Food share scheme launched

Tenants’ Newsletter
Summer 2013
Viewpoint
Food share
scheme
launched
read more on page 3
Broadacres Housing Association Limited is an exempt charity
Freephone 0800 587 5291 (24 hours)
www.broadacres.org.uk
Complaints
and Designated
Persons
When you complain to us about our services we
have an internal procedure to follow to try and
resolve the problem. Until recently, if you felt the
problem remained unresolved after going through
our processes you were able to approach the
Housing Ombudsman Service and have them look
at the complaint for you.
From 1st April 2013 the Localism Act (2011) says
you are no longer able to approach the Housing
Ombudsman Service immediately after your
complaint has gone through our process. Instead
you can do one of the following:
• Approach a Designated Person –
an MP, District Councillor or Designated
Tenant Panel
• Wait 8 weeks from the date of us resolving
the complaint and then approach the
Housing Ombudsman Service.
The Designated Person should try and assist
yourselves and Broadacres to resolve the complaint.
If they cannot do this they can refer your complaint
to the Housing Ombudsman Service before the 8
week waiting period.
A Designated Tenant Panel is a group of tenants set
up by the tenants to act as a Designated Person. It
is a choice for our customers if they wish to set up a
Designated Tenant Panel, with Broadacres’ help.
Social media
If a Panel is set up Broadacres would have to
support it unless there was a good reason why we
could not.
We have talked to different groups of involved
tenants about whether they think Broadacres should
have a Designated Tenant Panel and although some
people were in favour of it, the majority said they did
not wish to have one at this time.
This means that if you make a complaint to
Broadacres and you feel we have not resolved it,
you can approach an MP, your District Councillor,
or wait 8 weeks and approach the Housing
Ombudsman Service.
In the light of these changes we have reviewed
Broadacres internal complaints policy to make it
simpler and quicker.
If you have any views or comments that you
would like us to consider regarding the changes
and in particular about the Designated Tenant
Panel, you can contact Catherine McPherson
on 0800 5875291 or e-mail
[email protected]
As well as its Facebook page, Broadacres
now also has its own page on Twitter.
You can find us on www.twitter.com/broadacresha and we are using it as another
method to update people on what we are up to. If you are also on Twitter please
follow us and we promise to follow back.
Our community involvement Facebook page – www.facebook.com/broadacres is becoming more and
more popular, with customers engaging with us on a number of levels, from entering competitions to
giving us feedback on their experiences of planned maintenance works.
Please give us the thumbs up by ‘liking’ our page; we would love to hear from you.
02
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
FoodShare launched
Broadacres has established a FoodShare initiative in the Hambleton area to provide emergency
food parcels for people who are struggling to feed themselves and their families.
We have set up Hambleton FoodShare in a community partnership with local churches and voluntary groups, as
well as Hambleton District Council and North Yorkshire County Council.
The aim is to provide a three day emergency food parcel to people in temporary financial crisis who otherwise would
have to go hungry due to their various circumstances. This could be because they have lost their job, become
incapacitated or had a delay in benefit payments.
“
Paul Lightfoot, Director of Care Services at Broadacres, said: “There is growing evidence that, even in relatively
affluent North Yorkshire, people are having to go hungry.”
“Worryingly, this is not something that is confined to those who you
would typically expect to be in that situation, such as the homeless
or unemployed.
“We are pleased to have set up the FoodShare with our partners.
The purpose is to provide emergency food supplies to tide people over
and then to signpost them to other agencies to try to alleviate the issues
they face.”
Margaret & Bill Cornfoot and John Smith, all pictured on the front cover
with Suzanne Smith from Broadacres, were among the first people
to volunteer to operate the food bank.
They said: “We have been surprised at the people from very different
backgrounds who have so far come in to receive food and it
demonstrates how important this scheme is.”
The volunteer-led FoodShare operates from Zion United Reformed Church
Hall, off Northallerton High Street, every Monday between 4pm and 7pm.
To receive emergency food help customers must be able to demonstrate
their need primarily by being referred through an agency or by selfreferral. The agencies include Citizens Advice Bureau, Broadacres
Housing Association, Hambleton District Council, GP surgeries and North
Yorkshire County Council.
We have been
surprised at the
people from
very different
backgrounds
who have so
far come in
to receive
food and it
demonstrates
how important
this scheme is.
We also know of other similar schemes
operating from the following places:
Influence Church, Victoria Road, Richmond
The Kings Centre, Prospect Place, Darlington
”
Mowbray Community Church, Westmoreland Street, Harrogate
East Cleveland Baptist Church, Park Avenue, Redcar
Portholme Church, Portholme Road, Selby
The Gateway Centre, Front Street, York
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
03
PIP update
By Glyn Mucklow, Chair
The Performance and Improvement Panel (PIP),
a group of Broadacres’ customers that undertake
service reviews and recommend improvements,
has been in existence for just over two years now.
So far we have worked on several reviews, including
‘The New Tenant Journey’, ‘Customer Access’ and
‘Estate Services’. These reviews have brought about
service improvements and also helped to identify
areas where Broadacres is providing a good service
for customers.
