Autumn - Severnside Housing

Pillar
A newsletter from Severnside Housing
Autumn 2014
Gardening competition results – page 3
Cover photo – Mr Prodger, Gardening Competition Overall Winner 2014
WW1 Centenary
Celebrations – page 4
Community E
v
in Meole! – pag ents
e6
4 Coming
1
0
2
R
A
T
S
9
Soon – page
Claire Poulson, Severnside,
Howard Shellard, Volunteer,
Amanda Gray,
Severnside, Rev.
Phil Briggs and
Maxwell Hughes,
Severnside
Resident with
the new range
cooker.
Community
Chest Fund
A number of Community Groups have benefited
from our Community Chest Fund which was set up to
support local voluntary, community and recreational
groups working in the local area.
One of the projects the Community Chest has recently granted
funding to is Riversway Elim Church in Harlescott, to purchase
a large range cooker for their cooking skills project entitled ‘Let’s
get Cooking’, a project aimed at helping the local community
cook healthy meals on a tight budget.
Riversway is run by volunteers and offers the local community,
including Severnside residents, a whole range of facilities
including a job club, mother and toddler group, youth club and
low cost food, including soup and a roll 3 days a week.
Sue Briggs, the Minister’s wife, who has a teaching
background and delivers the cooking training said,
“We are delighted that Severnside gave us the grant to purchase our
new cooker. It has made such a difference already and we plan to
extend the type of cookery courses we offer.
I am responsible for cooking the Christmas lunch for local people, who
would otherwise spend Christmas day on their own, and it was not
easy on the old cooker. This year we will be able to open our doors to
even more people.”
We are interested to hear from any group or club who think they
may have an eligible project. It’s really easy to apply – you can call
into our offices or visit www.severnsidehousing.co.uk/chest
to find out more and complete an application form.
Charity Bike Ride
2
Pillar Autumn 2014
In July 2014, three of
our Neighbourhood
Officers cycled from
John O’Groats to
Land’s End for charity;
a journey of nearly a
1,000 miles.
Elliott Davies, Peter Riley
and Richard Potter joined
together to undertake the
11 day journey to raise
money for three charities
– Autism Awareness,
Macmillan Cancer Research
and Save the Children and
they are delighted to have
raised £1,400.
Storage Heaters
Getting the most from cheap electricity
A number of our properties have storage heaters as their main
form of heating. Storage heaters run on ‘off-peak’ electricity, so
are the cheapest form of electrical heating, but only if they are
used correctly.
During the winter months, it’s particularly important to avoid
expensive electricity bills, so here’s how you can make the most
of your storage heaters:
Storage heaters switch on at night and store up heat inside a core
of firebricks so that when you need the heat the next day you can
let it out.
There are two controls on most models:
• Input tells the heater how much heat to store up at
night
• Output (often called Boost or Room Temperature)
tells it how much heat to let out into the room.
Set the Input to its highest setting in cold weather (usually 6 to 9).
In milder weather, you may not need to set it so high.
The higher the Input the more heat the heater will store and the
more electricity it will use. If it’s too high, you’ll be wasting money.
When the room is warm enough and before you go to bed,
make sure the Output is turned right down. If you don’t, you’ll
use more electricity, heat an empty room and leave yourself with
less heat for the next day.
A well-controlled storage heater should give you 10 hours or
more of useful heat each day. If your room is cold by the evening,
check that the Output is turned down overnight and the Input is
set high enough.
Central heating
switch-on
With fuel bills rising and winters getting colder,
you may be tempted to leave switching on your
heating for as long as possible. However, doing this
could leave you without heating if you discover your
system has in fact broken when you need it most.
One way to avoid this is to test your heating system before
the cold spells arrive by turning it on and letting it run. This
means that any problems with your central heating system
or boiler can be identified and fixed before you need your
heating the most.
