HRH at Holborn House

HRH at
Holborn House
Extra Care is coming
to Alnwick
How do I get an Isos home?
Serving our community of 20,000 residents across the North East
Issue 10 | Spring 2014
Produced by
Contents
Page 15
Page 8
What do you think
of Space & Place?
How do I get an
Awards galore! Isos home?
Page 4
Page 6
Page 10
HRH at home with Isos Bedroom Tax –
help is available
Page 16
Blyth kids get My
Community boost
Space & Place is edited by Graeme King
at Isos, supported by Emily Potts,
and designed by twentysevendesign.co.uk
To contact us, email [email protected]
or call 0300 300 1505.
Silver medal
in our first race
Everyone at Isos has been celebrating an impressive ‘silver
medal’ on our first attempt in the demanding Investors in
People arena.
We were rigorously assessed in a
week long visit by an IiP assessor, and
then given the good news that silver
accreditation had been awarded.
Most organisations signing up to
be assessed by Investors in People
for the first time achieve only basic
level accreditation, occasionally a
bronze award, so to achieve silver
is a real achievement.
Isos chief executive Keith Loraine said:
“Even in our most optimistic moments
we had hoped we might achieve
a bronze award, so when it was
announced that we’d been awarded
silver, we were absolutely ecstatic!”
Around 50 Isos staff were interviewed
Page 2 Space&Place
Darren Lawlo
r & Keith Lora
ine
by an Investors in People
assessor over the course of a week,
looking at a wide range of subjects,
including:
communication and knowledge
transfer
training and staff development
leadership
coaching
employee engagement
Darren Lawlor, from idg, the official
partner for Investors in People in the
North of England said: “Investors
in People is designed to help
organisations and their people realise
their potential, enhance performance
and meet goals.
By achieving Silver accreditation,
and at their first assessment too,
Isos Housing is certainly working
to achieve this.”
The silver IiP award is the latest
endorsement for Isos as an employer
after featuring in the 100 not-for-profit
employers in the Sunday Times Best
Places to Work lists, and then being
awarded the ServiceMark from the
Institute of Customer Service.
For more on Isos awards success,
turn to Page 4
Lea Smith from Isos (right) on site at Seaton Burn with Ian Murray
from HLP and Ian Cuthbertson from Turney Wylde.
Country homes on
the edge of the city
Work has started on a £2m Isos scheme to provide high
quality affordable homes in an attractive farmstead style.
The project, to the east of Meadow
Drive in Seaton Burn, North Tyneside
was designed by architects Halsall
Lloyd Partnership (HLP) and will
provide 20 high quality homes for rent
in a courtyard setting.
Building contractor Turney Wylde has
been appointed to carry out the works
which are expected to be completed
by the end of the year.
The development will comprise
eight two bedroomed houses, six
one bedroomed apartments, four
two bedroomed bungalows and two
three bedroomed houses, with the
properties built around a cottage
garden and courtyard.
The houses will be constructed to
level three of the government’s Code
for Sustainable Homes, including such
energy saving and sustainable features
as high levels of insulation and energy
efficient boilers to keep fuel bills down.
In addition, sensitive and attractive
landscaping, including a shared garden
and wildflower meadow, is planned to
enhance the local environment.
Lea Smith, Isos Development and
Regeneration Manager, said: “We are
pleased that work is now under way on
what we believe will be an extremely
attractive development that will not only
provide much needed housing but also
enhance the local environment.
“A great deal of care and thought has
gone into the planning and design of
this scheme which we are sure will
prove extremely popular with those
looking for housing in this area.”
Turney Wylde is working alongside
quantity surveyors Elliott Associates
from Rowlands Gill on the new homes.
Alongside the new properties, the
project also includes the creation of a
state-of-the-art £180,000 children’s play
area to the southern edge of the half
hectare site, with equipment suitable for
youngsters of varying ages.
Apparatus salvaged from the old play
area is being recycled and sent to
provide a play area in a developing
nation in Africa.
Ian Murray, from the scheme architects
HLP, said: “The design was inspired
by farmstead clusters typical of
Northumberland which comprise a
farmhouse, workers cottages and barns
arranged around a central farmyard.
“These traditional elements are
expressed in a contemporary way with
the apartments, houses and bungalows
designed as a modern interpretation of
these traditional buildings.
“The design aims to create a communal
feel to the development where future
residents will be able to take pride in
their homes and gardens.”
