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SUMMER 2013
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Affordable Homes will Safeguard Village is so expensive and we live in an area where the wages are generally low. This will help keep the school open and ensure the future of the village. The house where we live at the moment has two bedrooms but the second bedroom is just a box room and there's no room to swing a cat downstairs. We live right on the side of the road which is a worry. I am from the village and I don't want to leave. I have got great friends here and you don't have the problems here that you have in towns. I was raised here and I want to raise my children here." Gwynne Jones, Cartrefi Conwy's Operations Director said: "There is a Section 106 agreement signed with Snowdonia National Park which states that priority will be given to people who have lived within the Bro Machno or adjoining community councils for a continuous period of five years, so there has to be a local connection. Penmachno is a large village, and it is important that people can stay in the communities that they were born and bred in." Mr Jones also revealed that the new homes will be built to sustainable code level 4 meaning that energy costs would be kept to a minimum thanks to the use of air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. He added: "Hopefully the new tenants moving in will see savings on their fuel bills. We're also putting sprinkler systems into the properties ahead of the expected legislation on this by the Welsh Government. Work has started on a new development of affordable homes in a largely Welsh-speaking village in the Conwy Valley. Six houses are being built on the site near Ysgol Penmachno - four three-bedroom properties and two two-bedroom properties. The land at Maes-y-Waen was earmarked for housing by Snowdonia National Park Authority in their Local Development Plan. Villagers were updated on progress at a special drop-in session at the Ty'n y Porth Community Hall. Among those who attended was father-of-one Mic Roberts who was brought up in Penmachno - and doesn't want to live anywhere else. Mr Roberts said: "I have one son and we have another child on the way. Personally, I think there's a big need for a development like this to keep young families in the village so they don't have to move away because they can't afford to buy a house. Buying a house
Contacts
Bryn Eirias Reception Repairs freephone Colwyn Bay Reception Llandudno Reception
Brian Roberts, Chair of Cartrefi Conwy's Development Committee said: "This is a historic time for Cartrefi Conwy in the sense that this is our first housing development. There are other developments in the pipeline and we are aiming to build 100 new homes over the next five years."
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TAKE A LOOK INSIDE The road to managing your finances
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We had to sell many of our possessions including our marital home and this was one of the worst days of my life… night times were terrifying for me… I was afraid they would come around and attack us in the night… Roedd rhaid i ni werthu llawer o’n heiddo gan gynnwys ein cartref priodasol a hwnnw oedd un o’r diwrnodau gwaethaf yn fy mywyd… roedd y nos yn frawychus i mi… ro’n i’n ofni y bydden nhw’n dod i ymosod arnon ni yn y nos…
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Beat The Loan Sharks – Bite Back!
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Be involved in services for leaseholders
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New Head Office Location August 2013 Please note as of Monday 19th August 2013 the Cartrefi Conwy head office will be located on North Wales Business Park, Abergele.The offices in Bryn Eirias will be closed as of this date. We will be sending you information closer to the date with all our correct contact details.
01492 805500 0800 012 1431 or 01492 805580 01492 805600 01492 805632
enquiries@cartreficonwy.org
How you can save money by using your Countdown card
page 6 Audio copies of this newsletter are available Simply ring our reception on 01492 805500 to request a copy.
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What is happening on the Chester Avenue Estate?
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enants and residents from the Chester Avenue Estate, Kinmel Bay attended an organised Easter eggstravaganza treasure hunt and quiz event on Thursday 28th March 2013. Throughout the afternoon 50 children and 30 adults took part in a treasure hunt, litter pick, Easter themed craft making and enjoyed refreshments at the Chester Avenue Community House.
On Friday 19th April the Chester Avenue Community House welcomed Rachel and Anne from Conwy County Borough Council, during the weekly Youth Space session held at the community house. Rachel and Anne received funding from Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council to purchase ten bird nesting boxes to be placed in local surrounding areas to support the wildlife environment. They also had Mel from RSPB attend the session who talked about the birds that would visit the community woodland on the estate, their habitats and the behaviours they may display. 17 tenants and residents aged 11 – 16 years old, attended the session and put together 6 of the nesting boxes. Over the next couple of weeks the boxes will be placed in the community woodland. This will then provide a safe placing for birds to nest and will allow the tenants and residents involved in this session to monitor the activity of the birds and boxes.
All children received an Easter egg, sweets and treats and Mayor Ken Stone judged the litter pick competition where youngsters from the estate collected over 10 bin bag sized bags of litter from the community woodland. The local PCSO’s Sabrina Illman and John Mcloughlin and Gwyl Roache, Keep Wales Tidy Towns Officer also attended on the day.
pported Warden Su Housing Sheltered
This document has been read and approved by
tenants
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This document has been read and approved by
tenants
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• Chairperson - Sharon Sadler (Tenant) • Vice Chair - Joan O'Keeffe (Resident) • Treasurer - Elaine Fox (Tenant) • Treasurer - Mike Nolan - (Resident) • Secretary - Linda Woodbridge (Tenant) For further information about the Chester Avenue Community Action Group, future events/activities on the estate or if you have any general enquiries, please contact Vicky Welsman, Community House Manager at the Chester Avenue Community House or call her on 01745 331825.
