Digital storytelling project wins
Transcription
Digital storytelling project wins
Tenants’ Newsletter December 2013 Viewpoint Digital storytelling project wins award read more on page 11 Broadacres Housing Association Limited is an exempt charity Freephone 0800 587 5291 www.broadacres.org.uk Chairman’s Christmas message Every year I look forward to watching one of my favourite Christmas movies - "A Christmas Carol"- and every year I get a lump in my throat at that moment when the anti-hero comes good. Scrooge realises that a small gesture can have a huge impact. He sends an enormous turkey on Christmas Day to the home of his assistant, Bob Cratchit, and in so doing effectively saves Tiny Tim's life. It's with this thought in mind that I offer to you the opportunity to do something similar (though not on that scale). Broadacres is privileged to be at the heart of the Hambleton FoodShare, and I would urge you to buy that extra bag of rice or tin of ham and donate it to such a worthwhile initiative. It will be of enormous help to those around us who will have little this Christmas, and - who knows - may make a life changing difference to someone. Then, we can properly share Tiny Tim's sentiments, "God bless us, every one!" Have a very Happy Christmas! Brian Mayne * You can donate to the Hambleton FoodShare in the following ways: - Send a cheque made payable to Hambleton Foodshare to Suzanne Smith at Broadacres' head office - Make a bank payment directly into the Hambleton Foodshare account CAF, sort code 40-52-40 and account number 00023262 - Food donations can be made to New Life Baptist, Methodist Church, Age UK, Zion URC and Richmond & Hambleton Furniture Store or Broadacres - all based in Northallerton Board update At Broadacres’ Annual General Meeting elections were held for the Board of Management, Tenants of Broadacres had been invited to nominate tenants to sit on the Board. Two candidates were put forward for the one vacancy and Austin McNamara (pictured) was re-elected to the Board. The terms of office of two other Board members, namely the Reverend Canon Brian Mayne and Paddy Burke, had also come to end and both had indicated they wished to stand again. As no further nominations were made, this meant that both Rev Mayne and Mr Burke were re-elected to the Board of Management. 02 Our phone service Our phone service is now available from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday on 0800 587 5291 (free from a landline) or 01609 767900. Calls are handled by a team of experienced staff who aim to deal with your query at first point of contact. They can give advice and information about all our services and if they are unable to assist will pass you to the relevant person. We are particularly busy between 8am and 11am so if you can phone outside these hours, you should get through more quickly. Over the Christmas period our full phone service will be available until 6pm on Christmas Eve and from 8am on 2nd January. At other times we will offer a service for emergency repair calls only. We have now appointed Coast and Country Housing Association to answer phone calls ‘out of hours’. Please only phone (using the same numbers) if you have an emergency repair that must be attended to. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks Volunteers win award Three volunteers who have helped to raise thousands of pounds and given up thousands of hours of their time to help people living in one of our extra care schemes have had their tireless work recognised through an award. Christine said: “We are reliant on volunteers and without their continued help and support we wouldn’t have been able to provide the social activities which play such an important role in the health and wellbeing of the residents. Wendy Braithwaite, 55, and sisters Pauline Taylor, 54, and Debbie Albinson, 52, recently received the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Team Award in the ‘Cornerstone of the Community’ awards held by Newcastle Building Society. “We are very lucky to have Wendy, Pauline and Debbie because finding good volunteers is like gold dust, and they thoroughly deserve this award.” The award is in recognition of their volunteer work over the last seven years at Town Close, a 40-apartment extra care complex owned by Broadacres in North Road, Stokesley. The trio provide companionship for the elderly residents, as well as raising money for the Town Close social fund and running weekly activities. They were nominated for the award by Melanie Hall, Support Worker, and Christine Foy, Broadacres’ Extra Care Coordinator at Town Close. Wendy and Debbie, who both live in Stokesley, and Pauline, who is from the town but now lives in Rillington, Malton, say they were shocked when they discovered they had won the award. They said: “There were so many groups that deserved to win so it was very flattering when our names were called at the awards ceremony. “Being a volunteer, especially in somewhere like Town Close, is very rewarding and you certainly feel like you are making a real difference to peoples’ lives.” ■ From left to right: Award winners Pauline Taylor, Debbie Albinson and Wendy Braithwaite. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 03 Meet Broadacres’ Rent Collection Team ■ Back row: Norma, Julie, Mike, Amanda, Jayne & Cathy Front row: Joanne M, Amy, Joanne B & Karen Our Rents Team is here to collect the rent that pays for the services you receive. Tenancy Support Team Rent Account Managers Amanda Donkin & Jayne Stamp help those affected by Welfare Reform changes, to offer advice, support and referral to other agencies. The Rent Account Managers look after anyone who has got into a higher level of debt on their account: Rent Advisor Karen Norton: Northallerton, Bedale & Bainbridge Amy Evans looks after the low level debts, and prevents people from getting into high arrears Cathy Heavey: Northallerton, Richmond & Catterick Amy also manages recharges and garages. Norma Hodson: Thirsk, Ryedale & Ripon Julie Holmes: Easingwold, Selby & Sherburn-In-Elmet Joanne Bennett: Stokesley, Great Ayton & Brompton Debt Recovery Team Joanne Muir & Michael King manage the debts of our former tenants – working with specialised Tracing Agents and managing our small claims court cases. They also deal with invoicing and collection of recharges when someone leaves their home and we have to spend additional money to put it right! Each member of the team has been fully trained to guide and assist you with any questions you may have: We can: • Assist you making a claim for Housing Benefit • Refer you to other agencies if we think you could benefit from some additional help I noticed that the rent payments were not very regular. From this, I found out that the family were affected by the bedroom shortfall. I booked an appointment and went to visit. I spent almost three hours with the family and discovered that there were other financial problems. Julie, Rent Account Manager: Over the last five months I have: I have a tenant whose relationship has broken down and her partner has left the • Organised a £700 write off payment towards her Yorkshire Water bill. • Check if you are receiving the right money • Help you budget your money effectively 04 property. She has a son and works, but is on a low income. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks • Visited Housing Benefits to ensure her claim was made on time and up to date. • Obtained a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) towards the rent – worth £26 per week. • I am now advising on how to deal with other debts – and who can help her with those. I regularly check the account to make sure the rent is being paid and I am currently helping her with another DHP claim. Continued Paying your rent if your circumstances change Started work or had a change in working hours? • Let the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Housing Benefit and Council Tax Department know straight away. • You must tell us within 7 days. Lost a job or contract has come to an end? • You must make a claim for Job Seekers Allowance straight away. We also recommend making a claim for Housing Benefit so that they will pay the rent on your behalf without any gaps. Working but off due to sickness? • You may qualify for a range of support including Housing Benefit which could cover your rent until you have returned to work. You can either contact your local Job Centre for further advice or Broadacres – we will try and help out where we can. Change to your household? • Somebody moved out or in (lodger or family member)? – you must tell the DWP, Housing Benefit and Council Tax straight away to avoid any possible overpayments and charges. • Had a child? – You should ring the DWP (Tax Credits) straight away, and notify Housing Benefit so any claim you have can be updated straight away and you don’t fall into any debt. • If you are unsure, give us a ring – we are here to advise and help you know what you need to do! Your rent must be treated as a priority and paid every week. If you want to pay at longer intervals, it must be paid in advance. Contact the Rents Team: 01609 767900/0800 587 5291 or email [email protected] Tackling Housing Fraud in North Yorkshire Social housing fraud costs the public purse at least £900 million each year. In 2012, nearly two million families were on a waiting list for social housing. In North Yorkshire there are more than 13,000 people registered with North Yorkshire Home Choice, with over 1,000 in gold banding. Homeless families often have to enter temporary accommodation due to a lack of available housing. The total cost to the public purse of housing these families is nearly £1 billion each year. Broadacres is working with Veritau Ltd – a counter fraud organisation – and other social housing providers across North Yorkshire to tackle housing fraud and we need your help to do so. How to spot a fraudster • If you never or only very rarely see the tenant, call us. If a property is empty or not being lived in, it should be made available to someone who needs it. • Do you live near a housing association/council property where the tenants keep changing? It could be sublet and the real tenant making money from it. It’s estimated that 98,000 social housing properties in England are being unlawfully sublet. • Do you know someone who has lied to be housed? They may have lied about where they used to live, how many people are in their family, or about other property they own. Lies like these take homes from people in greater need. To report suspected fraud in complete confidence, call Veritau’s fraud hotline on 01904 552935 or email [email protected]. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 05 Broadacres now has a new website The new site, which still has the same www.broadacres.org.uk address, features an animated home page, complete with a moving Broadacres Property Services van and a street ‘scene’ that uses real-life images of our properties/schemes. The biggest change we have made to our site is reducing the amount of pages whilst still ensuring the information that is important to our residents and other stakeholders is still available. We believe the new site is now much easier to navigate, with three main headings aimed at existing customers, people who wish to find a home and anyone interested in the various services we provide (see page 16). It is still very early days for the website and we will adapt it in response to any feedback we get, so any views you have would be appreciated. Please email us at [email protected] or call us on 0800 587 5291 or 01609 767900. Mulberry bears fruit Mulberry Homes Yorkshire is advertising the first properties on the exclusive Sowerby Gateway development in Thirsk. In the first release we will have a two-bedroom house and a three-bedroom house for sale via a shared ownership lease, followed by a further two four-bedroom homes and one three-bedroom house. In the first instance, these homes will be for people with a local connection to the Thirsk area. Anyone interested in the shared ownership properties and wanting further information can visit our website or contact New Homes Coordinator Kath Stansfield on 01609 767972. In this phase we will also have four twobedroom homes and two three-bedroom homes for rent and these will be advertised through North Yorkshire Home Choice. Anyone interested should register with North Yorkshire Home Choice and the homes will be advertised around March 2014. 06 Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks Paddles up A Richmond teenager has returned from the world kayaking championship with a world ranking to match his age. Richard Pawley was one of the youngest competitors in the 2013 Freestyle Kayaking Championships held in North Carolina, USA, and his performance at the event (he competed in the ‘Squirt Boat’ category) has earned him a world ranking of 17, which is the age he turned when he was out representing his country. The generosity of family, friends and the local community helped pay for Richard and his father to travel to the event. This included sponsorship provided by Broadacres, which runs the ABLE Day Centre in Colburn where Richard’s brother Stephen attends. Richard is pictured left with Stephen and ABLE Manager Lynn Tompkinson. Richard’s achievement is even more impressive when it is considered he is still receiving treatment to shrink a tumour in his nose that was discovered during a routine operation 18 months ago. Lynn Tompkinson, Manager of the ABLE Day Centre, said: “We are all very proud of Richard and his big brother Stephen is especially pleased that he did so well.” Christmas activities To get everyone in the festive spirit, we are holding a number of Christmas-related activities in our supported housing schemes. Alverton Primary School will perform at The Orchards on the 16th December. Father Christmas has kindly agreed to come early to see the visiting schoolchildren so family and friends are especially welcome. Throughout December, at Rivendale in Northallerton, we have a special offer of a Christmas tea, which includes a sandwich, piece of cake or a mince pie and a cup of tea or coffee, all for £2.50. For those people living near Rivendale who will be alone on Christmas, we have a number of limited places for Christmas lunch. Please call on 01609 781096. Christmas fairs have already been held at The Orchards and Rivendale, with festival stalls for the public to enjoy. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 07 Wedding anniversaries Ruth and Tom Maddison Ruth and Tom, from Great Ayton, recently celebrated their 60th (Diamond) wedding anniversary. The couple met at Guisborough Fair when they were 16 and 17 and married in Christ Church, Great Ayton, when Tom was 21 and Ruth 22. They have lived all their life in Great Ayton and moved into their house from new in 1957. Ruth and Tom married when Tom left the RAF. Tom was a service engineer working on photocopiers and printers for many years. Ruth has had a number of jobs including bus conductor and barmaid. They have two children – David and Diane and four grandchildren, Laura, Louise, Jenny and Michael. They have one great-grandson Stanley, who is 18 months old, and is their pride and joy. Tom enjoys aero modelling and has made a number of exceptional models, as well as running classes and attending shows and exhibitions on the subject. Ruth likes doing jigsaws, playing bingo and knitting. Tom is very fit and goes walking every week with his son, as well as walking holidays abroad. He also regularly walks up Roseberry Topping. When asked the secret of 60 happy years, Tom said it was keeping quiet and Ruth said it was doing things together. John and Bobby Gaunt John and Bobby have just celebrated their 70th (Platinum) wedding anniversary. The couple met in the RAF during the war. She was known as Bobby because of her bobbed haircut. John worked in newspaper advertising on a Middlesbrough paper before the war and returned afterwards – they then moved around a bit and initially retired to Norfolk. The couple then moved to Oswaldene, Osmotherley, some years ago to be nearer their only son who lives in Saltburn. They have a granddaughter who has a small market garden in West Rounton and supplies Roots with organic vegetables. Bobby loves knitting and also spinning and weaving. 