At present we are reviewing the planned maintenance
service. Planned maintenance is undertaking major
repairs, usually replacements, carried out with
forethought, control and the use of records to a
pre-determined plan. We are looking into customers,
experiences of having the following items replaced
in their homes:
■ Bathrooms (usually every 23 years)
■ Kitchens (usually every 17 years)
■ Windows and doors (usually every 30 years)
■ Heating replacements (usually every 12 -30
years dependent on the type of system)
We have included the timescales for the replacement
of these items as we feel this may be of interest to
customers.
So far the review has involved members of the PIP
meeting with key staff within Broadacres and external
contractors. We have also been on site visits to
contractors’ premises and, alongside staff, we have
visited customers that have recently had planned
maintenance work undertaken in their homes.
The next stage of our
review is to look at the
information customers
receive in relation to
planned maintenance,
performance and
sources of customer
feedback. We are also
planning to speak to
a number of
customers about
their experiences of
planned maintenance, using a research
technique called customer journey mapping.
We are keen to find out what customers think of the
planned maintenance service, so if you have any
comments you would like to give us please contact
Emily Thomas on 01609 767963 or emily.thomas@
broadacres.org.uk. If you are a Facebook user you
can also comment on our post about planned
maintenance or message us privately via our
Facebook page.
If you feel that you would like to join the Performance
and Improvement Panel and work with us in helping
Broadacres to deliver the best possible service
to it's customers, please contact Emily Thomas.
We would welcome the views of younger
customers but people of all age groups can apply.
You can also find further information on the PIP
and the application process if you would like to
join on http://www.broadacres.org.uk/GettingInvolved/Performance-Improvement-Panel/
Garden competition
Congratulations to all the customers that won a spot prize of £10 for their beautiful gardens
last year. They were:
❦ Mr Cowan, Brafferton
❦ Mr Hukin, Pickering
❦ Mrs Wooton, Huby
❦ Miss Buckle, Brafferton
❦ Mrs Easby, Thirsk
❦ Mr and Mrs Akers, Huby
❦ Mrs Portlock – Barker,
Helperby
❦ Mrs Whatmore,
Great Ayton
❦ Mr and Mrs Cassidy,
Northallerton
❦ Mrs Hobson, Helperby
❦ Mrs Thompson,
Great Broughton
❦ Mr and Mrs Dallaway,
Dalton
❦ Mrs Aimer, Thirsk
❦ Mr and Mrs Beard,
Thirsk
❦ Mr and Mrs Hills,
Thirsk
❦ Mrs Ambler,
Topcliffe
Estate officers, alongside customers that are local monitors, will be looking out for more great gardens to award prizes
to this coming year. We are also running a garden design competition for children through the primary schools in North
Yorkshire. We hope to find some inspiring ideas for the garden area at our Rivendale extra care scheme in Northallerton.
04
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
Streets ahead...
...in
...in
COLBURN
BROADACRES
AISKEW
BROADACRES
Children at a North Yorkshire primary school
proved they were street smart when they were
asked to come up with street names for a new
housing development in their community.
Over 70 entries were submitted by youngsters
at Colburn Community Primary School, which
is very close to the new Woodside Chase
development where Broadacres is building
new homes, in partnership with Taylor Wimpey.
The six chosen street names – Maple Avenue,
Rosebud Way, Tulip Avenue, Beechwood
Grove, Bluebell Avenue and Woodland Avenue
– have all now been formally adopted and the
children who came up with the names have
each received £20.
The children are Amy-Lee Letham, aged six,
Josie Daly, aged seven, Kelsey Mount, aged
ten, Sean McCann, aged ten, Aaron Morris,
aged six and Kye Sales, aged seven.
In another street naming competition, this
time in the village of Aiskew, near Bedale,
Railway View and Jubilee Road were
chosen from various entries submitted by
local people.
Residents living in Rigby Terrace, Aiskew,
near Bedale, are being relocated to brandnew two and three-bedroom homes close by,
as part of a partnership between Broadacres
and builder Taylor Wimpey.
Those who are being relocated were invited
to submit names for their new streets and the
winning entries were provided by Anne
Fletcher and Judith Parr, who both received
£25 Post Office vouchers.
A total of 89 homes are being built over two
years on the site just off the A684 Bedale
Road. There will be a mix of three and fourbedroom properties, with 36 of the homes
being allocated to Broadacres.
Seven other children – Olivia Bainbridge, aged
five, Robert McLean, aged eight, Samantha
Reid, aged seven, Erin Saunders, aged nine,
Devon Holmes, aged nine, Kayleigh Cotton,
aged ten and Chelsea Ryde, aged ten – all
received runners up prizes of £10.
In addition to the 10 homes for the existing
residents of Rigby Terrace, Broadacres will
advertise 12 of the properties for rent to local
people in housing need, with the remaining 14
being offered for low cost home ownership.
A total of 272 homes are being built over the
next five years on a site just off Catterick Road
in Colburn. There will be a mix of two, three
and four-bedroom properties and 80 of the
homes will be allocated, by Broadacres, to
local people in housing need.
■ From left to right – Winner Judith Parr, Taylor
■ Children from Colburn Community Primary
School with Siobhan Harvey, from Taylor Wimpey.