Page 3 Space&Place
High praise for rooftop project –
and further award success too
From left to right: Mervyn Bottle, contracts manager, Hodgson Sayers; Ray Elsender and Nathan Lowes,
both Isos contract services surveyors; Margaret Terrone, Isos customer liaison officer; Keith Sherwin;
project manager, Hodgson Sayers and John Sayers, managing director Hodgson Sayers.
The team behind a £2.5m
refurbishment project for Isos homes
in Northumberland are singing from the
rooftops after winning a national award.
The £2.5m project to re-roof 421 homes in Prudhoe,
carried out by Isos alongside contractor Hodgson Sayers,
was named the best roofing contract at the LHC 2014
Awards held in central London.
LHC provides procurement services for the construction,
rehabilitation and maintenance of public sector buildings
and introduced the awards to reward and recognise
industry best practice.
Isos appointed Stanley-based Hodgson Sayers to carry
out the contract on the Oaklands and West Wylam estates
during 2012/13.
During the process the LHC inspectors visited several
times and reported that it was one of the best run
contracts they had ever monitored.
Another Isos team is also in the
awards spotlight this spring. Our
Community Involvement colleagues
have seen their work alongside the
Foundation of Light in Sunderland
nominated for a UK Housing Award.
The ‘Back in the Game’ initiative
is targetted at getting long term
unemployed people into work, and
it’s already generated some fantastic
success stories, with six of the
Page 4 Space&Place
Another important aspect of Hodgson Sayers’ work was
that they recycled most of the old roofing materials, to
minimise impact on the environment.
Contract manager Norman Liddle said: “We are so proud
to have won this award, and overwhelmed by the judges
being so complimentary.
“Credit must go to our clerk of works Ray Elsender,
surveyor Nathan Lowes and tenant liaison officer Margaret
Terrone, as well as our external cost consultants Robert
Burn Partnership.”
STOP
PRESS: The Sunday Times
has just
published the 2014
best 100 not-for-pro
fit
companies to work
for, and Isos has jum
ped
from 71st to 61st pl
ace - as well as winn
ing
an award for innov
ation in staff engage
ment.
participants moving into work, and 20
others completing qualifications.
The UK Housing Awards, organised
by the Chartered Institute of Housing
(CIH) and Inside Housing magazine,
are nationally recognised in the
housing sector as being the year’s
most important awards scheme. Isos
is now one of six left in the running for
the Innovation Award.
Thirdly, our colleagues in the Supported
Housing Older Persons (SHOP) team
have had their own awards success
at this years National Housing for
Older People Awards in Birmingham.
Northfields House in Heaton won
a silver award for best sheltered
scheme services and Renwick House
in Morpeth was highly commended
for best housing for later life units in
the 30-44 units category.
Green light for new £5m
Extra Care in Alnwick
Our exciting plans for a new high specification
Extra Care housing development for older
people in Alnwick have been given the green
light by Northumberland County Council.
The project, to be known as Weavers’
Court, will feature 58 one and two
bedroom apartments, with 30 of these
available for shared ownership sale
and 28 for rent.
The new building will sit in a family
housing development brought forward
by Northumberland Estates, which has
also been approved by the council.
The site is on the southern edge of
Alnwick, close to Weavers Way, with
fantastic views to the south.
Award winning architects idpartnership
have developed an attractive three
storey building, with first class facilities
for all the residents.
The aim of the new Extra Care scheme
is to promote independence in older and
vulnerable people, and to sustain those
with chronic and other health conditions
in the community. It could help prevent
admissions to residential care.
The building is intended to act as a
real endorsement for the support we
provide for older people across the
North East.
“Our existing Extra Care facility in
Prudhoe is a hugely successful
scheme, and now we have the
opportunity to bring that standard
community hub including a range
of provision to Alnwick.”
of communal facilities, such as a
For the shared ownership apartments
shop, café, internet connections,
in Weavers’ Court, a 75% share will
hairdressers, multi purpose room for
be available to purchase, with Isos
GPs to use, patio and sensory gardens
retaining a 25% stake.
for use by residents and the wider
Isos will employ a manager to run
older community.
the scheme and there will also be an
Work will start on site in May with
independent care provider with staff
completion expected in autumn 2015.
available according to residents’ needs.
The design of the scheme is compliant
Isos has a strong track record of
with the Lifetime Homes and
delivering high quality development
Wheelchair Design Guide standards
programmes and its ground breaking
and will use ‘HAPPI’ (Housing our
Extra Care scheme, The Manors, in
Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation)
Prudhoe has set very high standards in
principles and best practice.
the care of older residents.
The overall investment will be over
If you want to know more about
£5m, with the Department of Health’s
Weavers’ Court and Extra Care,
Extra Care Housing fund contributing
please get in touch on 0300 300 1505.