New service booklets coming soon!!! At Cartrefi Conwy we have been working hard to improve and bring to you a range of new service booklets. These booklets have been put together with the help of tenants and colleagues at Cartrefi Conwy and will be landing on your doorstep soon, so watch this space.
Tenants enjoy afternoon tea at Kennedy Court. By Brian Williamson To the right are pictures of tenants at Kennedy Court, Old Colwyn enjoying a Valentine’s Day afternoon tea. We had a successful turn out at the event, after the afternoon tea tenants participated in a bingo session and we held a prize draw. A great time was had by all. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our warden Chris Bradley for all the work she has undertaken at Kennedy Court and wish her all the best.
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The group will be based at the Chester Avenue Community House and will be meeting on a monthly basis for the first 12 months. The group has been set up for the benefit of tenants and residents of the Chester Avenue Estate and surrounding area and will be working to provide social and educational activities/events for everyone on the estate. Members of this group include:
The event was a huge success and a big thank you to the community house volunteers and Vicky Welsman for organising the event.
Anti-Socia l Behaviou r and Neighbourh ood Nuisan ce
Chester Avenue Community House is pleased to announce a new group/committee which is now complete, called the Chester Avenue Community Action Group.
An online version is now available of the Together newsletter, please visit our website! If you wish to stop receiving posted copies of the Together newsletter, please email communications@cartreficonwy.org
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What is the most memorable moment of your career to date or your greatest accomplishment? Getting this job! Who is your greatest inspiration or role model and why? All my family and friends. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be & why? I love travelling anyway but I’d love to go travelling around America or spend more time in the Far East - I have been to Thailand, Hong Kong but would like to see Vietnam. Name one thing not many people know about you I am married but never changed my surname- my married name is Claire Griffiths!
Don’t gamble with your life...
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THE FATAL FIVE
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Paid  gamblo efo dy fywyd...
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Who is your favourite celebrity and why? Madonna- she has the ability to re-invent herself to keep current.
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What was the last movie you watched? DJango Unchained.
regularly drives whilst over the legal drink drive limit, or who drive after taking illegal drugs, contact North Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 – it could help save a life.”
O P E R AT I O N S O D I UM
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What’s your favourite food? I like most foods, but favourite meal would have to be Lasagne, chips, garlic bread and salad yum!
Y M GYR CH S O D I UM
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“This has had a massive effect on the family and we are all completely devastated. Our lives will never be the same again,” said his Mum, Susan Hughes, who, jointly with Eleri Thomas, Carl’s partner, are helping North How would you describe yourself in 3 Wales Police with the promotion of Operation Please words? Sodium, a force-wide campaign aimed at note if you need • Outgoing tackling drink and drug driving amongst to report a repair • Determined young people. “I’ll never forget that night please call 0800 012 1431 when we were told what had happened. • Good Humoured which is free from a landline, Words can’t describe how we feel about calls from a mobile may cost Carl’s death. We support this campaign as What did you want to be when considerably more. If you are we don’t want another family to go you were younger? calling from a mobile you through the nightmare we are Air hostess. can call 01492 805580 experiencing.” Eleri and Carl have a son which is charged at together, who was just a toddler when Carl What is your favourite quote? died. She said: “Thankfully our son Gethin is local rates. “Don’t count the days, make the days still too young to fully understand but when he’s count” - Mohammed Ali. older we will tell him all about Carl and how kind he was with people.” What would be your dream car? Range Rover Evoque. Operation Sodium launched throughout North Wales last summer. North Wales Police are continuing in Do you have any hobbies, if so what are they? their efforts to tackle drink and drug driving amongst Love reading- although don’t get much time. I generally like young people aged between 17 and 25-years-old. The fiction books, I love the Lovely Bones series by Alice campaign involves officers from the Roads Policing Unit Seabold. I have recently taken up running since the Cartrefi as well as Local Policing Services stepping up checks, Conwy fun run at the end of last year and go 3 times a stopping vehicles and where appropriate, breathalysing week now. Spending time with my family as I have a drivers and conducting field impairment tests. The toddler to keep me busy. campaign was launched in response to the growing number of young people who are being killed on the If you won the lottery what would you spend money roads of North Wales, and especially on rural roads. on first? “If you have information regarding drink or New house, UK and abroad depending on the size of the win! drug driving or if you know of anybody who
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I have recently started as Head of Neighbourhood Services. I am responsible for leading, monitoring and developing Neighbourhood Services Department with Cartrefi Conwy. Neighbourhood Services includes Caretakers, ASB unit, Neighbourhood Co-ordinators, Homefinders and Payment Recovery Coordinators to name but a few of the roles and is therefore a very varied but crucial part of Cartrefi Conwy’s work.
