If you haven’t seen our Help & Support Portal in action, hereās a general overview of how it can provide assistance and sign posting for Wraysbury & Horton residents, with an emphasis on how information is sourced and verified. (Largely in the words of the portal)
What this portal offers
- Clear, practical guidance for residents and local groups across everyday needs and disruptions.
- Fast signposting to the right official service for action (reporting, claims, appointments).
- Local context for Wraysbury & Horton, where reliable sources exist, and clear marking of anything thatās UNVERIFIED.
How we verify information
- We prioritise UK official and statutory sources: GOV.UK (departments and agencies), NHS, NICE, Environment Agency, Met Office, local authorities, emergency services, regulators (Ofgem/Ofwat/Ofcom), and trusted national charities (e.g., Citizens Advice, Shelter).
- For live or situational updates, we reference the primary owner of the service/data (e.g., Environment Agency for flood warnings, Met Office for weather warnings, UK Power Networks for power cuts, Thames Water for water supply issues, National Rail for train disruption).
- We add a clear āUNVERIFIEDā label for anything that canāt be corroborated from an authoritative source, and we avoid repeating rumours or social posts unless verified.
- Where appropriate, weāll provide the exact service name and contact route so you can check it yourself.
- If a source conflicts, we default to the statutory authority with legal remit for the issue and say so.
Subject areas covered (with typical official sources)
- Emergencies and safety: 999; NHS 111; local police (101). Guidance from GOV.UK, police.UK, NHS.
- Health and wellbeing: NHS services, self-care guidance (NHS/NICE), mental health support, safeguarding routes.
- Housing and homelessness: Council housing and homelessness duties (local authority), Shelter, GOV.UK housing rights.
- Money, benefits and debt: DWP benefits, GOV.UK calculators and forms; Citizens Advice; StepChange; National Debtline.
- Employment and work: ACAS guidance (rights, disputes), Jobcentre Plus/Universal Credit, GOV.UK employment law.
- Family, care and safeguarding: Local council childrenās/adult social care, NSPCC, Carers UK, GOV.UK family support.
- Utilities and local disruptions: Power cuts (105/UK Power Networks), gas emergencies, water supply (Thames Water), telecoms/Ofcom, Ofgem/Ofwat guidance on compensation and complaints.
- Travel and transport: National Rail Enquiries, local rail operators, National Highways, local council highways.
- Legal rights and consumer issues: Citizens Advice, Trading Standards (via local council), Ombudsman services (e.g., Energy Ombudsman).
- Community resilience and volunteering: Local authority resilience pages, NHS volunteer responders (if active), British Red Cross, local community groups.
Our Trusted Support Portal is our own creation, powered by AI to look up and compile a suitable response to your needs. It is UK-focused, and wherever possible, uses trusted official sources, like:
GOV.UK
NHS.uk
NICE
Cochrane
PubMed
Citizens Advice
Shelter.org.uk
Turn2Us
Age UK (ageuk.org.uk)
Pohwer.net
Neighbourhood Watch (ourwatch.org.uk)
theadvocacyproject.org.uk
MoneyHelper.org.uk
Local council websites
RBWM (Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead)
As you can see, it is not only our desire to give good, trustworthy information and sign-posting, the Portal itself is programmed specifically for us, by us, to do so.
If you want assistance, need help, or want support, come and see us.
NB: This service is only available during our Face-to-Face sessions. A trained volunteer will use the portal and their experience to ensure the question is framed to elicit the most useful response.
We can email you a full copy of the question and response, plus the name of the volunteer who assisted you. We can usually print this information too, if you donāt have a printer or email.
NB. We log all activity on the portal but do not record the enquirerās name or any other details.