£1,943,000.
To find out how to bid for Isos
Michael Farr, executive director of
properties using Choice Based
development and property at Isos
Lettings, see pages 8-9.
Housing, said: “We’re delighted to win
planning permission for this prestigious
development scheme. It represents a
Page 5 Space&Place
Princess Royal impressed
by Holborn House
Her Royal Highness
the Princess Royal was
our guest of honour
to officially open our
renovated and refurbished
Holborn House flats in
South Shields.
Holborn House is now a bright and
airy building containing 28 affordable
flats for both general needs and
supported tenants, after a
£2.3m refurbishment.
Isos worked with architects Jayne
Darbyshire and David Kendall
(JDDK) to completely transform the
building’s interior.
The front portion of the striking
looking building dates from the
late 19th century, while the rear is
a 1970s extension.
The successful re-design of the
building features a central atrium
which provides an internal ‘street’
with a roof light that brings sunlight
into the heart of the building.
The Princess Royal enjoyed a brief
tour of the building, meeting some
of the residents, and then unveiled a
plaque to mark the completion of the
redevelopment project.
She said after her visit:
“Congratulations to everyone
involved. I gather it was quite a tricky
redevelopment. It is an excellent
design – so spacious and light and
Page 6 Space&Place
the flat we saw was most impressive.”
Geoff Bullock and Diane Tate were living
in a three bedroom house in Whiteleas,
but they wanted to downsize and live
somewhere without stairs.
After meeting the princess, Diane
said: “She was lovely, a nice lady. I
felt really comfortable with her.”
Jackie Axelby, chair of Isos Housing,
said: “We are delighted Her Royal
Highness could visit Holborn
Remodelling the building has
transformed what was quite
a dark and unwelcoming
environment so that it provides
homes fit for the 21st century.
House today. The renovation and
refurbishment was a huge project for
our development team to take on,
and the results are really stunning.
“Remodelling the building has
transformed what was quite a dark
and unwelcoming environment so
that it provides homes fit for the 21st
century”.
Mura Mullan, Project Architect and
Director of JDDK. “It was a very
challenging but hugely interesting
brief for Holborn House and we’re so
glad the project is being honoured in
this way.
“The brief was very specific about
not altering the spirit of this historic
building and we feel our scheme
required minimal external changes
with a radical and contemporary
internal design.”
The main contractor for the
redevelopment of Holborn House
was Turney Wylde, working alongside
3E Consulting Engineers, Elliott
Associates and Alan Holmes Building
and Surveying Services.
Clockwise from top left: The Princess meets Isos
residents Diane Tate and Geoff Bullock; Jackie Axelby
shows off the atrium; HRH unveils the plaque; the
bright and airy top floor landing; Holborn House from
the river; the Princess Royal arrives at the Commercial
Road entrance.
The History
Dating from the late 19th Century,
Holborn House was purchased from
the St Vincent de Paul charity by Isos
Group member NomadE5 in 1984 as
a purpose built hostel.
The three storey building provided a residential care
scheme known as St Antony Clarets, with the remainder of
Holborn House providing supported housing and general
needs housing to a vulnerable section of South Tyneside
within the Mill Dam conservation area. The basement of
the building is let to the Mission To Seafarers.
In March 2010, Isos, fearing the building was no longer fit
for purpose, issued a brief to five architectural practices
requesting tenders and designs for the building’s
regeneration. The brief called for a radical redesign
that could provide modern flexible living with access to
all - “an inspirational environment that is equal to any
purpose-built new build product whilst at the same time
retaining the unique quality of the existing building and
its setting.”
Page 7 Space&Place
How do I get an Isos house?
Lots of people get in touch with Isos asking us
how to get one of our homes, so we thought we
would provide a step-by-step guide to applying.
We don’t not want to see any of our stock stood empty
when we know there are families in need of affordable,
good quality homes.
We are also very keen to ensure all our homes are let,
all of the time, then we can maximise our income – and
spend any surplus on improving all those homes and the
other services we provide.
If you receive this magazine, that means you are already
an Isos resident, but we’re keen to spread the word so
please pass on this information to friends or family who
might be interested.
More details can be found at www.isoshousing.co.uk
So let us talk you through how
to apply for an Isos property…
1.
nyone can apply to live in our affordable homes, and we
A
have a wide variety of properties becoming available all
the time in areas including Newcastle, Northumberland,
North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Durham,
Darlington, Sunderland, Stockton and Carlisle.
2.
e don’t hold waiting lists for our
W
homes any more. Instead you have
to apply through a system called
‘Choice Based Lettings’ (CBL) for
the area where you want to live.
