InspiredLiving
WINTER 2015
THE MAGAZINE FOR OLDHAM PFI RESIDENTS
d up steppe I How ess – succ o t esident r y le s s Cro Blyth Pamela
COMMUNITY STARS AWARDS
Nominate a star in your neighbourhood
WIN! £30 w orth o f high stree t vouc hers
Winter Warmth
Top winter energy saving tips
Christmas opening hours General enquiries 24 December (Christmas Eve) – 8am–2pm 25 December (Christmas Day) – Closed 28 December – Closed 29 December – 8am–4pm 30 December – 9am–4pm 31 December – 9am–2pm 1 January (New Year’s Day) – Closed
0300 123 2003 oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk
If you need to get in touch with us on any of these days please use the 0300 123 2003 number (option 2) or email oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk. Repairs The repairs service will close at 5pm on 24 December (Christmas Eve) and will reopen at 9am on 4 January 2016. If you wish to report an emergency repair between 5pm on 24 December and 9am on 4 January then the out of hours emergency line 0300 123 2003 (option 1) will be operating during this time. Only emergency repairs will be carried out during this time.
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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 let us know if you need a magnifying sheet. An audio version of Inspired Living is also available. If you need this magazine in a different language, please also let us know.
Editor: Kirsty Hogarth (kirsty.hogarth@greatplaces.org.uk) Designer: Simon Crossley (simon.crossley@greatplaces.org.uk)
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Welcome to Welcome to the winter issue of Inspired Living. It’s amazing how much work has taken place in Crossley, Primrose Bank, Fitton Hill and Westwood – take a look at pages 14–15 to see how these neighbourhoods have been transformed over the year. With the cold weather setting in we have included some helpful energy efficiency tips to help you to reduce those utility bills (page 19) as well as how we can help in ensuring rental payments are kept up-to-date during the Christmas season (page 18).
InspiredLiving! We also have a wonderful story on Pamela Blythe (pages 10–11) who has recently moved into Stockfield Mount and secured a new job shortly after she moved in – seeing her confidence really shine once again. Pamela’s story is an excellent example of how Oldham PFI regeneration work is not just having a positive community impact through bricks and mortar! I’d like to thank all those who have helped us to build great communities during 2015. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday and best wishes for the new year.
InspiredL iving
WINTER 2015
THE MAG
AZINE FOR
OLDHAM
PFI RESIDEN
TS
hOW i Stepp eD Up tO SUCCeSS – Crossley reside nt Pamela Blyth
COmmUn itY Star S aWarDS
Nominate a star
in your neigh bourhood
Winter
Win ! £40 worth hig of h vouc street hers
Warmth
Top winter energy saving tips
Ryan Smith Oldham PFI manager
WHAT’S INSIDE? Features 4-5 Neighbourhood news: News and stories from where you live 8–9 Caring for our communities: A full list events at the Crossley and Primrose Bank Community Centres 14–15 Community growth: How our neighbourhoods have developed during the year
10-11
What’s on at your community centre page
19 Winter Warmth: Top winter energy saving tips
Our cover star Pamela Blyth pages
18 My money: Information about your rent-free weeks and universal credit
6-7
20 Competitions: Can you spot the 5 differences and complete the wordsearch to be in with a chance to £30!
16-17
Community Stars Awards pages
pages
News from the wider borough
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Neighbourhood NEWS Primrose Bank women set to grow social enterprise Ladies from Primrose Bank have been growing their own fruit, veggies and herbs at the Primrose Centre and have received funding from Great Places and the Primrose Management Group to continue running the project through Spring 2016. The ladies are working towards setting up a social enterprise in food catering and want to provide healthy Bangladeshi food at a low cost.
Are you passionate about green spaces? Great Places, in partnership with Oldham Council, Greenfingers Landscapes and Incredible Futures Oldham, are recruiting for up to 30 green ambassadors in early 2016.
