InspiredLiving
SPRING 2016
THE MAGAZINE FOR OLDHAM PFI RESIDENTS
TARS: S E H T FOR REACH y is up for a Why Ja Award s r a t S y nit Commu
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RENT
Find out about your payments inside
DIGGING YOUR SCENE
How one resident created her vibrant and colourful garden
WIN!
£30 o fs vouc hopping hers – see back page !
Here’s how you can get in touch with us Call Great Places or Wates on 0300 123 2003 A full range of services is available between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. An extra out-of-hours service, which is provided by Wates, can be reached by using the same number.
Press 1 – for Wates Living Space, who can help you with repairs, refurbishment and new-build enquiries.
Press 2 – for Great Places Housing Group, who can help you with housing management and information on sales units.
Need to email us?
Drop the Great Places team a line on oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk or contact the Wates team on infooldhampfi@wates.co.uk
Come and see us
We’re always happy to see you at the Great Places office, which you can find at 119 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1TE. The office is staffed from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. You can also pop into the Crossley Centre, 323 Denton Lane, Chadderton, OL9 9GA or call the centre on 0161 652 1419. Alternatively, you can visit the Primrose Bank Centre, Magnolia Gardens, Primrose Bank which you can call on 0161 624 7202.
We’re online!
Visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and
search for Oldham PFI Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OldhamPFI www.facebook.com/CrossleyCent re www.facebook.com/PrimroseCen tre Follow us on Twitter @CrossleyCentre @Primrose_C entre
Write to Inspired Living at: Communications Great Places Housing Group Southern Gate 729 Princess Road Manchester M20 2LT
Access for all
If you’re visually impaired and need a magnifying sheet, please let us know. An audio version of Inspired Living is also available. If you would like to read this magazine in a different language, please let us know.
Editor: James Bentley (james.bentley@greatplaces.org.uk) Designer: Tim Hanley (tim.hanley@greatplaces.org.uk )
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Welcome to Welcome to the spring issue of Inspired Living. Congratulations to all those people, groups and projects from across the Oldham PFI community that have been shortlisted or nominated for Great Places’ annual Community Stars Awards. It’s so pleasing to see the Oldham PFI community be rewarded and recognised at this prized event. Our cover star this month, Jay Harrison, has been nominated for one of these awards. Find out why on pages 10 and 11.
InspiredLiving! On the subject of celebrating, we’ve recently published our annual report, which explains how the Oldham PFI partnership has been serving you during 2015 and highlights the key achievements and developments within our communities. You can view the report at www.greatplaces. org.uk (search for ‘Residents magazines and publications’). Alternatively, contact our Customer Access Team and we can provide you with a hard copy.
to improve your health and wellbeing during 2016 (pg 8 and 9). I hope you find it an enjoyable read.
Ryan Smith Oldham PFI manager
With the weather now improving (allegedly!) this issue of Inspired Living includes some handy gardening tips (pg 12) as well as ways
WHAT’S INSIDE? Features 4-5 Neighbourhood news: Find out what’s happening where you live. 7 Your local centre: What’s happening at the Crossley and Primrose Centres? 8-9 Health and wellbeing: Stay safe with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Think! Do you really need to go to A&E with that problem? 10-11 Reach for the stars: Jay tells us how it feels to have been nominated for a Community Stars Award.
14 Early Help: Do you sometimes feel you need a bit of assistance? Oldham Council can help.
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page
Reach for the stars pages
12-13 Sprucing up for spring: Dig out your spades and trowels as we see what can be done in the garden now the weather’s getting warmer.
Health and wellbeing
8-9
18 Handling anti-social behaviour: How to combat nuisances. 19 Protect your possessions: Learn about our tenants’ insurance scheme.
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Neighbourhood news
pages
Sprucing up for spring
12-13
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Neighbourhood NEWS LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH COOKING, WITH THE PRIMROSE LADIES GROUP The ladies group is aiming to set up a food catering service, cooking healthy Bangladeshi cuisine. They are currently working with Voluntary Action Oldham, who are providing guidance set up a formally constituted group. Results have been quick - the new project has increased their levels of confidence and spoken English through cooking together. The ladies now want to engage more membership from the community and are planning to run a weekly pop-up café and hold coffee and craft mornings. Great Places and IFOldham are also supporting the venture by providing training, guidance and advice. The Ladies Group has recently been awarded £250 from Rapid ROCA funding towards cooking and marketing equipment. This will enable them to progress with their planned catering service and start holding coffee mornings.
DO YOU FANCY TRYING YOUR HAND AT VOLUNTEERING?
