My Great Place Spring 2015 by Great Places Housing Group

Spring 2015

The magazine for Great Places Housing Group residents

Shining stars! Residents walk the red carpet to pick up community awards Log-in made easy A step-by-step guide to registering on our website

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suffer in silence We can help you deal with domestic violence

Nancy grabs her chance

How one Oldham resident adapted her home

WhigIN h street

ÂŁ25 in rs! vouche

Repairs

Numbers you need to know

Phone our Customer Access Team from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. It’s local rate. Call us on:

0300 123 1966

07797 870 734 or email us at cat@greatplaces.org.uk

or simply text us on

For all Great Places residents you can call us between 8am and 6pm weekdays on:

0300 123 1966

& press 1 for repairs

You can also use this number for out-of-hours emergencies. Or you can email us about a repair at

repairs@greatplaces.org.uk

Office addresses Blackburn office

Barnfield House (Suite 4 and 5) Groundfloor, Accrington Road Blackburn BB1 3NY Open Monday, 9.30am-5pm & Thursday 9:30am-12:30pm Appointment only at all other times.

Cheshire office

106 Longridge, Knutsford, WA16 8PD Opening hours: Monday only, 9.30am to 4.30pm

Fylde office

336 Talbot Road, Blackpool, FY1 3QU Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Great Places head office

Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Manchester M20 2LT Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Write to My Great Place at:

4th Floor, St James’s House, Pendleton Way, Salford M6 5FW Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Sheffield office

The Quadrant, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield SS9 4WG Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Access for all

We’ve already sent a magnifying sheet to our visually impaired residents. Let us know if you need one. An audio version of My Great Place is also available.

FSC AND WORLD LAND TRUST LOGOS

www.greatplaces.org.uk

Salford office

Tweet us @MyGreatPlace

communications@greatplaces.org.uk

119 Union Street, Oldham OL1 1TE Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/GreatPlacesHousing

Communications Great Places Southern Gate 729 Princess Road Manchester M20 2LT

Email:

Oldham office

Cover stars: Teams Not Gangs Project, award winners at the Community Stars Awards.

Welcome to

YOUR MAGAZINE! It’s a little strange writing this but My Great Place magazine spring 2015 will be my last issue as editor. I’ve enjoyed a fantastic three years meeting some inspirational and interesting residents across all our communities. Thank you for inviting me into your homes and telling us your stories. This issue features even more real life stories: there’s Nancy Ryeberg who talks about her new wet room and Knutsford resident Linda Southon who receives some tips from

our very own Green Doctor on how to save energy, and money! This is the issue that really celebrates you, our residents, and is rounded off perfectly by our cover story, the Community Stars Awards 2015. See on page 5 how our event rivalled the Oscars!

Rachel Machin, Editor

What’s inside? Features

Regulars

Grapevine (Elderly services news)

pages

Community Stars

5-7

23 My green place

How to log on to our website: a step-by-step guide

A room with a pew: Oldham resident Nancy Ryeberg’s life is changed by her new wet room

24 Competitions

Don’t suffer in silence

A rise in your rent page

8-9 News 15-17 Neigbourhood news

19 My money 22 in:team: how you can give feedback to us

page

4 My voice

myvoice!

We had some great emails and Facebook messages from you – thanks so much for taking the time to contact us! Here’s a selection of some of your thoughts. We want to give you every opportunity to tell us your thoughts, ideas and comments. As you know there are new ways you can contact us via Facebook and Twitter as well as by letter. Whatever way you choose to contact us, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your neighbourhood or give us your thoughts on anything Great Places-related! Every week one of your letters/emails/social media messages will be made Star Letter and you’ll receive a £10 voucher.

Write to us at:

My Great Place Communications Great Places Housing Group Southern Gate 729 Princess Road Manchester M20 2LT

Email us: communications@greatplaces.org.uk

Star Letter

Tweet us: @mygreatplace

Facebook us at:

facebook.com/GreatPlacesHousing

Place Dear My Great a real ow that we have a few kn u yo t le to ng I am writi . Myself and er on my street litt h it t sure w em bl o pr to pick it up, bu ily da ut o go s other resident day. pears the next enough more ap Are should be fined. er litt p o dr ho y area? I think people w y clean-ups in m an do s an pl y there an , Manchester Fiona Marsden

you can see, r your letter. As fo u yo k an Th r: re litter is an Edito only place whe e th t no to the is r te Manches e’re appealing w at th 15 ge on pa . On Saturday issue. You’ll see p dropping litter o st to d el effi it’s also people of Sh t of spring, and ar st al ci ffi o e uld 21st March is th y Clear Up Day. Maybe you co it un get involved? National Comm n your street to o s nt de si re e se email encourag Manchester plea in s up nea cl n For details o k eatplaces.org.u sarah.riley@gr

Kids’ Competition Want a fancy new iPod?