Wimpey sales executive Suzanne Douglas,
Taylor Wimpey site manager Andrew Jaques,
winner Anne Fletcher and Broadacres Housing
Officer Sharon Mearns.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
05
Broadacres is...
2013 is a very special year for Broadacres as we are celebrating our 20th anniversary.
On the 29th April 1993 Hambleton District Council transferred its entire stock of homes to a new organisation
known as Hambleton Housing Association. Within two years, this organisation would be known as
Broadacres Housing Association and the rest, as they say, is history. To celebrate our 20th birthday we held a
prize draw for those tenants who have been with us since we started.
The winners are: Mr & Mrs Paylor, East Cowton; Mr & Mrs Eaton, Northallerton and Mrs Russell, Romanby.
Landscape
Maintenance
We have appointed a new landscape
maintenance contractor called
Ground Control.
Under the direction of Mark Keller, Contracts Manager
(pictured right), the new contractor started work
at the beginning of April. Following a review by
our Performance and Improvement Panel (PIP) we
have asked Ground Control to provide a higher
quality service.
This includes:
■ Edges to be trimmed, where necessary, each
time the grass is cut.
■ Attending to shrub beds on each visit during the
grass cutting season and monthly in winter.
Work will include removing litter, treating weeds
and carrying out any pruning, as required.
■ Picking up any litter from the surrounding paths
and car parking areas (if they are owned by
Broadacres) on each visit.
■ Treating weeds on paths and car parking areas
owned by Broadacres.
■ Better monitoring of the quality of the service.
The contractor will normally visit each site
approximately fortnightly between April and October
and monthly in the winter period. Hedges that we
maintain will be cut around late June and autumn,
dependant on the species and any nesting birds.
06
We know that in the first couple of months Ground
Control has not managed to keep to this schedule
and we apologise for this. The contractor is working
hard to recruit extra staff and is working longer hours
(including Saturdays) to get the programme back on
track. As the grass has grown longer in the
meantime, it does mean that the quality of the cut
has suffered. Please bear with us – this should be
better after the next few cuts (weather permitting).
Service charges
As a result of not cutting the grass promptly, we have
received some requests for a refund of the service
charge for estate services. The service charge is
calculated once each year and is based on the costs
in the previous year. In an average year, we cut the
grass 16 times, but this can vary according to the
weather. If we don’t cut the grass as much this year, it
will be reflected in next year’s charge. We only make
a direct refund to individual tenants if the amount of
credit involved is £50 or more for each tenant.
On-going monitoring
We will be working with our local monitors (three of
whom were involved in selecting the contractor) to
improve the feedback we receive on the service.
If you would like to help us do this, please contact
Emily Thomas on 01609 767963 or
[email protected].
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
Let them eat cake
Raising money for breast cancer research was the
icing on the cake for staff at Broadacres.
A cake and book sale was held at our Northallerton head
office. Organised by Debt Recovery Officer, Joanne Muir,
and with support from various staff, including Emily
Thomas, Paula Hammond, and friends, there was a wide
array of cakes and books on sale.
“I had set an initial target of £150 but we had already
reached this figure by 10.30am. The generosity of
the Broadacres’ staff, whether by helping to make cakes
or just buying them, was fantastic and I cannot thank
them enough.”
Broadacres’ employees showed they had a sweet tooth
and a generous nature by spending a fantastic £360
during the course of the sale. More donations, including
£112 from a Domino Drive donated by Olwyn Gregg,
followed, pushing the total amount raised to over £500.
The money will be donated towards research into breast
cancer, which is a subject very close to the hearts of staff
at Broadacres.
Joanne explained: “One of our colleagues had
breast cancer so we wanted to raise money for the fight
against cancer.
North Yorkshire
Housing
allocation
policy
■ Staff enjoy the fundraising cakes.
Thirsk area office
Over the last couple of years we have been
reviewing the provision of services from our
area offices in Thirsk, Easingwold and
Stokesley. The number of customers using the
offices continues to fall as more people prefer
to phone, e-mail us or use our on-line services.
On average a total of 150 enquiries are dealt
with in the 3 offices each month, compared to
the 7000 phone calls that we receive.
The North Yorkshire
Home Choice
Partnership has
now considered
the results of the
consultation on
proposed changes to
the North Yorkshire
housing allocation policy.
We need to spend money on our area offices
to maintain them as suitable places for
customers to visit and our staff to work.
We believe that it is not value for money to do
so when so few customers use them. This was
supported by our Performance and
Improvement Panel (PIP) when they reviewed
customer access to services.
We told you about these in the last edition of
Viewpoint and in information sent out with the last
rent statements. Most of them will be implemented.
However, we decided not to automatically remove
from the register anyone who does not bid for a
property within a 12 month period – instead we will
continue to contact applicants every year to see if
they want to stay on the register.
In Thirsk, we have decided that it is better to
find alternative premises for our staff rather
than spend money on the existing building.
When we move we will not offer a ‘drop in’
service for customers. We anticipate this will be
in July. We will still offer a home visit service
for those customers who prefer or need face to
face contact with staff.
