Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust talk about projects

Georgie Cox and Di Gleeson of the Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust.

Georgie Cox and Di Gleeson of the Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust will be keeping the community up to date on all that is happening with the trust, and in the community, through this monthly column in the Stratford Press.

Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust (CTSCT) is working for the communities of Central Taranaki to make it a safe place live, work and play.

With a few of our planned projects put on hold at the announcement of level 4 in March, CTSCT tasked ourselves to contact over 1000 residents in the first 48 hours of level 4 being announced.

This was an important focus, as we needed to identify those who were vulnerable or needing help within our community.

We connected them with a friendly neighbour, or organisations to help make the unknown a little less lonely and confusing.

Working closely with Team Hope, and Civil Defence we helped to distribute food parcels and collected groceries for those who didn't have any support.

The trust continued weekly calling over the following weeks, to be a friendly, familiar voice and offering lots of well needed emotional support.

After lockdown and since returning to our office at the police station here in Stratford, much like everybody else we have found comfort in a little normality.

The Community Patrol was able to restart patrols from June. Feel free to give our red patrol car a big wave if you see them out and about, we are always looking for volunteers to help patrol Central Taranaki and be the ears and eyes for the police.

Another project we were able to continue was our Safe Kids in Cars cash back. We have helped the Stratford High School Teen Parents Unit with gifting and correctly installing car seats into their vans. For them this means that pick-up and drop-offs are much more efficient and babies are correctly fitted to a specific seat on a term

basis.

So far this year, we have approved 109 cash backs. That's 109 tamariki sitting in new and correctly installed car seats around Central Taranaki. We are very proud to be able to provide theses cash backs to parents, grandparents and caregivers alike.

We are excited to look forward into October as we continue our next project.

The Home Safe Home campaign will focus on; Neighbourhood Support and social connectedness, Crime prevention and home security, Injury prevention in falls, Fire safety, and Emergency management for natural disasters.

Home Safe Home project will see home safety surveys completed by households, safety and prevention advice handed out, and safety items to make physical changes to the home environment offered to those who need it. We have just started with Eltham, so keep an eye on your letterbox.

Towards the end of October, we are again welcoming Nigel Latta back to Central Taranaki, he will be presenting a custom-made presentation to smaller rural community's based around stress, coping and mental health.

For more information about Safe Kids in Cars, visit the CTSCT website and look for information under projects or contact us directly on 027 584 9779. To join the Community Patrol email safetrust@xtra.co.nz.