October 2014 JOHN’S BRIEFING YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE AUSTRALIA TRIP FAMILY ACTIVITY BREAKS AND MUCH MORE!
REMEMBER Ebuzz is put together following John’s briefings every other month. This is your newsletter and it would be great to hear some of your stories! If you have anything you want to share, please get in touch with Louise Davies via InHouse, 01495 761104 or email: louise.davies@ monmouthshirehousing.co.uk We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy this edition.
John’s Briefing AGM & Board Elections At the AGM held on the 24th September 2014, the shareholders agreed the reappointment of Andrew Martyn Johns and Barry Gallagher as Independent Board Members. The Board also agreed to the appointment of Andy Jones as the new Independent member, with Gary Witcombe and Pip Williams being elected as the new Tenant Board members. At the subsequent Board meeting it was agreed for Andrew Martyn Johns and Councillor Peter Clarke to remain as Chair and Vice Chair. It is always refreshing to have new Board members to refresh the membership and to incorporate new ideas and opinions. The accounts were also approved; with the new rule changes being approved at the meeting. There will be a need to look at the rules again next year, particularly negotiating with MCC on the nominees from them. We need to look at the number of council representatives on the Board and the calibre/ recruitment process of them 2
although we have been lucky so far with the calibre of members, all of whom have been fully committed to MHA. The drive for the proposed change comes from delivering the Offer Document which in effect ended the contractual relationship with MCC as the contract had been delivered.
Regulatory Outcomes The Housing Regulator attended the Board meeting following the AGM, this presented a good opportunity for the Regulator to see how MHA’s Board debates proposals and reaches decisions. The following reports were discussed and decided upon where necessary. The Regulatory outcomes presented to the Board were: Regulatory Outcome 2 “We live public sector values” and Regulatory Outcome 5 “We engage with others to enhance and maximise outcomes”. Regulatory Outcome 2 looks at the integrity of the business and
the honesty in which the business is run. The outcome focuses on the value and good governance of how we conduct ourselves and MHA. Regulatory Outcome 5: Out of an assessment by HARA, MHA is one of only two organisations in Wales to score a “low” risk. The Regulator also looks at our partner working, the participation and the understanding. MHA is to review the participation of staff at some outside meetings and to have a much more pragmatic approach to attendance. The Regulator understands what we do and want to achieve and that our outcomes are tenant based. The Regulator is looking to ask MHA to work with other HA’s to improve their approach to the outcomes. The findings for both outcomes were agreed by Board and will be sent to the Regulators in due course as part of MHA’s annual submission.
Financial Business Plan Update The Financial Business Plan is
showing a positive forecast with Year 8 of the plan showing a debt of £40m - £45m – this is perfectly acceptable with our lenders. The future of our cash flow is very much dependent on properties remaining occupied and rent being paid. Currently we are running at an income of £15m in rent but our outgoings are £18.7m which includes money spent on wages and repairs maintenance; over the next year there should be less than a £2m difference between income and outgoings. Running deficits is normal for a transferring organisation but at some stage income will have to exceed expenditure to repay all debts within cash flow.
Trevor Bowen Court 60 new properties are currently under construction across the County. The largest and most advanced site is Bowen Gardens in Monmouth where MHA is constructing, in partnership with Lovell, 32 properties, 20 for rent by MHA and 12 for sale by Capsel. As MHA has charitable status it cannot sell properties for full market value so it’s necessary to use Capsel for this purpose. There was a soft launch for the homes which are for sale, with all of them having a number of expression of interest. Part of the longer term plan is to renew, sell or purchase properties as and when appropriate; a number of older properties have been sold, from an asset management point of view, in the longer term, they would have cost more than their ability to bring in income. The proceeds of the sales are used to buy 2-3 newer properties with lower, long term, outgoings. This is in line with our
vision to create ‘Brilliant places to live’, we need to ensure that our estates are popular, desirable places to live.
Brand Recognition David Morris and his team have been completing some research into understanding the requirements of older people. 600 people have been contacted and 88% knew who we are and the brand. The findings from the research, into the future housing needs of older people, will inform investment decisions for MHA in the years to come. The challenge for MHA is to make the OAP accommodation attractive enough for people to leave family-sized accommodation, freeing the larger properties for families and ensuring MHA maximises the potential of its stock. David and his team also set a record for ASB, which is the number of injunctions against one family – 18 injunctions. This is a lesson learnt that we have to take tough action as well as protect vulnerable people.
Cosmopolitan Report This report was put together after a housing association in England didn’t manage their risk profile or accounts. The Regulator had some concerns about this happening in Welsh Housing Associations; although we will take risks they will be controlled risks, e.g. building in a rural area at a high cost. The Welsh Government are concerned to ensure English Housing Associations do not build in Wales. The full report went to Board to show where Cosmopolitan went wrong and to show how MHA has
procedures in place to ensure the same does not happen here.
Management Accounts It is important to keep a track of the accounts on a regular basis. Nothing exceptional to report but we need to try and be more realistic about budget setting within each department.
Environmental Strategy The report showed that we were expecting to reduce the CO2 output by 40% by 2019, however we have reached this target already. Out of the first 300 PV’s, some are showing an accurate performance and good levels of electricity generation. Whilst some are showing an over performance, others are showing under performance which needs to be solved, primarily because the tenant will not get cheap electricity and MHA will not get the Feed In Tariff. The second lot of 800 installations have caused some problems with the fires due to a screw not being done up tight enough, though all these have now been tightened and shouldn’t show anymore problems. There are also concerns about under performance which we are working to resolve. Capsel will soon be providing a waste service, whilst we won’t make money from the waste itself, the real income is providing the waste service. An experienced waste manager has been appointed to drive the business forward.
Grounds Maintenance The grounds maintenance contract with MCC is brought to Board on an annual basis; although we have 3
threatened to go out for other tenders. We have asked MCC if they wanted to set up a joint company to carry out the grounds maintenance but to date they haven’t wanted to do so. MHA will revisit the proposal this year.
There is a significant cost to this due to building less units for rent however, in the longer term it will be more cost effective. MHA are working jointly with MCC to assess the various options.
Performance Report
Financial Inclusion
Most of the items are encouraging especially the rent arrears. The Gas Servicing has now recovered, there was a period of time where there was a change of member of staff which caused the Gas Servicing to slip, this has been rectified and the Board have been aware. The sickness levels are concerning as they are a lot higher than other years, with the national average being 3.8% whilst we are running at above 4%. It is felt managers are not treating sickness as robustly as they should and will undergo further training. Encouragingly for September the levels have fallen to below 3% for the first time this year.
Financial inclusion is about ensuring we provide opportunities to people to develop them skills to get into work. So far, 302 tenants have been supported, 75 laptops have been provided, 24 tenants have gone into employment, 22 young people have gained employment with 90 volunteers going into volunteering placements. Thank you for all your help with integrating the volunteers into our working environment.