TENANTS AND OFFICIALS COME TOGETHER TO #COOKEATTALK
Both the Primrose Bank and Crossley Community Centre management committees are currently reviewing the volunteering opportunity roles that they can offer.
Our tenants in Oldham were cooking, eating and talking with Great Places staff and members of Voluntary Action Oldham (VAO) in March.
The first stage of the process is to review the requirements of the centre and match this up to the needs and requirements of any interested volunteers. Two roles that have emerged as being available are Volunteer Coordinator and Volunteer Admin Worker. The Volunteer Coordinator will coordinate all the volunteers at the centre, designing a work plan that meets their needs and allows people to gain new skills, as well as connecting volunteers to wider volunteer opportunities across the local area and Oldham. The Volunteer Admin Worker will provide officebased support to the management committee’s secretary, which will include arranging papers for upcoming committee meetings, organising and issuing activity calendars to partners as well as ensuring Facebook and Twitter are updated with the latest information about the centre and its activities. If you’re interested, speak to the team at both centres about the roles.
It was all part of #CookEatTalk which involved a public consultation on tenants taking control of their health and wellbeing as part of Greater Manchester Devolution (GMDevo). The transfer of control of Greater Manchester’s budget for healthcare was on the agenda as VAO led the discussion on how our tenants felt about the reins being handed over by London to more local control. Deb Troops of #CookEatTalk explains: “We were asked to host one of our cooking workshops for Great Places and as a result VAO asked if they could come along and get opinion on changes to and proposals for integrated health and social care services. “It’s also about learning what people see as being healthy and how easy they find it to take responsibility for their own wellbeing. #CookEatTalk is all about making healthy food choices and cooking with low salt, sugar and fat so we were delighted to help,” she added. Lunch for the attendees was served at Safeguard Group in Chadderton – and it looks like it would have been delicious as the ladies from the popup cafés at Crossley and Primrose Community Centres got their aprons on!
BAGS OF HELP FROM TESCO
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The Primrose Growing Together project was recently awarded a total of £12,000 from the Tesco Bags of Help fund.
It will also provide local residents with advice, training and support on how to use their own personal garden space to do the same.
The project will involve local residents using community green space to grow their own, healthy food.
The project is being delivered in partnership between Incredible Futures Oldham, the Primrose Bank management committee and Great Places Housing Group.
WORKING TOGETHER WITH PRIVATE LANDLORDS If you know someone who lives in a private rented property, or anyone who rents out a property, they may be interested to know that there is a Greater Manchester Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LAS). The scheme aims to: • Encourage, acknowledge, raise awareness and actively promote good property standards and management practice by landlords, and to assist landlords and tenants to undertake their respective responsibilities to each other • Encourage and acknowledge responsible behaviour by tenants. • Promote aspects of self-regulation through a relationship of goodwill and trust on the part of landlords, tenants and the scheme operator
• Ensure that the physical condition of dwellings, the level of provision of basic amenities and management practices, are fair and reasonable, and not liable to be prejudicial to the health, safety and welfare of tenants or the surrounding neighbourhood • Ensure landlords, tenants and community members enjoy the benefit of good dwelling conditions, competent management and considerate neighbourly behaviour • Ensure misunderstandings and disputes are reduced • Resolve problems promptly when they do happen If you would like an application pack from the GM LAS please contact your neighbourhood coordinator on 0300 123 2003
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RENT PAYMENTS RENT-FREE WEEKS AND RENT INCREASE With Christmas over and paid for by now, there’s no excuse to fall behind with rent payments.
contact your neighbourhood coordinator or officer for help or advice on how much to pay if you are unsure.
Every year, all tenants have a rent increase, approved by the Council and normally in line with the retail price index (RPI). This year is no different, with the increase just short of 1%.
Customers who pay rent by another method If your rent statement shows that you are completely up to date with your rent payments and do not owe any money then you do not need to make a payment during the two rent free weeks. However, if you do owe money then please continue to pay your rent as normal.
All tenants will have received their rent increase letter from Oldham Council, which also reminds of the rent-free weeks during the year. Two of these fall in April: Week commencing 4th April 2016 and week commencing 11th April 2016. You will have received a rent statement along with this edition of Inspired Living showing the balance on your account. Whether you need to pay any rent during these rent-free weeks, depends on your individual circumstances. Here’s a reminder of what to do: Customers who pay rent by direct debit We have looked at the rent accounts and all customers who were up-to-date with their rent as of week commencing 29th February 2016 have had their direct debits cancelled for the two rent-free weeks (or reduced if monthly or 4-weekly payers).
