Do you live in Barnes, Mortlake or East Sheen?
Then FiSH may be able to provide you with a whole range of services that can help you live a more connected and independent life.
Members’ Helpline
Open Monday to Friday between 9am and 1pm for requests from our members.
What can we help you with?
We can help with transport for medical or social appointments, or if you’d like some shopping done for you. We can also help with simple things around the home such as replacing light bulbs, occasional light gardening tasks or help with technology or even decluttering. We’re not able to help with personal care or cleaning, but we can give you advice and try to point you in the right direction.
How does the Helpline work?
Once you’ve called our “helpliner”, they will look for someone to help you. Our helpliner will then call you back when we’ve found a willing volunteer and give you their name and check that all the details of your request are correct – for example your medical appointment time. We have over 250 amazing volunteers who help us to run our activities and Helpline. All potential volunteers are given an interview, DBS checked and are asked to supply references before we recruit them.
We do ask…
Please let us have as much notice as possible of your request – more than 2 days if possible, as it really helps us to be able to find a volunteer for you. And if your appointment is cancelled or you no longer need your request, please call the Helpline to let us know.
If you have complex needs or a complicated request please call Liz Dallas Ross on 0208 878 8100.
Last year FiSH…
Answered over 4,000 Helpline calls
Completed 3,889 jobs requested on calls
Made 1570 bus journeys for FiSH activities, shopping outings and events
Ran over 500 activities & events
Organised nearly 50 outings
Practical help
As you get older some things just get harder and there are times when we all need a helping hand. At FiSH we’re here to help with tasks like shopping, getting to appointments, or just lending an ear when you need to hear a friendly voice at the other end of the phone. We have a fantastic team of volunteers who can help make life easier for you. They’ll even change a lightbulb to save you the worry of climbing a step ladder. We can’t help with everything but we can help with many small tasks. Just call our helpline, let us know what help you need and give us a little time to find a volunteer to help you.
Door-to-door shopping
We offer a door-to-door supermarket service using accessible transport. Trips are taken to Sainsbury’s in Richmond and also to Marks and Spencer at the Kew Retail Park. If you’d like to go shopping on our FiSH bus then email us to find out more.
Wheelchair hire
Sometimes after a hospital visit or a fall mobility might be difficult, or at other times a wheelchair might be very useful if you think you need to visit somewhere where the walk involved might be too much to cope with.
We can help with temporary wheelchair hire. Just email to find out more.
Befriending
We offer a one-to-one befriending scheme for those in our community who may be feeling isolated or lonely. It can be face-to-face or by telephone. We often receive referrals to us by GPs, social services and other care organisations, or you can simply ask us if we can help.
Call Liz Dallas Ross on 0208 878 8100 or email by clicking below.
Activities for dementia and Parkinson’s
We don’t offer specialist services for people with dementia or Parkinson’s disease but we do offer activities and social events that are tailored to fit their needs.
Our Singing for the Brain weekly sessions run in association with Alzheimer’s UK are extremely popular as you can see in our video. You can read more about the other activities we offer below or view them on our calendar.
Dementia
We offer dementia-friendly activities where the person with dementia and their carer can enjoy activities with others in a safe and friendly environment. These are hugely popular and include get-togethers to sing a variety of songs (Singing for the Brain) fun painting classes at Barnes Green Centre (Picasso in the Park art therapy). and our Retro Club for tea, cake and memories.
Parkinson's
There’s a monthly get-together for people living with Parkinson’s and their carers over a pub lunch as well as a weekly zoom meeting for people living with Parkinson’s to give and receive support from each other. And do look out for our special boat trips along the Thames!
Useful information & advice
NHS Complaints
The NHS Complaints Advocacy Service replaced the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) in March 2013. The service can help people to raise a concern about NHS care or treatment. It is free, confidential, independent of the NHS and available to all residents of Richmond upon Thames. NHS Complaints Advocates can support people in many different ways, some of these being to explore the options available to them at each step of the complaints process, help them to write letters to the right people and prepare them for meetings and also attend with them if necessary.
Water Bills
NHS Did you know you could get 50% off your water bill if you are on a low income? The WaterSure Plus scheme is Thames Water’s social tariff that gives low-income households a discounted rate on their water bill. A low income is considered below £19,201 if you live in a London borough. If you would like to know more, contact The Age UK Welfare Benefits Team on 020 8878 3546
Phone & Doorstep Scams
We hear about phone and doorstep scams in Barnes, Mortlake & East Sheen far too often. Richmond Council and the Metropolitan Police are urging people to be vigilant of potential phone scams, with £100,000 lost in the London Borough of Richmond in the last six months and at least 70 people falling victim to a scam. Please watch the video and share it with others!