Thanks so much for you responses to the ‘find Margaret Plaice’ competition! She was hiding behind the flying pig! Congratulations to Kenechi Ogbologu, from Manchester who was the winner! If you don’t already know. Margaret Plaice, our little fishy friend whose name is inspired by this very magazine, is hiding again somewhere. Can you find her? If you can, just email or write and let us know exactly where she is (make sure you put the page number) at the above addresses, making sure you put your address and phone number of the entry. The winning entry will get 4their handswww.greatplaces.org.uk on a cute little iPod, so get searching!

COMPETITION RULES To enter you must be 16 or under and a Great Places resident Entries must be in by Friday 29th May 2015

Feature

Great Places’ The red carpet was laid out for a second time as many excited residents attended the calendar event of the year – the Community Stars Awards 2014! Turn over the page to find out more about the winners. Also look out for in-depth stories about their amazing achievements in future issues of My Great Place. Over 200 Great Places residents attended a glittering ‘Hollywood-style’ award ceremony at Gorton Monastery to celebrate their inspirational achievements in local communities across the north west and Yorkshire. The second ever Community Stars Awards was a chance for Great Places to thank the residents who show compassion, selflessness and courage on a daily basis. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated or won an award!

MEET THE WINNERS... ’ Community Champion Award – Violet Shirley ( MANCHESTER

I was actually shocked that someone would nominate me. I’ve never won anything before. I live with my brother who’s got disabilities so it’s been nice to do something for myself in the community.

Community Project Award – Teams Not Gangs SALFORD

PC Paul Fawcett from Pendle Police said: This is a fantastic example of different organisations working together in partnership for the benefit of the community.

Community Residents Group Award – Openshaw Court Social Committee SALFORD It was absolutely brilliant – we were all in tears. We were nominated last year but didn’t win. Our award is in the community room. We’ve just bought a shelf to put it on!

Good Neighbour AwarD – Susan Bennett OLDHAM

It was a privilege to be nominated in the first place. When my name was read out I nearly fell off my chair! To me the things I do are just menial. My family are so proud of me.

Great Places Staff Award – Martin Miller

MANCHESTER

It was nice to be appreciated. I was really surprised that someone took the time to nominate me. I’ve worked for Great Places for three years but I’m only part-time. Someone, somewhere obviously thinks I’ve made a difference!

Green Champion Award – Lianne Horrocks

FYLDE

I was very surprised and shocked. It was amazing – the whole experience of winning and the day itself. It was like being at the Oscars! Five years ago I was inspired by David Attenborough’s speech at some awards. Since then I’ve made sure I do my bit towards saving the planet.

Senior Resident Award – Marion Donnelly FYLDE

I was so surprised to win because I’ve been doing this for nine years. I do it because I want to do it. I want to make sure my block is a lovely place to live. I was nominated last year so I thought they were making the numbers up!

Supported Housing Resident Award – Natasha Pieper BLACKBURN

It’s hard to explain. I didn’t even know I was nominated and I certainly didn’t think I’d win the award. When everyone clapped me I just thought ‘let’s get this over and done with’. It felt really good to win.

Supported Housing Scheme – The Byrons MANCHESTER

General manager of The Byrons Claire Alcock, said: Amazed we won for the second year running. We thought they’d made a mistake! The residents are very active here and get involved in a lot of stuff which creates a really good community.

Young Resident Award – Ethan Evans SALFORD

I was quite shocked to win when I heard other people’s stories. It was nice to be recognised – thanks to everyone who nominated. I’m now raising money for Asthma UK so please visit my Facebook page and contribute.

David Nuttall Award – Christine Goulden OLDHAM

I was totally shocked. I didn’t want to be nominated – I told them all. I’ve known David forever so it was a real acknowledgement. A little piece of him sits in my living room. My family thinks it’s nice I’ve been recognised for the work I do.

AND THE HIGHLY COMMENDED...’ Community Champion Award – Sonja Costello (Oldham) Community Project Award – Lancashire Sports Project (Fylde) Community Residents Group Award – Bowland House Committee (Blackburn) Good Neighbour Award – George Gray (Manchester) and Jenny Whitmore (Fylde) Great Places Staff Award – Amjad Khan (Oldham) Green Champion Award – Nizamuddin Makda (Blackburn) and Rowena Acton (Manchester) Senior Resident Award – Brian & Christine Sedgwick (Sheffield) Supported Housing Resident Award – Nazanin Haghighi (Manchester) Young Resident Award – Memona Shahid (Manchester) David Nuttall Award – Christine Goulden (Oldham)

All photos from the Community Stars Awards have been posted onto our official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GreatPlacesHousing

News Matt’s message Late last year we consulted with customers about new vision and values for the organisation. Hundreds of you gave your views and these have been incorporated into a new statement about what we want Great Places to be about. If you contributed, hopefully you can see how we’ve used what you said in the words. You can see the new vision and values on the opposite page, but just to remind you, our new vision is ‘Great Homes. Great communities. Great people’. In terms of our values we commit ourselves to be fair open and accountable, and to know, respect and care about you, our customers. The important thing now, of course, is to make sure that these are more than just words on paper. As an organisation we need to live and breathe our values through our service offer and if we don’t then I expect you to let us know!