08 Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks Hats off to knitters Several Broadacres staff got their knitters in a twist – but it’s all in the name of charity! Broadacres is supporting this year’s ‘The Big Knit’, a joint campaign between Age UK and Innocent Drinks to help vulnerable people. Six members of staff, Sandra Donnelly, Julie Ford, Elsie Collu, Amanda Barfoot, Fiona Coleman and Amanda Aveyard, along with residents living in The Orchards extra care scheme in Brompton and Rockliffe Court physical and sensory disabilities scheme in Hurworth, have knitted over 300 bobble hats for the campaign. The hats will go on top of Innocent Drinks, with 25p from every hat-topped bottle sold being donated to Age UK. Elsie Collu, Broadacres’ Care Services Administrator, explained: “The money raised for Age UK through the campaign helps to keep older people warm and well in winter through befriending visits, emergency cold weather support, warm meals and other vital services. Assistant, s Service Care Julie Ford, Finance Assistant, Elsie Collu, Administrator, and Amanda Barfoot, Management Accountant. ■ Pictured from left to right: Sandra Donnelly, Finance “As a company which provides services for older people we know how vital this support is, and with so many eager knitters at Broadacres we were delighted to be able to contribute to the campaign.” Anne gets on her bike Anne Ash, Broadacres’ Finance Administrator, joined 89 other women in October cycling across Cuba. Our staff and residents have also been involved in other charitable events over recent months, including: The monies raised will be split equally between Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action. Each participant had to raise a minimum of £2,900, which Anne (pictured right) raised through organising various events and games locally and at Broadacres. - Several people raised thousands of pounds for their chosen charities by completing the Great North Run - We raised money by taking part in Jeans for Genes day at head office - We had a coffee and cakes morning at head office and raised £145 for Macmillan Cancer Support - Our three extra care schemes in Northallerton, Brompton and Stokesley raised £510 by taking part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning. The ride involved cycling 400kms over five days through unspoilt Cuba using local roads with a local Cuban back-up team. The women also met local schoolchildren and supplied clothes, stationery and sports equipment they had brought from the UK. The experience was challenging and worthwhile, especially after training in the rain on the Yorkshire hills and dales. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 09 CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT @ BROADACRES The Fun Factory Broadacres’ Community Involvement Team launched the new Northallerton Youth Club in September. The young people that attended were given the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher of their choice by naming the club. Gerrard Bickerton, 7 (pictured), thought up the winning name, ‘The Fun Factory’. Gerrard is a keen footballer who plays for Brompton Juniors FC and wanted to spend the gift voucher on a new pair of football boots and shin pads. Twenty young people from the Northallerton area attended the opening session and took part in a welcome party with music, games and party food. Other planned activities include clay model making, cake decorating, lantern making, music sessions and much, much more. Broadacres were awarded £500 from the Police Disposal of Property Fund for the project, which has been used to purchase a pool table, a games console, lots of arts and craft materials, and to cover room hire. We have also recently received £1,000 from the Esh Charitable Trust which will help with ongoing running costs. Seven Broadacres’ tenants have kindly volunteered to help at the club and we would like to thank them for their support. We are also very grateful to the Governors of Mill Hill Primary School for allowing us to use their premises. Like! Facebook is a great way for customers to share their views and have any general queries answered, so why not ‘like’ our page at facebook.com/broadacres Our Community Involvement Facebook page has passed the magic 200 ‘likes’ mark and to celebrate we gifted one of our ‘liker’s’ a £50 Love2Shop gift voucher. All 200 names were put in a hat and the winner, Annabelle Jane Robinson (pictured right) was selected by Glyn Mucklow, Chair of the Performance and Improvement Panel. After being notified of her win, Annabelle shared that she was “so happy” and that she had “never won anything before.” The Facebook page was set up around two years ago by the Community Involvement Team and recently we have seen a flourish of new ‘likes’ and customers are engaging with us more and more frequently. 