We strongly recommend that you continue to pay rent during the rent-free weeks. You can do this in a number of ways: Using a debit card by calling 0300 123 2003 option 2, paying online using your Payment Reference Number (long card number on your rent card), using the Allpay App or by setting up a direct debit. Customers who have credit on their account If you have a credit on your account please contact your neighbourhood coordinator or officer to agree a refund amount – we would recommend that you keep at least two weeks credit on your rent account. If you have any queries regarding your rent account balance or payment method please contact your neighbourhood officer or coordinator on 0300 123 2003 or email oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk
However, if you have built up rent arrears in the run up to the 29th February 2016 and owe money on your rent account, then we have made no deduction from your Direct Debit, as we strongly recommend that you continue to pay rent during the rent free weeks. Customers who receive Housing Benefit It is a tenant’s responsibility to keep Housing Benefit informed of any changes in circumstances, including any rent or income changes. Please ensure the Housing Benefit department are aware of your rent increase. If your award is reassessed and you need to pay a different amount than you currently pay towards your rent, please
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THEYOUR COMMUNITY ENTRE CENTRES P
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WHAT’S ON
MONDAY Possible dance classes Age 4+, 6pm-7pm. Cost: £3 Watch this space for more information!
Zumba Fitness 6:45pm-7:45pm Cost: £3
TUESDAY English as Second or Other Language (ESOL) classes, run by Lifelong Learning until April 2016 9:30am-11:30am. Classes are pre-entry and entry level one. If you are interested in joining the class please contact us on 0161 652 1419.
THURSDAY Chair-based exercise Easy exercise class for those who want to take it slowly but keep those muscles moving. 1pm-2pm Cost: £1
A discount applies if you attend both classes!
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Be Fit class, a combination of pure body tone and conditioning Insanity, circuit training and stretch 7:30pm-8:30pm Cost: £4 Time Out, activity session for children aged 5-13yrs 4:30pm-6:30pm Cost: 50p WEDNESDAY Creative wood carving 9am to 2pm. Cost: A yearly membership of £20 and a weekly fee of £5. All wood and use of equipment cost is included in fees. Zumba Gold 4:30pm-5:30pm Cost: £3
FORUMS AND WALKABOUTS
Find out what’s happening in your local community by attending a walkabout or forum! They’re held every month and give you the chance to have your say on how we can make your community a better place to live. There’s no need to register to attend them – just show up!
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FRIDAY Work skills and IT club 10am-12noon Free Pop up café 12noon-2pm Lovely home cooked food Cost: From £2.50 Time Out, activity session for children aged 5-13yrs 4:30pm-6:30pm Cost: 50p SATURDAY Coming soon - Slimming World! Watch this space SUNDAY Watch this space
WALKABOUTS AT CROSSLEY CENTRE Thursday 21 April at 4pm: Meet outside the tower gates Thursday 19 May at 5pm: Meet at Crossley Community Centre Thursday 23 June at 4pm: Meet outside the tower gates WALKABOUTS AT PRIMROSE BANK Tuesday 5 April at 10am: Meet at Primrose Community Centre
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WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AT PRIMROSE CENTRE
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MONDAY Oldham College Maths courses 9am-12noon and 12:30-3:30pm (crèche provided 9:15am-12noon) Free
WEDNESDAY English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) 12:30pm-2:30pm Free
Housing surgery with Sheila 2pm-5pm Free
Oldham College English courses 9am-12noon and 12:30-3:30pm (crèche provided 9.15am-12noon) Free
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Indoor football training for children aged 6 and 7 6:50pm-8pm £1.50 per child, first session free TUESDAY English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) 9:30am-11:30am and 12:30pm-2:30pm Free Work club, including job training and advice 1pm-2pm Free
THURSDAY Reading Class with Workers’ Employability Association 12:30pm-2:30pm Free FRIDAY No events
SUNDAY Time Out activities are not currently running. Look out for flyers that will be circulated when they begin again. If you are interested in the English classes held at the centre, please ring Jan on 0161 624 7202 or call into the Primrose Centre for more information. The Primrose Centre is also available to hire for private parties and events. For more information or to check availability, please ring Jan on 0161 1624 7202, e-mail primrosecentre@ gmail.com or call into the centre.
SATURDAY No events
New activities are being added to both the community centre schedules on an on-going basis – pop into your local centre to find out what’s new or email crossleycentre@gmail. com or primrosecentre@gmail.com.