Future Customer Research: Gideon were commissioned to carry out research and report on older people and their future needs and aspirations. It found Âź people were looking to downsize but were concerned about issues such as security, rent, repairs and the location. MHA are looking at offering more apartments, St. Cadocs is being emptied and residents being re located, with a plan to re develop at some point in the future. After which we will look at Brookside and do an options appraisal.
Annual General Meeting Our AGM was held on 24th September 2014 with a great turnout of our Shareholders. The Annual Accounts were approved and we are pleased to report that we are in good financial health. New Tenant Board members Pip Williams and Gary Witcombe were appointed through the tenant election process. Andy Jones was also appointed as a new Independent Board Member
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Notifiable Events The Regulator wanted to issue clarification about what events are notifiable by issuing this consultation as the view on what is notifiable is open to interpretation; basically how we can control things if they go wrong. MHA’s view is that the sheer number of events would create a significant bureaucracy without adding much value. This view has been fed back to the Regulator.
Use of the Seal There have been nine uses of the seal. The seal is used on contracts over a certain value.
Pip
Gary
Andy
We would like to welcome all new members to the Board. We wish outgoing Board Members Lynette Bonar and Ken Bucknall the best for the future and hope they will both continue their involvement with MHA, representing other tenant groups and playing an active role in the continuing success of the organisation.
Spotlight on As a private company we can work for private companies and individuals; we manage contracts, build new homes for sale and manage contracts for renewable technologies. Capsel has also launched Capsel Home Essentials and will shortly be starting a lettings venture and a waste management business.
Our team: Tim Adams – Contracts Manager Tim has vast experience as a Quantity Surveyor, Project manager and Contract Manager. His role is Capsel’s Contracts/Projects manager, he helps bid for work, advises clients on cost management, and will oversee projects. He has worked for Newport City Council, WS Atkins, R & M Williams, as an independent cost consultant and Cost and Asset Manager at Charter Housing to name a few.
Ray Mercer - Programme Manager Ray is our Programme Manager and is the man who knows everything there is to know about paint! He has helped to set up Capsel’s cyclical painting project this year, from inspecting all the properties, speaking and dealing with all the tenants, getting the quotes for the leaseholders and putting a programme of works together to ensure MHA completes all the work for 2014/15.
James Parry - Project Manager James focuses on the day to day management of the Tai Calon project and assists in Capsel Home Essentials our new gas repairs, installations and servicing business to external customers. James has gained hands on experience of working with tenants and contracts from his first role as a qualified plumber and gas fitter. He previously worked within Charter Housing as an Area Surveyor.
Liz Jones – Commercial Manager Liz is the Commercial Manager for Capsel and helps develop the business. That means everything from looking for and developing new business, bidding for funding to assist Capsel’s Waste Management Service, setting up Capsel Home Essentials terms and conditions and developing and planning the business strategy for Capsel. That’s in between all the meetings!
If you want to ask us any questions or if Capsel can help with a quote for a new boiler... Home Essentials packages start from just £6 per month or a one off £65 payment! Repairs and servicing cover starts from just £12.50 per month... come and see us or email us, we are here to help. Find out more about what Capsel is up to in the accompanying supplement. 5
Poppy Project
News In Brief
Earlier in the year we launched the Poppy Project to coincide with the centenary of the First World War and the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. We asked if any tenants in our complexes would like a poppy and wildflower area on their grounds and tenants in Old Hereford Road, Abergavenny and The Lawns and Chestnut Close, Magor were keen to get involved.
Many congratulations to Lorna and Jamie on their recent engagement. Jamie asked Lorna to marry him on 20th September 2014 whilst away on a romantic break in a castle. The wedding will be in a couple of years.
In May staff from MHA dug and sowed two plots at the rear of Old Hereford Road as part of the organisations Give and Gain day which gave a pleasing show of both poppies and wildflowers. In June, The Lawns and Chestnut Close tenants worked with Keep Wales Tidy, volunteers and pupils from Magor Church in Wales Primary School to create five plots around the site. On the day of the sowing school children and tenants got together to discuss the wars and to look at memorabilia, there were many experiences and family histories shared before the sowing and planting began. Despite sowing the seeds slightly late there was still a good show of flowers. As poppy seeds can lay dormant, we hope that there will be more on show next year. The existing flowers will be cut back and encouraged to self seed so they will come back again for the tenants to enjoy. Mrs Smith of The Lawns said, “The project is going very well, the children were great and the flowers have come out lovely and looked very pretty. We are hoping for a better show of poppies next year.”
Lorna’s Engagement
Green Dragon Level 5 Accreditation Monmouthshire Housing Group are pleased to announce that we were successful in attaining the Green Dragon Level 5 Accreditation in October 2014. The auditor was very impressed with our progress over the past 12 months and commented on the commitment and positive attitude of the organisation. He spoke to numerous departments and therefore was able to verify the effectiveness of our Environmental Management System and our commitment to continuous improvement. A big thanks to you all for your time, effort and involvement in making this happen.
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Invites will be out shortly. 6
Mal and I got married at The Mansion House in Newport at 4.00pm on Saturday 6th September. In the car on the way down the rain was bouncing off the road. Luckily it stopped when we arrived so I managed to get inside without getting drenched. Following the short but very personal ceremony we left The Mansion House and headed to The Old Barn Inn at Llanmartin where Blaenavon Male Voice Choir performed before we were seated for dinner. Following dinner we had the usual speeches and some not so usual ones, including a speech from me and then my sister which made everyone laugh and cry all at the same time (of course Mal stole the limelight with his speech). Following desserts the room was cleared ready for the evening where we had a 3 piece band called The Lapinski’s playing who were amazing, they sang our first dance beautifully (John Legend - All of Me). After that everyone danced and the drinks flowed until 1am and as far as I’m aware everyone had a really good time (I’ve also seen some video footage of Dave Hood busting some moves on the dance floor).
