Is your neighbour – neighbour of the year?

Neighbourhood Watch Network, the national coordination group for neighbourhood watches, is conducting a nationwide search to find and celebrate some of the UK’s most considerate neighbours.

They are urging people to nominate the most deserving individuals across the country and there is also an opportunity to put forward your ‘Hero Next Door’ for a true act of heroism.

Neighbourhood Watch and their sponsor Co-op Insurance are working together on this exciting award and you can nominate your neighbours today!

They are talking about the local heroes in our streets and neighbourhoods whose acts of kindness and neighbourliness really set them apart.

David Huse, OBE, Chair of the Neighbourhood Watch Network (NWN), says: “Everyone should feel safe in their community and having strong, welcoming and active neighbours who look out for each other means anti-social behaviour and crime are less likely to happen. Getting to know your neighbours has huge benefits for everyone – and with this award, we want to recognise the people who are making such a vital contribution to community life and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.”

Co-op members have shaped the criteria that they are using to help judge the award. They told them that the main things that made the people next door great neighbours were their willingness to look out for each other, being sociable and friendly, offering practical help and being kind, caring and respectful.

If you’ve got someone who ticks all these boxes and more, tell Our Watch all about them and how they go above and beyond, and if there’s someone you know whose one-off act of heroism deserves special recognition, we’d love to hear about that too.
You don’t need to be a Neighbourhood Watch member to nominate and the person you nominate doesn’t need to be a member either.

Click here to go to the nomination form – before nominations close on September 5 – and you’ll be taken to the nomination form where you can share your stories of great neighbourly activities and acts of kindness.

To nominate your neighbour for the award via the link you need to be a member of the Co-op, if you not already a member of the Co-op member you can sign up to the Co-op via the same link.

Every time a Co-op member purchases an own brand product and service they receive a five per cent reward for themselves with a further one per cent going to local charities. Membership costs just £1.

If you do not wish to become a Co-op member, but would like to nominate your neighbour, please e-mail neighbourawards@ourwatch.org.uk to request a nomination form. Once the form is completed it can then be returned to the same e-mail address for processing. The winner of the award will be announced in early October, at which point you will be contacted by Neighbourhood Watch Network should your nominated neighbour be successful. Please note that the deadline for returning completed nominations is midnight on 5th September 2018.

Recent research conducted by Co-op reveals that more than one in five people (22%) think there are fewer good neighbours than five years ago, has led Co-op Insurance and Neighbourhood Watch to champion strong and friendly communities across the UK. (2)
However, a third of people think they have better neighbours than they did five years ago (33%) with two-fifths saying they speak to their neighbours daily (41%). Almost 95% think they are good neighbours themselves but almost one in three (29%) have never invited their neighbours over for a chat.

Co-op’s members were recently asked to determine what makes a good neighbour in today’s society and the following four themes were revealed:
The research found the traits of a good neighbour include:
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Good neighbours look out for each other, for example keeping an eye on the house


Good neighbours are sociable and friendly – happy for a chat or a party invitation


They’re practically helpful – from taking in parcels to offering help with the plumbing


They’re kind, caring and respectful – more specifically thinking about the impact they have on neighbours

Real examples of people loving thy neighbour included individuals saving lives by giving CPR or adrenalin following an allergic reaction, people helping out with caring responsibilities for those with long-term illnesses, looking after animals or children at short notice or offering lifts to places or meals. Others have offered support just by being there to socialise, or at their neighbour’s time of need.

Caroline Hunter, Head of Home Insurance at Co-op, says: “It’s great to see the community spirit prevalent in so many communities across the UK and to hear stories of courageous individuals carrying out true acts of kindness. By encouraging more people to get to know those living nearby to them, we want to help create safer communities. Now that we know what communities value in a neighbour, we can begin our search for the UK’s best neighbour.”