Tuesday 3 May at 2pm: Meet at Primrose Community Centre Tuesday 7 June at 5pm: Meet at Primrose Community Centre
Monday 9 May at 5pm: Meet at Hilda Street flats Monday 13 June at 10am: Meet at Hilda Street flats
Tuesday 17 May at 10am: Meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill Tuesday 21 June at 2pm: Meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill
FORUM AT PRIMROSE BANK Tuesday 3 May at 3pm: Primrose Community Centre
FORUM AT DEW WAY Monday 13 June On-site after walkabout
FORUM AT FITTON HILL Tuesday 19 April at 6pm: The Hub
WALKABOUTS AT DEW WAY Monday 11 April at 2pm: Meet at Hilda Street flats
WALKABOUTS AT FITTON HILL Tuesday 19 April at 5pm: Meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill
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CASHING IN THE GREEN DIVIDEND FOR GROWTH!
THE BREAKFAST CLUB – STARRING OUR RESIDENTS!
The Primrose Centre has been awarded £3,500 from the Green Dividend fund to design a community garden, which will grow fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs.
A Breakfast Club was held at the Primrose Centre during the February half term holiday.
All of the fresh produce will then be harvested and used for cooking by the Primrose Ladies Group. The group will be fully supported through workshops and training to ensure the project is sustainable, while trips are planned to the Alexandra Park growing hub, which acts a learning centre for growing skills.
The focus was on providing a healthy breakfast and raising awareness of using fresh produce for meals. Children enjoyed making breakfast pizzas and fruit smoothies. They also had fun working with IFOldham making bird seed balls to hang on tree, sowing seeds and designing a garden.
The group will maintain the garden themselves, supported by the Primrose management committee, Great Places and IFOldham (Incredible Futures Oldham).
HOME-SWAPPING SCHEME TO BE CHANGED Do you sometimes feel as though you need a change? If you’ve nodded enthusiastically at the thought of this, did you know that if our tenants want to, they could swap houses with any other tenant around the UK? It’s called Mutual Exchange and it allows any housing association or council tenant to swap homes with each other so long as they’re allowed to swap and they want to do so. The way that our tenants can do this is changing. Here’s how. A company called House Exchange will provide the service, which was previously provided by Homeswapper, from May 1st onwards.
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If you’d like to exchange your house, flat, bungalow or maisonette, you need to have an assured or secure tenancy. Tenants with assured shorthold tenancies are unfortunately ineligible. Then, if you’re able to take part in the scheme, you can open an account with House Exchange free-of-charge after May 1st.
Current Homeswapper account holders will be contacted about the changes. For more information about the new service, visit www.houseexchange. co.uk
STAY SAFE AND WELL WITH GREATER MANCHESTER FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
House fires are one of the most upsetting stories you can hear about in the news – so if you’d like to make sure that your home is safe, helps at hand from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS). The service is now offering home visits where GMFRS people will help residents and offer them advice that will reduce the risk of fire.
The Safe and Well Visits look at the resident’s lifestyle as well as ways they can improve their health and crime prevention methods. Visits also put the resident at the heart of the plan to reduce the risk of their house being affected, including referrals to specialists. Call GMFRS on 0800 555 815 to book your Safe and Well Visit.
THINK! DO YOU REALLY NEED TO GO TO A&E? Did you know that as many as one in three people who go to accident and emergency departments at hospitals don’t need to be there? People sometimes go to these urgent care services because they don’t know where else to go or because they think it might be difficult to be seen somewhere else. It’s important to recognise that the right treatment for you might not be provided at a hospital and that you don’t always need to call for an ambulance. Some of these options may be better for you. Family doctors Your family doctor, also known as a general practitioner (GP), is the main point of contact for the general health care of you and your family. GPs are highly-skilled doctors who can help you manage your health. Their surgeries often provide practice nurses with
whom you can discuss your problems too. If you have an appointment to see your GP: Write down the key questions you want to ask them, make a note of any medication you’re currently taking, be open about your symptoms, ask them to repeat or write down anything you don’t understand and make sure you understand your next steps before you leave the surgery. Alternatively, ask about minor health issues at your local pharmacy: The fully-trained health professionals who work there can offer advice on a wide range of symptoms. If a child or young person isn’t feeling well: You can download the Oldham Child Illness app from whichever app store your device uses. It contains information on a variety of issues that affect children and works alongside a brochure that your GP practice or health visitor can provide. Just search for Oldham Child Illness.
Walk-In services: This service, at which doctors and nurses can treat suspected fractures, cuts, bruises, minor eye problems, burns, scalds and sprains without the need for an appointment, is available at New Radcliffe Street, Oldham, OL1 1NL. Tel: 0161 785 7520
Think!