Mal and I then had a couple of days to get everything ready before heading off to Heathrow Airport, where we both reflected on our wedding day on the endless journey to Australia. We agreed that the day seemed to go in the blink of eye and wished we had cameras recording the whole day so we could watch it all over again. Australia was just awesome - too many memories to put in a few lines, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, The Tower, the Blue Mountains, Darling Harbour, The Gold Coast, Byron Bay to name but a few, we need to start saving now for a return visit in 2016!!! We were overwhelmed by people’s kind and thoughtful words and generosity with their wedding gifts and can’t thank everyone enough. So far married life has been amazing, I just have to remember my surname is now Doyle (John Keegan seems to have it though, not sure if he’s just keen to have another Irish name in the building). 7
NEED A GRAPHIC DESIGN SOLUTION? If you’re in need of flyers, posters, brochures or any other graphics for a project, please contact Graham Harvey in Corporate Services on 2019 or email graham.harvey@ monmouthshirehousing. co.uk
PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING WHEN SENDING THE DESIGNER INFORMATION: • Give ample time to design, proof and get printed • Spell check and proof your documents before sending them to the designer • Make sure the text you send is the final version, don’t send draft formats • Make sure you have permision to use any images you send • Don’t send any images or logos that have been taken off the internet, these will not be good enough quality to use in print and may infringe copyright • Think about whether the text you send will fit into the design • Be clear in what you want • Don’t write headings in uppercase
Production time varies depending on the size of the project and capacity of the designer, please give the designer as much time as possible to get your materials produced. Please allow a week for external printing. 8
Social Events
Caldicot Castle and Country Park will host Caldicot’s annual spectacular firework display. This year includes a fairground, children’s rides, a licensed bar, food stalls, a visit from Peppa Pig and friends, an amazing stage with brilliant live music from Rusty Shackle and one incredible firework show! Caldicot’s Firework Spectacular is taking place on Sunday 2nd November 2014. Gates open at 4:30pm, the display will begin at 6:00pm. The event ends and gates close at 8:30pm. http://caldicotfireworks.co.uk/ about-the-event/ Belgrave Park, Abergavenny – 5th November 2014 gates open at 6pm.
Events
Monmouthshire Walking Festival
Bonfire & Fireworks Monmouth Rowing Club, Monmouth - 5th November 2014 gates open at 6pm, bonfire lit at 6.30pm and fireworks starting at 6.45pm
Sports
25th October - 2nd November 2014
Christmas Fair St Pierre Marriott Hotel and Country Club – held on 30th November 2014 between 10am and 4pm. Over 50 local craft stalls. Abergavenny Christmas Food and Drink Fair - held on 14th December 2014 . Following on from the success of the Abergavenny Food Festival, the Christmas Fair is full of fantastic seasonal food and drink offerings from suppliers both local and from further afield. If you’re looking to find a special gift for someone, or want to stock up your cupboards with something that little bit different for Christmas, then this winter festival is the place to be. http://www. abergavennyfoodfestival.com/
On these walks you will discover how the people and places of Monmouthshire played their part during Word War I and II. You may visit a secret bunker, the grave of possibly the last combatant killed in World War I or even join Dad’s Army on exercises. The walks will vary in length from three miles to 20 miles through this landscape of sharp contrasts: flat coastal wetlands of the Gwent Levels; picturesque mountains in Brecon Beacons National Park; the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the peaceful rolling farmland of the Usk and Monnow valleys. Contact: Angela Flynn mwfcontact@gmail.com www.walkinginmonmouthshire. org 9
Shani Howley Receptionist Hello! I’m Shani and I joined MHA in July this year. A complete career change for me as I have worked in financial services and banking for the past 10 years. A wealth of experience over far too many years! Enjoying the change, the new environment and the very welcoming staff here at MHA. I have lived in Caerleon most of my life, now living in Newport and have two teenage children, a daughter aged 19 who has just started University and a son, 16, both of whom take care of my free time! If I do get the chance to steal some free time my passion is to travel.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? As I am claustrophobic I do everything in my power to stay out of lifts and choose to climb endless flights of stairs instead. In a life or death situation where I would have to use the lift I would like to be accompanied by a hypnotist!
James Parry Project Manager I joined Capsel in July as I fancied a new challenge, I previously worked at Charter Housing for six years. I started with the DLO as a plumber/gas engineer and then a supervisor, then after that was a maintenance surveyor for a year before leaving. I have been married almost two years now and have a little one on the way so expect to see me with panda eyes shortly. My main hobby would be mountain biking however I’m not very good at it, I seem to spend more time on the floor or fixing my bike after my daft crashes.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? I would have to say my wife Jennifer she would keep me laughing and convince me not to cause damage to the lift with attempts to find a way out.
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Why not say hello to all the new starters on
Jill Morgan Payroll Officer I’m Jill, the new Payroll Officer. I love walking, running and cycling, I am also a Holistic, Aromatherapist and Sport Therapist and a part time Tutor teaching Sports Massage one evening a week. I like to keep busy and in February next year I will be challenging myself by walking Kilimanjaro for charity.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? I think I would have to choose Sarah Milligan the comedian, as I find her hysterical and the time would just fly by.
We wish them the best for the future. Jeffrey Thomas Assistant Operations Manager (Projects)
Rory Walsh Operations Manager (Projects)
Caro Curnock Neighbourhood Officer
Catrin Lewis Tenant & Resident Involvement Support Officer
Claire Howells Work & Skills Wise Project Officer
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depar tures depar tures 2015 Best Companies survey: 2015 Best Companies survey: Last call. Last call.
This is your last chance to get on board. This is your You don’t have long left to complete last chance to get on board. the Best Companies survey and tell us what You don’t have long left to complete you really think about working here. Your opinion the Best Companies survey and tell us what matters. You don’t have to give your name. you really think about working here. Your opinion And what you tell us will guide us to future success. matters. You don’t have to give your name. And what you tell us will guide us to future success. MHA will be contributing £5 for every completed survey to St David’s Hospice, which was voted for by employees.
The workplace engagement specialists The workplace engagement specialists © 2014 Best Companies Limited
12 © 2014 Best Companies Limited
www.b.co.uk www.b.co.uk
Members of staff took part in a coffee morning and bake off competition in support of Macmillan’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Members of staff baked cakes and brought them in to the office to take part in the bake off competition. The cakes were all of a high standard and judging them was a difficult job. The cakes were judged by Dafydd Evans, Michael Harper and Scott Howells who all appeared to have a great time enjoying all
Cake Bake of the cakes! Jane Grayer who baked a lovely coffee and walnut cake took first place with Katie Needham and Karren Davies coming joint second.
All of the cakes made for the competition were sold on the day to staff, members of the Your Homes Work Group and Board Members who all really enjoyed the cakes. An impressive ÂŁ115.30 was raised on the day. Well done and thank you to everyone who took part!