The changes to the policy will come into effect
later in the year and we will contact everyone on
the register who will be affected.
We continue to review the Stokesley and
Easingwold offices and will keep you informed
of any changes.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
07
Welfare Reform
From April 2013 many of you will have
experienced a reduction in your income and
increased costs as a result of changes to welfare
benefits. The key changes, which affect working
age households only, are:
■ The under occupancy penalty (more commonly
referred to in the media as the ‘bedroom tax’).
This has affected around 500 of our tenants.
■ Council tax benefit has been replaced by council
tax support which does not cover 100% of the
council tax.
■ Benefits have not been increased in line with
inflation.
We contacted all those customers who are affected by
the bedroom tax to provide advice about the impact
and the options available. Since we did so, some
additional exemptions have been allowed:
■ Approved foster carers can have an extra room so
long as they have fostered a child or become an
approved foster carer in the last 12 months.
■ Adult children who live with parents and are in the
armed forces (including the reserve forces) will be
treated as living at home even when on operations.
■ Two children under 10 may be allowed a bedroom
each if they cannot share because of a disability.
Discretionary housing payments
Each housing/ council tax benefit department is given a
pot of money each year to help people who qualify for
the benefit but are having trouble paying their rent or
council tax. The council decides who should be given
a payment and, when the money for the year runs out,
no more payments can be made.
The council will take into account any special
circumstances that have caused your financial
difficulties, such as:
■ Child maintenance payments.
■ High heating costs because of sickness or disability.
■ High travel costs because of caring for a relative or
going regularly to hospital.
You will not qualify if your housing benefit has been
reduced to recover an overpayment or because other
benefits have been reduced, such as if you voluntarily
left a job.
In order to claim a discretionary housing payment you
will need to fill in a form that you can get from your
local council.
08
How can we help?
We have recruited an extra Money Adviser and two
Tenancy Support Officers to assist those of you who
have been particularly affected by the changes and we
are in the process of contacting you. Our rents team
can also help as shown on the next page.
The following is a real life example of the
circumstances one of our customers faced:
One of our customers is a young mum with a
severely disabled child living in a three
bedroom property. Until the bedroom tax was
introduced she received full housing benefit.
The tenant contacted us after we sent a letter
to her offering assistance. We carried out a
home visit and found the bedroom is currently
being used as a medical room with fridges
fitted, in order to keep her daughter's medicine
safe and fresh.
The tenant had letters of support from her
daughter’s hospital specialist and GP.
We filled in the application for a Discretionary
Housing Payment and sent this along with the
medical evidence and a covering letter to
Hambleton District Council. The tenant has
now been allowed the extra bedroom from
April 2013 and is now better off by
approximately £9.30 per week.
Paying your rent
There are many different ways that you can pay your
rent. Information is available on our website or by
contacting us.
What else can you do?
Make sure that you’re receiving all the benefits that you
are entitled to – use the benefit adviser tool on the
GOV.UK website.
Check if you can save money by switching your energy
or phone supplier. There are many companies that
allow you to check rates from different suppliers and
organise the switch for you.
Consider whether you might want to move to smaller
accommodation. Check out North Yorkshire Home
Choice, Compass (Tees Valley area) or Durham Key
Options which will show the types of properties that
landlords advertise each week and also tenants
offering to swap their homes.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
Day In The Life...
of a Rent Specialist
Karen Norton is part of our team of Rent Specialists. The team are here to help
tenants find the best way to pay their rent and offer advice when it comes to
benefits, money and budgets.
How do you plan your week in the
Rent Team?
I spend the beginning of the week checking for any
missed payments and dealing with calls, texts and
emails from customers. I will spend the rest of the
week visiting and phoning customers to discuss rent
accounts and any problems that may have arisen.
Some of these will be regarding payments, benefit
changes, financial/debt issues, but sometimes it is
just to advise of credits on the account or just to
reassure the customer regarding their rent account.
What do you enjoy about your role?
I enjoy meeting people. Part of my job is to help
customers pay their rent. Sometimes they have
financial difficulties and I like helping them to take
back control of their finances - by assisting with
budgeting and making agreements to pay their rent.
I find it very rewarding when I have been able to
reassure them, help them maintain their financial
commitments and see the worry that they came in
with disappear, once they have discussed the
situation openly.
How do you help people?
I can assist with budgeting, helping customers to
balance their finances and trying to maximise the
money they have coming in. I make sure they are
claiming all the benefits they are entitled to or help
check if they are on the best gas/electric tariff. I can
also help if customers are experiencing financial
difficulties. Sometimes all that is needed is a friendly
ear to discuss things, other times I may be able to
negotiate with creditors or bailiffs on behalf of the
customers. If customers are struggling, I can also
refer them to other agencies who will be able to offer
more specialised help.
The Rents Team:
Karen Norton
Catherine Heavey
Norma Hodson
Julie Holmes
Joanne Bennett
Amy Evans
What message would you like to give to
anyone who has difficulty paying their rent?