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What does your job involve?
“Our lives have been ruined completely” – these are the words of a mother who lost her son in a fatal road traffic collision on Anglesey back in 2011. Carl Wynne Hughes, or Carl ‘Felin’ as he was known to his friends, died following the collision which happened during the early hours of March 26th 2011 on the A5 in Star, near Gaerwen. The 22-year-old had been driving a silver coloured BMW with three other people on board when he lost control of the car and collided with a wall. Tests showed that he had taken drugs, was over the legal drink drive limit and was not wearing a seatbelt.
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In the spotlight with Claire Shiland
Think twice about drink/drug driving
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YFED / CYFFURIAU A GYRRU
DRINK / DRUG DRIVING
Mae gormod o yrwyr ifanc yn cael eu lladd neu eu hanafu’n ddifrifol ar ffyrdd gwledig Gogledd Cymru o ganlyniad i fod wedi yfed mwy na’r cyfyngiad yfed a gyrru cyfreithlon neu fod o dan ddylanwad cyffuriau.
Too many young drivers are being killed or seriously injured on rural roads in North Wales due to being over the legal drink drive limit or under the influence of drugs.
Pam cymryd y risg?
Why take the risk?
Gyrrwch yn gyfreithlon ac yn ddiogel neu wynebwch y canlyniadau.
Drive legally and safely or face the consequences.
HEDDLU GOGLEDD CYMRU
NORTH WALES POLICE
Gogledd Cymru diogelach
A safer North Wales
How often do you check your smoke alarm? To ensure a safe 2013, make it part of your regular routine to check your smoke alarm. Checking your smoke alarm takes no more than a couple of minutes and being too busy or forgetting could cause damage to your home at best, or tragedy at worst. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service are encouraging everyone to test their smoke alarms on a regular basis and have renamed Tuesdays as ‘test it Tuesdays’, so next Tuesday don’t forget to test your alarm. Be safe – test your smoke alarm! To test your smoke alarm: · Check that the green light on the cover of the alarm is on and check the red light on the cover flashes every 40 seconds. · Press the test/ hush button for up to 20 seconds. The horn will sound continuously for about 3.5 seconds. Release the test button and the noise will stop. · If you live in our sheltered properties these are fitted with a low level test & hush switch. If you are unable to safely test your smoke alarm please ask a member of your family, a neighbour or your warden for assistance. If you have any problems with your smoke alarm please call our Customer Service Team on 0800 0121431 / 01492 805580.
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So, think you're a good rider? Have you got a motorcycle? Do you enjoy riding it? Could your riding skills be improved? If your answer is 'yes' why not book yourself onto a *free Bikesafe workshop, which are held all over North Wales.
The road to managing your finances
Bikesafe is a police-led motorcycle project that is run by most forces in the UK with the main aim being to reduce the number of bikers being hurt on the roads.
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Sponsored by the North Wales Partnerships and Taith, the workshops are arranged at various locations throughout North Wales and offer practical advice about road safety and educate riders by passing on knowledge and skills to try and help motorcyclists become safer riders.
If you are in debt, here are some tips to get you started on the road to managing your finances with more ease. Remember there are always people and organisations that are willing to assist with any budgeting plans.
ummer is in the air and we can finally turn the heating down and start saving some money on keeping our properties warm. The reduction in housing benefit has now started and many of us may be having trouble finding the extra cash to make ends meet.
Part of the morning will be spent in the classroom and then there is an enjoyable practical road element over approximately 60 miles taking you round the roads of North Wales and the Snowdonia National Park.
Step one: Add it up Sit down and work out exactly how much you owe and who you owe it to. Don’t forget any money that you’ve borrowed from your friends or family.
North Wales Police Bikesafe Co-ordinator, Paul Cheshire MBE said: "You will find at Bikesafe workshops that you are sitting alongside like-minded biking enthusiasts with a wide range of experience, skills and different machines. Whether you are on a commuter bike, scooter or a sports bike, you are equally welcome and will benefit from one of our workshops.”
If your debt repayments take more than 20 per cent of your net monthly income you are already entering a danger zone money wise.
The BikeSafe workshop explores the main issues facing today’s bikers. It also explores the principles of advanced riding through the on-road element. The BikeSafe Observer will give assessment and feedback which will highlight areas where the rider needs to develop. Paul Cheshire added: “Whether you passed your bike test six months ago, six years ago or, indeed, twenty-six years ago, you can always improve your level of skill to make your riding not only safer but also more enjoyable.” In addition North Wales Police will provide a free day’s training of first aid for bikers licensed by Medic Skills from FBoS (First Bike on Scene – North West NHS). Upon completion you will be issued a Certificate of Approval from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and a safety pack. If you would like to participate in a *free Bikesafe workshop please visit the Bikesafe website (www.bikesafe.co.uk) or contact the booking line via 08444 151206 or email info@bikesafeadmin.co.uk *subject to a £10 booking fee
iitty Chest Commun
Are you planning a project for your community group or organisation? Are y you ou looking for that extra bit o off cash to fund y your our project?