New homes at Cleadon Park in South Shields
3.
You’ll first need to register with the
relevant CBL scheme - you fill in a
form, and if you meet the criteria,
you will be added to the approved
list of applicants.
Moving into a new Isos home in Esh Winning
Page 8 Space&Place
4.
Once approved, you can see what
homes are available in the area.
Isos homes will be listed alongside
those from other social landlords.
6.
The CBL scheme will make a shortlist
of bidders for each property based
on what they call ‘eligibility criteria’.
These criteria are set by the local
authority for the area, and they are not
all the same – this means you could
be given higher priority in one area
than you are in another, even though
your needs are exactly the same.
The criteria include: your current
housing; the size of your family /
household; what support you require;
what links you may have to the
area. Eg family or employment.The
landlord of the property you bid for
will contact applicants from the list
starting from the person at the top
of the list.
Isos homes in Falstone, Northumberland
7.
5.
Family homes in Hexham
If you are contacted about an Isos property, we
will visit you in your current home where you will
need to provide proof of identification, proof of
your address and proof of your income. If you
are not already an Isos tenant, we will take up
references from your current and possibly former
landlord before we offer you a property. We will
then arrange to view the new property with you.
If you want to take it, we can draw up a tenancy
agreement. If you don’t want it, the property will
be offered to the next suitable person on the list.
Flats in a terrace in North Shields
Once you’ve found a property you want to live in,
you need to put in a ‘bid’.
This means you register which property you are
interested in with the CBL scheme. You DO NOT
have to pay any money to bid.
There may be a limit to the number of bids you can
make in each ‘bidding cycle’. Each cycle normally
lasts 5 days and, once it finishes, the list of available
properties will be updated, and a new bidding cycle
will begin.
To get started, visit one of the Choice Based
Lettings schemes listed below
For properties in Newcastle, Gateshead,
North Tyneside and South Tyneside visit www.
tyneandwearhomes.org.uk
For Durham visit www.durhamkeyoptions.co.uk
For Northumberland visit www.
northumberlandhomefinder.org.uk
For Sunderland apply to www.sunderland.gov.uk/
index.aspx?articleid=971
For Stockton email housing.options@stockton.
gov.uk
If you prefer, you can contact us on 0300 300 1505,
or call in at any Isos office, and we can answer any
questions you may have about applying for one of
our homes.
Existing Isos tenants can also apply for a mutual
exchange. For example, if you wanted to move to
a smaller Isos property, and another Isos tenant
needed a larger property, we could arrange for you
to ‘swap’ homes. Please speak to your Housing
Officer for further advice about this option.
Please note, Isos does not currently provide
emergency accommodation for homeless people –
if you are homeless you need to contact the council
in your area.
Page 9 Space&Place
The green,
green grass
of home
With the green shoots of spring making
an appearance, we thought it would be
helpful to provide details of the grounds
maintenance programme which will
operate over the year.
The work schedule is flexible, so the teams
from our contractor Ground Control will
not necessarily visit at the same intervals
all year, but as a general guide, all open
spaces and public areas which Isos looks
after will be maintained as follows.
On schemes or estates where there are
grassed areas, there will be at least 16
visits. Weather permitting, the grass will
be cut – and cuttings left – once in March,
twice per month April to October and once
in November. Rough grass will be cut
twice - between April and October. Shrub
beds will be weeded on eight occasions
and most will be cultivated and pruned
once, however in some areas this will be
done four times. Hard surfaces will receive
herbicide applications twice and the base
of walls, hedges, fence lines and other
obstacles within the grassed area will get
one. Hedges will be cut twice between
April and October.
In those areas where the grass cuttings
are collected and removed, there will be
18 visits with mowing on 16 occasions and
edging on one. Weeding will be carried
out eight times, shrub pruning four and
herbicide applications to hard surfaces
twice. There will be two winter tidy-ups
in these places.
Areas which have a mixture of hard
surfaces and shrubs will be visited 10
times: eight visits from April to October for
weeding and litter picking (with pruning
carried out on three of these occasions)
and twice from November to March for
tidying and herbicide applications. Pruning
and shrub bed cultivation will each be
carried out on one of these winter visits.
Areas where there are only hard surfaces
such as tarmac, flagstones, gravel etc. will
receive four visits – two between April and
October for the application of herbicides
and two during between November and
March to provide a general tidy up with
the removal of litter and leaves.
For more information, please contact the
housing officer for your area on
0300 300 1505.