Please, ring me! I know it can be embarrassing to
admit to not being able to pay all the time. You can
always email or text me if you would prefer. Things
happen to everyone. You may be unable to pay due
to a change in your money, sickness at work, if
you've lost your job, or maybe received a large
unexpected bill. If so, please give me a call. We can
discuss if Broadacres are able to help you by making
an agreement to pay your rent. We will consider your
individual circumstances. I can’t work miracles,
unfortunately, but I do my very best to help you
cope with whatever has happened and support you
through it. With all the recent benefit changes you
may still have questions about how it affects you, just
call and ask.
You mentioned helping your customers,
can you give an example?
I visited a customer at home recently to discuss their
rent account. I completed an income and
expenditure form with them so it was easier for them
to see where their money was going. I then checked
their gas/electric suppliers and managed to find
them a better deal saving them over £150 per year.
I also checked their phone and broadband suppliers.
In this case they were already on the best deal
available to them. I then checked their Housing
Benefit and Working Tax/Child Tax credits and found
they could apply for working tax credit. By doing this
I managed to maximise their income and reduce
their outgoings. Doing visits like this does take time
but it is productive both for the customer and
Broadacres as it ensures that we continue to work
together to make living in a Broadacres property a
pleasant and welcoming experience.
Former Tenant Debt:
Joanne Muir
Michael King
E-mail the team:
[email protected]
Text:
07712 666388
s on
u
g
n
Ri
291
5
7
8
5
0800 or
7900
6
7
9
0160
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
09
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Development news...
...Introducing
Mulberry Homes
Broadacres has acquired a majority stake
in a new property development company,
known as Mulberry Homes Yorkshire, and
work has started on the first development
near Thirsk.
The Sowerby Gateway scheme will see almost
1,000 homes being built, with the first phase of
107 homes already underway.
The majority of properties will be available for
outright sale, with the rest being passed to
Broadacres for affordable housing, in the form
of rent or shared ownership. A further scheme,
at Leeming Bar, is also in the pipeline.
■ An artists' impression of the new homes
at Sowerby Gateway.
Steve Towers, Chairman of Mulberry Homes and Managing Director of Broadacres, said: “Through this
new company we will be able to construct many more developments and deliver on our commitment to
providing affordable homes for local people.
“Mulberry Homes will build luxury properties in premium locations which have the very highest standards
of design, build quality and sustainability; creating new communities across North Yorkshire that can be
enjoyed by generations.
“This is a significant investment on our part but any profits we make will be ploughed directly back into
Broadacres to ensure that our existing properties meet both the needs and aspirations of our customers.”
...Clack Lane,
Osmotherley
People have moved into a 12home development in the
popular village of Osmotherley.
The majority of the properties, all of
which were quickly snapped up by
people with a local connection,
were offered for affordable rent with
some also being sold via low cost
home ownership.
This development formed part of the
Rural Housing Enabler Programme,
which was established to provide
good quality rural affordable
housing in North Yorkshire. Local
people were involved in all stages of
the planning and development of
the homes.
10
■ Local schoolchildren at Clack Lane.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
...Churchfields,
Boston Spa
In partnership with Linden Homes we have
built 14 new homes in Ouseacres, York.
We will shortly take handover of the first batch
of 40 new properties in the popular town of
Boston Spa, near Wetherby.
The two, three and four-bedroom properties are
being offered for rent through North Yorkshire
Home Choice and for low cost home ownership,
with prices ranging from £80,000 for a 53% stake.
In the first phase, we have four three-bedroom
houses for rent and four two-bedroom houses
for sale.
The properties will be advertised through Leeds
Homes to people with a connection to Boston Spa
or Wetherby. Buyers can take anything from a 25%80% shared ownership stake in the properties.
Further rental and sale properties will be handed
over by the developer, Taylor Wimpey, over the
next two years.
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
...Ouseacres, York
...Swale Bridge, Richmond
We will soon start work to build 24 apartments
for affordable rent on the site of the former
Arriva bus depot in Richmond.
When completed in 2014, the properties, next to
the Richmond Station complex, will be let to local
people in housing need.
...Shepherds Hill/
Woodlands Park, Pickering
At Shepherds Hill we have four two-bedroom
homes for sale, each at £78,000, which is 56% of
their open market value.
At Woodlands Park we have three two-bedroom houses
selling at £77,000, which is 57% of the market value, and
five three-bedroom homes, which we will be selling
between £80,000 and £83,000.
The properties are restricted to people who have a local
connection to the Pickering and Ryedale area.
To buy a property from Broadacres please contact Kath Stansfield
on 01609 767972 or email [email protected]
Rented homes are advertised through northyorkshirehomechoice.org.uk and
leedshomes.org.uk (Boston Spa only)
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
11
A Diamond couple
Our congratulations go out to a couple from Bedale
who celebrated 60 years of marriage in April.
Stan and Brenda Walker met in 1949 through mutual friends
and married on 18 April 1953. They moved from Hull to the
Bedale area 13 years ago.
They have a son and a daughter, three grandsons, one
grand-daughter and one great grandson.
Best wishes from everyone at Broadacres!
Sleeping rough
Five intrepid staff from Broadacres braved the cold and lasted a night under the stars as part of
an event to raise awareness of youth homelessness.