Then apply for a Community Chest grant today! upport small-scale projects that will The Community Chest project aims to s support
Step two: Budget Once you know how much you owe you can draw up a budget, including a schedule for repaying your debts. Be realistic and work out what you can afford to repay and still stay within your budget. Your priority must always be your rent and council tax. These are debts that if left unpaid can result in the loss of your home and in the case of Council Tax, non-payment may result in a prison term. Step three: Be disciplined Don't borrow any more money or take on any more debts until you have repaid what you already owe. No matter how tempting it seems to take out a doorstep loan you will end up paying back far more than you borrowed. Step four: Watch your daily spending Take a set amount of money out of the bank at the beginning of the week and give your card to a friend or family member for safe-keeping. That way you cannot spend more than you have in cash. You could save hundreds of pounds each year on your gas, electricity, water and phone bills by switching. It is best to switch your energy and phone suppliers before you set up direct debits or you will end up having to change them again. Step five: Contact your lenders It’s always wise to contact your lenders and let them know that you are finding it hard to make your payments. Most lenders will agree to a lesser repayment. Lenders do not know that you are having difficulty unless you tell them. Step six: If in doubt seek advice If you are struggling and finding it very difficult to cope and make ends meet please contact myself, Lisa Jones. I will be able to assist with your budgeting plans and sign post you to any organisations that will be able to assist. You can contact Lisa Jones, Financial Inclusion Advisor on 01492 805625.
improve the quality of life for our tenants in local communities or where we have homes. The maxim um grant a projec maximum projectt can apply for is £10,000. Up to £191,414.38 has been awarded since 2009.
Who can apply? apply? xx Local Youth Groups xx Community Groups
Tenants raise £93.00 to improve the local environment
xx Community Events xx Schools xx Volunteer Groups
The deadlines deadlines to to return return your your application application form are are
June 2013 30th June 31st August 2013
For an application form please contact Sarah Jones on on: Phone: 01492 805564 Email: get.involved@cartreficonwy.org get.involved@cartreficonwy.org
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enants at Pentre Newydd held an Easter party on 2nd April and invited tenants from Kennedy Court and Parkway to join in with the celebrations. The event was put on to raise funds for the All Together Group who will use the money to improve the local environment. All tenants who attended the event enjoyed high tea followed by an Easter egg hunt, raffle and bingo. Tenants worked hard during the preparation that was required prior to the event taking place, including decorating the community room with Easter themed decorations. An excellent time was had by all and a big thank you to everyone involved for putting this event on at Pentre Newydd and raising money for the local environment.
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Good news for the Cartrefi Conwy Tenants and Leaseholders Home Contents Insurance scheme!
We transferred our Tenants and Leaseholders Home Contents Insurance Scheme to Allianz Insurance Plc 12 months ago and we are pleased to confirm that there will be no increase in premiums for the next 12 months! This is good news for all our tenants and leaseholders and if you are currently without insurance cover then why not join our special scheme today. The cover has been designed to help you insure your belongings as easily as possible. There is no excess to pay and premiums can be paid fortnightly or monthly by cash, monthly by direct debit and there is an annual option as well. Premiums start from as little as £1.53 a fortnight (for those under 60) and £1.16 a fortnight (for those aged 60 and over). You can also add extended accidental damage and select additional cover options which include cover for mobility scooters, wheelchairs, hearing aids and personal possessions which are taken away from the home.
BEAT THE LOAN SHARKS – BITE BACK! If you’re finding it hard to make ends meet, whatever the reason, the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit (IMLU) is warning local residents not to make the mistake of turning to illegal lenders – male or female. IMLU was set up by central government at the end of 2007 to search out and prosecute loan sharks throughout Wales, and operates as part of Trading Standards. These illegal lenders operate without a consumer credit licence, and prey on people who are vulnerable – whether because of poverty or debt, or difficulties in their lives such as addiction or health problems.
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We had to sell many of our possessions including our marital home and this was one of the worst days of my life… night times were terrifying for me… I was afraid they would come around and attack us in the night… Roedd rhaid i ni werthu llawer o’n heiddo gan gynnwys ein cartref priodasol a hwnnw oedd un o’r diwrnodau gwaethaf yn fy mywyd… roedd y nos yn frawychus i mi… ro’n i’n ofni y bydden nhw’n dod i ymosod arnon ni yn y nos…
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Are you a loan shark victim? A ydych chi’n dioddef oherwydd siarcod benthyg arian?
Call our 24 hour hotline for help and advice in the strictest confidence. Ffoniwch ein llinell gymorth 24 awr am gymorth a chyngor yn gyfrinachol.