10 Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks By Andrew Gledhill, Broadacres’ Creative Engagement Facilitator We recently ran an ‘Open Door’ project in Northallerton, which was aimed at giving us an insight into what Broadacres’ tenants value, individually and as a group. This involved encouraging tenants and residents to ‘open their doors’ in order to have conversations about what really matters to them and their families. Using a fun and quirky activity - portrait photography and audio recordings - we engaged with around 250 Northallerton residents over a period of four days, asking them to pose for a portrait, either in their homes or on the street. The participants also got a print of their own portrait to keep. We also asked participants a simple question designed to start a conversation about values. The question was: ‘your home is on fire and you and your family (including pets) are safely outside. If you could save one item from the house what would it be?’ CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT @ BROADACRES Opening doors Answers ranged from mobile phones to family photographs, often with underlying values attached such as the importance of friendship and communication, and how family and memories are seen as more important than material objects. By focusing on these values we were able to understand what is important to our residents, which will help shape our approach to community engagement in the future. The photographs you see on this page are part of a larger group of portraits and during the next few months some of these will be projected onto buildings in the Northallerton area to form an external mobile exhibition. This type of engagement can provide inspiration for future community activity and engagement and we believe that when individuals participate in a positive experience, they can become motivated and energised to participate on many levels. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 11 CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT @ BROADACRES More funding successes As well as money for the Fun Factory, the Community Involvement Team has been busy over the last few months helping to attract muchneeded funding for community based projects, including: • Police Crime Commissioner funding towards materials for young people undertaking reparation work on some flats in Northallerton - £3,863 • Hambleton Community Grants Scheme towards the costs of hosting various activities connected with celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Orchards Extra Care Housing scheme - £1,350 The team also joined forces with Rural Arts to help attract funding through the Skills Funding Agency for a community learning pilot. The project was developed to engage customers in a programme of creative workshops and encourage them to participate in supported learning with qualified tutors in a non-threatening, accessible and friendly environment. Customers from Broadacres, supported schemes at Maggie Neil House and Leyburn Lodge took part in these workshops. Comments from participants included: ‘Good to meet new people who accept you for who you are and develop new skills’ ‘It has given me a real sense of achievement’ The photograph above show some of the ceramics made by customers that took part. It is hoped that further workshops for the schemes involved can be delivered in the New Year. If you would like more information about Rural Arts you can contact them on 01845 526536 or visit their website www.ruralarts.org Community Development Fund ‘Stroke Forward’ is a voluntary group that supports people who have survived a stroke. They were recently awarded £485 from our Community Development Fund. The funding will help to keep the group running and provide much-needed mutual support between survivors for the next year. The group was set up primarily for Hambleton, Richmondshire & outlying areas, however, people from the Dales & Darlington also attend the group. The group would welcome anyone who was treated at the Friarage and James Cook Hospitals and anyone referred to them by the Stroke Association. It meets regularly at our Rivendale extra care scheme in Northallerton. For more information about the group contact David, a stroke survivor himself, on 01609 776699 or [email protected]. 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 our more by visiting www.broadacres.org.uk/Services /Community-Development-Fund/ 12 ■ Tenant Francis Dutton (left) and Tenant Bob Cook (right) present a cheque to David Jestin, Chairman/Secretary of Stroke Forward. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks A digital storytelling project that aims to capture the different and interesting lives of people living in our homes has won a prestigious housing industry award. in 1990 aged 50, set the world motorbike sprint record riding his high-powered motorbike 120 miles an hour along the Elvington race track in York. The project won the Innovation and Technology category in the Northern Housing Consortium ‘Northern Silver Screen’ awards. Led by Andrew Gledhill, Broadacres’ Creative Engagement Facilitator, we have captured a number of amazing stories involving our residents. Andrew Gledhill said: “By getting people to talk about different aspects of their lives and capturing this using audio visual technology such as film, animation and photography, we are aiming to build up a digital storytelling library that can be shared and enjoyed by everyone. These include Rich Deakin, from Snape, near Bedale, who once played football against a young Pele in America. Rich (pictured on the front page) was