Clare’s Christmas appeal sends warmth to homeless Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for people who are homeless. Clare Robinson, who lives in the Crossley neighbourhood and is a volunteer for the KeyRing network, wanted to do her bit to help support homeless people during this time of year and put herself forward as a collection point for the people of Oldham and Great Places staff to donate shoeboxes filled with useful items such as gloves, socks, hygiene items and food. KeyRing supports volunteers to work with some of the most vulnerable members of society. Clare is a longstanding volunteer for KeyRing and works closely with many of our tenants and residents on the Crossley estate. A huge well done to Clare and everyone who has supported the Christmas shoebox appeal.
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What are green ambassadors? Green ambassadors help monitor the quality and appearance of our public green spaces to make sure they are of the highest standard. Green ambassadors will also help with organising activities that encourage residents to make their gardens bright and colourful as well as being used to grow sustainable, healthy food. Free training! You do not need to be a gardening pro already to be a green ambassador. Great Places and Oldham Council will fund up to 30 green ambassadors to complete a training programme to learn about growing sustainable food and making the best use of your garden. Plus, Incredible Futures Oldham have secured ÂŁ5,000 to transform the Primrose Bank Community Centre garden into a vegetable plot growing items for the local community so this will be a great way for the green ambassadors to showcase their green-fingered skills! How do I register my interest? Please contact Naseem Ahmed on 0300 123 2003 who will be happy to come and visit you and discuss the green ambassador role in more detail.
Walkabouts and Forums
Walkabouts and residents’ forums are held every month to provide you with the opportunity to find out what’s going on in your local neighbourhood and to have your say about how we can make your home and your community a great place to live. No need to sign up, please just turn up!
FORUMS
WALKABOUTS Primrose Bank — Mondays (meet at Primrose Community Centre) 5 January – 4pm 2 February – 4pm 1 March – 4pm
Dew Way — Wednesdays (meet at Hilda Street flats) 11 January – 2:00pm 8 February – 2:30 pm 7 March – 2:30 pm
Fitton Hill — Tuesdays (meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill)
Crossley — Thursdays (meet at Crossley Community Centre)
20 January – 2:00pm 17 February – 2:00pm 16 March – 1:30pm
21 January – 10am 25 February – 10am 24 March – 10am
Primrose Bank (meet at Primrose Centre) 2 February – 5pm Fitton Hill (meet at the Hub) 16 March – 2:30pm Dew Way (meet at Millennium Centre) 11 January – 3pm
CHADDERTON TOGETHER Chadderton Day, which was this year a joint event run by ‘Chadderton Together’ and the Crossley Residents’ Group, was a great success, with the climbing wall proving hugely popular with local kids. A raffle was also held to raise money for future community events. Pictured: first prize winners Amanda Mallitt of Sandgate Road, Crossley and her daughter Ellie Hardy, both keen gardeners, won the gardening hamper donated by Keepmoat.
Crossley children work their garden magic Amanda Mallitt, from Chadderton, and her team of friendly helpers helped dig out four large planters in the Crossley neighbourhood and load them with fresh soil and a variety of bulbs, including Iris, Crocus, Tulips, Hyacinths, and Anemones, all ready to bloom in spring next year! Thanks to everyone for their hard work!
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MRO RI
THEYour Community ENTRE Centres P
SSLE RO
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C Monday Spinners Mews Cooking Club 4:30pm–6:30pm Free (Up until end of January. May continue subject to funding) Tuesday Time Out (5–13 years) 4:30pm–6:30pm 50p
What’s On Be Fit Class (15+ years) 7:30pm–8:30pm £4 Wednesday Zumba Gold 4:30pm–5:30pm £3
Friday Work Skills & IT Club 10am–12pm Free Pop-up Café 12pm–2pm From £2.50 Time Out (5–13 years) 4:30pm–6:30pm 50p
Zumba Fitness 6:45pm–7:45pm £3 Wood Carvers Group (New!) Starts 6 January 9am–2pm £5 per session (£20 annual membership)
Saturday Table Tennis 6pm–8pm Free
Thursday Chair-based Exercise 1pm–2pm £1
Sunday Table Tennis 6pm–8pm Free
Have you got Christmas covered? With Christmas on the horizon many of us may find ourselves with more valuable belongings in our homes – make sure you’ve got these item protected. Great Places offers a contents insurance policy specifically for its customers. For further information please call 0300 123 2003 or email oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk. Could you afford to replace everything in your home? Great Places’ insurance policy provides up to £10k worth of cover for just over £70 per year! Did you know that your home contents are more valuable at Christmas? The Great Places home contents insurance policy has a temporary increase of 15% on the value of goods you’re insured for over the festive period.