• Pick a day in October to test the heating is working
• Switch on the heating, making sure it runs for at
least four hours. This can be done on a low setting,
gradually increasing to the required winter setting
• Test thermostats and radiator controls by turning
them up and down
• Test radiators by checking they are hot from top to
bottom.
If any problems are identified through any of these steps, or if
the heating does not come on at all, then you should contact
PH Jones straight away on 0800 316 2104 or 01743
719051 to arrange a repair – this way you can be sure your
heating will work when you need it most.
s
Fabulous Floral Fun 2014!
Our annual gardening
competition has always been a
popular event and so it proved
again this year with our highest
ever number of entries!
Judging the competition was as hard as
ever, as the gardens were truly glorious.
Last year’s overall champion Mrs Whiteley
was one of the judges this time round.
She joined our Chief Executive, Sarah
Boden and Head of Neighbourhood
Services, Paul Forsythe.
Sarah said
“I really look forward to
Severnside’s Annual Gardening
Competition as the standard of
entries is always extremely high
– although judging seems to get
harder every year! It’s wonderful
to meet so many residents who
have obviously put a huge amount
of love and hard work into
their gardens to make them so
beautiful.”
We run the garden competition every year
to recognise residents who make the very
most of their outside space.
Each category winner received a £50 first
prize and £25 second prize. The overall
winner, Mr Ken Prodger from Hanwood,
won £100 and gets to keep the trophy for
a year. All winners were also invited to a
special presentation lunch.
We would like to say a big thank you to
everyone who entered and congratulations
again to all the prize winners.
GARDEN COMPETITION WINNERS
Containers
First
Mr Weatherhead
First Time Entrants
First
Miss Thomas
Second
Mrs Wortley
Second
Mr Owen
Highly Commended
Mr Pryce Brayne
Mrs Sandra Halford
Mr & Mrs Trafene
Mr Thompson
Sheltered Scheme Garden
First
Mr Buck
Second
Mr & Mrs Hadden
Highly Commended
Miss Spragg
Ms Kath Jones
Mrs Ellis
Ms Wesley
Ms Ball
Mr Buck’s Garden
Highly Commended
Lynette Halford
Ms Denise Angus
Ms Shirley Gittins
Mr Paul Wilson
Small/Medium Garden
First
Mr & Mrs Brooks
Highly Commended
Ms Brennan
Mrs Bland
Mr Puddle
Mr Gregson
Large Garden
First
Mr Cowley
Flats Garden
First
Mr Whatmore
Second
Mr Edge
Vegetable Garden
First
Mr Casewell
Children’s Garden
First
Emily Bromage
Second
Condover
Second
Mr and Mrs Lewis
Communal Garden
First
Edgefield Greenfingers Gardening Club
Highly Commended
Mrs Davies
Overall Winner
Ken Prodger
(front cover)
Miss Thomas’ Garden
Mr & Mrs Lewis’ Garden
Mr Cowley’s Garden
Mr & Mrs Brooks’ Garden
Pillar Autumn 2014
3
WW1 Centenary Celebrations
Severnside is involved in a number of projects to commemorate the
100th Anniversary of the First World War.
World War 1 Commemorative We have just heard, hot off the press, that
Edgefield Greenfingers Gardening Club have
Garden
Edgefield Green sheltered scheme have
created a beautiful WW1 commemorative
garden funded by their gardening club and a
Local Joint Commissioning Grant. I’m sure
you will agree that what has been created is
absolutely stunning!
Edgefield Green Garden
won an award in the Royal Horticultural
Society’s Britain in Bloom Competition in
the Neighbourhood Category – we will tell
you all about it in the next edition of Pillar!
Pack up your Troubles Events
In partnership with the Hive, Severnside has
delivered a schedule of events under the
title of ‘Pack up your Troubles’. Residents
were invited to come along and share any
memories, stories and experiences they had
of the First World War and how it affected
families and generations. Tea, cake, music
and song have been part of every event
and a great time was had by all! A grand
finale exhibition will be staged at the Hive in
November showcasing some of the work
created and the memorabilia shared by
those who got involved.