Loan sharks will rip off borrowers by charging 0300 123 3311 extortionate interest (IMLU says that 150,000% APR is not unheard of!) and adding on penalty payments as and when they want. “Sharks don’t give you paperwork explaining the terms of the loan, and you have to keep paying them back until they decide you can stop. They may appear friendly when they offer the loan, and when you pay - it’s when you can’t pay that you see the other side of them”, the IMLU team explains. WALES/CYMRU
UK/DU 0300 555 2222
(Standard rate/Cyfradd arferol)
WEBSITE/GWEFAN www.direct.gov.uk/stoploansharks
Remember that your belongings are not insured by Cartrefi Conwy against fire, theft, water damage and other household risks. So if you haven’t thought properly about insurance cover, don’t leave it until it’s too late.
For further information ask Cartrefi Conwy for a free information pack or Call My Home Insurance on 0845 337 2463 or it may be cheaper to call 01628 586 189 from a mobile.
Be involved in services for leaseholders Cartrefi Conwy is keen to hear the views of all our leaseholders and to work together in creating a Leaseholders Forum. Leaseholder forum meetings are a great way to get involved and anyone can attend to shape the service they receive and to have an input into future policies of Cartrefi Conwy.
It can get worse than just being ripped off. Loan sharks use threats and sometimes violence to make sure their victims keep paying. A loan shark in the north of England has been imprisoned indefinitely for rape and blackmail. IMLU warns that the helpful person who offers to lend you some cash may not be such a good guy. “Victims have found themselves forced into criminal Weekly activity to pay back the sharks. We have come across finance, budget children pushed into shoplifting, and women and debt advice sessions pressurised into prostitution by these criminals.” every Friday 10am – 12pm IMLU warns residents to make sure that anyone offering to lend money has a consumer credit licence. If you are a loan shark victim, or think there may be a shark operating nearby, phone IMLU on the 24 hour Hotline: 0300 123 3311. You can phone anonymously if you want.
held at Chester Avenue Community House with support from Lisa Jones, Financial Inclusion Advisor. Please feel free to drop in and see Vicky Welsman and Lisa Jones.
Specialist client liaison officers will support and assist victims, advising on debt and other problems. “Loan sharks should be warned,” says IMLU, “we are determined to stamp out this crime.”
Service Charges The time is here….Service charges are in place with effect from April 2013. What does this mean? This means that all new tenancies from 1st April 2013 are being charged for additional services that they receive e.g. caretaker service, grounds maintenance.
Following on from the successful meeting in March, where the Remember all tenancies that existed before 1st April 2013 will not be charged majority of leaseholders attending were in favour of Job for services for the entirety of the tenancy. getting together to join a forum, we are now working to club sessions As stated in the service charge presentations at the start of the year, I move this forward. every Tuesday have issued a frequently asked questions list which addressed questions 2pm – 4pm held at Chester We believe you have the right to be involved in asked throughout all sessions but not necessarily at yours. I will be Avenue Community House. decisions about the services you receive. We want issuing statements shortly after you receive this newsletter (for These sessions are to support you to have a say in how your services are information purposes only) so that you understand the service tenants with CV, universal job provided. One way to get involved is through charges that would be applicable to your tenancy when you are a matches and interview skills regular meetings, which we want to host for new tenant. I will then arrange to attend each scheme again, to take Please feel free to drop in leaseholders. any questions you have on service charges listed on your statement or and speak to Vicky Leaseholders are invited to attend a meeting indeed general questions. Again please be assured that this is for Welsman for more at 7 pm on Tuesday 25th June at the Conwy information purposes only and you will not be charged for these services. information. Business Centre Llandudno Junction. We are also putting into place methods by which we can monitor the At this meeting we will discuss the purpose of the group and standard of services provided, whether these are directly from Cartrefi Conwy such how it can enable leaseholders to contribute to the development as caretaking or from contractors such as Conwy County Borough Council for grounds of policies and procedures relevant to leaseholders. maintenance and I will explain in more detail at future events. Leaseholders can become involved in actively shaping their service. Should you have any queries please contact Julie Brotherton on 01492 805524 or by e-mail julie.brotherton@cartreficonwy.org
Thanks again to all tenants and leaseholders who have participated in consultation to date. It is now essential that I establish how you would like to be kept up to date with service charge developments in the future, so please try to attend the follow up meeting that you will be informed about soon. If you would like to contact me (Nigel Harris) please call 01492 805519 or e-mail servicecharges@cartreficonwy.org
Useful Conwy County Borough Council Contact Numbers: • Dog Warden: 01492 575222 Conwy County Borough Council (main switchboard): 01492 574000 • Wheelie bins and recycling: 01492 575337 Council Tax and Housing Benefit enquiries: 01492 576491 Street lighting: 01492 575403
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ANNOUNCEMENT We are pleased to announce that the annual Family Fun Day will be returning for the 4th consecutive year and will be held on…
Wednesday 28th August 2013 At Parc Eirias Colwyn Bay If you have any suggestions as to activities/stands for this year’s family fun day, please email communications@cartreficonwy.org All comments/feedback will be recorded and used during the planning stages of this event.