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Buying Christmas presents from a weekly payments store? Did you know that if a tenant has our home contents insurance they won’t need to purchase the expensive add-on insurance which pushes up the price of these goods! If you know a Great Places tenant that is already paying for goods through a weekly payment store contact Great Places as we could help them to reduce the high insurance payments.
MROS RI
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E
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P
SSLE RO
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MONDAY Oldham College math courses 9am–12pm & 12:30–3:30pm (crèche provided 9:15am–12pm) Free
Wednesday English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) 12:30pm–3pm Free
Housing Surgery with Sheila 2pm–5pm Free
Oldham College English courses 9am–12pm & 12:30pm–3:30pm (crèche provided 9:15am–12pm) Free
Tuesday English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) 9.30am–12pm & 12.30pm–3pm Free
C
Work club (training and job advice) 1pm–2pm Free Football Fitness for girls & boys (ages 14+ years) (Oldham West Football Academy) 7pm–8pm Free
THURSDAY Reading Class with Workers Employability Association 12:30pm–3pm Free FRIDAY Talk English 9:30am–11:30am Free SUNDAY Time Out activities for girls and boys aged 5–12 years 1pm–3pm 50p
One-Off Special Events at the primsrose centre
Festive event An afternoon of festive celebrations for both children and adults of Primrose Bank, Dew Way and Fitton Hill. Tuesday 22 December, 1–3pm This event is free but must be booked in advance – to book drop into the Primrose Centre or email primrosecentre@gmail.com.
Winter warmer event
Breakfast club and activities
Energy advice and options for cutting fuel bills
A morning packed full of creative and fun activities for girls and boys aged 8 – 15 year’olds. Under 8’s need to be accompanied by an adult.
Friday 15 January 2016, 1–5pm
Tuesday 16–Thursday 18 Febraury 2016, 10am–12pm
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.
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Great Places’ Who should we roll the red carpet out for in your neighbourhood? Who’s made a contribution in your area that should put them in the spotlight? Who are the unsung heroes in your community who deserve a reward?
You can help a star in your community get the recognition they deserve by nominating them for one of the categories in our Community Stars Awards! All Great Places residents can nominate an individual, group or project. The closing date is Sunday 31 January 2016, so get in touch to let us know the stars that shine in your community. We’ll be holding a special awards ceremony in April 2016 to celebrate the hard work that residents and community groups put in to make their neighbourhood a better place. Look out for information about the nominees and the winners on our website.
How to enter – it ’s easy You can nominate someone by emailing Maria Morris at maria.morris@greatplaces.org.uk, calling her on 0161 447 5076, or writing to her at the following address: FREEPOST RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Great Places, Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Manchester, M20 2LT.
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closing date : SUNDAY 31 JANUARY:
Award categories Good Neighbour Award A person who goes out of their way to care for others in their neighbourhood – maybe they help with an older person’s shopping, provide a shoulder to cry on, support neighbours in times of need, help to bring the street together for social events. Young Resident Award A person aged 25 or under who has worked to improve their area, made a positive difference to someone else’s life or stood up to bullying, hate crime, racism or other forms of antisocial behaviour, or shown particular bravery. Community Project Award
Do you know of a standout project in your area that’s impressed you? Has it transformed the place where you live or brought people together?
Community/Residents Group Award
A group of residents who’ve pulled together to make a significant difference to where they live. Maybe they’ve helped to bring improvements to your building, set up social events to bring the community together or raised money to transform green space near your home.