Pack up your Troubles Event
Poppies on Vans
You will soon see all the Severnside vans
out and about wearing large red poppies
as this year we wanted to do something a
little extra to mark the WW1 celebrations.
DAWN’S SENATE BLOG
As the long hot days of summer are
a distant memory and we remember
all we did throughout the summer,
the Senate are doing the same and
looking back at all we have achieved
over the summer months.
Our first project –‘How much do
Severnside tenants understand about
service charges?’ has been completed
and our results can be seen on our
web pages. Also a green paper has
been written and presented to the
Board and it was well received.
Our findings showed that Severnside
needed to provide more information
to tenants who pay service charges so
that they have a better understanding
of what service charges are.
Our second project was centred on
how Severnside was preparing for the
introduction of the new Police, Crime
and Anti-social Behaviour Act. The
Senate were happy as our findings
showed that Severnside had been
preparing for this Act for a long time.
4
Pillar Autumn 2014
Throughout the summer months, all
members of the Senate have been
involved in Severnside activities, like fun
days and information days; it has been
great to meet up with other tenants and
to hear your ideas, opinions and thoughts
on the work of the Senate and how we
can represent you.
During the summer Senate members
also had a fantastic opportunity to visit
another housing association in Oxford
– SOHA. We had a great day hearing
about how they have achieved award
winning customer involvement and tenant
empowerment. Everyone came back with
so much enthusiasm and so many ideas.
We also felt it was an ideal opportunity to
send a green paper to the Board with our
ideas. So watch this space!!
June Jones has had to resign from the
Senate for health reasons and we are
sad to see her leave as she has been a
valuable Senate member
for the last three years.
Thank you June!
Being a Senate member
gives me so many
opportunities to get involved, have a
voice and to help shape the services
that Severnside provides to all of its
tenants. I had no previous experience,
or any housing qualification, but it’s
not needed as so much training is
offered and help and support is always
available. So, if like me, you have an
interest in receiving the best service
from Severnside then please consider
becoming a Senate member. We
are all tenants representing all other
tenants so they have a voice.
I am more than happy to have an
informal chat with anyone who
would like to know more so please
get in touch. You can contact me at
[email protected]
or telephone 01743 285035. More
information can also be found on our
web pages on the Severnside website
www.severnsidehousing.co.uk.
Autumn 2014
s
Our new charity
needs YOU!
Severnside has recently
established a charity. The
purpose of the charity is to
provide help and support to our
customers, their families and local
communities and the charity aims
to raise money and obtain grant
funding to carry out this work.
We would like to appoint a Severnside
customer to serve on the Board of
Trustees which will direct the work and
future activities of the charity.
If you live in a Severnside property or
are a customer of Severnside, have a
little spare time, are prepared to share
your knowledge and ideas and want
to make a difference – then we really
want to hear from you.
We will encourage you to bring
forward suggestions for activities and
projects that the charity should support.
We will provide you with any training
you may need to help you develop
your own role on the Board. This is a
voluntary but rewarding position. We
cannot pay you for the work that you
will do or the contribution that you will
make to the success of the charity but
we do pay expenses.
If you would like to be
considered for a position on
the Board of the charity or
would like more information please
contact Irene Molyneux on 01743
285073 or email Irene.molyneux@
severnsidehousing.co.uk
Shropshire HomePoint
has moved offices
Just to let know that Shropshire
HomePoint moved offices on
Wednesday 20th August. Their new
address is:
Shropshire HomePoint
Shirehall
Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury
SY2 6ND
Repair Service Changes
Severnside’s repairs and
maintenance policy has recently
been reviewed and updated
with the help of residents. The
revised policy clearly outlines our
approach to how we repair and
maintain your home.
Inconsistencies in the original policy,
giving some Severnside customers
a preferential service, have been
removed, resulting in an equal service
being provided to all our residents.
