Oct 26 Combined JW - Flipbook - Page 17
Community update Hayling Herald
Hayling Lions: Tremendous summer!
By Nick McCormick
HAYLING Island Lions have always
been honoured and proud to serve our
very special Island community.
Following upon our catering and
bar-keeping experiences at our VE Day
Celebration it was a pleasure to organise
and run the bar and catering facilities at
Hayling’s answer to Henley!
In August our Island saw Langstone
Pilot Gig Club hold its Hayling Bay
Regatta adjacent to Chichester Avenue
Beach car park.
Teams of rowers from several clubs
took part in a tremendously exciting and
fun packed day. The event was the gig
club’s inaugural regatta and Hayling Lions Club had the honour of being asked
to supply the bar and catering arrangements.
The regatta was of course subject to
sea conditions which fortunately proved
very favourable to rowing and racing on
the day.
However, a potential last-minute hitch
to the catering arrangements was the
sudden ban on the use of barbecues owing to the fire risk posed by the extremely hot and dry summer.
Nonetheless, Lions were still able to
supply a tempting selection of cold food
and snacks to support this prestigious
event.
The bar was ever popular and the
whole day enabled Hayling Lions to
raise funds for its charitable work.
All monies raised by the Lions are
spent here on our island to support local
causes.
Islanders will be aware of the now
annual event Sam’s Sunflowers which
attracts not only locals but also visitors
from far and wide to admire the sunflowers along with enjoying the stalls
and entertainments including of course
the splendid maze (in the maize!).
Hayling Lions were delighted to attend and be responsible for hiring and
distributing secateurs to visitors who
wanted to take home a few stems as a
reminder of their day out.
So it was that on allotted days rotas
were arranged for our club members to
have a breath of fresh air fresh air whilst
meeting visitors and families and raising
money for our charitable funds.
As we move into autumn, please feel
Some kind-hearted Lions helping out at Sam’s Sunflowers
welcome to come and join us.
Bridge Debt Advice Centre
By David Smith on behalf of the Bridge Advice
THERE is much talk about the cost of living
and in particular the rising price of gas and
electricity.
Another significant item in many household
budgets is the cost of housing. Rents are
increasing and mortgage interest rates are likely
to increase substantially in the short term.
What help is available?
If you are in receipt of Universal Credit then
you will be eligible for Housing Benefit as part
of your claim. If your landlord is a council or
housing association then the Housing Benefit
should cover your rent.
However, if you have a private landlord then
the amounts payable are limited.
Firstly, the type of property you should occupy
is determined by the number of bedrooms you
need. So, a couple will need one bedroom, single
person over 16 will be entitled to one bedroom,
two children of the same sex under 16 will be
entitled to one bedroom, as will two children
under 10 regardless of sex.
If your house has more bedrooms than you
are deemed to need then your housing benefit
will not be increased. Locally, the Local Housing
Allowance(LHA) is
n Shared Accommodation £421per month
n 1 bedroom £693
n 2 bedroom £842
n 3 bedroom £997
n 4 bedroom £1296
If your rent exceeds the LHA, then you are
responsible for the difference. There is no rent
control but recent changes may mean that
landlords can only increase the rent once a
year and there are procedures whereby the
reasonableness of any proposed increase can be
challenged.
What can you do if you are still struggling?
If you are on benefits apply to the local council
for help. They have a fund which can be used
to help people with housing difficulties. It is
discretionary and probably can’t be used to
simply cover the shortfall but it is worth a try.
What help is available for those with a
mortgage?
The simple answer is not a lot. Help is available
with mortgage interest on a loan not exceeding
£200,000 for someone who has been on
Universal Credit for three months. It is a loan. If
you are in receipt of Income based ESA then it
can only be paid after 39 weeks. Always talk to
your lender they may be able to help.
If you want more information about our
services please telephone 07876 776668 for an
appointment. We have a 24-hour answering
service and will call back when we can. All our
advice is friendly, confidential, non-judgemental
and free.
We are able to meet on face-to-face basis at
the Bridge Church, by appointment on Tuesday
mornings.
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