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Compiled by Jade West, Neil Binnell, Lucy Rogers, Katie Needham and Rachal Collins
V FESTIVAL Stafford - August
Lucy Rogers went to V Fest in Stafford with Chris York. This was Lucy’s first major festival and she enjoyed it so much she caught the festival bug! They left South Wales very early on the Friday morning, arriving at the site at 8am where it was easy to park and get onto the campsite. They camped in Gold Camp which was the furthest from the main stage, about 15 minutes walk, but was the quietest (relatively!) campsite and there were more people of her own age. They made good friends with their fellow campers from the North of England and created a communal area outside their tents together. The weather was dry all weekend, so they got to see all of the site; including posh festival goers in their log cabins and Winnebagos (from a distance!). The facilities on site were quite good (for a festival) although wet wipes and anti-bac spray were always handy. Lucy and Chris took their own food as well
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as a camping stove - the food on site was really expensive; they also took their own drink but couldn’t take anything into the main arena where you had to purchase tokens to exchange for drinks. The bands they saw included Ed Sheeran, Rizzle Kicks, The Killers, Justin Timberlake, John Newman and Sam Smith who they thought was excellent – the bands swap between Essex and Stafford during the weekend. Also around the site were other stages, a fairground, stalls, food stands and much more. Tips for V Fest would be: • Take own alcohol, in cans or decant spirits into plastic bottles (no glass allowed) • Hire a phone charger – at V Fest they were £26.00 for approx. 36 hours • Take your own food • Take a trolley to transport equipment from car to site
SALMONSFEST Usk - August
Lucy went to a more local festival in Usk, held in the car park of The Three Salmons pub. Camping was available in Usk Castle grounds. Lucy took her 12 year old daughter with her to this festival as there were lots of things for children to do. The facilities were good and clean. The bands they saw included The Feeling and Scouting for Girls; the drinks were fairly cheap and although it is a small festival it had a great atmosphere and was near home with good bands.
SHREWSBURY FIELDS FOREVER Shrewsbury - September
Lucy also went to a festival in Shrewsbury, where she camped. It had good facilities (real toilets, not portaloos!) and as it was a small site, everything was within easy reach. The festival is about a mile from Shrewsbury town centre, which meant you were close to civilisation and shops if needed! Alongside the music was a comedy set which included Russell Kane and Lee Nelson. In the main music arena Lucy saw Tinie Tempah, The Cribs and Shed Seven to name but a few, there was also a dance tent. Again, drinks couldn’t be taken into the arena but they were reasonably priced. Lucy would definitely return to this festival.
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GLASTONBURY Somerset - June
Katie Needham and Neil Binnell attended Glastonbury, both having completely different experiences – Neil was working there as a Trader Liaison Officer whereas Katie went with her friend as a reveller! Neil has been to this festival a number of times but this was the first time as a member of staff, Neil’s role included ensuring the people working for him helped the traders with recycling and he was also responsible for their Health and Safety. For all his hard work over the four days he had a more luxurious camp site (the showers and toilets were fine), free food and a subsidised bar! Neil had the job through friends he met whilst working in Nepal. This was the second year that Katie had been to Glastonbury, she left straight from work on the Tuesday to avoid the traffic and slept in the car until 2.30am. Whilst unloading the car she realised she had forgotten the handle for the trolley so tried making one out of rope, they then went to join the back of the queue and walked for an hour in a circle only to find the back of the queue right by her car! They quickly dumped the trolley back in the car and queued for 7 hours to get to the campsite at the top of the Paines ground, which was about 15 minutes from the main stage. The weather wasn’t too bad until the massive electrical storm on the Friday which meant the whole site was without electricity for an hour and a half…after which it was the typical muddy Glastonbury festival; although there was an impromptu sing a long in the Comedy tent. There are so many stages and different tents to
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choose such as the main stage, the bands, the comedy areas and the debating tent to name but a few. Glastonbury really is a 24 hour festival. Some of the many bands they saw included Lily Allen, Dolly Parton, Kaiser Chiefs, Craig Charles, Manic Street Preachers, Robert Plant, Massive Attack, Ed Sheeran and Kasabian. Both Katie and Neil thought the Manics were really good. Katie has already booked her tickets to go back next year! The tips for the first timers at Glastonbury would be: • Make sure your wellies fit • Buy food from the huge variety of food vans when you’re there, don’t take too much of your own • Take your own alcohol – either in cans or spirits decanted into plastic bottles • Take as many wet wipes as you can carry • Explore the whole site not just the bands and main stage • Take a trolley (that works!) to carry all your stuff from the car to the campsites • Finally, take the day after you’ve got home off work to recover!
MAINDEE FESTIVAL Maindee - June
Neil Binnell helps organise and attends the free Maindee festival held in Maindee School Newport. This year the weather was excellent and some 7000 people attended. The event is an arts, music and cultural event, with entertainment such as a Spoken Word Tent with Paul Henry, a Battle of the Bands which is a competition run in conjunction with Newport City Radio to find new bands with the winner playing at the festival and many other bands. The festival has a community cafe, many stalls, a climbing wall and a Youth tent where there was a break dancing competition. One of the highlights of the day is the carnival style parade through Newport.
GREENMAN Crickhowell - August
Neil also went to the Greenman festival held in Crickhowell – the best festival in Neil’s opinion. They had a weekend of great weather, with a good campsite in a beautiful setting – the campsite has a river running through it. There are a few stages and music tents, with lots of stalls and trading vans – for the essential food and drink. The music was quite diverse this year with some of the headliners being Beirut, Mercury Ray and Neutral Milk Hotel and other bands including War on Drugs. Every year a wicker Greenman is built and burnt at the end of the festival- which is a big event at the festival. Though the real highlight of this years festival was that Neil learnt how to hula hoop!
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UPTON BLUES FESTIVAL Upton - July
Jade took her family to this free festival, including her young daughter Scarlet plus her mum and dad – in Jade’s words this festival is for “funky little ones like Scarlett to ageing hippies like my mum and dad’ Jade went to the festival for the full weekend where they camped for only £28 each and found the facilities excellent and were kept clean all weekend. They took their own food, BBQ and stove although as the festival is based around the pubs in Upton they bought drink, which they could take between pubs. Generally the weather was pretty good apart from a horrendous thunder storm one night which everyone was awake through apart from Scarlett who slept through the whole thing. Traditionally the festival is a blues festival, with all different styles such as acoustic and folk. There were many acts in the pubs including acts from southern states of America and local Welsh bands such as Henry Funeral Shoe. There is a wide range of nationalities, different people and a mix of ages – overall a really good festival with a beautiful setting.
WELSH CIDER AND PERRY FESTIVAL Caldicot Castle - May
Jade and her family also attended this festival in the grounds of Caldicot Castle for one day although the festival does last three days and camping is available.
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The festival is quite family based with lots of things for children to do and see such as face painting, lots of medieval games and a jousting exhibition. The music is mainly from local bands, all of which was really good and the whole family would definitely go again. There was a huge marquee with lots of different suppliers with many different types of food and drink, although Jade had to drive for this festival so couldn’t sample the abundance of welsh cider!