The revised policy outlines what you
should expect from us as your landlord
and also what you are responsible for
in maintaining your home. The policy
aims to provide an efficient, prompt
and effective repairs and maintenance
service which meets our statutory and
regulatory obligations. The policy has
also been written to align with our new
service standards which were agreed
with residents earlier in the year.
The main changes relate to our
responsive repairs service. Our
definition of a responsive repair has
been changed to give greater attention
to the types of faults that affect the safe,
comfortable and normal use of your
home.
As a result, the responsive repairs
service will focus on essential repairs
and minor replacement to existing
components, i.e. ‘to fix something that
is no longer working’. By their nature
these are works of short duration,
averaging two hours or, in rare
instances, up to a maximum of one day
to complete.
Larger repairs, or where the
replacement of components is
necessary, normally require inspection
and materials ordering or manufacturing.
Therefore, these will now be carried
out as minor planned works or batched
repairs allowing the works to be planned
and scheduled more efficiently.
By separating larger works from the
existing repairs service, we hope to:
• increase the level of
appointments available;
• reduce the overall timescales for
completing repairs; and
• increase the focus on completing
repairs right first time.
To enable us to achieve an efficient and
effective service, repairs will be prioritised
in the following categories, based on the
level of urgency. You will see that the target
times for urgent and routine repairs have
been reduced from the current 7 and 31
day targets.
•Emergency
–Repairs that present a health and safety
risk and/or cause real danger to people
or property.
–Attend and make safe within four
hours – completed within 24 hours
where possible.
•Urgent
–Repairs that cause significant
inconvenience but are not a health and
safety risk.
–Complete within three working days.
•Routine
–Small repairs that can be annoying but
are not urgent.
–Completed within 14 calendar days.
There will, of course, be times where our
repair timescales may vary, usually these
are a result of:
•Exceptional adverse weather.
•Materials being unavailable
or need to be ordered or
manufactured.
•Scaffolding is needed to carry out
the repair.
•The need to use an external
specialist contractor.
•Availability of resources to
complete works.
In these circumstances we will inform you
why there is a delay and indicate when the
repair will be undertaken.
Maintaining your home is a joint
responsibility and we ask that you please
report repairs in a timely manner, keep
appointments made and allow our staff
and contractors access into your home to
inspect and carry out works.
The changes to the repairs service came
into effect on the 1st October 2014 and
we hope that they will further improve the
level of service we provide.
Pillar Autumn 2014
5
Community Events in Meole!
Severnside joined together with a
number of our partners over the
summer to hold two community
events in Meole, aimed at making
a positive impact on the local
community.
Refreshments were kindly donated by
Sainsbury’s and Starbucks.
The first was a fun community event
called Meole Day of Action where
residents and the local community
enjoyed a day full of activities, including
arts and crafts, led by the Youth Service
and Scrappies, a local crafts and recycling
charity. Litter picking with goody bag
incentives and a tidy up of the Meole
Brace BMX track also took place.
The second event was the Meole Street
Party where residents and the local
community had a great time playing garden
games, enjoying a delicious BBQ, plus
lots of fun activities. Residents also had
the opportunity to find out lots of useful
information from the different stands. The
day was designed by a group of young
Residents David & Poppy Shaw with
residents from the estate.
Edge
Are you
looking
for a
garage
to safely
store
your car
or vehicle in?
Following the day’s activities, an online
web chat took place, where members of
the public could ask questions about issues
affecting Shrewsbury.
Meole Day of Action
Abboh, Severnside – Meole Street Part
y
June Jones retires
from Resident Senate
June Jones has recently retired from her position on
the Resident Senate. June has been a member of the
Resident Senate since it began and she has been a
driving force in making things happen.
le for rent in
We have some great garages availab
and locations
Bomere Heath, Nesscliffe, Harlescott
£8.09 per week.
across Shrewsbury starting from only
ices
To find out more call our Customer Serv
000
285
Centre on 0300 300 0059 or 01743
.co.uk
or email enquires@severnsidehousing
June’s fellow members sent a big thank you to her, as did
Severnside staff, and her retirement was marked with the
presentation of a bouquet of flowers. June will be greatly
missed and her wisdom, fresh ideas and hard work, on behalf
of Severnside residents, will not be forgotten.