You can also check your symptoms online at www.nhs.uk Useful telephone numbers Emergency dental queries or to register with a dentist: 0845 333 230 Low income scheme helpline: 0300 330 1343 Medical exemption certificate queries: 0300 330 1341 Prescription pre-payment certificate queries: 0300 330 1341 Tax credit certificate queries: 0300 330 1347 Prescription services helpline: 0300 330 1349 Dental services helpline: 0300 330 1348 All other enquiries: 0300 330 1343
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REACH FOR THE STARS WITH JAY! The view of most 14-year-old boys is that they are content to spend their spare time locked in their bedrooms playing computer games, but not Jay Harrison. When the school bell rings, he heads to the Crossley Centre to help his local area – and it’s earned him a nomination for a Community Stars Award.
“I got on really well with the other members of staff when I started volunteering, so I was asked to help out at two big events towards the end of last year – the Halloween party and the Christmas party,” he says.
Jay has been put forward for the Young Resident Award by Sonja Costello, chair of the local residents’ group at the Crossley Centre, who saw how he became a much-loved figure in the community thanks to his volunteering in the few months since he moved to the area.
Jay helped out at the Halloween party and then joined the estate’s older population at the Christmas dinner, where he served food and kept older residents company.
“I first moved to the area in Christmas 2014 and in September 2015 I started volunteering,” Jay explains. “I was new to the area and I didn’t have anything to do, so I brought my younger sisters to the Crossley Centre. “I started volunteering at Time Out, which is the youth club that’s held at the centre. I’d help out with the sports and the art that the children would take part in,” he adds. While most teenage boys will be happy to help other lads similar to them, Jay has quickly become an asset to all the people he works with at the Crossley Centre.
“It was a lot of responsibility for a 14-year-old,” he laughs.
He’ll be working on the same events this year as well as others when school holidays allow. “I’d like to work on the pop-up café at the centre when I’m on my school holidays, because it’ll give me a much better chance to work with more people,” he says. Volunteering has also been a step in the right direction for Jay’s schoolwork too. “After I’d started volunteering, my school asked me if I wanted to start doing the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme too, so I signed up.
Cover stars!
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I’d like to work on the popup café at the centre when I’m on my school holidays
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“Because I’d already done more than a hundred hours of volunteering, I had already qualified for the Bronze Award. “So now I get the Bronze award for just the volunteering and the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award as a foundation for the rest of my work,” he beamed. The chair of Jay’s local residents’ group, Sonja Costello, is in no doubt about why she nominated him for the Young Resident award. “He’s contributed so much to the community to say that he’s only been here for a couple of years - and he’s such a lovely lad,” she said. “He’s kind and he’s considerate to everyone when he does things like volunteering with the resident group or serving 40 Christmas dinners,” she adds. The sign of a good volunteer is that nothing is ever a problem for them and that if you pick up the phone to ask them for help, they’ll be ready, willing and able
“When you deal with 14-year-old boys, you don’t always get the commitment from them, but it’s never been an issue with Jay. He’s always willing to help the older members of the community and he’s a credit to his mum and dad,” she says. In fact, if there’s a heart-warming story that demonstrates Jay’s keenness to involve everyone, it’s the tale Sonja has from the Halloween party. “It was a fancy dress party at the centre and there were prizes for the best costume in three separate age brackets. Jay won his and one of his younger sisters won hers too, but his other sister didn’t – so Jay gave her his prize so she didn’t feel left out. “He’s just a genuinely nice young man,” she concludes. And that’s why he’s been nominated for the Great Places Community Stars Young Resident Award!
I first moved to the area in Christmas 2014 and in September 2015 I started volunteering
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to offer what they can. Sonja says that Jay fills this job description perfectly.
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GREEN-FINGERED AMANDA UP FOR COMMUNITY STAR AWARD As well as Jay, our cover star of this edition of Inspired Living, Amanda Mallitt is also in the running for a Community Stars Award. Her pottering has paid off as she’s been nominated for the Green Champion prize. Walking into Amanda Mallitt’s garden is like stepping into a mass of vivid colour. “I just love gardening and after it was seen what I’d been doing, I was nominated for the award,” she says, trowel in hand, as she crouches over one of the numerous ‘planters’ in the back garden of her house on the Crossley estate. “I’m out in my garden at all hours. Even just last week, before the clocks went forward, I was exhausted one night and really should have gone to bed but I gave myself half an hour in the garden!” she laughs.
