A PIONEERING scheme encouraging people to be good neighbours is set to be launched in Darlington.

The project is being run in partnership with Age UK Darlington, Darlington police, and Darlington Neighbourhood Watch Association and will urge people to look out for elderly or vulnerable people in their community.

The project has been awarded funding for its first year after being chosen as a priority of the Darlington Partnership group and organisers hope to get 1,000 residents involved in its first pilot year.

Led by Age UK Darlington, the scheme will encourage people to volunteer and become good friends and neighbours in both the rural areas of the borough and the town centre to help combat isolation and increase independence in older people.

Gillian Peel, chief executive of Age UK Darlington, said: “It is about doing that little bit extra for your elderly or vulnerable neighbours, whether it is taking their bins out for them, cooking a bit of extra tea to take round to them, or simply checking up on them to see how they’re doing.

“It is for people who maybe work full-time and cannot commit to a bigger volunteering role, but who want to help people in their community. We hope the project will help people to feel more supported and able to cope on their own.

“Volunteers will be supported by us, and if they would like training in a certain area we can provide it, although it is not a requirement.”

The scheme is building on the good work of the town’s Neighbourhood Watch Association, which, over the past year, has seen the numbers of households signed up to the scheme increase from 18 per cent to 23.6 per cent.

Darlington Police’s Neighbourhood Inspector, Mick Button, said: “It is a more bespoke level of care and uses elements of both Neighbourhood Watch and Age UK's befriending service.

“With this extra care provided at an early stage, the hope is to keep people more independent for longer and reduce the demand for social care provision further down the line.

“We are hoping to bring the scheme to Pact meetings which we can use as a forum for discussing issues and recruiting more volunteers.”

The scheme is expected to be officially launched next month.