Green Champion
An individual who is committed to making a big environmental impact and has made a difference to their community. This could be looking after a community garden, helping at a community allotment or promoting community recycling.
SENIOR Resident Award
A person aged 70 or over who works tirelessly to improve their community. They may have been working in their neighbourhood for years and have never received recognition.
Supported Housing Resident Award
A person who lives in one of our supported housing schemes who has made a real difference to the lives of others: they may have gone the extra mile to help a fellow resident, started up a group, or got involved in a community initiative.
Supported Housing Scheme Award Is there one of our projects which stands head and shoulders above the rest? Has it become an important part of the community? It could be a scheme for young people, young parents, homeless, alcohol dependents, or those with mental health issues. Community Champion Award This person will already be an important part of the community. Maybe they run the local youth club or help in the local school as a volunteer. They might be a key person in the local church or the chief organiser of the community fair.
Great Places’Staff Award
Is there someone from Great Places who has gone the extra mile for residents? Who do you think embodies our vision: Great Homes. Great Communities. Great People.
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My journey to achieving ‘personal mastery’ Inspired Living met with Crossley resident Pamela Blyth to find out how she turned her life around with the help of Great Places and career support services Get Oldham Working, Jobcentre Plus and Remploy. Seeing Pamela Blyth proudly holding up her rather mystical sounding certificate in ‘personal mastery’ you may be led to think that this is a woman who has always had bucket loads of confidence (or perhaps has recently graduated from Hogwarts alongside Harry Potter and co!).
Realising the bedsit wasn’t doing her health any good, she got herself out and sofa surfed in friends’ homes for six months – her possessions crammed into a just a few bags.
In fact, ¬the only magic in this story is how Pamela has been on a very real journey which has seen her go from hardship to heroine in her own life story.
Knowing this lifestyle wasn’t sustainable, in May 2013 Pamela finally took the first step to get her back on her own two feet. She bid for an apartment in Stockfield Mount and was successfully selected out of the three candidates who had applied.
Born and bred in Oldham, Pamela moved down to London where she spent eight years working in a popular bingo hall ¬ a job she loved and which gave her an opportunity to shine through building relationships with the many regular customers.
With her new home came the hands-on support and care of Great Places’ neighbourhood and financial support teams who helped Pamela find a three-piece sofa, apply for food vouchers, sort her bills out, set up a bank account, and take her to her hospital appointments.
However, after experiencing a difficult personal relationship and money troubles she found herself in a ‘very bad place’ and suffering from severe depression, which saw her weight drop to an unhealthy level.
Billy Gallagher, Great Places floating support coordinator, said: “When I first met Pamela she wasn’t in a good way at all. She was very thin and withdrawn – it was clear she had totally lost her confidence.
Pamela decided to pack her bags and move back up to Oldham to make a fresh start – but her move back up north didn’t fall into place overnight. With very little money to her name, Pamela found herself living in a tired bedsit for several months, where she shut herself away in her room.
“I assisted her with her hospital appointments as I knew that getting her health back was the first step in helping her to turn her life around.”
Cover stars!
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With her health improving, Pamela, felt able to start looking for a new job and the Jobcentre referred her to career support service Remploy which provided guidance to help her secure a series of training and qualifications including customer services skills, level 2 Maths and level 1 English. With her new skills in the bag, Pamela sought the help of Oldham Council’s popular career service ‘Get Oldham Working’ and despite being turned down for the first two traineeships she applied for, she secured a sixmonth paid traineeship working in administration in Remploy’s Rochdale office. Pamela said: “I’ve got my confidence back and finally feel settled. I’m proud of my home and when I look
“My advice to anyone else in a similar situation is don’t be afraid of asking for help. If you’re fair with them then they’ll be fair with you. Burying your head won’t get you anywhere.” Pamela now hopes to secure a permanent position in administration and to also volunteer at the Crossley Community Centre. If you know a Great Places resident who needs help and support please email oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk or call 0300 123 2003.