Amanda has designed a garden that suits her love of plants and flowers well. “My favourite things to plant are daffodils and crocuses. I’d recommend that anyone plants them in their garden because they come up out of the ground year in, year out. “I also love to sow wild seeds too. I’ll get a big box of them and sprinkle them everywhere and see what comes up,” she says. Amanda also recycles whatever she can and finds a home for it in the garden. Local birds are in for a treat when they pause at Amanda’s back garden too. “I’ve made bird feeders from old mugs and attached them to my fence. I get finches, blue tits, starlings and pigeons all eating from them – it’s easy just to re-use something instead of throwing it away,” she claims. And it’s not just her property that benefits from Amanda’s green-fingered touch. Other parts of the Crossley estate have been spruced up thanks to her influence, like when she filled the in the planters dotted around and about with Naseem, the neighbourhood officer, just before Christmas last year. Some might say that Amanda’s gardening is a labour of love, but she reckons it’s worth it. “I love it and take great pride in it. I helped my mum and dad with their garden when I was younger and I still help them today. “I enjoy it and if you enjoy something then it doesn’t harm you. I might get the occasional bad shoulder but it’s all part of it!” she laughs.
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I’ve created a pyramid from old tyres, painted them different colours and I’ve put plants and herbs in them
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GETTING YOUR GARDEN READY FOR SPRING As the nights are getting shorter, so there’s more time to be spent in the garden, getting it into shape for those long summer days. Here are some top tips on how you can get the best from your garden from Steven Higginbottom of Greenfingers Landscape who’ll be our new gardening contractor from 1st April onwards.
• Start to keep weeds under control by either hand weeding or applying a safe chemical treatment • Continue to protect plants like fruit blossom from late frosts • Tie in climbing and rambling plants • Sow hardy annuals and herb seeds • Spring is around the time when it’s good to increase the water given to houseplants • Start feeding hungry shrubs and roses • As the ground gets warmer, it’s now a great time to sow new lawns or repair bare patches • Don’t be tempted to put out tender bedding plants out until the end of April • Deadhead daffodils and narcissi • Mulch away while you can still see what you are doing - and before the herbaceous growth really takes off • Use your own garden compost, leaf mould, or well-rotted manure • Treat sheds, fences and trellis with wood preservative • Finally, now is the time to wage war on slugs and snails - they love tulips!
Clean and repair your garden tools, book the lawn mower in for a service and check garden furniture for any rot
Carry on removing moss and weeds from paths, terraces and drives
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE – BETWEEN GOOD GARDENS AND BAD GARDENS It’s good to take pride in your appearance – and as well as ourselves, this can relate to our homes too.
Bad garden
Good garden
Bad garden
Good garden
We’d be really grateful if you could keep your gardens tidy. We’re not asking for your plots of land to look like something from the Chelsea flower show, but it’s part of your tenancy agreement in section 13 (headed ‘Gardens’) which says: “Residents must keep all garden areas neat and tidy. If not maintained, we will do the work and recharge all costs back to the tenancy”. As part of this area of your tenancy agreement, enforcement action can also be brought about. All we’re asking to avoid it is a little effort. These pictures have highlighted how the imagination of some residents has given them a garden to be proud of. It doesn’t have to cost the earth. Let’s be proud of our neighbourhoods!
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EARLY HELP ASSESSMENT AND SERVICES The Oldham Early Help service is designed to help people to develop self-help and self-management skills in order to better meet their long-term needs and to reduce their reliance on public services.
The support given will depend on the needs of the individual or family. Some will be referred to communitybased groups while those with more complex needs will be given one-to-one support.
For many families and individuals, services have tended to come into their lives and ‘fix’ things for them. They intervened to correct problems or directly meet needs.
If you want to know more about the assessment, or to find out about training, please contact the Early Help team on 0161 770 3000 or speak to your Great Places Neighbourhood Team on 0300 123 2003
This has resulted in some families and individuals becoming over-reliant on services leading to an expectation that things will be done for them or to them. For some they have never needed to learn to become selfreliant.
If you know someone who could be helped by the Early Help service, talk to your Neighbourhood Coordinator or Neighbourhood Officer.
As a result a new, simpler and more intuitive way for families, adults and young people to assess their own needs is now in operation across Oldham. It also enables professionals to work out ways to support them to take both ownership and control over their needs. The Early Help Service supports people to stay in control of their life and personally manage issues that may be affecting them such as: • • • • • • • •
Drug and alcohol Housing and tenancy General family support needs Behaviour management Debt and finance Anti-social behavior or crime Stop smoking support Free health checks
Stop smoking and free NHS health checks The Early Help Service also helps people to stop smoking and offers 40- to 74-year-olds a free NHS Health Check. To access this service, call 0800
288 9008 or visit www.oldham.gov.uk/earlyhelp
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my money
Our Financial Inclusion team work hard to help residents save money. Last year, they helped put £1m back into your pockets!
Housing Benefit – new backdating rules The government has made changes to the backdating rules for claiming Housing Benefit. From April 2016 the period for backdating Housing Benefit claims will reduce from 6 months to just 1 month. This change will only be applied to people of working age.