Page 10 Space&Place
Bedroom Tax
help for Ray
and Bridget
Advice from our Financial and Social Inclusion
team has helped a Walker couple to remain
independent in their own home, when the
Bedroom Tax was hitting their income hard.
Ray and Bridget O’Connor live in a three bedroom Isos house in Walker.
The couple have been through a tough period, ever since Bridget had a
stroke three years ago which left her needing round-the-clock care.
Before the Bedroom Tax was introduced Ray, 55, had been in the
process of adapting the couple’s home to help Bridget. He is her
full time carer.
Due to Bridget’s care needs, she sleeps in a hospital-style bed in the
couple’s former double bedroom, Ray sleeps in the second bedroom
and their third room is used by carers who stay overnight to help with
56-year-old Bridget’s care.
Ray, a grandfather of four, said: “When the Bedroom Tax came out, I got
in touch and told them what had happened to us but was told it made
no difference because we were married.
“According to the rules, we were supposed to be staying in the same
room but I said we couldn’t, and we had carers coming in through the
night, so there was nowhere for me to go.”
After fighting the decision, the couple were permitted one extra
bedroom because carers were staying in it but the couple still have to
pay for the bedroom where Ray sleeps.
After advice from Lee Forrest, team leader for Financial and Social
Inclusion at Isos, Ray and Bridget successfully applied to Newcastle
City Council for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to cover the
shortfall in their rent.
How to eat healthily
on a low budget
Our colleagues in Customers & Communities at Isos
are looking at ways to help residents to eat nutritious
and healthy meals on a limited income.
We know from the findings of the Real Life Reform project run by the
Northern Housing Consortium, that most social housing residents
surveyed spend less than £20 per week on food.
At a time when the use of food banks is on the rise – and Isos supports
them too – we want to do all we can to give Isos residents the best advice.
But we know that many of the best ideas for making savings are
Ask Lee
Ray said: “I want my wife to stay at home and not be in a home
because we have been married 33 years and we always said we would
look after each other. It has put a lot of stress on us, if it was not for the
carers I would be finished.”
Lee said: “We’re so pleased to have helped Ray and Bridget. There
are many different elements to under occupation, but I think any fair
minded person would see that this couple need a three bedroom
property, or they simply could not cope.”
already out there in the communities we serve – and they’re already
saving you and your neighbours money every day.
Maybe there is a budget recipe you’ve invented – or one that’s been
passed down through your family? Where do you shop to get the
cheapest food? Is there a secret to making a good meal out of leftovers?
So please share your ‘top tips’ with us, we will include the best ones
in our campaign, and hopefully those ideas will be useful to some of
the other 20,000 Isos residents across the North East.
There will be three £50 prizes for the best ideas sent into us by
Isos residents.
You can get in touch with us via the usual email address, leave a
message on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/talktoisos
or write to us at Space & Place, Isos Housing, Number Five, Gosforth
Park Avenue, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE12 8EG.
I thought Universal Credit was supposed
to start last October, but all my benefits are
still separate – when will it change?
Universal Credit is still planned to be in
place by 2017 for working age people. It
began as a trial in some areas from April
2013, and was supposed to start across the
country from October 2013.
However there are no current plans for
Universal Credit to be introduced in any of our
Isos communities until at least 2015. So for
now, for most people, benefits will continue to
be paid in the usual way.
We’ll keep watching for any changes, and as
ever, we’ll let you know about them as soon as
we find out. In the meantime, maybe it’s a good
idea to think about how prepared you would be
if Universal Credit was introduced sooner.
Do you have a bank account that can make
and receive payments? Do you have access
to the internet, or do you know where to go for
help to get online?
If you receive income based benefits,
would you be able to budget to make your
money last a whole month after you paid
your essential bills like rent, council tax, gas,
electricity, TV licence and water rates if you
were paid your entitlements once a month,
instead of once a week, or once a fortnight?
It’s worth thinking about, and if you’d like
to talk about it, please call the Financial
and Social Inclusion Team on
0300 300 1505, or email
[email protected].
Appealing ‘Bedroom
Tax’ Decisions
New decision notices on housing benefit will
be dropping through many of our customers’
letterboxes soon – and they need to be
checked straight away.
You normally have one calendar month to
appeal against a housing benefit decision,
but this can be increased to 13 months in
some circumstances. If your Local Authority
has made a mistake, there is no time limit.
So please, check your decision letter straight
away, and if you’re not sure about anything
or need help to appeal, get in touch with
our Financial and Social Inclusion team on
0300 300 1505 or email
[email protected]
Page 11 Space&Place
to tackle antisocial behaviour
The drive to stamp out anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods
where Isos has homes is being stepped up with the introduction
of a pilot 24 hour witness service called iWitness.