GRILLSTOCK Bristol Harbourside - June
Jade went to this festival in Bristol Harbourside which was a child free festival for them. It is based around BBQ and grill competitions and a main stage with various bands. Headlining when they went were Fun Lovin’ Criminals. Excellent location in the amphitheatre on the harbour and lots of wonderful food (mainly meat). Only downside was the bars (hosted by an American brewery) were extremely busy and eventually run out of beer on the Sunday. A few cool whisky and cocktail bars though and some eclectic music in the small beer tent. A highlight was Levi Roots (king of reggae reggae sauce) on the mechanical bull putting on a great show, his music set on the mainstage was pretty cool too. Not enough toilets but you could easily go out and go into one of the many bars on the harbourside and use theirs.
The Musicians View: By Rachael Hopkins
“The great Rusty Shackle” is how ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris described the band my son Liam plays in. They met Bob at Cornbury Festival in July, one of eighteen festivals that they played this year. They approached him with a copy of their album and asked him to have a listen - he did and has subsequently played them on his Radio 2 show. Rusty Shackle have played in many festivals from– Devauden, Usk and Caldicot, through to the great Glastonbury. Internationally they have played the Guinness Irish Festival in Switzerland (how random) and a six gig tour in America. As you can imagine their experiences have been varied –from three course meals in the Michelin starred restaurant to the ‘revolting’ toilets at Glastonbury. They have written set lists on paper plates, eating scrambled eggs and sausages cooked on their camping stove, drank out of plastic cups as someone had forgotten to pack the plates (or they had been used for writing set lists on...) Lugging equipment across muddy tracks, from ‘Rosie Lee’ (the Shackle van) to the stage. All these gave an authentic feel to the festival experiences. They encountered every kind of weather, including, of course, the obligatory mud. The most memorable would be the horrendous thunder and lightening storm as they drove through the night from Nashville to the mountains in Arkansas. Being on the same bill as Dolly Parton, Kaiser Chiefs, Van Morrison, Tom Jones and Seth Lakeman, they are going to find it difficult to top it next year. However, they’ve just been booked for the fireworks display at Caldicot Castle, with Peppa Pig, maybe they have ‘made it’.
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The awards took place at the Glen Yr Afon Hotel in Usk on Thursday 11th September. This was the 5th awards evening MHA have held since 2010. The evening was a huge success with brilliant comments from all guests. The evening started at 6pm where the Awards ceremony lasted for an hour. After the awards ceremony there was live entertainment for the guests whilst they enjoyed a spectacular buffet by the Glen Yr Afon Hotel. As well as live music, there was further entertainment with Photo Booth Cymru who added that spectrum of fun to the evening! There were nine awards in total: • Achiever of the Year • Adult Learner of the Year • Bright Young Star • Community Champion • Neighbour from Heaven • Outstanding Achievement in Tenant Participation • Project or Group • Volunteer of the Year There was a small project group that had an input from the very beginning on the planning of the 20
awards. We had a very high total of 56 nominations over all categories so it was a very hard task for the Project Group to pick who would be the winner of the award. Thanks to feedback, we have now gained more tenants to join the Project Group for next year’s awards evening!
New Consultation Process We are launching a new consultation process which will be live from Monday 27th October. The new process will ensure that all feedback from tenants is stored and monitored consistently regardless of how it is collected whether this be through surveys, tenant meetings, estate walkabouts etc.
What will you need to do? Any type of consultation going forward will require you to complete a proforma, there are separate ones available for a survey or an event/ meeting and these can be found on InHouse. These forms need to be sent to Corporate Services before you carry out your consultation so we can check for any duplication throughout
MHA. The new process is designed to save you time if we already have the information you require and will enable us to suggest any other alternative methods. When your consultation has been agreed you will then need to set this up on SNAP where you will also need to record the results. There is a video and manual available on InHouse to help you use SNAP. Following completion of your consultation you need to send the second part of the proforma to Corporate Services and we will then update Covalent and produce a standardised report for you and your manager. If you need any other help or advice contact Katie Needham on ext: 2096
Your Consultation Champions The Benefits • Tenants don’t get bombarded with surveys/same questions • Better value for money - Cost savings of combining and eliminating questions recently asked • Apply different methods for extracting feedback
If you need any help then just contact: • Katie Needham • Rob Carey • Aileen Wallen • Andrea James • Neil Binnell • James Perry
• Enables MHA to proactively plan
• Clare Thomas-Parr
• Informal and formal consultation recorded the same way
• Patricia Jones
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Australia by Lauren Lewis
22
passing through left us stranded at Airlie Beach for two weeks but once it settled we were able to take the boat from Townsville to Magnetic Island to drive Barbie cars around the Island and visit the wallabies! Unfortunately due to the aftermath of the storm, my skydive at Mission Beach was cancelled, which I will now save to do in New Zealand.
I first travelled for a short time around Morocco before joining MHA in 2010. I decided to broaden my horizons and venture across the world on what I can say was a rewarding experience. My adventure began in Sydney where I spent the first week asking for directions and trying to get used to the transport systems in and around the city. After meeting other backpackers that would become lifelong friends we spent our days hiking in the Blue Mountains, surfing on long reef, jet boating and taking in the views on Bondai beach. Spending Christmas and New Year in Sydney was incredible, watching the fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge to welcome in the New Year. A week after the festivities it was time to say farewell to Sydney and start the trip along the East Coast. Coffs Harbour was our second destination, home to the big banana and the jetty, where it is rite of passage for backpackers to spend their days jumping off it. This was a brief stop followed by a short spell in Surfers Paradise. We were ready to see what Byron Bay had to offer. This was a particular favourite of mine exploring the coast and finishing off at the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Spending time in Nimbin with its artistic feel and cultural importance we visited the museum, tepees and freshwater lakes. Brisbane is home to Australia Zoo where we fed kangaroos, watched crocodile shows and spent lazy days in the manmade lagoon.
My East Coast trip ended in Cairns, this was memorable as I was lucky enough to dive in the Great Barrier Reef where I swam with reef sharks and Giant Humphead Wrasse. We travelled up to the Atherton Tablelands south west of Cairns to visit the small towns and swim under waterfalls. Our next destination was Melbourne so we hired a campervan and headed straight through the heart of Australia covering 1,737 miles through the vast outback where dodging hundreds of kangaroos and bull frogs was the norm. After a very long drive and six days later we reached Melbourne. We visited Melbourne museum, took part in the Moomba festival and stayed in St Kilda to watch the penguins coming into shore. Spending the day driving along the scenic Great Ocean Road, taking photos of the Twelve Apostles where only eight now stand due to the erosion from the ocean waves. My friend and I decided to end our trip in Western Australia, Perth, to relax on its sandy white beaches. I thoroughly enjoyed my time travelling around Australia and hope to return in the future. As one chapter closes another begins, and it was then I decided to spend my last month before heading home travelling around Thailand!