My advice to anyone else in a similar situation is don’t be afraid of asking for help
“
“
around me I realise I’ve achieved so much and I’m really grateful for everyone who has helped me along the way.
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Caring for our communities We’re committed to creating great homes and great communities, led by great people who are proud to say that they love where they live. In order to achieve this we need the support and cooperation of all our customers. Here are some ways to ensure that we work together to deliver on this vision.
Transforming our alleyways All keys for alleyway gates across Primrose Bank, Fitton Hill, Dew Way and Crossley have now been distributed. PIC FROM Keeping alleyway gates locked helps to keep our neighbourhoods safe and free from fly-tipping and is therefore strongly supported and encouraged by Great Places, local neighbourhood policing teams and councillors. Great Places, working alongside resident groups in all neighbourhoods, is making our alleyways useable spaces in the coming year, including planting greenery and installing children’s games in areas that residents have told us they’d like to see them. Alleyway consultation events have started in Crossley and will take place across Primrose Bank in early 2016. If you have any queries regarding your alleyway gates or wish to be involved in next year’s projects please contact your local neighbourhood coordinator on 0300 123 2003.
Everything’s greener when it’s cleaner Unfortunately litter continues to be a problem in some of our neighbourhoods. You can report a litter problem by contacting Great Places on 0300 123 2003 and Oldham Council on 0161 770 6644 or visit the Oldham Council website oldham.gov.uk and search for ‘litter report form'. We all want our new neighbourhoods to look the best they can so please ensure that you and your visitors do your bit. It’s always worth reminding children to make sure they put their waste in a bin locally or wait until they get home. If you’d like to help out on one of our neighbourhood clean-up days please contact your neighbourhood coordinator on 0300 123 2006.
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Accessing parking court gates
Both Primrose Bank and Fitton Hill neighbourhoods include a number of parking courts. The courts are accessed by electronic gates and are designed to only be operated by those residents who have an electronic fob assigned to them. Unfortunately, on several occasions significant damage has been caused to the gates by people forcing them open or closed or riding on the gates. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents, Great Places and Wates will be installing CCTV to monitor use of the gates. If you see anybody misusing the gates please advise Great Places or Wates as soon as possible. Any resident or visitor to any residents’ property partaking in such action will be subject to a recharge for all costs for repair works.
Report it, help us sort it! Dog owners who do not clean up after their furry friends can face an on-the-spot penalty of £80 and up to £1000 if the case goes to the Magistrates Court. Please help us to keep your communities clean by reporting any sightings of dog fouling via a short dog fouling report form on the Oldham Council Website visit www.oldham.gov.uk and type ‘dog fouling’ into the search bar to access the form.
Creating lush green spaces for all to enjoy It’s great to see a large number of gardens taking shape across all neighbourhoods. Keen to get your garden into shape but don’t know where to start? Here’s some helpful tips from our gardening contractors Greenfingers Landscapes: Focal Points Focal points include sculptures, garden structures, boulders or containers. They can create dramatic or subtle, year-round interest within the landscape. Colour and structure For a splash of winter colour, consider going evergreen. Evergreens can bring colour to the landscape when the mercury is bottoming out. Even the colour brown can make its own bold statement.
Fragrance "Never underestimate the winter fragrances that can lure you outdoors, even in cold weather," says garden author Marianne Binetti. For example, witch hazel (Hamamelis sp.) has a sweet fragrance, regardless of how cold the temperature. There are yellow and orange varieties available. Fragrant plants can do double-duty in the garden. Sweet box (Sarcococca ruscifolia) infuses a pleasant vanilla scent to the air and produces blackberries that provide additional colour and pizzazz. Winter tidy-up There are several plants that can be pruned in winter. Cutting back the foliage allows the winter blooms to be more prominent and inhibits the potential spread of mould or disease. (Note: when pruning back, take care to avoid cutting back new growth.) Prune out tree or shrub branches that are crossing or rubbing against one another. If you are having difficulty maintaining your garden and would like some advice on how Great Places may be able to help please contact your neighbourhood coordinator on 0300 123 2006.