“When people report anti-social
behaviour, we often end up in a situation
where it is their word against a neighbour.
There is rarely any third party evidence
From the beginning of April, The
happening – before producing a detailed available for officers to use. iWitness
should help solve that by providing
Protector Group, an independent and
report for the relevant Isos officer by the
independently obtained evidence
accredited team will be working with Isos start of the next working day.
showing exactly what has happened.
to provide accurate and credible witness
Team leader Laurie Edmundson said:
reports on disturbances. predominantly
“When we have evidence of
“We know a high percentage of antiout of office hours.
unacceptable behaviour we will
social behaviour happens outside of
take the appropriate action to tackle
On call 24 hours a day, the professional
our office opening hours, so with this
witnesses can be on site in approximately service we are looking at improving our it. The evidence collated by iWitness
30 minutes of you calling the Isos out
responses to dealing with cases. We are officers can and will be used as part
of hours Customer Service team on
committed to do everything possible to of legal proceedings taken by Isos
0300 300 1505 to report a problem.
ensure people can live peacefully in their where necessary.
homes, without intrusive behaviour or
Equipped with cameras and recording
noise nuisance.
equipment, they will observe what is
Picture caption: L-R: Community Support Officer Dave Wilson, Isos resident
Norman Robinson, Safer Neighbourhoods Team Leader Laurie Edmundson,
Safer Neighbourhoods Officer Garry Scurfield, and PC Ian Richardson,
working together on Finchdale Close.
All quiet on the Finchdale Close front
A crackdown on all night parties, noise and
vandalism has returned a North Shields street
to a quiet neighbourhood.
Working with the police and local residents, the Isos safer
neighbourhoods team and housing management colleagues
tackled three or four households which were causing the
majority of anti-social behaviour in Finchdale Close.
Page 12 Space&Place
After action, including warnings, notices and anti-social
behaviour agreements (ABAs) were introduced, reports of
problems fell from 23 in July to zero in February.
Laurie Edmundson said: “This shows that when we are faced
with a challenging anti-social behaviour issues, making a
combined effort really is effective.”
Picture caption: Left to right: Councillor Scott Dickinson, business chair of Northumberland County Council, PC Paul Dent,
neighbourhood officer, Laurie Edmundson from Isos, Judith Davies, community safety officer for Northumberland County Council.
Teenage den dismantled
Reports about young people congregating in the bushes behind a shopping
precinct in Hadston, Northumberland, prompted a swift response from Isos
and our partners, all determined to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Northumberland County Council’s
Now there are plans to talk with young
safety team and the police visited and
people and parents about alcohol,
found discarded beer cans and bottles, drug and solvent abuse.
cigarette packs, empty aerosol tins and
Laurie Edmundson, team leader
paraphernalia associated with drug use.
for safer neighbourhoods at Isos,
Following further discussions with
said: “We will not tolerate anti-social
Isos – which manages the nearby
behaviour in the communities we
Ladyburn House - the ‘den’ was
serve. Everyone has the right to enjoy
dismantled and patrols stepped up.
their home quietly and peacefully.”
Local ward councillor, Scott Dickinson,
added: “A minority disrupting the
peace of the majority must not be
allowed in any community. This
partnership work is a clear example
of how we can work together to
resolve communities issues.”
Any community concerns can
be reported to the police, to
Northumberland County Council
Community Safety on 0845 6006400,
to Isos Housing on 0300 300 1505 or
via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Front line team
supporting older residents
Isos has reorganised the way in which older people living
in our sheltered properties are supported, and the full
complement of scheme officers, with one for each Isos site,
is now in place.
All the officers have been trained to provide help and advice
which enables our residents to live independently for as long
as possible.
The officers, listed by scheme name, are:
Aldwych House, South Shields
Athol House, Ponteland
Cockshaw Court, Hexham
Condercum Court, Benwell
Northfields House, Heaton
Osborne Villas, Jesmond Park View, Lynemouth Rede House, Otterburn Renwick House, Morpeth Southfields House, Heaton St Cuthberts Court, Hexham Trinity Court, Corbridge Tynedale Grange, Haltwhistle Liz Smith
Ruth Jobling
Tom North
Lai Yee Tsang
Gwen Muir
Glynis Dilbo
Gail Russell
Yasemin Oliver
Amanda Roberts
Denise Tulip
Sheila Jones
Danielle Smith
Ken Batey
Back row (L-R): Lai
Yee Tsang, Denise Tul
ip, Amanda Roberts,
Ruth Jobling, Liz Sm
Danielle Smith,
ith, Yasemin Oliver, Gly
nis Dilbo, Ken Batey,
Gwen Muir. Front Ro
Sheila Jones,
w: Gail Russell and Tom
North
The scheme officers all start work
at 9am, but work a variety of shift patterns, so to be sure
of getting a response, please contact them via the officebased Supported Housing Older Persons team on
0300 300 1505.
