Bearsted & District

Community

Hello, My name is Babs Dixon, and I am your local Community Education coordinator for the British Red Cross in the Southeast based in Kent.

The British Red Cross are offering free face-to-face workshops for adults at a venue of your choice. All our workshops are interactive, and we can have a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 15 adults per workshop.
Below is information on the workshops we offer:-

TACKLING LONELINESS

Feeling lonely and isolated can make life challenging, especially during a crisis. It can be difficult to know how to help. This workshop aims to give you the opportunity to speak openly about how it might feel to be lonely or isolated and learn skills to help others who may be suffering.Using group discussion to address the complex causes and effects of loneliness, there will be a chance to reflect and share personal experiences too. We will also discuss and practise how to be an effective listener in order to support others.

ADAPT AND RECOVER FROM ADVERSITY

Adapt and recover is a group workshop that aims to create a safe space to discuss how times of adversity can impact yourself and others. You will work as a group to identify how you can build coping skills and adapt to situations. The session will also signpost you to further support so that you can feel confident knowing where to access further support for yourself or others.

FIRST AID

These are interactive workshops, run by an experienced British Red Cross educator, where the participants of the workshop will tackle first aid skills and have the opportunity to ask questions. The aim is to build confidence to help someone in a first aid emergency, using everyday objects that are around us.

If you which to book a face-to-face workshop please follow the link below,

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CommunityEducationKentandEastSussexBexleyandBromley@brcsbrms.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

SCAM ADVICE

( NOTE. The following advice also applies to Kent. )

Information sent on behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police
 Warning issued in Devon over scam caller pretending to be police officer. Police
 investigating reports of a phone scam which has led to two people in their 80s handing over substantial sums of money are appealing for information.
 Officers are also warning residents in Devon to be vigilant of the scam, in which the caller is pretending to be a police officer.
 Detectives say they have had an increased number of calls about this scam over the past few weeks - particularly in the Exeter, South Devon and the Plymouth areas.
In one case, the victim was persuaded to hand over more than £15,000, and more than £9,000 in another case.
 As part of the scam, they were also asked to provide some of the money in foreign currency or purchase expensive watches only to then hand over. 
It has been reported that the male caller pretends to be a person called ‘Sergeant Martin Spencer’ from the police in London, and he is investigating the unauthorised use of the person’s bank card.
 He also advised that they should not tell anyone about the call, as it may jeopardise the police investigation.
 Detective Inspector Guy Biggar said: “We are advising anyone who receives sucha call not to give any personal information and hang up immediately.
“This type of call can be linked to courier fraud, where victims will be encouraged to withdraw funds from their bank account or give bank cards to a courier, arranged by the ‘police officer’ making the call under the guise of ‘assisting with a police investigation’.
 “We will never contact people to ask for banking information or request that they withdraw money from an account to aid an investigation. ”
He went on to say: “Fraudsters often target geographical areas where they know elderly or vulnerable people live, so we are asking that if you have family or friends who are vulnerable in any way, that you make them aware of this scam.”


If you have any information that could help the police with their enquiries or know someone who has received a call of this nature you can report to us by calling 0300 123 2040 Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm. If you are calling from abroad please call +44 300 123 2040.


Police advise on receiving a scam call of this nature to terminate the call, wait five minutes and ensure you can hear a dial tone before calling 101, and then call your bank using the number found on the back of your card.
 All reports of this nature also need to be reported to Action Fraud 0300123 2040 or online https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
Updated

Our thanks go to Linzi Berryman (Police, Devon & Cornwall Alert Officer, Devon & Cornwall)