Housing Benefit will continue to be backdated for three months for claimants of Pension Credit age (or if your partner is Pension Credit age). If someone fails to request the backdate when they make their new claim for Housing Benefit, and this isn’t spotted for a month or more, even if they had good cause for why they did not claim earlier, they will not be able to get their claim for Housing Benefit backdated at all.
Are you prepared for Universal Credit? Universal Credit lumps all major benefits together into one monthly payment. Over the next few years more people will move off the old benefit system and onto Universal Credit (UC), so here are our top tips for making sure you are prepared! Save! – If you come out of work and have to claim UC you will not get any money for around 7 weeks! That’s a long time to go without anything to live off.
Open a ‘clean’ bank account – Are you always in overdraft or do you get charged for going overdrawn? If so, it would be a good idea to open a new bank account so your money doesn’t get swallowed up.
Learn how to budget – Your rent money will be included in your UC payment, so you will get a large lump sum each month and will need to budget accordingly.
Get connected – All UC claims will be made online and in the future all information from the Jobcentre will be online, so you will need an email address and access to the Internet.
Money Saving Water Schemes I f you live in a United Utilities (UU) area there are several schemes that could help you to reduce your water bill.
• W atersure – if you have a water meter and receive benefits, and you have 3 or more kids living at home or need to use a lot of water because of a medical condition you can cap your water bill at the local average.
• A rrears allowance scheme – if you have water arrears and stick to a repayment plan UU will clear your arrears by £1 for every £1 you pay off.
• I f you are a single person household it is best to have a water meter fitted. If you can’t have a meter fitted you are entitled to cap your bill at £248.
• Help to Pay – if you or anyone in your house gets Pension Credit you can cap your water bill at £250 per year.
For more information please contact CAT (see page 2 for details) or email fit@greatplaces.org.uk.
Fee-free bank accounts Have you ever been hit with bank charges? Have you been refused a bank account in the past? Nine high street banks are now offering an account to people that have struggled with banking in the past. These new accounts allow you to have money paid in, withdraw cash, pay bills by Direct Debit and buy stuff on-line, all without the fear of being charged. If you already have a bank account but would like to move to a fee-free one you can contact your bank and ask to switch.
The banks offering these new accounts are: Barclays – Barclays Basic Current Account, The Cooperative Bank – Cashminder, HSBC – Basic Bank Account, Lloyds Banking Group (Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds) – Basic Account, National Australia Bank Group (including Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank) – Readycash Account, Nationwide – FlexBasic, RBS Group (NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank) – Foundation Account and Basic Account (England and Wales), Santander – Basic Current Account, TSB – Cash Account.
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NEWS from the wider borough
WHAT’S ON AROUND OLDHAM IN SPRING? Get the family fit with parkrun Parkrun is a free, safe and easy way to get fit. Join in at whatever pace suits you.
Alexandra Park. It begins at 9am every Saturday and is suitable for the whole family from the ages of four and up, but an adult must accompany all under-11s. It’s also buggyfriendly.
The Oldham junior parkrun begins on 1st May 2016. It’s a great way for kids aged between four and 14 to keep fit.
There’s also a parkrun at Chadderton Hall that’s run at 9am every Saturday from April 23.
The 2km run starts at 9.30am every Sunday in Alexandra Park.
After completing your run, why not extend your stay in the park and make use of their facilities?
For a family challenge, try the weekly 5km run, also at
For more details on parkruns, take a look at www.parkrun.org.uk
LOOK AROUND YOU!
Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s a great opportunity to get out into some of the beautiful countryside that we’re lucky to have on our doorstep. There’s ample opportunity in the borough to get out and about and closer to nature. Look out for creepy crawlies, spring flowers and pinecones, wiggly worms and funny-shaped leaves.
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Listen to the sounds of the countryside – the chirping birds, the running streams or the sounds of dozens of animals. Have a look at the green spaces that are close to you at www.oldham.gov.uk/parks
A VISUAL FEAST AT GALLERY OLDHAM There’s always something to look at or do at Gallery Oldham. The Small Cinema shows a wide range of family films every week for just £3.50 per ticket, which includes a goodie bag for the little ones that has popcorn and a drink. Previous films shown have included the Pixar instant classic Inside Out – and there’s a raffle at each showing to win the film on DVD so you can
take it home and enjoy it again and again. If arts and crafts are more your thing, there’s also a wide range of creative activities for all the family held on the first Saturday of each month. Just come along, there’s no need to book! Keep up to date with what’s on at Gallery Oldham by checking www.galleryoldham.org.uk or calling 0161 770 4653
COULD YOUR CHILD BE THE NEXT GRADUATE OF THE CHILDREN’S UNIVERSITY? As exhausted parents up and down the land will know all too well, children never stop. But did you know that all the many activities you’ll ferry them to, such as sport, music, dance and even visits to libraries and galleries, could go towards achieving a Children’s University degree?