Isos provides a range of Sheltered Housing and Extra
Care facilities across the North East. Our self-contained,
centrally heated homes are easily accessible and have
the added security of an alarm system.
There are communal lounges, laundries, door entry
systems, lifts to all floors, private gardens and guest
rooms for visitors. Most schemes are located at the
heart of the local community and close to local shops
and amenities. The alarms are all high-specification, to
enable emergency help to be called - including a mobile
response – 24 hours a day.
Page 13 Space&Place
Need to Kn
Get growing!
All things
being equal
The Isos vision for equality and diversity is one where
everyone is treated fairly, has the right to the same
opportunities, freedom, respect and access to services.
So, after consulting with Area Panels, other customers,
staff and stakeholders we have introduced a new Single
Equality Scheme.
The aims are to ensure:
We understand the diverse make up of our tenants
and service users
Our involvement strategy reaches out to all groups
We further develop communications with our diverse
communities
We understand the diverse make up of our staff
hat all our people are trained and confident to
T
consider diversity issues into everything they do
We apply an Equality Impact Assessment process in
decision making
We will publish a review of what we have achieved
each year and the steps we plan to take in the
following 12 months. This will be made available at
www.isoshousing.co.uk and presented to our Board
and Area Panels.
You can write to us about this at: Isos Housing,
Number Five, Gosforth Park Avenue, Gosforth Business
Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8EG. Or, call us on
0300 300 1505, email [email protected] fax us
at 0191 223 8600, text 07797 885039 or follow us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/talktoisos
To see more details of the scheme, visit
www.isoshousing.co.uk and click on About Us, then
Equality and Diversity. Or hard copies can be provided
upon request.
Space & Place is produced by the communications and marketing team
at Isos Housing, Number Five, Gosforth Park Avenue, Gosforth Business
Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8EG.
If you have any comments or suggestions for future issues, please contact
us on 0300 300 1505 or via [email protected] and we will be
glad to hear from you.
If you, or someone you know, needs Space & Place in an audio format
or in larger print, please contact us and we can arrange that.
Page 14 Space&Place
With spring in the air, we are launching our annual garden
competition with £600 worth of prizes up for grabs.
You can enter your own garden or nominate another
Isos resident whose garden you have admired.
Categories this year include: Best overall garden; Best
new garden/most improved garden; Best display of
hanging baskets, pots and containers; Best community/
communal garden.
Entry forms are available by calling Isos on
0300 300 1505 and ask for the community involvement
team, by emailing [email protected]
or write to the Community Involvement Team,
Isos Housing, First Floor, Owen House, Sanderson
Arcade, Morpeth, NE61 1NS.
The closing date is Monday, June 23rd 2014.
Bon Jovi Tribute - winner
The winner of our Space & Place competition to win a
pair of tickets to see the Bon Jovi Experience tribute
band was Catherine Kirkley from Alnwick.
Mrs Kirkley won a pair of tickets for the big gig at the
Whitley Bay Playhouse on Saturday March 22nd.
Thanks to everyone who entered the competition both
via email and on our facebook page.
We also need to thank Newcastle Gateshead Initiative
and the Whitley Bay Playhouse for making the
competition possible.
Don’t miss
out on the TOB
We’re still on the hunt for great ideas to support through
our £50,000 Tenant Option Budget (TOB). See the leaflet
enclosed with Space & Place for all the details.
ow...
Read all about it
Isos publishes this magazine every three months to
keep you informed about what we’re up to and what is
happening in the neighbourhoods we serve.
Recently, we carried out a telephone survey to find out
what you think about Space & Place so that we can
improve the magazine and tackle the things which
matter most to you.
Altogether 371 people provided feedback, so many
thanks for that. Here are the main findings together
with some of the comments received.
Encouragingly, 91% of those people said they read
some or all of the magazine
The most commonly read sections were – Need to
Know 24.75%, community and human interest stories
24.41% and the safer neighbourhoods update 23.39%
Publishing Space and Place every three months also
met with the approval of most people – 54.99%. Just
over 15% of respondents suggested publishing twice a
year and more than 18% every month
We asked if we could provide the magazine via email or
on our website – the result was just over one in ten of you
liked that idea. Over 87% prefer the current paper format
Generally the feeling was that the magazine is too
focussed on Tyneside and Northumberland but other
comments we got - on the plus side - included:
I like it because it lets me know what’s going on.