68% of tenants received a Countdown card in April 2013
New agreement signals green for go An award-winning green partnership which has proved a huge success over the past four years is being extended with the signing of a new 12-month agreement between Cartrefi Conwy and community co-operative organisation Crest Co-operative, based in Llandudno Junction. The team from Crest ensured that kitchen units and bathroom furniture from the 3,700 properties were removed and recycled instead of being dumped in a landfill site. The initiative, which also helped unemployed people to gain work experience and promote social inclusion, was honoured at the Wales Recycling Awards and the UK Sustainable Housing Awards in 2010. A 12-month agreement has been signed through which Crest Co-operative will provide waste removal and disposal services through a reactive team of workers. There are two aspects to the agreement, with the Crest team moving in to clear properties which become vacant - or “voids” – and also clearing waste after repairs and maintenance have been carried out. Whilst all kinds of materials are removed from site they are then sorted, with as much as possible being reused or recycled. Four jobs have been created by the scheme, one member of the Reactive Maintenance team, David Gathern from Old Colwyn, has benefitted in two ways from the project, not only has he gained full-time employment with Crest after initially being a voluntary worker with the co-operative, but he has had waste removed from his own flat by the team. He has been a tenant of Cartrefi Conwy for about six months and some walls in the property in Station Road needed re-plastering. “The chap who came was very efficient and afterwards, as a member of the team, I took the old plaster away,” he said. Kiera Vogel, of Cartrefi Conwy’s Building Maintenance Unit, said the agreement with Crest was totally in line with the association’s ethos of creating employment opportunities and social inclusion. She added: "We are constantly looking at ways of in which we can create sustainable communities to be proud of and this is a good example of what can be achieved. The arrangement with Crest worked so well during the extensive improvement programme that it made complete sense to continue the partnership."
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How you can save money by using your Countdown card Countdown cards were issued to 68% of Cartrefi Conwy tenants in April 2013 who met all of the following: • Complied with their tenancy agreement conditions for the period 2 April 2012 – 31 March 2013. • Have been a tenant of Cartrefi Conwy for the whole of the above period. • Rent account clear as of 31st March (end of 52nd week). As a Countdown member you can save on everything from your weekly supermarket shop to holidays, DIY, family meals out, going to the cinema and even at your local shops and take-aways. With Countdown it’s easy for you to make great savings every day. At first with everything it may take a little time to get used to, but once you understand the different ways to receive your discounts you will start seeing the savings you can make. 1. SHOW YOUR CARD At local shops with the window sign. Show your card at the till to receive anything between 5% - 20% off your total bill. 2. QUOTE CODE BY PHONE Phone the number shown in the offer within your Countdown brochure. Quote the code to get your discount. 3. ENTER ONLINE CODE Go to the website shown within your Countdown brochure. Just enter the offer code when you pay online to get your discount. 4. USE A GIFT CARD Buy gift cards for the national shops in your area through the Countdown customer services. Use the gift card once you have received it through the post to pay at the till or online. 5. USE A VOUCHER Buy vouchers through the Countdown customer services number. Use the vouchers once you have received them through the post to pay at the till or online. Your Countdown card can be used throughout the UK not just in your local area. Please note if you wish to utilise the phone, online, gift cards or voucher discounts please ensure you have registered your card first at www.countdowncard.com or by calling 0844 478 1800* Any questions? Call Countdown Customer Services on 0844 478 1800* Monday – Thursday: 9am – 5:30pm, Friday: 9am – 5pm. The countdown brochure you received with your card outlines offers available to you however, don’t forget to visit www.countdown.com to see the full range of offers. *Calls to 0844 phone numbers cost up to 5p a minute from landlines at all times of the day. Rates from mobiles may vary. HIGHLIGHTED DISCOUNTS! • Venue Cymru receive 10% off selected shows when you show your discount card at the box office. • Up to 54% saving on Merlin Entertainments Group (which includes Alton Towers, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, The Blackpool Tower Eye and Warwick Castle) when you call 0871 222 4001 quote Countdown. • Save 20% off wristbands at Blackpool Pleasure Beach call 0871 222 1234 quote ERS/COUNTDOWN • Up to 10% saving on P&O and Stena Line ferry’s from the UK when you call 0844 576 8843 quote COUNTDOWN or visit www.aferry.com/countdownferries • Up to 6% savings from Thomas Cook by calling 0844 879 8120 quote COUNT2 or visit www.thomascook-holidayclub.com • Save 8% with a B&Q gift card. To order this gift card call 0844 478 1800 or visit www.countdowncard.com • Receive 4% extra free on the money you place on an ASDA gift card. To order this gift card call 0844 478 1800 or visit www.countdowncard.com/nut • Receive 7% extra free on the money you spend on Love2shop high street gift vouchers. To order these vouchers call 0844 478 1800 or visit www.countdowncard.com Don’t forget to check your Countdown brochure for more discounts!