Keeping our cars and roads spick n’ span
During a recent round of neighbourhood inspections a number of unsightly oil stains were spotted on residents’ driveways and roads throughout the neighbourhoods. Oil stains can result in costly cleaning and repair work and these costs have to be recharged back to the resident responsible for the leakage. All large motoring superstores stock materials designed to absorb any car fluid leaked during vehicle maintenance work - such as absorbent oil drip matts which can be purchased for as little as £2 from some stores. Please also remember to seek permission from Great Places if you intend on declaring your vehicle as SORN with the DVLA. In line with the tenancy agreement, Great Places will remove any vehicle which is not roadworthy or legal (has a valid tax or MOT). Please contact your neighbourhood coordinator on 0300 123 2003 if you have any queries regarding this.
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Growing our neighbourhoods in 2015 Just a few of the many wonderful examples of how our neighbourhoods have developed during the year.
January
Residents from across Primrose Bank and Crossley are recognised for their exceptional community work at the Great Places Community Star Awards in Manchester.
April
All move-ins completed at Fitton Hill, with 77 new families moving into their new homes.
February
Caroline Roach and Jasmine Bertenshaw, both PFI housing apprentices recruited via the Get Oldham Working team, secure full time employment within the housing sector after successfully completing their course.
May
Oldham resident Abigail Andrews successfully secures an apprenticeship with Great Places’ Oldham housing team as part of Oldham Council’s Get Oldham Working initiative.
March
The long awaited opening event for the Primrose Centre takes place, with hundreds of local people in attendance. The Primrose Centre has become a buzzing hub for community events and activities with thanks to the numerous volunteers who help out at the centre.
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June
Business start-up and employment advice events were held at both Primrose and Crossley Community Centres in conjunction with Blue Orchid Business Advisors.
July
Over 300 Oldham kids lapped up a delicious brekkie followed by games and activities as part of the new Breakfast Club held at primrose Bank and Crossley Community Centres.
October
Crossley’s abundant community spirit saw the unveiling of a number of little spooky spirits at the Crossley Residents’ Association Halloween Party. Pictured: Luca Smith
August
Initial consultation and planning event to make alleyways usable community spaces takes place at Crossley Community Centre held – over 25 local residents attend and share their ideas. The alleyways in Primrose Bank are also to be transformed and work will begin in 2016. Pictured: Alleyways in Great Places’ neighbourhood Werneth are a great example of how alleyways can be litter free and transformed into vibrant communal spaces.
November
Raised planters were installed in Crossley with a range of spring flowers and a herb garden – created in partnership with Crossley Residents’ Association, local residents, Great Places staff and Greenfingers Landscapes.
September
The Crossley Residents’ Group held a fun day to celebrate ‘Chadderton Day’. A great day was had by all with cream teas, a raffle, climbing wall, bouncy castle, arts and crafts and face painting. Pictured: Chadderton residents Dorothy Holton and Rose Ogden stood with the town crier.
December
Christmas community events at both the Primrose Bank and Crossley Community Centre are a festive hit with local residents!
Many thanks to everyone who has made 2015 a great year and have done their bit to help see their community shine!
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NEWS from the wider borough
texr
Brand New Oldham Leisure Centre Opens Its Doors Oldham’s brand new £15 million leisure centre is now open. The the borough’s flagship sports and leisure venue offers better facilities than ever before – helping to put the town on the national sporting map and ensure an Olympic legacy lives on. The enhanced facilities include a 25-metre, eight-lane swimming pool of county-level standard, an 80 station gym,
Let’s stop the rot – join in the borough’s big brush Oldham’s under five year olds have some of the worst tooth decay in the country and action is vitally needed to stop the rot. Oldham Council, along with its partners, ran a ‘Big Brush’ week in November to get as many under 5s creating good dental habits. Children’s centres ran teeth brushing activities throughout the week and a mobile dental unit in Oldham town centre offering oral health advice proved hugely popular with local residents. Councillor Jean Stretton, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “It is extremely worrying the amount of under-fives in the borough who have tooth decay and it is a huge priority for the council, and its partners, to tackle this issue.
