On Wednesday 9th April, the Blue Lamp Trust hosted a successful Meet the Chiefs Breakfast at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, bringing together community leaders, local charities, and support services to highlight the vital work of the Trust in supporting vulnerable residents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Attendees heard from Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin and Acting Chief Constable Sam de Reya, who both reaffirmed their organisations’ continued commitment to the work of the Trust and its services – the Bobby Scheme and Cyber Bobby Scheme.
Helping reach vulnerable people in our community
Neil Odin spoke about the importance of prevention and how the Bobby Scheme assistance in delivering Fire Safe and Well visits is helping them to reach the vulnerable people in our community, raising awareness of the risks in the home and how they can protect themselves. Highlighting that smoke alarms alone are not enough, education is essential, and the Bobby Scheme Safety Technicians are a crucial part of this.
Sam de Reya talked of the police’s commitment to putting victims first and providing local policing, and how the Bobby Scheme and Cyber Bobby Schemes both support this by providing further support to victims of crime and also preventative work to help people avoid crimes occurring.
A range of attendees
The event was attended by a range of local charities, support services, and notable figures including Blue Lamp Trust President Lindsay Fox DL MBE, Patron and HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire Nigel Atkinson Esq., and High Sheriff Sue Elton.
The focus of the morning was to raise awareness of the support provided by the Blue Lamp Trusts schemes. Chief Executive Officer Emma Burt reflected on the success of the event saying,
“It was wonderful to have so many people come together to show their support for the Trust and want to learn more.
“We want to extend our reach so the more people that know about us the more people we can help.”
In 2024 alone, the Bobby Scheme – which offers free home safety and security visits – supported over 2,800 households, with 91% of clients reporting that they felt safer afterwards. Meanwhile, demand continues to grow for the Cyber Bobby Scheme, which delivers crucial online safety advice to help residents guard against cyber-enabled crime.
About the Blue Lamp Trust
The mission of the Blue Lamp Trust is to improve home and online safety and security by raising awareness and providing practical support to those in need.
As a charity they aim to continue increasing their reach into the community through home visits and community engagement events, whilst continuing to evolve the services to meet the changing needs of the community.
They offer free safety and security visits to vulnerable members of the community, providing practical solutions to help them live safely and independently. Their dedicated team of Safety Technicians offer various services, from fitting safety equipment to giving practical advice.
Their team of volunteer Cyber Advisors carry out free home visits and community talks to support victims of cyber-crime and those who may be at risk of become victims.
News shared by Emma in her own words. Ed
