27Local Lend a HandBroadland News Spring 2012Broadland District Council has teamed up with Lloyds TSB to help first time buyers purchase a home of their own in Broadland with a deposit of just 5% First time buyers often claim that raising a deposit is the biggest challenge they face when looking to take their first steps on to the property ladder. Responding to calls for further innovation in the first time buyer market, Lloyds TSB worked with Sector Treasury Services, part of the Capita Group, to develop the Lend a Hand product The scheme enables borrowers to buy their first home with a deposit less than the 10% or more required by most mortgage lenders. Broadland is the first local authority in the eastern counties to make the Local Lend a Hand scheme available, and has committed £1 million of its reserves to underwrite the scheme. Council leader Andrew Proctor said: "Lend a Hand should give first time buyers in the district the help they need to get on to the housing ladder, injecting some much needed momentum into the local housing market. By underwriting deposits for buyers the Council will help up 30-40 homebuyers realise their dream and buy their first home." Stephen Noakes, commercial director, mortgages at Lloyds TSB comments, "With the launch of Local Lend a Hand in Broadland, we're making the housing market more accessible to more people. We know that many young people turn to the Bank of Mum and Dad to get their foot on the ladder, but that's not a solution for everyone. "Helping people to buy their first home is crucial in achieving and maintaining a sustainable housing market. Local Lend a Hand addresses some of the real problems that prospective buyers in Broadland face." Subject to Lloyds TSB's usual lending criteria, borrowers are able to select any property within Broadland, up to a maximum loan size of £152,000 First time buyers will put down 5% of the property price, and Broadland District Council will provide a cash backed indemnity of up to 20% as additional security. The council then earns interest on the investment. The first time buyer owns the property in its entirety, and will have access to a range of products at a lower rate of interest than would normally be available for this level of deposit.l Those interested in the local scheme should visit their local branch of Lloyds TSB for more information or visit www.lloydstsb.com/mortgages/first_time_buyers How Local Lend a Hand works Interested applicants should call into any Lloyds TSB branch to find out more about the scheme. Subject to usual lending criteria, first time buyers view properties within the area and choose their new home. The first time buyer puts down at least 5% of the value of the property, and gets the Local Lend a Hand mortgage for the remaining amount. The local authority provides a cash backed indemnity of up to 20% of the property value as additional security. Interest will be earned on this amount. The first time buyer owns the property in its entirety (unlike shared ownership schemes). The fixed rate mortgage products that are available for first time buyers under this scheme will be at a lower rate of interest than would normally be available for this level of deposit, helping them with the cost of their monthly payments. To check if a property in Broadland is eligible for the Local Lend a Hand scheme, ask your Lloyds TSB mortgage adviser or telephone Broadland District Council on (01603) 430559. 96% of the Broadland district is covered by the scheme.

Tell us a bit about what you do.We are a group of 4x4 owners who provide our vehicles in support of the community in times of need. Our prime aim is to support the emergency services. Our members provide themselves and their vehicles on a voluntary basis wherever there is a need for four wheel drive transportation. What kind of activity/call-outs/events have you had recently?We prepare for events such as snow and floods; in the winter if 2009/10 our members travelled over 2,300 miles transporting essential medical staff to and from work, and kept the James Paget Hospital, East of England Ambulance Service and emergency NHS Doctors operational. We are an integral part of Norfolk Resilience, and work with the British Red Cross as a part of the Voluntary Group in support of any disaster or crisis. On a more regular basis go out into the community and offer our support to suitable events, and train whilst providing a service to others. Our members support all events for free. Commercial events include Equestrian, Motorcycle Enduro and Running, whilst charities we support include the EACH Ride for Life, CRUK Race for Life, and an assortment of fund raisers. At all these events we provide vehicle logistics in support of Doctors, Paramedics, First-Aiders, Stewards, etc, and provide emergency response capabilities. We also provide search logistics vehicles in support of Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue, and already this year have been a part of a team that successfully located a missing person in dire need of medical assistance.What have your highlights been?One highlight has to be in January 2010 when we collected an emergency Doctor in thick snow on a Friday evening and got him to an out of hour's emergency surgery in Diss. We collected him from there at 9pm that same night, much to his surprise, as he was preparing to spend the night snowed in the surgery. We took him home to Gorleston through a raging blizzard, virtually the only vehicle on the road, and the next morning another member got him to another emergency surgery in Norwich. That would not have happened without us. During the snowy weather in February, 4x4 Response members helped get key staff to work at the East of England Ambulance Trust HQ in Hellesdon, came to the assistance of the emergency services by jump starting one of their own 4x4 vehicles and even safely transported a pregnant woman from Sheringham to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. We all love gadgets so tell us about your favourite bit of kit!Memory Map mapping software on the iPhone has to be the favourite. It pinpoints our position on a topographical map that includes roads and buildings, and is equally effective on or off road. An essential piece of kit on searches.What's the best thing about being a volunteer with 4x4 Response?It is a combination of using our vehicles in the environment it was designed for, and the satisfaction of actively helping our community. Our charity assistance rates equally highly; it is a privilege to be a part of the teams that enable people to raise essential life saving funds for these groups.How can people get involved?Anyone can join us, although there is an assessment period, during which we train members as required, and members equip their vehicles for our purposes. We operate a 'Call-Out' list of assessed members, and our Controllers select members for assigned tasks, using SMS responder to notify them. We have a dedicated phone number for users to call us, which utilises a hunt sequence to call our Controllers in turn. We utilise Amateur Radio for vehicle communications. And yes, having fun is an essential part of what we do!l More information can be found on our website at http://www.4x4response.net/ or by emailing our Membership Secretary on membership@4x4response.netWhen disaster strikes the emergency services do an amazing job of helping us get our lives back to normal often during the most difficult times many of us may face. Working alongside them are the volunteers from a wide variety of organisations assisting in everything from communications to transportation, catering, counselling, emotional support and even search and rescue. The support these volunteers provide to communities and individuals is invaluable and without them the Emergency Services, Local Authorities and UK Government would find their job a great deal harder. Norfolk has many dedicated volunteers who are ready and willing to step up when duty calls. The Emergency Planning Unit at Broadland District Council will be highlighting the work of several volunteer organisations over the coming months and raising awareness of the kinds of things they get involved with. Who knows, after reading this you may even want to become a volunteer yourself!This time we'll focus on Norfolk & Suffolk 4x4 ResponseNumber of members: 40Operating since: 199928Emergency Response Volunteers