The degree is recognition of a child’s commitment to learning outside the classroom and every time they complete an activity, they receive a stamp on their passport to learning. For more information on the Children’s University, call Suzy Ashworth at Oldham Council on 0161 770 8997 or visit www.childrensuniversity.co.uk
SPRING INTO A NEW HOBBY If the weather lets you down as spring continues, why not pay a visit to your local leisure centre and take up a new hobby?
Aguero, Marcus Rashford, or even Dominic Poleon at Latics, football coaching is available at the centres too.
Oldham community leisure centres have a range of activities that you might never have considered trying.
There’s also plenty for new and prospective parents. If Junior still hasn’t made an appearance there’s aquanatal classes for prospective mothers, while water babies can strap on their armbands for parent and baby swim sessions.
If you’ve ever fancied trampolining or being the next Shaquille O’Neal on the basketball court, there are sessions to suit you. Alternatively, if you’d like to be the next Sergio
To find out which sessions are available at which centres, take a look at www.oclactive.co.uk or call 0161 770 4653
MAKE SPRING A REAL PAGE-TURNER Find out about spring-themed bedtime stories, bounce and rhyme and story sessions at your local library. Check what’s on at your local library at www.oldham.gov.uk/libraries
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Protecting our communities The community safety team work across Great Places neighbourhoods to tackle unacceptable behaviour. We work alongside our neighbourhood staff and other agencies to put you first. What do we do? We investigate incidents of: • Anti-social behaviour • Domestic abuse • Hate Crime • Crime and nuisance • Neighbour issues Safety first! It’s all about early intervention and prevention. We want to resolve issues and work with you. We know it’s important to you that appropriate action is taken against those responsible. We work closely with the police and other agencies to reduce crime and nuisance in your neighbourhoods. How to get help We want you to feel comfortable about approaching us. We’re a friendly team and we’re here to help. We will listen without judging you, and offer advice. Our staff are fully trained and you will be treated with complete discretion. If you need the help of an interpreter we will arrange this for you. If we visit you, we will always show an identity card and will respect your home, privacy, customs and culture.
REPORT IT To report anti-social behaviour or community safety concern please email cat@greatplaces.org.uk or call 0300 123 2003 (and press option 2). The option 2 ASB line is open 24 hours including bank holidays and weekends. Please only press option 2 if you are contacting us about an anti-social behaviour matter.
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For more information about community safety visit: www.greatplaces.org.uk and search for ‘community safety’.
COULD YOU AFFORD TO REPLACE EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOME? If the answer is ‘no’ then you can’t afford to risk not having home contents insurance cover!
It’s important that you protect your home against the risk of flooding, fires, burglaries and other incidents that can, and do, happen – otherwise you risk losing all your possessions. The storms that have battered Britain in recent months and years have affected hundreds of thousands of households. In the event of flooding, Great Places will repair any damage to your building, but any contents including carpets, flooring, furniture, electrical items and other personal possessions are your responsibility to replace.
Home contents insurance just for you
Great Places request that all tenants take out a home contents insurance policy, so we have teamed up with Aviva to offer you a great deal! Our policy has no excess which means you don’t pay anything if you need to make a claim, and Aviva have guaranteed that premiums will not increase over the next 3 years, even if your property is flooded. There are lots of ways to pay and premiums start from just £1.68 per week for £9000 worth of cover.
For further information about Great Places’ contents insurance scheme please contact our Customer Access Team (see page 2 for contact details).
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Competition time £30 in vouchers to be won!
You could be one of three winners of a £10 shopping voucher! Simply complete the wordsearch and spot the differences between the two pictures, cut the page out and post it to us along with your full name and address to be entered into the prize draw.
Send your entries by post to:
Deadline for entries: Monday 16 May 2016.
Remember, you don’t need a stamp!
FREEPOST, RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Inspired Living, Great Places Housing Group, Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Manchester M20 2LT.
Wordsearch Words to find are: PYRAMID GROWTH COOKING HOUSE
LIBRARY BASKETBALL CHIRPING FLOOD
GARDEN SPRING APRIL RESCUE
CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST ISSUE’S WINNERS:
Zeenat Shahid – Oldham E.D. Sweatman – Oldham Abdul Khalik – Oldham
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1
2
There are five differences – can you find them? Circle any differences you find on picture number 2.