Thousands of eligible older and disabled people living in South Devon and South Hams who receive their TV service from the Beacon Hill transmitter group will have been sent an information pack from the Switchover Help Scheme inviting them to apply for

Thousands of eligible older and disabled people living in South Devon and South Hams who receive their TV service from the Beacon Hill transmitter group will have been sent an information pack from the Switchover Help Scheme inviting them to apply for help to make the change to digital TV.

It is still not too late to get help. But to get help from the Switchover Help Scheme eligible people need to respond to the information pack they have been sent.

People are eligible if:

* They are aged 75 or over, or

* They have been resident in a care home for six months or more,

* They get (or could get) disability living allowance, or attendance or constant attendance allowance, or mobility supplement, or

* They are registered blind or partially sighted, or

For a one off payment of �40 eligible people are being offered easy to use Freeview equipment to convert one TV set, installation of that equipment, a demonstration of how it works and someone to call for help whilst they are getting used to it.

The service is free for eligible people who also receive pension credit, income support, or income based job seekers allowance.

All eligible people can also choose from other digital options, some of which cost extra. All options are clearly set out in the information pack sent direct to each eligible persons home.

To make it even easier, eligible people can also choose to apply by calling the Help Scheme free on 0800 40 85 902 instead, or they can nominate someone else to make their application for them.

Anyone who thinks they are eligible but who has not yet received an information pack should call 0800 40 85 902.

Importantly, even if you do not need help, we would be grateful if you let us know so we can be sure they're ready for switchover.

The Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement with the Government, and has been designed around the needs of older and disabled people. Equipment has been chosen to be easy to use, and contact centre, delivery staff and installers have all been trained to understand and respect older and disabled people. Installers are CRB checked, carry identification and will never call without having made an appointment.

The switchover in the first West Country ITV area affecting the Beacon Hill transmitter covering South Devon, including Torbay and South Hams will start on 8 April 2009 and the process will be complete by 22 April 2009.

For more information see helpscheme.co.uk