The Chair of the Resident
Senate, Andy Parkes, sent a
special message to June saying
“He was grateful for her support
and friendship during his time on
the Resident Senate and wished her
a happy retirement” – as we all do!
June Jones
ning
Polish Coffee Mgor
ts, which we
for our Polish residen
Claire Poulson & Amand
a Gray from Severnside
and Interpreter Kate Fej
fer
6
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Pillar Autumn 2014
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Don’t forget if you have got something you
want to tell us, ask us, or share with us,
you can write to us at the address below.
Pillar – Star Letter
Severnside Housing
Brassey Road, Old Potts Way,
Shrewsbury, SY3 7FA
Residents’ Annual Report 2013-14
STAR
LETTER
Email: [email protected]
If you write a Star Letter
and it is published you
will win a £25 prize.
WIN
£25
We look forward to hearing from you!
Condover Rural
Housing Week Event
To celebrate Rural Housing Week we held an event at
our sheltered scheme in Condover. Residents enjoyed
light refreshments and played a game that was new
to most of them called Boccia! There was also useful
information on reducing energy and water bills and
general advice from the Credit Union and on keeping
healthy. Everyone who came along had a great time
socialising and having fun.
Condover residents enjoying a game of Boccia
Do you want to
get involved?
Enclosed with this edition of Pillar, you will have
received a copy of our Residents’ Annual Report
2013-14. It’s been written in consultation with
Resident Senate, Customer Panel and Resident
Inspectors and the main theme of the report is
based around Severnside’s Customer Service
Standards.
Severnside Housing
It looks at how we have performed
over the last 12 months and includes
information about the different ways
you can get involved in the work we do
in your local community.
Annual Report for
Residents 2013-14
We would be pleased to hear what
you think of the report. You can call the
Marketing Team on 0300 300 0059, email your views
to [email protected] or text 07779
156156. Please start your text with AR Feedback.
Connynger Crescent
Flats Refurbishment
All of the flats at Connynger Crescent have recently
been successfully refurbished to a very high standard
and re-let. The flats had previously been leased
to Shropshire Council and used for temporary
accommodation for the homeless, which had
unfortunately sometimes caused problems for the
neighbourhood.
The refurbishment took 17 weeks to complete and the project
was ground breaking in a number of ways for Severnside as it
involved a new approach to partnering; our own SHPS major
works teams and AWE worked alongside the main Contractor to
install the kitchens and bathrooms and deliver the electrical works.
Severnside wanted the project to have considerable customer
involvement so the Asset Management Tenant Involvement
Group nominated two members, Liz Toone and Gill Gilmour,
to become involved. Liz and Gill helped to choose wall colours,
kitchen styles, floor coverings and electrical layouts and fittings.
They also attended meetings and site visits and were on site for
the final handover.
We are looking for more customer representatives for
our Equality and Diversity Group, which works to make
sure our services are accessible to all. Understanding
the issues and needs of our entire community ensures
that we continue to offer all of our customers the very
best service.
We are particularly interested in hearing from customers who
are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender, as these groups are
currently under-represented.
If you would like to be part of this Group, that meets 2 or 3
times a year, please contact us on 0300 300 0059 or email
[email protected].
Liz Toone wit
Residents, Gill Gilmour and
from Severnside
h Steve Boon
Pillar Autumn 2014
7
Do you think
Severnside
provides Value
for Money?
Value for Money (VFM) is a key goal for Severnside
and the ever changing economic climate makes it
vitally important that we adopt a comprehensive and
planned approach to achieving the very best VFM
and getting the most from our resources.
As always, your views are really important to us so we
would appreciate it if you could please spend a few minutes
answering the three questions below on VFM.
How satisfied are you that your rent provides
value for money?
