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• Age Concern Insurance Services is advising older people to safeguard their property from theft 
• Britons spend £4 billion[1] annually on products for the garden from bird tables to lawnmowers and from garden furniture to outdoor lighting
• Age Concern is urging older people to check their home insurance to ensure that their garden treasures are covered

Britons should secure their gardens by planting prickly shrubs to protect themselves from opportunist thieves‚ urges Age Concern Insurance Services.

Two thirds (64 per cent[2]) of people over the age of 50 enjoy spending time maintaining their garden‚ making it the most popular activity during an average week. And the British love affair with the garden doesn’t come cheap – the average household with a garden spends £3001 on their garden per annum.

Theft from gardens and outbuildings‚ such as sheds‚ is not uncommon and therefore Age Concern is urging homeowners to make it difficult for intruders by planting strategically to make their gardens inaccessible to green fingered thieves. The best plants to consider for this purpose are[3]:

• Creeping Juniper
• Hawthorn (Crataegus)
• Quince (Chaenomeles)
• Viburnum tinus
• All Berberis species
• All Mahonia species
• All Oleasters
• Aucuba
• Symphoticarpos
• Escallonia
• Blue Spruce
• Common Holly
• Firethorn
• Shrub Rose
• Pencil Christmas Tree
• Juniper
• Purple Berberis
• Mountain Pine
• Blue Pine
• Oleaster
• Blackthorn

Antony Osborne from Age Concern Insurance Services says: “With summer fast approaching‚ many people are keen to make their gardens as picturesque as possible – this means buying new patio furniture and investing in water features and garden benches. This can make burglary and theft from a garden all the more devastating.”

“We would like to remind older people to check the security of their gardens‚ and plant prickly shrubs at potential access points as a deterrent for burglars. We would also urge people to check their home insurance policies to ensure their garden contents are fully covered‚ as being underinsured is an added financial headache if the worst happens.”

Andrew Maxted‚ Spokesperson for the Horticultural Trades Association endorses clever planting as a way of improving garden security.  He said:  “There are many plants available that look attractive and provide a real deterrent for opportunistic thieves. Your local garden centre plant experts will be able to advise on the best plants to suit your garden and help deter intruders.” 

Age Concern Insurance Services offers home insurance from under £4 a month^* and it is one of the few policies to offer a very low minimum sum insured – just £7‚500.^** This allows older people with fewer possessions to pay only for the cover they need.  It also offers a free 24-hour helpline^*** for emergency assistance providing qualified and authorised repairers and offers an interest free instalment option to spread the cost of insurance.

Age Concern’s home contents policy covers up to £600 for damage or theft of garden items‚ with a maximum of £250 for each individual item and £1‚000 for items stored in outbuildings.

Profits generated by Age Concern Insurance Services go directly to the Age Concern charity‚ raising additional funds for invaluable support services such as day centres‚ home visits and transportation as well as helping the charity campaign for the well-being and rights of older people.

For a free‚ no-obligation quotation or immediate cover call 0845 606 5075.  Calls are charged at a local call rate.  Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am – 8pm‚ Saturday 9am – 5pm.  Or you can visit your local Age Concern⁵ for face to face service or call 0800 169 2700 if all you want is more information.

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For further information‚ please contact George Morrison‚ Derya Filiz or Elly Kestenbaum on 020 7025 7500 / george.morrison@trimediahc.com/ derya.filiz@trimediahc.com/ elly.kestenbaum@trimediahc.com

 

Notes to editors

Hedges and shrubs in the front garden should be kept to a height of no more than 3 feet in order to avoid giving a burglar a screen behind which he can conceal himself.

(Source: Metropolitan Police)

 

About Age Concern

* Age Concern Insurance Services (ACIS) offers Home insurance from under £4 per month and is one of the few insurance policies which offers a very low minimum sum insured‚ thereby allowing older people with fewer possessions to pay only for the cover they need.  Importantly‚ the policy is index-linked so that the level of cover rises with inflation to help make sure you are adequately covered.

 

Age Concern Home Insurance provides:

• Contents cover against perils such as fire‚ flooding and theft that includes the option of building insurance. Policies are indexed linked so that sums insured are increased in line with inflation. 
• ** Low minimum contents sums insured from £7‚500 (the sum insured must represent the full replacement cost as new of all contents).
• A low £25 excess (for most claims).
• A range of additional benefits are automatically included‚ e.g. reasonable costs of alternative accommodation‚ accidental damage to mirrors and glass‚ spoilage of frozen food due to a rise or fall in temperature and replacement of external locks if keys are lost or stolen.
• *** A 24 hour domestic emergency helpline providing qualified and authorised repairers.
• A free legal helpline for independent and confidential advice on any legal problem.
• Option to spread payments.  Written quotations available on request.

 

Age Concern Insurance Services (ACIS)

Age Concern Insurance Services (ACIS) was created in 1983 to offer better value insurance for older people. General insurance was an area in which over-50s had been ill served for a long time. Starting as a local service‚ it has grown to be one of the UK’s leading brands regarding general insurance for older people.

Today ACIS plays a dual role. It endeavours to offer some of the best value policies available while ensuring that these products are designed to meet the specific needs of older customers.  All profits generated by Age Concern from selling products and services go directly to support Age Concern’s charitable activities.

ACIS’s product range has developed through demand to include home‚ contents‚ travel‚ motor‚ and motor breakdown insurance.

Policies can be bought either direct by phone‚ or through any of the 160 participating local Age Concern groups and organisations. In an age which is becoming more technology driven‚ Age Concern is invaluable in offering older people a personal service at a local level with which many feel most comfortable.

 

Age Concern & why it trades

At a local level‚ Age Concern offers a range of services for older people‚ such as day centres‚ luncheon clubs‚ and advice and information services.

At a national level‚ Age Concern campaigns with and for older people: developing policy; influencing Government; training care professionals; supporting local Age Concern bodies‚ financially and professionally.

To fund this work‚ Age Concern needs a constant flow of independent income. It seeks to achieve this through a balance of traditional fund raising and trading activities.

Age Concern’s trading activities enable it to meet the needs of older people‚ through products specifically designed to meet these needs; quality products such as General Insurance and Energy Services.

Age Concern Insurance Services is a trading name of Age Concern Enterprises Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for insurance mediation (311438). Age Concern Enterprises Ltd is registered in England and Wales No. 3156159. Registered Office: Astral House‚ 1268 London Road‚ SW16 4ER. Age Concern Enterprises Ltd is a trading company of Age Concern England and gives any profits to that registered charity.

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Journalists contact:

Trimedia

Derya Filiz‚ Elly Kestenbaum‚ Jess Baker

Telephone: 020 7025 7500