Fiona Morgan, Sarah Beniams, Stephen O’Brien, Chris Norlund and Emily Thomas joined 30 other people in
sleeping ‘rough’ in the grounds of Northallerton Methodist Church.
They were delighted to raise around £500 for the SASH homeless charity. Speaking on behalf of the team,
Emily said: “For us all it was a real insight into what people face if they have no alternative but to sleep rough.
“As if the cold weather wasn’t bad enough, we had to get used to the noises of the night and the general
discomfort felt compared to sleeping in a bed. We were also aware of how vulnerable you become to the
mercy of others when asleep in the open.
“We were fortunate that we didn’t have to face the awful prospect of more nights out in the cold, as many
homeless people do.”
In total, over £2,000 was raised for SASH.
■ The Broadacres' team at the SASH event.
12
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
Back of the net
Northallerton Town Academy were successful in their application for a
£500 grant from Broadacres’ Community Development Fund.
They put the grant towards the cost of a new home and away kit after wearing second hand kits for the
past four seasons.
As part of their application, Northallerton Academy has offered to run a training session for Broadacres’
customers this summer.
Academy Manager Dave Goodwin said: “The new Northallerton Academy has been established to provide
opportunities to develop junior players into senior players playing in men’s football.
“The Academy has around 40 members who train, of which 20 or so play in competitive matches on
Saturday afternoons. We initially played in a borrowed four year old kit with mismatching shorts and socks.
“Broadacres’ funding matched monies raised by the players, enabling two new kits to be purchased for
home and away games.”
Broadacres has supported a wide range of local organisations with grants of up to £500 from our
Community Development Fund. If you are part of a local organisation that may benefit from the fund, you
can find out more by visiting www.broadacres.org.uk/Getting-Involved/Community-Development-Fund/
■ The players model their Broadacres' sponsored kit.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
13
Awards
Broadacres was delighted to be shortlisted for two
prestigious housing industry awards recently.
We entered our Fire Place initiative in the Excellence in Youth
Involvement category of the Northern Tenant Participation
Advisory Service (TPAS) awards and were among only six
housing associations in the UK to be short-listed.
Despite not winning, our team, which included young people
from the Fire Place drop in/activity centre in Stokesley, had
an enjoyable day at the award ceremony in Manchester.
The Broadacres IT team has also been short-listed in the IT
Team of the Year category of the Housing Heroes award. We
will discover on 24th June whether we have been successful.
Getting online
Broadacres is trying to encourage as many of its
customers as possible to get online.
You can make use of the internet cafe at Rivendale, a
Broadacres’ extra care scheme in Northallerton. There
are two laptops available for public use at the
scheme. Time slots should be booked in advance and
a small charge for use is made. To book ring ahead
and speak to Judith or Lynn on 01609 781096.
Customers living in Hollygarth, Great Ayton can also
tap into the free Wi-Fi at the scheme. For further
information please contact Chris on 01609 767866 or
Emily on 01609 767963.
Being able to access the internet regularly can open
up a whole new world and as well as being fun. It can
also save you money because, increasingly, whether
it is a booking a holiday, buying train tickets or just a
book, it is usually cheaper online.
There are many internet access points across areas
where we have housing, for example at your local
library. We encourage you to seek out these local
access points or consider buying a device to access
the internet if this is financially possible.
We realise that internet access can be difficult for
some customers and are working on extending
initiatives to increase digital inclusion amongst
our customers.
If you can get online, we recommend that you take a
look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/0/. This
website contains really useful information and has
free online courses you can access.
14
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
■ Broadacres' Housing Officer, Rachel Bilham,
with young people from the Fire Place.
New text service
We have a new text
service 07712 666388
to give you another low
cost way of contacting
our customer service
centre. If you have
inclusive texts in your
mobile plan, then there
will be no charge.
If you do not have
inclusive texts, or you
have used them all up,
you will pay your
standard network rate
for sending a text
message.
Youth round-up
Boxing clever
English title, and Tom Capps,
who has won a Tyne, Tees
and Wear title.
By Adrian Coe, Coach of Northallerton Amateur
Boxing Club
Three years ago, Northallerton Boxing Club was set up
as an initiative between myself, Broadacres, through
their Tenancy Relations Co-ordinator Lee Godfrey, and
Hambleton District Council.
The club also has the first
female boxer ever to come out of Northallerton, also
a resident of Broadacres, in the name of 14-year-old
Catherine Pringle, who has had three fights and has
competed in Northallerton, London and Cambridge.
The main purpose of the boxing club, held in the
Hambleton Forum, Bullamoor Road, was to encourage
young people in the community to get involved in sport
and activity, rather than just getting into the wrong kind
of gangs in the community and/or being tempted into
smoking, drugs, alcohol and anti-social behaviour.
With over 30 competition bouts in just two seasons
the club is going from strength to strength. It’s our
hope that we can attract more seasoned youngsters
to join our squad and eventually open our own
premises where we can train up to five times a week,
hugely reducing the amount of youths hanging around
the streets.
The initial financial support was given by Broadacres
who purchased the equipment, bags, gloves, headguards for the club and sponsor our annual boxing
home tournaments.