Very Satisfied q
Fairly Satisfied
q
Very Dissatisfied
q
Fairly Dissatisfied
q
How satisfied are you that your service charge
provides value for money?
Very Satisfied q
Fairly Satisfied
q
Very Dissatisfied
q
Fairly Dissatisfied
q
How can Severnside improve Value for Money in
the services it provides?
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
Please return your completed questions to:
Value for Money Questionnaire, Asset Management
Team, Severnside Housing, Battlefield Enterprise Park,
Knights Way, Shrewsbury, SY1 3AB.
You can also email your answers to:
[email protected].
8
Pillar Autumn 2014
Justice
Corner
Severnside continues to work extremely hard, along
with our partners, West Mercia Police and Shropshire
Council, to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in your
neighbourhoods and communities. Without your
assistance we are often powerless to tackle ASB so we
really appreciate your help; you are the eyes and ears
of your neighbourhood and without the information you
provide it can prove impossible to resolve ASB issues.
We would like to thank the residents in one neighbourhood
for their diligence in continually informing us of incidents at a
particular property. Following their reports on the misuse of
drugs, noise, threats of violence and explicit sexual activity, and
with extensive partnership work carried out with the police, we
were able to obtain the greatest measure in the courts possible.
This was an Exclusion Order, meaning that the resident had
to leave the property immediately. This is extremely rare and
the first time, known to us, that the courts have granted such
an Order. Along with this, we also obtained an Anti-Social
Behaviour Injunction with Power of Arrest, which excluded the
neighbour and her visitors from ever residing in a Severnside
property and causing any further nuisance.
We hope this once again emphasises what a successful
and powerful tool ASB Injunctions are in tackling anti-social
behaviour. If anyone is found to breach such an order from the
court they face a fine and/or imprisonment and this really does
happen.
Following the bravery shown throughout this case by the local
residents, we have recently submitted an application for a
National Award through the SLCNG (Social Landlord Crime
and Nuisance Group). The Award is ‘The Residents and
Communities Award’. It is a National award for those who
deserve special recognition for their outstanding contribution
to standing up to anti-social behaviour – something we all
recognise requires exceptional bravery.
It is also fabulous to note that the local residents have now
formed a new community group, which we fully support. It is
lovely that these residents now feel supported by each other,
with the knowledge they can come and talk to us if they ever
have any issues in the future.
Please remember...
we want to help you live in a home where you feel
safe. If you witness or experience ASB please call the
ASB reporting
line on:
0345 6789020
Estate Walkabouts
Walkabouts are led by your local
Neighbourhood Officer, along
with representatives from the
Council, the police and other
partner agencies. The 2014 Estate
Walkabout programme can be
viewed on our website along with
action plans which are drawn up
following each walkabout. Visit
www.severnsidehousing.co.uk
Our Asset Management Team are finding
that small niggles are being brought to
their attention and being resolved before
they have the opportunity to become real
issues. We have also received a number
of compliments on the improved quality
of our neighbourhoods.
We are now also looking for Grounds
Maintenance Champions for our
sheltered housing schemes to monitor
the level of grounds maintenance service
at their scheme.
It’s still not too late to volunteer and
receive training – if you are interested
in getting involved please call the
Community Development Team on
0300 300 0059 or email community@
severnsidehousing.co.uk
Please come along and join us for a walk
around the area you live in and point out
any issues or concerns you may have.
Date Time
Location
Meeting place
Oct 15
10:30am Harlescott Meadow 2 Hawkestone Road
Oct 22
10:30am Harlescott Grange 2
We are delighted to report that our
Grounds Maintenance Inspectors, who
volunteered to help monitor the levels of
service being provided in their local area
by our grounds maintenance contractors,
are proving extremely successful. Nov 12 10:30am Ditherington
The Community Centre,
Long Row
Nov 26
10:30am Springfield
Mereside Shops
Dec 3
10:30am Bomere Heath
The Crescent
Greenacres Community Centre
STAR 2014
coming soon…
You will soon get the chance
to tell us what you think of our
services in an independent survey
which will be carried out by
Acuity on our behalf.