Our journey carried us along the coast visiting the National Parks in Noosa, climbing Mount Coolum in Mooloolaba and staying at Rainbow Beach before driving jeeps around Fraser Island which was a highlight. Camping with a diverse group of friends we watched sharks and giant rays on the tip of Indian head after exploring the old ship wreck that was once know as SS Maheno. Cyclone Dylan 23
COMPLIMENTS Councillor White would like to thank Kerris Winter for... ”Carrying out a joint visit with her and wanted it reported back how professional Kerris was, that she instilled confidence in Cllr White in dealing with tenants and she wanted to thank her very much for the very professional way that she handled what was a difficult situation.”
Mrs Gizzie would like to thank Stacey Edwards for... ”Doing a brilliant job when putting up a blind. Mrs Gizzie advised that everyone and everything has been fantastic since she moved in and is very happy.”
Did you take part in Stoptober or Go Sober for the month of October? If so we’d love to hear your story. • How have you coped through the month? • What things did you put in place to stop drinking or smoking? • Will you continue with it past October? • And finally, did you raise money for charity during this time? Please contact Sian Hughes in Corporate Services to tell your story.
Gareth from Gwent Forensics would like to thank Dafydd Evans and Amy Brine for... ”The help that they gave to one of his clients which resulted in a successful move. Gareth found them the most helpful people he has dealt with.”
Mrs Harris would like to thank Brian Heath and Ian Price for... ”Doing an excellent job on decoration work at her home. Mrs Harris said they did an excellent job and left everything clean and tidy and all in order. Mrs Harris was thrilled with the work.”
Mrs Roberts would like to thank all of the staff at MHA for... ”Being extremely polite, very helpful and friendly.”
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Go Sober For October and mak
Killer Chemicals Quiz 1. How many toxic chemicals can be found in cigarette smoke? 2. Butane can be found in cigarettes. Where else can it be found? 3. Which substance found in cigarettes is responsible for staining smokers’ fingers? 4. Why do cigarette companies put chocolate and vanilla into cigarettes? 5. Arsenic can be found in cigarettes but what else is it used for? 6. What effect does the chemical Nicotine have on people who smoke cigarettes? 7. What is the difference between primary and secondary cigarette smoke? 8. What percentage of cigarette smoke is invisible? 9. Is smoking in cars banned? 10. Why does opening the car window not reduce the risk of breathing in second-hand smoke?
Here are a selection of “Pickles” that you have awarded to your colleagues recently: Cath Murray has ‘pickled’ Karen Summers, Karren Davies, Patricia Doughton and Tania O’Neil for... ‘Being so welcoming to a Work & Skills Wise volunteer who came into MHA today. The volunteer had a brilliant taster day with the CSA team and commented on how welcoming the whole team were. Thank you’ Caro Curnock has ‘pickled’ Joe Worgan for... ‘going the extra mile to sort out a misunderstanding between MHA and a vulnerable tenant and her family. The result has shifted from anger and frustration to sheer joy and gratitude to be an MHA tenant. Great result Joe, well done and thank you’ Jane Grayer has ‘pickled’ Karen Davies and David Hood for... ‘co-ordinating and delivering the beautiful road name boulder for Wellfield Close - it’s beautiful, eye catching, clear and really reflects the input from the tenants. Fantastic.’ Sian Hughes has ‘pickled’ Dean Lannen for… ‘delivering flowers to a lady at short notice plus whilst there putting the laundry away!!! Going above and beyond’ Do you think your colleagues should be recognised for their additional work efforts? Going above and beyond customer expectation and showing a good service. Then award them a pickle via InHouse. A prize will be awarded to the employee with the most pickles during the quarter. 25
From Couch to 5K Written by: Adele Aubrey 1,591 Followers
Following 311
1,158 Tweets
Tweet (@MoneySaviour) Fully booked Abergavenny, Newport, Monmouth, Aberdare & Cardiff for @Mon_Housing @ NewyddHousing @MelinHomes @CadwynHA @ TaffHousing tenants!
Tweet (@Mon_Housing) Lots of suggestions being made at the Big Chat Cafe this morning #bigchatMHA Get involved now! http://goo.gl/or7G1N pic.twitter.com/BDWRXLYono
I have gone from not doing a lot and struggling to run 60 seconds at a time, to now running eight minutes at a time and by the time you read this I will be running for 20 minutes straight. Three of us still run regularly on a Monday straight from work and others are completing the programme with family members in the evening. The motivation I get from running with others is fantastic and if it wasn’t for Cheryl Tracy and Pat Doughton I don’t think I would have got as far as I have. As the runs get easier and as I get fitter, I am even starting to enjoy them! There are only three weeks left of the programme however some weeks we do repeat until we are comfortable doing them. So within the next month or so we should be running 5k comfortably, whilst the goal of 5k is important to keep working towards, I am really pleased with what I have achieved so far.
Tweet (@Mon_Housing) Our DVD on Welfare Reform can help you identify the support MHA can offer if you or anyone you know is affected. http://youtu.be/9VktqKKinZg
Answers to Killer Chemicals Quiz 1. 4,000 2. Cigarette lighter fluid 3. Tar 4. To improve the flavour 5. Poisoning rats 6. It causes them to become addicted to smoking 7. Primary smoke is inhaled directly from a cigarette while secondary smoke is inhaled by people in the same area as somebody smoking a cigarette 8. 80% 9. No 10. Smoke gets blown into the back seat of cars and also lingers in the carpet and seat lining so it is difficult to get away from
On Twitter? Why not follow us @mon_housing 26
CuIsine Corner Restaurant Review The Smokehouse, Pontcanna, Cardiff
Welcome to Cuisine Corner! We all love food and it’s always good to get some inspiration from others about what to cook and where to go. Each edition, we want some tantalisingly tasty, tried and tested recipes and reviews to feature in Cuisine Corner. brisket, which are also offered as sides so you can still have a taste of these without opting for them as your main meal.
There’s a good selection of starters with the ‘suicide wings’ standing out as an option for those willing to brave the heat but we opted straight for mains as we’d heard the portions are huge. And huge they were. The Smokehouse Burger came out as a homemade By Ceri Knight beef patty with cheese, bacon, salad, pickles and a topping of American style barbeque their delicious pulled pork. It restaurants are popping up all was a tower of a burger and if over the place and if this is your you can eat it without using your thing then you don’t want to knife and fork then top marks miss a visit to The Smokehouse to you! It’s certainly a beast of a in Cardiff. Set in a side street in burger. The burger itself is really the suburb of Pontcanna, The tasty and comes with a side of Smokehouse is a small place, homemade thick cut chunky chips run by a local young couple and and homemade coleslaw which serves up a real authentic taste are also well worth sampling. I of American Barbecue cuisine. also had a taste of their pork and As it’s a small restaurant booking chorizo burger which was again is advised as since it opened delicious. 18 months ago it’s been a very Unfortunately we were so full popular addition to Pontcanna after mains there was no room for and tables get booked up very dessert but the selections sounded quickly, but it’s well worth the amazing, with Pecan Pie, New wait. York Cheesecake and Key Lime Pie The menu is not huge but offers amongst the offerings. I definitely the expected barbecue delights want to sample one of these next such as ribs, steaks, chicken, time if I can find some room. handcrafted burgers and their specialities of pulled pork and beef
halloween
RECIPE Toffee apple muffins By Jane Grayer 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten 80g/2¾oz caster sugar 240ml/8½fl oz milk 100g/3½oz butter, melted 300g/10½oz plain flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt Pinch cinnamon 2 eating apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped 200g/7oz shop-bought toffee pieces Preheat the oven to 190C/380F/ Gas 5 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Mix the eggs, sugar, milk and melted butter in a large bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the bowl. Stir well to combine. Add the chopped apple and lightly mix. Using half of the mixture, quarter-fill each of the muffin cases with the mixture and top with a few pieces of toffee. Cover with the remaining filling so the cases are half full. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold.