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A healthier way to enjoy Crisps By Caroline Naughton If you are like me and you’re trying desperately to still lose those extra pounds gained at Christmas and you start digging out your summer clothes don’t despair you can still have some treats whilst maintaining a healthy eating plan. To ensure I have a treat at the weekends I make my own crisps, if you love crisps but don’t want the calorie content then take note of the following steps: 1. Slice your potatoes as thinly as you can using a mandolin. 2. Spray a plate with Fry Light (available at Morrison’s, Tesco and ASDA). 3. Place the thinly cut potatoes on to the plate ensuring they do not overlap. 4. Spray the top of the potatoes with Fry Light. 5. Place the plate in the microwave for approximately 7 minutes 30 seconds (please note the time will vary depending on your microwave). 6. Allow to cool then experiment with the flavour using herbs and spices after cooking, I normally sprinkle a small amount of salt once cooled. There you have it, your very own home made crisps, enjoy!
And the winners of the photography competition are… Colin Williams and Andrew Richards Congratulations to you both and we look forward to placing your photographs within our new head office.
On your estate with Ian Trethouen By Michelle Richards
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first started working with Ian on the refurbishment of Ffordd Pandy community lounge. Through this refurbishment it allowed tenants to get together and socialise outside of their bedsits in a relaxing area. This then led tenants to acknowledging each other and meeting in the community lounge to watch TV and chat over a hot drink. Previously Ian was a very quiet person who openly admits he use to keep himself to himself however, this refurbishment has helped bring Ian out of his shell and make positive friendships in his area. Ian also volunteers his time on a weekly basis to assist in activities and projects taking place in the local community and is involved in the following: • TAPE Community Music and Film – he attends every week and really values the service, so much so he even saves some of his money to give donations to TAPE as and when he can. • Litter picks with Keep Wales Tidy – Ian got involved in the group activity with Keep Wales Tidy recently and continues to do his own litter picks once a week, on Y Fron and around Kennedy Court, to help keep the estates a litter free area. • Food Co-op – There is a Food Co-op delivery once a week in Ffordd Pandy which Ian helps out with. This involves helping sort out the fruit, veg and salad for each order and then Ian personally delivers the orders, to save some tenants having to worry about carrying their products home. • Ian actively participates in events taking place within the county and took part in the Cartrefi Conwy fun run in Conwy towards the end of last year and also attended the Older Person’s Event in Kinmel Manor which took place in March this year. • He also helps out with the Kennedy Court Coffee Morning on a Thursday and Y Fron Coffee Club on a Wednesday.
Andrew Richards
Ian’s confidence has increased since taking part in activities and Are events within his community and he is always happy to help you looking to whenever and whoever he can. Chris Bradley, a Cartrefi improve your basic skills Conwy Warden said that she has also noticed big changes in IT, numeracy and literacy? in Ian over the last few months and that it is really If so please contact Vicky pleasing to see him come out of his shell and involve Welsman on 01745 331825 for himself more in the activities taking place within the further details. Future local area. courses will be held at the On a personal note and on behalf of Cartrefi Conwy I Chester Avenue Community would like to thank Ian for his time, commitment and House in conjunction with involvement in the activities and events taking place within Llandrillo College. Conwy County. If you would like more information about how you can get involved in activities taking place in your community please contact your warden or neighbourhood co-ordinator, alternatively you can email get.involved@cartreficonwy.org
Colin Williams
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Ex-gunner Ken has a ball Wartime memories came flooding back to 90 year old ex-Royal Navy gunner Ken Ball at a special event where nostalgia wasn't just a thing of the past. Ken was one of 150 tenants who enjoyed a good old fashioned sing-song at a 1940s-style We’ll Meet Again session. As well as the sing-along, there was an exhibition of wartime memorabilia from Llandudno’s Home Front Experience and War Museum. The event at the Kinmel Manor Hotel, in Abergele, was organised by the Community Involvement Team here at Cartrefi Conwy. Ken, a tenant of the Maes Cwstennin sheltered housing complex in Llandudno Junction, was proudly wearing his five war medals he earned while serving in the Second World War. He said: “It’s been wonderful and I have enjoyed getting out of my home and having a good old chat with lots of friends. And the songs and things we have been shown have really brought back some memories. I was a Royal Navy gunner in the war and was on HMS Cotswold escorting convoys when it was rammed in the North Sea. We had to abandon ship and I ended up in hospital in Grimsby. I was then sent to Plymouth and then Barrow-in-Furness before I joined a ship called HMS Uriana. I then went to the Pacific and took part in the Japanese campaign before coming back and being there for the D-Day landings. It’s been lovely to hear the old songs again and think back to the war days. They were hard times but we pulled together. After the war I went back to my old job at Llandudno Theatre. I used to do the lighting and project the films. Then I went to Hotpoint where I worked for