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two dance studios, a bespoke spinning studio, eight court sports hall with seating for over 500 spectators, an indoor bowls arena, café and ample free car parking. The new centre also has Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accreditation – which means it can cater for the needs of disabled and non-disabled people. For information on how to start enjoying these new facilities visit oclactive.co.uk or call 0161 207 7000.
“Every child should brush their teeth with family fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day as soon as the first tooth appears, especially at bedtime and at one other time during the day.” Get advice on taking care of children’s teeth via www. oldham.gov.uk/babyteeth To find a local dentist visit NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk or call NHS England on 0300 311 2233.
Know someone without central heating? Oldham Council could help Oldham Council has managed to get funding from the government to help around 50 low income households which have never had gas central heating systems installed. As well as getting a new cost effective way of heating your home, qualifying households will also receive help and support from the Warm Homes Oldham team for everything else they offer, including tariff switching, benefits checks, help with fuel debt and energy advice.
Santa’s grotto! Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre
If you haven’t yet paid the magical man a visit then it’s not too late. The grotto is open up until 3pm on Thursday 24 December.
Conditions apply and the funding will be distributed on a first come, first served basis and has to be spent by the end of March 2016. If you know anyone who might benefit from this please visit www.warmhomesoldham.org or call 0800 019 1084.
Give a warm welcome to... Walter the Salter! Over the coming weeks keep your eyes peeled for Gritney Spears, the Gritterbug and Walter the Salter. These are three of the gritters that keep our roads free of snow and ice. In total Oldham Council has eight gritters and all of them were imaginatively named by local school children. The other members of the fleet are Freddie Salted, Grittersaurus, Goliath, Gritanator and Thor and in bad weather they can be in use 24 hours a day spreading grit and salt. As far as reasonably possible, we keep the primary highway network free of ice and snow in order to help ensure a safe journey for commuters and residents. Resources are initially directed to gritting seven priority routes, including the transPennine roads and most of the principal, classified and major bus routes. To keep residents fully informed of any developments the Oldham Council website (www.oldham.gov.uk/winter) will be updated continually and feature the latest news on school closures, gritting routes, locations of grit bins and grit sales.
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MY MONEY
Need help? For help with understanding the new government budget or Universal Credit and how to budget for these changes – please contact CAT on 0300 123 2003 or email fit@greatplaces.org.uk
Festive period – rent-free weeks
However, if you have built up rent arrears since the 16 November, and therefore owe money on your rent account, then we strongly recommend that you continue to pay rent during the rent free weeks. You can do this by calling 0300 123 2003 or emailing cat@greatplaces.org.uk or by setting up a direct debit payment yourself.
The festive period is a time when funds can get a little tighter; however, it’s really important that people don’t fall behind with their rental payments. Every year all residents who are up-to-date with their rent payments are in receipt of a number of rent-free weeks. The next rent-free weeks are: Week commencing 21 December 2015 Week commencing 28 December 2015 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 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 commecing 16 November 2015 have had their direct debits cancelled for the two rent free weeks.
Customers who pay rent by another method If your rent statement shows that you are completely up-todate 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. Customers who have credit on their account If you have a credit on your account please contact your neighbourhood coordinator to agree a refund amount – we would recommend that you keep at least two weeks credit on you 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.
Universal Credit? The Government has introduced a new benefit called Universal Credit (UC). It will replace the following benefits: • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance • Child Tax Credit • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support • Working Tax Credit • Housing benefit All other benefits will be paid as normal.
When? UC is slowly being rolled out across the UK for all new claims and, depending on your circumstances. This new benefit will only affect those of working age. You may be told to claim this new benefit. If you are claiming benefits now it may take a few years before you need to move onto UC.