I look forward to it.
It offers a lot of things to a lot of different people.
The magazine is decent. It tells you what you want
to know.
It’s useful. You get information about services.
On the minus side, people also said:
I think it’s a waste of money, I don’t think it’s necessary.
I think it’s totally irrelevant.
It needs to be sharper. It should be more eye-catching.
It’s a bit dull.
If they spent less on advertising each year….maybe the
rent would not go up.
It would be good if it was more objective. There are
always good comments and not anything bad.
Thanks for all your comments, positive and negative,
and we will consider them all for future editions.
If there is any further comment you want to make,
please do get in touch with us on email
[email protected] or on the phone
0300 300 1505 or write to Space & Place, Isos Housing,
Number Five, Gosforth Park Avenue, Gosforth Business
Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8EG.
WIN up to £150 in
supermarket vouchers
Here is your chance to get your shopping paid for by Isos!
The winner of our competition gets £150 worth of vouchers
for the supermarket of their choice, with the runner up getting
£100 and third place winning £50.
To have a chance of winning, simply answer the three
questions below (you’ll find all the answers in the magazine)
and send us your contact details.
PLEASE REMEMBER the email address for the magazine
is: [email protected]
1. How many new homes are we building in Seaton Burn?
2. What is the name of the Isos building in South
Shields, opened by the Princess Royal?
3. What is the name of the new Isos scheme to gather
evidence of anti-social behaviour?
Please take care with your answers – we received over 50
wrong answers to our winter competition. The right answers
were: 1. Corbridge; 2. Kenspeckle; 3. Hannah Underwood.
Name
Address
Contact tel:
Email address (optional):
Either post this completed form to: Space & Place
Competition, Isos Housing, Number Five, Gosforth Park
Avenue, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle, NE12 8EG,
or email your entry, with your contact details including
daytime phone number, to us at space.place@isoshousing.
co.uk to reach us no later than 4pm, Friday, May 9th. The
competition is open to Isos residents only. The competition
will be drawn that day. The winners will all be listed in the
next edition of Space&Place.
Good luck!
Our Special Christmas
competition was won by
Eileen Walton, who won
£200 of Tesco vouchers.
The two runners up were
Mrs S Killingworth from
Lynemouth and Paul
Nicholas from Jarrow, who
each won £100 of vouchers.
Page 15 Space&Place
Isos and Cestria working together
We have some progress to report to you on the proposed
partnership between Isos Housing and Cestria Community Housing.
You may remember receiving a
letter along with your Space & Place
magazine last July, to tell you about
Isos beginning talks with Cestria in
Chester le Street, and we’ve also
reported about this in our autumn
and winter editions.
Our Board and managers are looking
into a proposal for how Cestria
Community Housing could become
a member of the Isos Group, while
still retaining its own identity and
independence.
We are keen to hear your opinions
about this, and for you to ask any
questions you might have.
If our plans are approved, we would
expect the new enlarged Group to
begin operating by October this year.
The proposal is that Cestria would
continue to operate as an independent We have sent all Isos residents a leaflet
with answers to some frequently asked
landlord, with its own identity, looking
questions about our proposed link up
after its own homes and customers,
with Cestria, together with a reply form
but would become part of the Isos
for you to give us your opinions.
Housing Group, and both Cestria
If you prefer, you can speak directly
and Isos would benefit from sharing
to Richard Fryer, our executive
services and expertise.
By coming together as one Group, we director of business and people on
0300 300 1505 (local rate), or email him
believe we could save money – and
[email protected]
use the savings to build more new
You can also comment on our
homes and improve the services you
facebook page at
get from us.
www.facebook.com/talktoisos
There would be no change to your
tenancy – it would continue as before, We need to hear from you by
Friday 11th April please
on the same terms.
Sara Parker-Clark from Isos (centre)presents a cheque
to the Friday Night Getaway youth club in Blyth
Funding positive change
The Friday Night Getaway in Blyth is a youth club for 1119 year-olds from the Newsham and New Delaval areas.
The project uses creative art, sport, drama – and support
from youth workers - to raise confidence and aspirations.
It is one of dozens of fantastic community projects Isos
Page 16 Space&Place
has funded through the My Community Fund. We’ve
provided over £3,000 of the £9,200 costs.
For more details of projects like this, and how Isos is
helping them succeed, please visit the website at
www.isoshousing.co.uk