If you would like to share your ideas with us, then please get in touch with the Corporate Services Team. 27
MY TYPICAL DAY 07.00: Wake up, unless woken earlier by my daughter who may have snook into my bed and elbowed me in the face at some random time.
Then it’s a mad 45 minutes for me to do the following;
7.05: Let the new cat (Fluffy, a butch male cat!) out whilst helping daughter to feed fluffy.
7.20: Get myself and daughter showered, dressed and
eat breakfast.
7.45: Drive daughter to school and me to work. 8.15: Arrive at work and first thing is read any
outstanding emails.
8.25: I check all men have received all jobs to ensure no one is sick or reschedule jobs.
HELLO! I’m Domini Barnes, MHA’s Reactive Maintenance Assistant SAY HELLO TO DOMINI... via
9.15: Check all jobs <50 to see if there are any outstanding jobs which may be part complete or which may need a second visit. Check all new works and schedule in appropriately all whilst dealing with a tonne of incoming queries. 12.00: Lunch for half an hour. 12.30: Continue booking work into diaries and
sending out the works for the following day to all tradesmen.
16.30: Finish work for the day before picking up daughter on way home. 17.30: Let the cat out, clean up his lovely litter tray and help daughter to feed cat. 17.45: Tidy up and wash and dry dishes from the
morning whilst making dinner. Eat dinner wash and dry up again.
18.00: Either doing an exercise class, Connie’s homework, watching Disney DVD’s or do the washing, ironing, cleaning etc. 19.00: Give daughter a bath and shower myself, read bedtime stories together.
20.00: Go on the computer, then watch some
mindless TV.
22.00: Heading up the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire. 28
Family Activity Breaks (FAB) By Angela Zenati looking forward to the week. I had previously met the other volunteers on the training so it helped knowing they were feeling the same as me. It didn’t take long for the holiday to get going. We had a briefing with the Colonel about our families and it was straight into the activities. I’ve never done abseiling before, don’t like heights or canoeing but if the little ones could do it then so was I. We had so much fun, all the mums got involved and the children absolutely loved it. The days were very long and exhausting. Family Activity Breaks (FAB) is a Charity for bereaved military families. It is a relatively new charity and receives donations from Help 4 Heroes and other larger well know charities such as British Legion, Walking with the Wounded and it also has its own fundraising committee. FAB have already won one of the Millie awards (which you may have seen on the tv). The purpose of the activity breaks is to provide a holiday for the bereaved military families with counselling and support on hand. It aims to encourage participation and re build confidence in the families, but the emphasis is on having fun. The holiday is packed with all sorts of activities from raft building, canoeing, abseiling, zip wire, beach days, the list goes on. The role of the volunteer is to help the mums with their children, provide a listening ear and be there to allow the mums some time out if need be. For some of the families it is their first holiday since the loss of their loved one and this can be very daunting for them. As a volunteer you are required to attend an interview and a bereavement counselling training course over two days. This is provided by the Army and is very intense. I passed the interview and attended the course and felt very privileged to have been given the opportunity to be a volunteer with FAB.
We had a great time at the Navy base, the Royal Navy Air rescue allowed us to get in their helicopters, and we drove up the airfield in the fire engine. The guys on the Navy base went out of their way to make sure the kids had a great time. There were some sad moments which was to be expected, but as a volunteer you dealt with it and composed yourself. By the end of the week when it came to leaving and having to say goodbye to the families, it was very difficult, but having a good cry in the car along with a coffee and a cigarette, I was fine. I learned so much during the week, about my own capabilities and I am quite proud of the small contribution I made to helping these families rebuild their lives. There are many worthy charities out there I highly recommend volunteering. To be able to give your time freely to help someone else is so rewarding. Finally I’d like to personally thank the Colonel for the donation of loads of beer for the volunteers. Already looking forward to the next camp. I hope after reading this you feel inspired and may want to do some volunteering for a charity yourself.
I was booked on the FAB camp in Coverack which is down in Cornwall. After a six hour drive I finally arrived there and although a little nervous I was 29
PRESS RELEASES
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Suggestion Action The GEMS suggestion scheme is a chance for staff to put forward suggestions on how services can be improved for staff or tenants. The winning suggestion gets decided at the Staff Communications Group every quarter. Unfortunately there were no winners decided at the last meeting, but here are some of the suggestions that were put forward. If you have a suggestion and to be in with a chance of winning £50, please complete a GEMS form via inhouse or using the cards and GEMS post boxes allocated around building. Can we have a section on the intranet for minutes of various Corporate Working Groups, Wellbeing, Environment, Health & Safety, Staff Comms, etc. Working groups have been asked.
In order to raise awareness and likes on social media, why don’t we offer a prize draw for anyone living in Monmouthshire who shares or likes our status? This could be an Ipad or even a night in a local posh hotel. Everyone who then likes or shares the status would be entered into the prize draw. It would be difficult to offer a prize draw on status as we do so many. We wouldn’t necessarily know if they lived in Monmouthshire without private messaging of address and if they were a tenant of MHA, we offer an incentive for a lot of services at the moment and run competitions. We are currently drafting our Social Media Strategy to ensure we make best use of it. To get rid of the door to the corridor on the ground floor kitchen, it’s hard to pull a door open with a try full of tea in your hands – a bit of a health and safety hazard also! Also, could we have a clock in the staff forum? At the moment, it’s hard to tell how long you’ve been at lunch because there’s no clock. The door to the ground floor kitchen will have to stay to comply with fire safety regulation.