I am very proud of our success and the opportunities
that we as a community are providing for these
youngsters. The dedication our members show in their
training and competitive bouts is inspiring.
We now have over 100 members
using our facility, either as a keep-fit
class, weight loss programme or a
serious career in amateur boxing.
The club has extended its classes
from the original Mondays and
Saturdays to now include a
Wednesday evening session too. We
have developed a full amateur boxing
team which includes eight young
boxers who travel the country
competing against other boxers in
tournaments nationwide. These
include Broadacres’ residents Mark
Johnson, who has won a school boy
Great Ayton Youth Centre By Mo Ali (Area Youth Worker)
The Youth Centre opened its doors in February after a lot of hard work and negotiations with local
young people and the Parish Council. Without the backing of Broadacres, both financially and
through general support, I feel this venture would not have been as successful as it has been.
We open the Youth Centre every Monday evening between 6pm and 8pm. Initially there was not much for
the young people to do apart from play on an XBOX. But with the help of Broadacres, via Tenancy
Relations Co-ordinator Lee Godfrey, we managed to acquire a new table tennis table, with all the nets and
bats and balls, badminton net plus the rackets and shuttle cocks, a quick cricket set plus some board
games and arts equipment. This has transformed the building and has helped us to increase participation
at the Youth Centre.
We have had on average between 12 and 20 young people using the facilities. A downside has been that
all the young people using the facilities are males aged between 11 and 18, so we are now looking to
increase participation of females.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
15
A golden moment
Broadacres marked its 20th anniversary year by joining a
select group of organisations in the UK in achieving the
Investors in People (IIP) gold standard.
In achieving the gold standard, we have joined only 3.6% of
organisations in the UK who have attained this accolade.
The IIP gold award recognises achievements across a number of
different areas, including people management, leadership,
learning and development and empowerment.
Gail Hodgson, Human Resources Manager at Broadacres, said:
“We achieved the silver award only three years ago, so we are
absolutely delighted to have now received gold and in our 20th
anniversary year too.
“It is testament to the hard work and dedication of all the staff here
at Broadacres that we have achieved this award and a reflection of
Broadacres as a good employer.”
Altogether Better
Are you interested in improving your diet,
physical exercise or mental wellbeing to help
you make positive changes to your life?
You might be looking for a job and are struggling to
find help with preparing a CV and interview skills,
finding a job or even gaining nationally
recognised qualifications in a subject that
you are interested in for free of charge.
Social enterprise The BEACH is running a
project, focusing on Scarborough, Whitby,
Filey, Bridlington and Malton, to offer a
solution to those facing health inequalities
that may be preventing them from making
positive changes to their lives.
■ Improve their mental wellbeing
■ Access free training and employment
opportunities
Community activities will include healthy eating
sessions, cooking groups, relaxation
classes, employment and CV support as
well as offering free courses enabling
people to gain accredited, national
recognised qualifications in a number
of areas.
Staff will be working side by side with
members of the community to help them:
■ Eat more healthily and raise awareness
of a healthy diet
■ Become more
physically active
16
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
If you are seeking support, guidance
and training, or would like to find
out about any of our upcoming
events, please contact Leoni at
The BEACH on 01723 343204.
Teed off
Do you play golf? Would you like to help Broadacres raise money for charity?
If so, we are offering our customers the chance to be part of the Broadacres
team at our annual charity golf competition which is to be held at the prestigious
Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth near Darlington on Tuesday 22nd October 2013. Entry is free of
charge and dinner will be served on your return to the Clubhouse.
Last year we raised £3,000 which was donated to MENCAP (Northallerton and the Dales
Branch). This year, with your help, we hope to do even better.
If you would like to join us, or for any more information,
please contact Mel Tweddle on 01609 767920 or email her at
[email protected]
Active Ageing
Farewell Cyril
Broadacres is working in partnership
with Age UK Northallerton to increase the
health and well being activities available
for older people.
We have given Age UK funding as part of a
pilot project to employ a part-time active
living co-ordinator to work with customers in
five sheltered schemes and community
rooms across Hambleton.
The funding will contribute towards the aim
of Broadacres’ FACES community
investment strategy, which identifies ‘active
living’ as one of its main themes.
If you would like more information please
contact Emily Thomas on 01609 767963 or
email [email protected]
Mr Cyril Haworth, a customer, former
member of the Viewpoint Editorial Panel
and previous chairperson of the Tenants’
Liaison Group, sadly passed away recently.
Cyril was an extremely positive individual, who
always had a ‘can do’ attitude towards things
and was a pleasure to have known. Cyril
survived the Normandy landings, went on to
escape capture and lead a fantastic life
beyond the 2nd World War. He worked
tirelessly and often with failing health to
support the York branch of the Normandy
veterans. In another’s words he was ‘a hero
and a gentleman’ and will be missed by staff
and customers alike. Our deepest sympathies
are with Margaret, his widow, at this time.
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
17
In the event of fire...
No one wants to suffer a fire in their home. But
the reality is fire is a great risk to us all. It only
takes an unguarded or careless moment for a
fire to occur. In a matter of minutes, your home
can be filled with flames and smoke - both of
which can be killers.
