MORE than 25 people elderly residents of Okehampton and surrounding area now feel safer in their homes thanks to a community security scheme.

Such is the demand for locks to be fitted by the Okehampton Handypersons Scheme that Okehampton Lions have joined in and offered their services.

The man behind the scheme, Patrick Shea, who was successful in getting a Help the Aged Millennium Award of £9,000 for the project last autumn, has just received the second instalment of funding and the enquiries are coming in thick and fast.

However, the scheme took a while to get off the ground and for a time Mr Shea was worried he might have to shelve it and lose out on the grant.

'We made an appeal in the Okehampton Times for people to come forward and take advantage of this service and it seemed to work,' he said.

With only one handyman appointed to fit the locks and other security devices, more help was needed to get the work done and the Lions stepped in.

'I am very grateful to the Lions,' said Mr Shea. 'We badly needed some help and they came to the rescue.

'The work would have taken us hours and hours without their help — it is a real community effort. We have been to North Tawton, Follygate, Inwardleigh and Bridestowe and are now branching out to Hatherleigh.'

Rob Saxby from the Lions said fortunately in the club there was a good range of skills.

'You name it, electrician, carpenter, whatever, we know one somewhere,' he said.

'We are happy to be involved — sometimes the charity work we do is a little divorced from the residents of Okehampton and it is nice to be involved directly with them.'

As well as fitting locks, chains and intercom systems free of charge to elderly residents, the handypersons scheme also identifies and tackles other potential dangers in the home and provides advice.

Mr Shea said he was currently looking into providing security outside for a resident's electric scooter and was having discussions with Devon County Council Highways.

The Lions are also fitting smoke alarms in the homes of elderly and vulnerable people provided by the Devon Fire and Rescue Service.

For information on the handypersons scheme phone Mr Shea at the Okehampton Age Concern office on 01837 54356 and for the smoke alarms phone fire station officer Ian Donovan on 01837 52293.