more than 30 years. The atmosphere today has been wonderful and everyone is smiling. I do enjoy living at Maes Cwstennin and our wardens are lovely. The event was organised in response to feedback from older residents. Vicky Kelly, Community Involvement Coordinator said, “We asked for feedback from those tenants who attend our regular community day events and something aimed specifically at our older residents consistently came out on top. The event allows our tenants to have a bit of fun and to socialise, it also gives us an opportunity to pass on some important information and news to a high number of tenants at the same time. There is no doubt our elderly tenants have really enjoyed the day. We have had talks and an exhibition of wartime memorabilia from Llandudno’s Home Front Experience and War Museum and live music from 1940’s nostalgia group, Reflections.” The event also saw two old friends who had lost contact enjoy a happy reunion. The grandmother of Ethel May Williams, 92, of Maes Cwstennin, Llandudno Junction, died after giving birth and Ethel’s mum was brought up in Betwsy-Coed by the grandmother of Menna Thomas,
now 85. Ethel says she remembers pushing Menna about in her pram just after she was born. She said: “It’s amazing. We haven’t seen each other for more than four years, and that was at a funeral, so I was surprised when I saw Menna here. Although we aren’t actually blood relatives I think of Menna as my sister really. “It’s been such a lovely day and we have been treated like queens. The food has been wonderful and everyone has been so friendly. I have really enjoyed myself.” Menna Thomas, who lives in the Argoed sheltered housing scheme in Kinmel Bay, was thrilled to meet up with Ethel at the We’ll Meet Again event. She said: “It’s been a smashing day and fabulous to get together for a chat. The whole event has been so well organised and just lovely. To be fair Cartrefi Conwy has been very caring and putting on events like this today are very welcome indeed.”
What do you do if you have a complaint? How to complain • In writing: letter, email or complaint form • In person: over the phone or at one of our offices We prefer people to use the complaints form so that we can be sure to get as much information as possible about the complaint right from the start. It’s also very helpful if as well as telling us what the problem is, you tell us what you think we should do to put things right. You can ask any member of staff for a complaint form.
• The person responsible for looking into your complaint should keep in touch with you • You should be sent a letter once the complaint has been resolved or once a decision has been made. If you’re not happy with the way that your complaint is being dealt with you can ask for it to be looked at again by someone else at the next stage of our procedure.
If you’re not happy with the answers provided or the How are complaints dealt with at Cartrefi Conwy? decision made you can ask for the complaint to be looked at again. You can also write to the Public Stage one complaint: Talk to the person you would Services Ombudsman for Wales and ask him to look normally deal with for repairs or tenancy matters to into your complaint. If you write straight to the try to resolve the problem as soon as possible. If the Ombudsman without going through Cartrefi problem can’t be resolved immediately it might be Conwy’s procedure first it is likely that he will send passed to a manager to look into. the details to us and give us a chance to put things right before he takes on the complaint. Stage two complaints: The complaint would be looked at by a Head of Service in conjunction with There is information and a leaflet available on our their Director. website, go to the ‘contact us’ page and then choose ‘have your say’. Stage three complaints: The complaint is reviewed by the Chief Executive and the Chair and Vice-Chair What has been done as a result of complaints? of the Board of Management. When a complaint is considered Cartrefi Conwy What to expect: sometimes recognise the failure through a good will • Your complaint should be acknowledged in gesture. We also think it is important to learn from writing and inform you when to expect a complaints and make changes to our processes response where appropriate. • The person investigating the complaint may want Listed to the right are the changes to processes that to come to your home to talk about the problem have been made as a result of complaints:
• Following a complaint about a transfer request it was agreed that changes would be made to the wording in the applicants information guide. • Following complaints about the rent arrears letters it was agreed that the wording would be reviewed and changed where appropriate. • Following complaints around the communication of the heating servicing contract the wording of the letters has been changed, the procedure reviewed and a staff briefing note is planned. • Following a complaint relating to the communications around the new tenants’ contents insurance scheme additional staff briefings were arranged to ensure Wardens provide information and reassurance to tenants. Staff were also issued with an instruction not to send mail that would ‘land’ with a tenant on a Saturday. • Following a complaint about the Welsh language not being shown equal status a staff briefing note was produced giving an overview of the Welsh Language Scheme and its requirements. ‘Iaith Gwaith’ badges were also ordered and made available to all staff. • A service improvement working group has been established to look at complaints to the building maintenance unit to use the information to drive improvements.
If you have any comments on this edition or suggestions for future editions of ‘Together’ please contact the communication team on 01492 805503 or email communications@cartreficonwy.org
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Please note all content is correct at the time of publication.