – We are partnered with Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service to carry out fire safety checks free of charge inlcluding up to two 10 year anti-tamper smoke alarms.

Please note: For some services, professional assessments and referrals are needed before work can be carried out. This is to ensure that the most appropriate equipment or adaptation is provided for your needs. Please ask us for details.

Please contact us for further details.

Why this service is needed

This year we have helped over 1,250 older, disabled or otherwise vulnerable people to remain living at home safely and comfortably.

In recent years, life expectancy for people within Tewkesbury Borough has increased to 82.3 years and the elderly population is growing. (This fits with the national trend.) Within Tewkesbury Borough, 9% of the population or 7,057 people are aged over 75 years; this compares to 7.1% or 5,006 people in 1991. (Source: Gloucestershire Population Monitor 2005.)

These statistics indicate that the number of people requiring our assistance to remain living safely in their homes is likely to grow. The agency and its funding partners will need to take this trend into account when planning future services for local people.

We also assist people who are living with a disability and those who are otherwise disadvantaged. Please ask us if you are interested in knowing more about demographic information and statistics on this.