Daylight robbery: Sid's TV's gone

Digital Switchover - helping your vulnerable neighbours in 5 minutes

Sid's grown old since the 1980's. He doesn't give a toss about gas shares any more, but he depends on his TV and right now he's in danger of losing it.

Digital TV switchover is the biggest change in television since the introduction of colour. In April 2012 analogue television will be switched off across the London TV region. If you don’t have digital TV by the time of switchover, you will lose your TV channels.

The Switchover Help Scheme has launched a ‘Helping Hand’ campaign calling on everyone to try to make sure every older and disabled person in the area knows about the help they can get. 

It offers people aged 75 and over and eligible disabled equipment, installation and free aftercare to convert one of their TV sets to digital.  It costs £40, or is free to eligible people who are also on income related benefits.

All eligible people have been contacted by post, but not everyone may be confident enough to take up the help. So we're trying to help make sure that all our older and more vulnerable neighbours are aware of what's happening and that help is at hand.

So what can we do here in Harringay? I'm sure you all have a bundle of ideas and I'd love to hear them. The simplest thing perhaps is just to knock on the door of any neighbours near at hand who you think may not be fully prepared and offer to put them in touch with the help scheme. It coudl be as simple as that - 5 mins, job done!

Any more ideas?

We've attached a leaflet with further information about the scheme. For more information, call 0800 40 85 900 or visit helpscheme.co.uk. Textphone users can call 0800 40 85 936. 

For general information and guidance on switchover please call Digital UK on 08456 50 50 50 or visit digitaluk.co.uk.