The results will help us to improve
our services and show how we are
performing compared to other housing
associations, both locally and nationally.
The survey is due to take place in
October 2014 so spread the word!
The vast majority of residents will
receive a postal survey with a freepost
envelope for returning completed
surveys. A small number of residents,
who we have already been in contact
with, have agreed to undertake the
survey either online or over the
telephone.
Resident Senate says
“An ideal opportunity for all tenants
to have a voice on shaping the
services that we as tenants want
Severnside to provide.”
Sue Groom, Neighbourhood
and Community Services
Director says
“Your views are really important to us,
and help us to shape the services we
offer. STAR 2014 is your chance to tell
us what you think, so I’d encourage
as many customers as possible to
complete and return the survey. It
helps us to identify what we are doing
well and highlight any areas where we
need to improve.”
Each completed
survey will be
entered into a
prize draw with
the chance to
win six individual
prizes of £50!
Pillar Autumn 2014
9
How can we help?
Even though things are changing it’s still
really important that we collect rents and
that rent is paid on time. Should you be
experiencing financial stress or difficulties
we can offer support and advice.
We have a Decant Officer, who is
supporting residents to look at and
complete exchanges to downsize
and move away from the pressure of
bedroom tax.
Welfare Reform has been,
and continues to be, a hot
topic and whilst the number
of changes have slowed down,
the impact of some of the
changes is still being felt by
many Severnside residents,
with a similar picture for
families across the country.
Tenants’
Handbook
2014
We recently
sent you a copy
of the Tenants’
Handbook
2014 which is
full of useful
information and guidance on
your tenancy and what you
can expect from us as your
landlord.
We would love to hear what you
think of the handbook and whether
you think it can be improved in any
way. You can call the Marketing
Team on 0300 300 0059,
email your views to pillar@
severnsidehousing.co.uk or text
07779 156156. Please start your
text with Handbook Feedback.
10 Pillar Autumn 2014
•helping residents to
attend job clubs, apply
for employment, write
CV’s and build skills to be
successful in applying for
jobs.
These are just some of the ways we are
working with you to manage the impact
of Welfare Reform. You can contact the
teams at Severnside below for further
help and advice.
Our Employment and Money Advice
Service can offer support and guidance
on:
•benefit claims and whether
you’re claiming everything
you are entitled to;
Employment and Money Advice Service
Tel: 0300 300 0059
Email: [email protected]
•managing debt and helping
to find ways to deal with
debts that may have
mounted up; and
Rachel Mountford, Decant Officer
Tel: 0300 300 0059
Email: rachel.mountford@
severnsidehousing.co.uk
Development update
We continue to build much
needed new homes across
the local area.
Weston Road, Morda
Weston Road, Morda will
provide a total of 21 new
homes, due
for completion
in September/
October 2014. The
development consists
of six new two bed
bungalows, 11 new
two and three bed
houses for affordable
rent and four new two
and three bed houses
for shared ownership.
The homes have been built
in partnership with SJ Roberts
Construction to Lifetime Homes
Standards, have solar panels to
heat the hot water system and are
extremely energy efficient.
New homes at Weston Road,
Morda
If you are interested in purchasing a 50% share of one of our shared
ownership properties they are being advertised through a local estate agent,
Richmond Harvey. You can contact them on 01691 654222 or visit their
website www.richmondharvey.com.
GAS SAFETY
CHECKS
Severnside has a
legal responsibility to
carry out an annual
gas inspection at every one of
our homes with a gas supply.
It’s really important that you let our
contractor PH Jones in to do the gas
service so, if we call you to arrange
a gas safety check, please make sure
you are in for the appointment,
and remember everyone who
lets our gas contractors have
first time access to their home
will be entered into a monthly
prize draw to win £50.