Instead of the music we use when people are on hold. Use this to advertise/promote our services and inform people about events, meetings and estate walkabouts being held etc. IT are looking in to as we are unsure if current ‘hold’ music is built-in and can’t be altered. Create a staff phone directory (handbook) to use whilst on site. This will prevent staff needing to contact employees via the CSA team, therefore freeing up lines for customers. A handbook would need constant updating. Site workers are advised to have a core list of numbers stored on their phones. Replace hand dryers with more efficient ones, ie Dyson airblade for time saving & hygiene reasons. To consider for next replacement. To provide health snacks/fruit for vending machine. Vending company will only supply goods that sell. The ‘Life & Soul’ group are looking at a trial of Graze boxes.
Clock has been installed. 31
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quality homes and maintenance
Welcome from Capsel Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a while since you received a full update on Capsel so this newsletter gives you a snapshot to keep you up to date with everything that is going on. Capsel is the trading subsidiary of MHA and is placed to work commercially across the County under a number of different services. We have now launched our new website, our vans are travelling the County, our staff are wearing their new Capsel uniforms and we are working in the local community.
Capsel is split into two areas: Capsel Homes
Capsel Services
New Homes
Property Services
Lettings
Home Essentials Property Services
Bowen Gardens – an exclusive new development…
Bowen Gardens is Capsel’s first market sales development in the heart of Monmouth. Situated on the site of the former Trevor Bowen Court Sheltered Scheme, the new development consists of just 12 homes, with a mix of two and three bedrooms. Capsel is working in partnership with Lovell to construct the new homes which are being sold by local estate agent Parry’s Property. The sales were launched at the end of September with a show home due to follow late November. For enquiries about Bowen Gardens please contact Parrys on 01600 713030 or www. parrysproperty.co.uk/BowenGardens @BowenGardens
Getting ready for Winter with Capsel Home Essentials Capsel has been busy setting up a new gas servicing product which will be launched to the public in 2015 and is currently available exclusively to staff. The new service offers a range of installation, servicing and repairs contracts for all your gas and heating needs. With services available from only £6 per month and standard boiler installation available from £1950, Capsel Home Essentials provides a competitive service to rival the main players in the sector.
Capsel Home Essentials will be expanding to provide more services for electrical, plumbing, PV and Solar and more details will be available on these services next year. If you are interested in Capsel Home Essentials please call 0333 207 9000 or visit www.capsel. co.uk
Capsel Property Services Capsel Property Services is acting as a managing agent to oversee the External Wall Insulation programme on 500 properties for Tai Calon in Blaenau Gwent. Capsel is the main liaison between the contractor and Tai Calon and is overseeing programme delivery so work is completed on time and to budget. Capsel will also be concentrating on Cyclical Painting Contracts and will be completing MHAs work over the next few months.
What’s next for Capsel? As well as setting up and launching the existing business arms to the public, Capsel also has plans to expand into the following areas:
Capsel Lettings
Capsel is in the process of setting up a new lettings service and has recruited a dedicated Lettings Negotiator. Capsel Lettings will provide this professional service to the private lettings sector, managing properties and sourcing a good stock of properties to meet the needs of the emerging rental markets. We will keep you updated with further plans on this new venture.
Waste Management
Recruitment has recently been completed for a Waste Manager to have responsibility to drive the new Waste Management arm of the business. Capsel Waste is initially set up to manage the waste of MHA to enable it to further its commitment to the environment and maintain the recent Green Dragon Level 5 Accreditation. Capsel Waste will be used as a one stop shop for the management of waste and can accept waste being dropped off to its yard in Torfaen or can collect waste. It will also be able to recycle waste it collects and donate items to the local community where appropriate. Capsel Waste will be launching externally in 2015.
Meet the team Capsel staff are mostly situated on the first floor of MHAs headquarters in their own ‘Capsel Corner’. Here we wanted to introduce you to everyone:
Name: Liz Jones Job title: Commercial Manager About You: I’m a married mum with three lovely girls. I love new challenges and experiences. I am passionate about work and have a strong work ethic. I enjoy meeting up with friends and having the odd night out. I’m looking forward to my fancy dress Halloween party to meet with all my family and friends. I also believe that you never stop learning so I’m currently studying for a post graduate in leadership and management. Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with? President Barak Obama
Name: Tim Adams Job title: Senior project/ Contract Manager About you: I am married with a family of four girls which includes my lovely labradoodle Mollie. I believe that life begins at 50. Having just turned the magic figure I have developed a passion for mountain biking and have successfully completed a couple of 50 mile plus rides. We are currently training for the Cardiff to Tenby ride next year which pushes the distance just over 110 miles. I have also learned to ride a uni cycle and my children have set me the challenge of riding 50 miles! 50 meters would be an achievement. Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with? I don’t like confined spaces so it’s unlikely that you would find me in a lift! However, if the situation did arise it would have to be someone who could lighten the mood. It would be nice if it was my wife because with our busy life styles juggling time with work, training, the children, walking the dog and different clubs..it would be nice to spend some time together awake!
Name: James Parry Job Title: Project manager About you: I joined Capsel in July as I fancied a new challenge, I previously worked at Charter Housing for six years. I started with the DLO as a plumber/gas engineer and then a supervisor, then after that was a maintenance surveyor for a year before leaving. I have been married almost two years now and have a little one on the way so expect to see me with panda eyes shortly. My main hobby would be mountain biking however I’m not very good at it, I seem to spend more time on the floor or fixing my bike after my daft crashes. Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with? I would have to say my wife Jennifer she would keep me laughing and convince me not to cause damage to the lift with attempts to find a way out.
Name: Ray Mercer Job Title: Programme Manager About you: For those unaware, I have been rescued from a life of housework and dog walking to join Capsel in its infancy. I have been asked to co-ordinate and manage a cyclical painting programme that will hopefully in the near future be carried out by directly employed personnel. Prior to starting here I spent some time with Charter Housing managing their programme of kitchen and bathroom refurbishments as part of their WHQS commitment and before that I had some 25 years managing the cyclical painting programmes for Newport City Council. For anyone who may have a painting query please feel free to ask, you may not get the answer you were looking for but I will do my best to make you smile. Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with? Having previously been stuck in a lift in Cyprus I would be happy with anybody as long as they had the means to get me out quickly. Celebrity wise it would have to be Muhammad Ali. He truly was the greatest in the ring and he stuck by his principals regardless of what America did to him.
Recruitment update In addition to the existing staff, Capsel have recently recruited or are in the process of recruiting the following staff to its expanding team.
Capsel Property Services Mr Andrew Mahoney - Working Supervisor Decorator Mr Rudi Lewis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Decorator
Capsel Waste Robert Morgan - Waste Manager
Capsel Home Essentials Helen Fletcher - Administrator One post for a Gas Engineer will be advertised shortly.
Capsel Lettings Dafydd Evans - Lettings Negotiator
For more information on Capsel contact: Elizabeth Jones on elizabeth.jones@ monmouthshirehousing.co.uk
www.capsel.co.uk @CapselLtd 0333 207 9000 info@capsel.co.uk