playing for a team in Chicago, where he had emigrated, when their encounter took place. “The whole reason for undertaking the project was to demonstrate that people living in our homes have lived interesting and varied lives and we have unearthed some amazing stories. “Winning the award was totally unexpected but we are absolutely delighted.” He went on to work for the Chicago Fire Department before he, and his American wife Mary-Lou, returned to live in the UK. If you live in a Broadacres home and have a story you would like to share please contact Andrew Gledhill on 07854 765714 or email [email protected] Another story captured by Andrew involves Jack Graham (pictured below), of Bedale, who Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT @ BROADACRES Award-winning stories 13 CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT @ BROADACRES Review of Planned Maintenance The Performance and Improvement Panel (PIP), has recently completed a review of Broadacres’ planned maintenance service. The review looked at the installation of new kitchens, bathrooms, boilers, heating systems, windows and doors, at a time when the work was being carried out by contractors. The Panel concluded that overall a good service is provided to customers, but made a number of recommendations for improvements, as well as identifying some positive practices. Broadacres’ staff are currently investigating the recommendations to see how they can incorporate them now that a lot of the work is done by Broadacres Property Services. The Panel would like to thank all staff, contractors and fellow customers who took part in the review. A copy of the review report is available on Broadacres’ website and paper copies are available on request. The Panel is a group of customers that review performance and services. It has been in existence for over two years and we are keen to encourage new We want your views Early next year we will be contacting some of you to ask you what you think about our services. It is 2 years since we did our last customer satisfaction survey and we want to know if you are still satisfied with what we do and how we can improve. We won’t be contacting everyone but will make sure that we have a representative sample of views. Please help us to keep improving our services by completing and returning the survey. 14 Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks ■ Resident David McIntosh Powrie, 74, sent us a complimentary letter saying he was so happy and pleased with the new kitchen we fitted in his home. involvement in the group. If you are a customer and are interested in joining the Panel please contact Emily Thomas 0800 587 5291 or 01609 767963, or email [email protected] for further information. Glyn Mucklow, Chair of the Performance and Improvement Panel Young offenders ordered by the courts to repay their debt to society are helping to transform an overgrown allotment site in a North Yorkshire village. CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT @ BROADACRES Allotments transformed Under the supervision of the North Yorkshire Youth Justice Service, the young people aged 14 to 17 have been working on allotments owned by Broadacres just off Main Street in Topcliffe, near Thirsk. Due to under-use, the allotments had become overgrown, but thanks to the efforts of four youths (pictured above with members of the Youth Justice Service) they have now been transformed. This has included cutting hedges/bushes, removing weeds and debris and cutting the grass. Christine Norman, Broadacres Housing Officer for the Topcliffe area: “We are delighted that this partnership with the Youth Justice Service has resulted in the allotments being tidied up and they now look fantastic. “People were being put off renting an allotment due to the state of the site but they are now much more attractive and we hope this will lead to more people taking a plot. “The Youth Justice Service are going to continue maintaining vacant plots for us and we have given them a plot free of charge to thank them for the work they have done. “The fact these young people are trying to turn their lives around and do something meaningful for the community is very inspirational.” Dave McKenzie-Brown, Reparation Officer for the North Yorkshire Youth Justice Service, said: “The four youths who carried out the work committed low level offences and were ordered by the courts to undertake work in the community to repay the damage they have caused by their offending. “They have shown a great worth ethic whilst learning skills that may enhance their future employment prospects and hopefully this positive experience will reduce the risk of them reoffending in the future.” This is part of a number of reparations projects that Broadacres, Customer Involvement Team – Emily Thomas, Chris Norlund and Andrew Gledhill – are working on with the Youth Justice Service across the areas where it has homes. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 15 Services for you Did you know as a customer of Broadacres you are able to access a wide variety of services that range from an oil purchase scheme through to affordable home contents insurance? The services we offer are as follows: Day care Based in Colburn, North Yorkshire, our ABLE Day Centre provides an opportunity for people with learning or physical disabilities, mental health issues or dementia, to engage in meaningful activities which help to improve concentration, aid dexterity, encourage decision-making and promote social interaction. These activities include card making, watercolour painting, glass and pottery painting and woodcraft. Home contents insurance The contents of your home and your personal possessions are your responsibility and we strongly recommend that you arrange home contents insurance for this reason. Our specialist low cost insurance scheme can provide cover from as little as £2.33 (for those aged 60 and over) and £3.50 (for those aged under 60) per month. Home improvement agency /Handyperson service Our small household repairs service, which operates in the Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale and Stockton-on-Tees areas, is aimed at doing all those small but essential jobs that you feel no longer able to manage and that will take less than three hours to complete, for example putting up shelves, curtain rails or assembly of flat pack furniture. Oil purchase scheme Our oil purchase scheme assists those customers who would prefer the option to pay for their heating oil by making monthly payments. We believe it’s easier to budget for oil by paying monthly and we have negotiated a 2.5p litre discount with two local suppliers. Hambleton FoodShare Hambleton FoodShare is a community partnership supported by Broadacres which provides emergency three-day food parcels for people who are struggling to feed themselves and their families due to various circumstances. Money advice Broadacres want to advise and support you if you are having financial problems and we offer a free, independent and confidential money management and welfare benefits service. We can provide advice on budgeting, debt, welfare benefits and financial products such as basic bank accounts and home contents insurance. 16 Richmond and Hambleton Furniture Store Based in Northallerton, we can supply good quality used furniture and electrical items to people on low income and those in need of affordable household items. Older persons support Our service operates throughout Hambleton District and provides support to older and vulnerable people, with the aim of allowing them to remain in their own home and maintain their independence. Hambleton Lifeline Our emergency alarm call and monitoring service is aimed particularly at enabling older people, the disabled and the vulnerable to continue to live in their own home with greater confidence and security. The service is available no matter where you may live within the Hambleton district, irrespective of whether you are a Broadacres’ tenant. Community Development Fund We have grants of up to £500 available to assist community based projects in areas where we have housing. If you are interested in any of these services, more information is available on our website or you call us on 01609 767900 or 0800 587 5291. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks Putting charity to the fore An amazing 96 golfers took part in our annual charity golf tournament. Held at the prestigious Rockliffe Hall Golf Club in Hurworth, near Darlington, we had 24 teams competing in the event. It was a case of four seasons in one day as golfers experienced a mixture of rain, hail and sunshine, during their rounds, but it failed to dampen the enthusiasm. Everyone then retired to the 19th hold for a twocourse dinner followed by presentation of prizes for the person nearest the pin and longest drive. A raffle was also held. Jim said: “I would hate to have gone through what our family did without their support and I am absolutely delighted that Broadacres have been able to raise so much money through the golf day, it really will make such a difference.” We would like to express our appreciation to all those companies who supported the event through entering a team, providing sponsorship and donating raffle prizes. A fantastic £4,000 - a record for Broadacres in our 20th year - was raised and this money will go to Candlelighters, a charity set up and run by parents of children who have, or have had, cancer. We chose Candlelighters because one of our members of staff, Jim Clace, is a supporter of the charity. His 11-yearold grand-daughter, Megan (pictured right with her brother Joshua), died tragically of cancer on Christmas Day. A Broadacres’ resident, Mark Alder, was among the golfers and Candlelighters supported his family following the death from leukaemia of his nine-year-old brother. Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 17 Focus on winter With winter now definitely upon us here are some useful tips which will hopefully prevent some of the problems which can happen if we have severe weather. Things to do - Make sure any exposed pipes and outdoor taps are insulated to prevent them from freezing. This is particularly important if you are using an outhouse as a utility room. flow again. Do not use a direct flame on any frozen pipework. - Turn water back on to check nothing is leaking. - If problems persist please contact us. If your pipes burst - Turn off the water supply. - Turn off electricity at the mains if water is near. - Contact us. - Check your guttering is not blocked or cracked and there are no obvious roof repairs required. - Make sure that you can turn off the water, gas and electricity. - Report any problems to