Unfortunately, if we cannot get
access to your property to carry out
these important gas safety checks,
we will take legal action to gain
entry. So please contact PH Jones
on Freephone 0800 316 2104
or from a mobile 01743 719051
if you think you need a gas safety
check.
Please let us carry out a gas
safety check in your home – it
could save your life!
Don’t get in with a loan shark…
it will cost you an arm and a leg
Have you or anyone you know:
•Been offered a cash loan without paperwork?
•Been threatened when you couldn’t pay?
•Had your benefit or bank card taken
from you?
•Had a loan which keeps growing even
though you are making payments?
If you can answer yes to any of the above you may have been bitten by a Loan Shark.
For confidential help and advice
please contact your Neighbourhood
Officer on 0300 300 0059 or email
[email protected]
Your Choice
•help stamp out illegal money
lenders
Severnside’s Community
Development Team, in partnership •promote legal credit options;
and
with West Midlands Trading
Standards, recently delivered a
•spread the ‘stop the loan
campaign called ‘Your Choice’.
shark’ message in their
community.
You Choice invited residents who were
involved in local charities, community/
We are delighted to report that a
voluntary groups, schools or statutory
number of local community groups
agencies to apply for a Your Choice grant were successful in their bids, including
of up to £500 to:
two of our Involved Resident Groups.
THE SHARK
COMPETITION
If you are aged 15 or under try our spot the shark competition for a chance to
win a £25 shopping voucher. Circle the 10 sharks on the picture below, fill in
your details and send your entry to us by Friday 14th November 2014.
Send your entries to:
Name ................................................................................. Age ...............
Pillar Competitions,
Address ................................................................................................... Severnside Housing,
Brassey Road,
..................................................... Telephone .......................................... Old Potts Way,
Shrewsbury SY3 7FA
WIN
£25
Congratulations to Alfie Jones
who won the spot the difference
competition in the last edition of Pillar.
Pillar Autumn 2014 11
Money Money Money
Find the ten money themed
words to be in with a
chance to win a
£25 shopping voucher.
Send us your entries by Friday 14th
November 2014. The first correct
entry drawn will win the prize.
Send to: Pillar Competitions,
Severnside Housing, Brassey Road, Old Potts Way,
Shrewsbury SY3 7FA.
Name ....................................................
..............................................................
Address .................................................
..............................................................
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Find these 10 words:
Postcode ................................................
AFFORDABLE
CREDIT
CRIME
Telephone ..............................................
If you would like any more information about
Severnside Housing, please contact us:
Write to us
Severnside Housing, Brassey Road,
Old Potts Way, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 7FA
Ring us 01743 285000 or 0300 300 0059
Email us [email protected]
Visit our website www.severnsidehousing.co.uk
Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/severnsidehousing
Follow us on Twitter @severnsideha
ILLEGAL
INTEREST
LENDING
MONEY
RATE
LOAN
SHARK
Congratulations to Sarah
Hayes who won the
Wordsearch competition in
the last edition of Pillar.
Severnside Housing provides a
telephone interpreting service for
more than 150 languages and can
provide this document in a range
of formats.
´ potrzebna jest jakakolwiek
Jesli
pomoc w zrozumieniu niniejszego
dokumentu, lub potrzebne jest
tumaczenie na inny jezyk, prosze o
telefon na numer 0300 300 0059.
Os hoffech gael cymorth i ddeall y
ddogfen yma, neu os hoffech gael
ei chyfieithu i iaith arall, ffoniwch
0300 300 0059.
This document is also available in:
Large print
Audio tape
Braille
Different
Languages
Printed on paper from sustainable forests with FSC mixed source credit.
Useful Contact Numbers
Customer Services: 0300 300 0059
Out of Hours Repairs: 01743 360945
WELbeing: 01323 644422
ASB reporting line: 0345 6789020
PH Jones
(Gas Servicing):
0800 316 2104 or
01743 719051 from Mobile
Andy Walters Electrical
Contractors:
01743 247850 or
Out of Hours: 07870 238006