As well as following safety advice to minimise the
risk of a fire happening in your home, it is important
you and everyone in your home, knows what to do if
a fire was to break out.
If you find your home on fire while you are inside it,
you may only have a short amount of time to get out
to safety. Use your time wisely and try not to panic.
The following advice will help you and everyone in
your home get out safely:
■ Ensure you have a correctly installed and
working smoke alarm and test it at least once
a week
■ Plan and practice a fire escape route
in advance
■ In the event of a fire get everyone out as
quickly as possible and try not to panic
■ Don't try to pick up valuables or possessions
■ If possible, close the door of the room where
the fire is and close all doors behind you as
you leave. This will help delay the spread of fire
and smoke
■ Before opening a closed door, use the back of
your hand to touch it. Don't open it if it feels
warm - the fire will be on the other side
■ Smoke rises so stay low where it is easier
to breathe
■ Telephone
999 and ask
for the fire
service from
a mobile
phone, a
neighbour's
house or a
telephone
box, providing as much detail as possible
■ Never go back into the house until a fire officer
has told you it is safe to do so
■ If you are cut off from your escape route by the
fire close the door and use towels or bedding
to block any gaps at the bottom of the door
■ Make your way to the window and attract the
attention of others who can alert the fire service
■ If you are able to, stay by the window so
firefighters can see you as soon as they arrive
and can rescue you
■ If you are in immediate danger and your room
is not above the first floor, drop cushions or
bedding to the ground to break your fall from
the window. If you can, get out feet first and
lower yourself to the full length of your arms
before dropping.
In our sheltered and extra-care housing
schemes we have a “Stay Put Policy”, but
please ask your Scheme Manager for any
advice required.
Learn more about fire safety in your home:
https://www.northyorksfire.gov.uk
Mystery Shopping
A group of Broadacres’ customers who regularly carry out mystery shops of our services recently put our
website under the microscope for the second time. Customers identified that we had acted on their feedback
relating to a previous mystery shop of the website. They also identified a number of areas where the website
could be improved to make it easier to understand and use for all customers.
If you are a customer of Broadacres and would like to join in with mystery shopping activities or would like a
copy of the information that details the recent website mystery shop findings please contact Emily Thomas,
Community Involvement Manager on 01609 767963 or email [email protected].
18
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
HOW ARE WE PERFORMING?
Target
June
12
Sept
12
Dec
12
March
13
% of emergency repairs
attended to within timescale
100%
100%
89%
89%
98.3%
% of appointments kept
95%
n/a
n/a
92%
94%
Average satisfaction
with the repairs service
>9
8.7
8.8
9.6
9.6
100%
99.9%
100%
99.9%
99.9%
>75%
76%
72%
68%
66%
<21 days
20 days
26 days
26 days
28 days
>9
9.2
9.5
8.9
9.5
% of correspondence responded
to within 5 working days
100%
100%
96%
95%
95%
% of resolved Stage 1
complaints responded to in
full within target time
>96%
100%
100%
95%
93%
Measure
How does this
Are we on
compare to
target?
last quarter
Repairs
% properties which have a
valid gas servicing certificate
Customer
Service Centre
% of handled calls answered
within 20 seconds
Other Measures
Average time to re-let
a property
Average new
tenant satisfaction
Better
Same
Worse
On track
Near to
target
Missing
target
If you would like to know more about how we’re performing, including any other areas you would like us
to report on, then please contact Carl Doolan (Housing Services Manager) on 01609 767 935 or email
[email protected]
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
19
Healthy salad Niçoise
French bistro classic, the tuna Niçoise,
becomes healthier with extra lettuce and veg
and low fat dressing
Ingredients
• 200g new potatoes, thickly sliced
• 2 medium eggs
• 100g green beans, trimmed
• 1 romaine lettuce heart, leaves separated
and washed
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 anchovies in olive oil, drained well
• 197g can tuna steak in spring water, drained
• 2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise
Preparation method
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add
the potatoes and the eggs, and cook for 7
mins. Scoop the eggs out of the pan, tip in
the green beans and cook for a further 4
mins. Drain the potatoes, beans and eggs in
a colander under cold running water until
cool. Leave to dry.
2. Peel the eggs and cut into quarters. Arrange
the lettuce leaves in 2 shallow bowls. Scatter
over the beans, potatoes, tomatoes and egg
quarters. Pat the anchovies with kitchen paper
to absorb the excess oil and place on top.
3. Flake the tuna into chunks and scatter over
the salad. Mix the mayonnaise and 1 tbsp
cold water in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle
over the salad and serve.
Per serving
351 kcalories, protein 27g, carbohydrate 22g,
fat 17g, saturated fat 4g, fibre 4g, sugar 6g,
salt 2.1g
If you have a favourite recipe you would like
to see included in future editions please
phone Emily Thomas on 01609 767963 or
email [email protected]
If you ask, we can supply this document in large print, in Braille,
on CD, in picture format and in languages other than English.
Freepost RRBZ-TATA-BYHL Broadacres Housing Association,
Broadacres House, Mount View, Standard Way,
NORTHALLERTON, North Yorkshire DL6 2YD
20
Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks
Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111