us. You may want to consider keeping an emergency kit, such as blankets, drinking water and nonperishable food. You may also wish to draw up an emergency plan, e.g. where would you go if you had to leave your home. - Make sure that you have insurance to cover the contents in your home (see page 16). Snow and ice During periods of cold weather - Keep your heating on a low setting or a regular timer to prevent pipes from freezing and damp problems occurring. - If you have a gas or oil condensing boiler (there will be a white plastic pipe discharging from beneath the boiler) then set your boiler thermostat to maximum. Your room thermostat will still control the temperature in your home. In addition, clear any snow or ice from the outside drain where the condensate pipe finishes. - Keep pathways clear and safe. If you are going away - Let us know so we can advise you how to prevent frost damage. - Leave a key with a trusted person and ask them to check on your home whilst you are away. - If you can do so, leave the loft hatch open. In freezing or snowy conditions, in most areas Broadacres is not responsible for taking any action, even if the roads or footpaths belong to us. If they have been in public use for more than 20 years they will have become a public right of way and Broadacres does not have any legal responsibility to clear snow or spread salt. Some of our estates have salt bins for you to use on the public areas. The cost of them is either included in your “estate services “service charge or is paid for by your Parish Council. A few estates still have salt bins that are not included in the above arrangements. As they still have salt in them we have left them on site. We will, however, not refill them and will arrange for them to be removed when empty. If your pipes freeze 18 - Turn off the stopcock and open all hot and cold taps. - Warm the pipes with a hairdryer or wrap warm towels around them until the water starts to Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks HOW ARE WE PERFORMING? Target Dec 12 March 13 June 13 Sept 13 % of emergency faults attended to within 24 hours 100% n/a n/a 99.2% 99.6% % of appointments kept >95% 92% 94% 99% 99% Average satisfaction with the repairs service >9 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6 100% 99.9% 99.9% 99.9% 99.9% >75% 66% 66% 62% 66% <21 days 26 days 28 days 27 days 26 days >9 8.9 9.5 9.1 9.3 % of correspondence responded to within 5 working days 100% 95% 95% 96% 95% % of resolved Stage 1 complaints responded to in full within target time >96% 95% 93% 96% 87% 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 767935 or email [email protected] Viewpoint Tenants’ Newsletter It’s not just about the bricks 19 Mustard chicken with winter vegetables This is a great way to make a chicken go further, and the mustard gives it that little kick Ingredients • 1 chicken, about 1.8kg/4lb in weight • 2 onions • 6 celery sticks • 6 carrots • 2 bay leaves • 2 thyme sprigs • 1 tsp black peppercorn • 50g butter • 3 small turnips, peeled and cut into wedges • 1 tbsp plain flour • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard • 3 rounded tbsp crème fraîche • good handful parsley, chopped pot, add the onion and lardons, then gently fry for 5 mins until just starting to brown. Add the remaining veg, then fry for 2 mins. Stir in the flour, then cook for 1 min. Measure 900ml stock (if you don’t have enough, make it up with water), then gradually add to the pan, stirring. Cover, then simmer for 20-25 mins until vegetables are tender. • 100g smoked bacon lardons Preparation method 1. Put the chicken in a large pot. Halve 1 onion, 1 celery stick and 1 carrot. Add to the pot with the herbs, peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt. Add water to come halfway up the chicken, bring to the boil, then cover tightly and simmer for 1½ hrs. Cool slightly, remove the chicken to a dish, then strain the stock into a bowl. 4. Return the chicken to the pan with the mustard and crème fraîche, then return to a simmer, stirring gently. Season and sprinkle with parsley. Per serving 2. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones and tear into pieces with your hands. 3. Chop the remaining onion, and cut the celery and carrots into thick slices. Heat the butter in the same 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] £50 winners! Your feedback is very important to us and in order to encourage a higher level of satisfaction surveys returned to us we run a prize draw. All customers who return a survey with their name and address on it will be entered into a monthly draw to win £50 (if you owe us money we will deduct this from the prize). The winners over the last few months were: January 2013 – Mr Stones from Carlton February 2013 – Mrs Marshall from Thirsk March 2013 – Miss Herron from Northallerton April 2013 – Ms Workman from Northallerton May 2013 – Mr Marsay from Great Ayton June 2013 – Mrs Blakeburn from Billingham July 2013 – Mrs Lambert from Pickering August 2013 – Mrs Stockley from Bedale September 2013 – Mr and Mrs Watson from Northallerton Thank you to everyone who completed a satisfaction survey. Your feedback helps us to know what we are doing well and where we can make an improvement to our service. 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
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