How? UC is different because it will be one single payment, paid monthly in arrears which means that your first payment will come through about six to seven weeks after you submit your claim.
What does this mean for me?
• You will need to make sure you pay your full rent to Great Places – we can help you set up a Direct Debit • If you are used to budgeting weekly or fortnightly you will need to get used to budgeting monthly – Great Places can help you with this • If you move in and out of work or your hours of work change from one week to the next your UC claim will go up or down in-line with your wages • If you are fit for work you will be expected to look for work or increase your hours and failure to do so will result in sanctions – if you would like advice about training or employment then we can help • You will be required to use the internet to make and update your claim – if you are unsure about how to do this we can sign-post you in the right direction • We’re here to help, but failure to pay your rent will result in legal action and may include eviction. Make sure you tell us if you are claiming UC.
WINTER WARMTH Top winter energy saving tips
Condensation can be a real problem during the winter months. Keep bathroom doors shut and use extractor fans when taking a shower or cooking. Remember to cover pans with a lid whilst cooking and switch off kettles once they’ve boiled. It’s also important to dry your clothes outside or in wellventilated rooms or outdoors if you do not have a tumble dryer.
Internal draught excluder – draught proofing your internal and external doors can really help keep the heat in. You can make a simple draught excluder using bits of spare material.
Timer switch – handy for charging mobile phones at night or even to set the timer on a lamp to come on/off during the night as a safety measure. You can set the timer to automatically turn your appliance on or off at a certain time and therefore save energy. Radflek radiator panels – stop the heat escaping from your radiator and reflect back it back into the room. They’re easy to fit and can be purchased from DIY stores and online.
Use a hot water bottle at night to keep warm while you’re in bed.
Closing the curtains at dusk helps to keep the heat in your home.
TAKE CARE OUT AND ABOUT
Spread the warmth
A reminder to residents to be extra careful when using pathways and roads during the cold weather. It is a good idea to have a supply of rock salt (or even organic cat litter can do the job) to hand during the winter months.
Check on older or less able neighbours or relatives to make sure that they're safe and well.
Please seek help from friends, family or neighbours with laying rock salt if required. Please note, Great Places is not responsible for gritting the paths or clearing the snow or ice on any land within or outside of your scheme. Oldham Council will be gritting major highways. Please see page 17 for further details.
Make sure they're warm enough, especially at night, and have stocks of food and medicines so they don't need to go out during very cold weather. There is support for residents across Oldham from the Warm Homes Oldham team – if you know any friends/ family or neighbours who struggle with keeping warm at home then get in touch and the team can see how they can help – 0800 019 1084. They may be able to help with heating upgrades, energy switching, fuel debt and even benefits checks.’
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Competition time £30 in vouchers to be won!
Complete the word search and spot the difference, cut them out and post them to us, along with your full name and address, to be entered into a prize draw to to win a £10 shopping voucher. Three winners will be selected in total.
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Word Search!
Send your entries by post to:
Name: RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Inspired Date: FREEPOST, Living, Find andGreat circle each of the words from the list below. may app Places Housing Group, SouthernWords Gate, forwards729 or backwards, horizontally, vertically M20 or diagonally in the grid Princess Road, Manchester 2LT.
Remember you don’t need a stamp!
Deadline closes 1 January 2015.
Wordsearch
H C E E D B U O S B M
Words to find are: SNOWMAN MISTLETOE CRACKER SLEIGH
CHRISTMAS STOCKING REINDEER TURKEY
PRESENT HOLLY FROST CAROLS
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CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST ISSUE’S WINNERS:
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Ken Bolton – Chadderton Janine Taylor – Stockfield Mount Iona Merryman – Chadderton
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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1
2 SNOWMAN MISTLETOE CRACKER SLEIGH CHRISTMAS STOCKING TURKEY PRESENT HOLLY FROST CAROLS
Copyright ©2015 WorksheetWorks.com
There are five difference – can you find them? Circle any differences you find on picture number 2.