ABOUTS

BHSRA stands for BCP Homes Sheltered Accommodation Residents' Association. It is a new residents' association being formed by and for tenants of BCP Homes sheltered accommodation schemes in Bournemouth. It gives residents a formal, recognised voice in decisions that affect their homes and support – and helps build a stronger sense of community between neighbours.

Establishing BHSRA

BHSRA can only become official once residents come forward to lead it. We’re looking for a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and general committee members – no experience necessary, just a willingness to help your neighbours.

Get Involved by email: hi@bhsra.link

Membership

BHSRA proposes two types of membership.

Full members – BCP Homes tenants living at:

Fenwick Court, 36 Ophir Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8LB

Moorlea, 9 Wellington Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8JQ

Springbourne Court, 130 Windham Road, Bournemouth, BH1 4RD

Wareham Court, 34 Kings Park Drive, Bournemouth, BH7 6NE

Associate members – neighbours with a genuine local interest, such as a neighbourhood watch group, or residents living nearby affected by shared local issues, including new developments, parking, or antisocial behaviour in the area.

The specific rights of associate members will be decided by the committee once formed.

What BHSRA could do

1. Our voices and ethos – a formal channel for raising concerns and shaping decisions with BCP Council/Homes. What BHSRA stands for is set by the committee and members, not imposed from outside.

2. Bring neighbours together – social activities, a befriending scheme for isolated neighbours, and help with neighbourhood issues.

3. Skill sharing – help with letter writing, form-filling, and signposting to further advice. Tap to read more…

4. Help with technology – friendly digital drop-in sessions from the former library computer buddy scheme, for anyone who’d like a hand getting online. Troubleshooting!

5. Save money – we’re already approaching local hairdressers, chiropodists, and restaurants about resident discounts, and mapping out which supermarkets offer pensioner discount days and the best times to catch markdowns. Know a good deal or discount day? Let us know – we’d love your tips.

6. Community noticeboard – a page for unwanted items a neighbour might appreciate.

7. Protecting your information – any resident details we hold would be held only with consent, and can be deleted at any time you ask. See our Privacy Policy.

8. Food advice – suggestions and tips to save money on food shopping and meals.

9. Personal care and health – advice and tips on personal care and hygiene, and health information drawn from verified sources such as the NHS.

10. And more – whatever matters most to you for day-to-day life.

Skill Sharing

The ideas below are exactly that: ideas, not a finalised service or a commitment. With up to 184 potential members across Fenwick Court, Moorlea, Springbourne Court, and Wareham Court, there’s likely a genuinely wide range of skills among residents worth sharing, to save costs and make everyday things a little simpler. Some ideas could suit residents regardless of mobility or disability.

Nothing here is offered as a formal or professional service. Anything that goes ahead will be subject to discussion between the committee, BCP Council, and any other interested parties, with due care given to liability, safeguarding, and practicality. This page itself is a draft, subject to extensive review and ratification before anything is finalised.

Practical, everyday help

• Basic technology – using a smartphone, video calling family, online banking safety, spotting scam calls and emails.
• Form-filling – benefits, Council tax, insurance claims, and paperwork that’s easy to get wrong.
• Letter writing and correspondence.
• Budgeting – understanding a pension statement, everyday money management.
• Reading assistance – for anyone with limited literacy or a visual impairment.

Home and daily living

• Minor home tasks – changing a high lightbulb, tightening a loose handle, small jobs someone with reduced mobility can’t easily manage alone.
• Cooking and budget meal ideas.
• Sewing and mending clothes.
• Gardening – window boxes and shared outdoor spaces.
• Pet care – dog walking for someone with limited mobility.

Wellbeing and connection

• Companionship and befriending – especially for residents who are isolated.
• Memory-friendly games, cards, or gentle group activities.
• Music, singing, or simply sharing an interest with others.
• Basic first aid awareness.

Ideas needing particular care

A few ideas worth naming honestly, since they carry real liability or safeguarding considerations, and would need proper discussion before ever being offered:

• Lift-sharing to appointments or shops – informal, goodwill-based between neighbours, never an organised transport service.
• DIY help – informal assistance between neighbours, not anything resembling professional trade work.
• Understanding tenant rights or benefit entitlement – pointing someone toward the right source, such as Citizens Advice or Shelter, rather than BHSRA offering advice directly.

What BHSRA will do

Weather alerts

The Met Office’s official severe weather warning service for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is at the top of every page. It shows “All clear!” when there’s nothing to report and automatically switches to show warnings with details whenever there are forecasts or present conditions.

Weather advice

Extreme heat and extreme cold can both be genuinely dangerous, particularly for older people. The NHS has a guide to coping in hot weather (opens in a new tab), and the government publishes advice on staying warm and well in cold weather (opens in a new tab).

Project Background

Whose idea is this?

A resident is driving this project, doing the groundwork for the literature and website at his own personal expense – the finished result will be gifted to all residents, free of charge.

Website

Our website, bhsra.link, is a work in progress. Some information is already online, with more being added as it becomes available.

Survey

A residents’ survey is being prepared to gather your views. This will include your experience of, and views on, the performance of BCP Council, BCP Homes, and scheme support officers.

Who owns this

The website belongs to residents. It’s work in progress, and we expect the main features to be available soon. Feedback is encouraged and very welcome – the committee, once formed, will act as a conduit to bring the site in line with what members actually want.

Cost

No fees are charged to join BHSRA. The website has been created and donated by a resident. Public use of the site is free and will remain free. Some services could be subject to a fee when joining. There are no plans for services at this time.

Protecting your data

At this stage, we have no plans to collect resident data beyond your name and email address. Emails from BHSRA will carry a footer explaining how long we keep this information. Our website has a dedicated Privacy Policy link in its footer that explains how your data is handled.

According to the Care Quality Commission’s own local authority assessment, BCP has an ageing population, with 22% of residents aged 65 and over, compared to 18.7% nationally, a difference the CQC itself attributes directly to the area’s attractiveness as a retirement location.

Bournemouth has been valued for its health benefits since the 1800s, when it was one of the first spa towns in England, drawing visitors specifically for its clean sea air. That reputation still holds today: the area has a genuinely mild, sheltered coastal climate year-round, and an extensive network of accessible walking routes, along the seafront, through the Victorian gardens, and along the wider coast path, all well-maintained and free to use.

Regular walking is well established as genuinely beneficial for older people specifically, supporting mobility, independence, and general wellbeing, and BCP’s own geography makes that kind of everyday activity easy to build into daily life, not something requiring special effort or a car journey to reach.

For organisations offering more direct support to older residents and carers locally. See local support organisations

Full contact details for each councillor are on the Contacts page. Tap a name below to go straight to theirs.

• Councillor Sara Armstrong
• Councillor Anne-Marie Moriarty
• Councillor Anne Filer
• Councillor Bobbie Dove
• Councillor Lawrence Williams
• Councillor Patrick Connolly, Bournemouth Town Council