Free handyman service extended for vulnerable and elderly people in BCP area
WATCH: ITV Meridian's Richard Slee check out the Handyvan project by BCP council
A scheme has been extended in Dorset to help some older and vulnerable people stay in their homes for longer.
The Handyvan project is run by BCP council and is a free service where people can get help with small repairs or changes to their homes.
There are three handyvans operating in the BCP area, which are currently helping hundreds of people.
To be eligible for help, residents must be aged over sixty or have a disability or a long term condition and they must also receive a means-tested benefit or an attendance allowance.
The scheme is expected to have wider benefits for the community and for health services and social services.
Emma Cousins, BCP Council said: "For example, it might be that some people coming out of hospital will need some minor alterations to their home so they can come home sooner. So rather than a few extra days in a hospital bed, they can be back home recovering much more quickly than they would have been in hospital."