This can be done in a variety of ways, for example through our established complaints processes, through the Customer Service Voice (CSV) group and our scrutiny panel (Insight). Both CSV and Insight have been busy recently and you can see what they’ve been up to on page 21. Repairs and asset management is one area where I know all our customers have a keen interest. We’ve talked openly before about difficulties with the service but things are progressing well with the changes we are making. Some recent stats show that things are moving in the right direction, with satisfaction with call handling and with the repairs service itself both improving. However, I know we need to continue to improve and we’re working hard to build on what we’ve done in recent months.

Getting to know you

Do you know you need to be registered in order to vote? The new system means you need to register in order to be able to vote. If you aren’t registered to vote, you won’t have the chance to have a say on who represents you.

From time to time when you contact us we may ask to update your profile – that’s the information we hold on our systems and includes things like your phone number and e-mail address, your income or benefits and who lives in your home.

Some people also register to vote because they want to apply for credit. This is because credit reference agencies use the register to confirm where someone lives when they apply for credit in order to counteract fraud. What if I don’t register? Not only will you not have a say at future elections and referendums, but if you don’t respond to requests for information from your local electoral registration staff offices you could be at risk of getting fined £80. But I thought I was already registered to vote? If you have registered yourself at your current address since 10 June 2014 in England and Wales or 19 September 2014 in Scotland – and you have not moved home since – you will be registered to vote under the new system. You will also be registered to vote if you received information at your current address telling you that you are registered under the new system. If you are unsure whether you are registered under the new system, contact your local electoral registration staff. You can now register online! Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

We may also ask you about any disabilities or support needs. The reason we ask about all of this is so that we can offer fair and equal services that suit your needs. If your personal circumstances have changed, please get in touch so we can update our records. You can send us a personal message via Facebook, email cat@greatplaces.org.uk, or ring our customer access team on 0300 123 1966 (option 2).

News Our new vision and values

VISION

Great homes. Great communities. Great people. Great homes: Maximising our investment in sustainable homes Great communities: Building successful, vibrant communities Great people: Providing outstanding customer service and support

VALUES • • • • •

We are fair, open and accountable We know, respect and care about our customers We appreciate the effort of everyone who works here We promote partnerships, efficiency and value for money We passionately embrace creativity, change and innovation

Show your pride in Manchester and Blackpool! Last year Great Places took part in Manchester Pride’s Parade. This year, we want you to help us make it even better! Manchester and Blackpool Pride take place annually to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life. This year Great Places is asking residents and staff to accompany the Great Places float, and show their support for this internationally recognised event. The parade takes place on Saturday afternoon and is around four hours long. Blackpool Pride Parade takes place on Saturday 13th June. Manchester Pride Parade takes place on Saturday 29th August. If you would like to help Great Places celebrate being proud, email Pauline Heron, customer involvement co- ordinator on pauline.heron@greatplaces.org.uk

Online bus winners! Thanks to everyone who came aboard the Online bus and got involved with Get Online Week in November. We are pleased to announce the winners of the prize draw for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. Congratulations to Jack Adamson, Joan Spratt and Stephen Withnell! They were presented with their prizes on 4th December at the Crossley Centre in Oldham.

Don’t suffer in silence One woman in four (and one man in six) in the UK will be a victim of domestic violence and abuse during their lifetime, according to research estimates. Shockingly two women a week are killed by a current or former male partner. If you’re experiencing domestic violence or abuse, don’t despair. My Great Place looks at how Great Places can help. What can we do to help? If you (or someone you know) is experiencing, or has experienced, domestic violence, we can help. What is domestic violence? Domestic violence is any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who have been in a relationship together, or between family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. You’re not to blame Domestic violence is one of the most common types of under reported or “hidden” crimes. It is not easy to accept that a loved one can behave so aggressively. Because you cannot explain their behaviour, you may think you are to blame. You are not. No one deserves to be assaulted, abused or humiliated, least of all by a loved one. It is your abuser’s behaviour that needs to change. How to get help The most important thing you can do is to tell someone and protect yourself and/or your children. We will listen without judging you, and offer advice. Everything you tell us will be treated in complete confidence. You can report domestic violence to any member of staff at Great Places. If it is more convenient, we can meet you at another location. 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.

Contact information you need Please call 0300 123 1966, email cat@greatplaces.org.uk or visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and search for Community Safety. If you need to call us out of office hours, please use our ASB reporting line 0845 250 4626 which is also open 24 hours on bank holidays and weekends. You can also get information on our Community Safety team, Anti-social behaviour, Hate crime and Neighbour issues by visiting our website on www.greatplaces.org.uk. Look out for our eye-catching leaflets and video on Youtube.

www.greatplaces.org.uk

A rise in your rent Each year we use government guidelines to set increases to your rent. My Great Place explains what this means How your rent increase is set Great Places uses government guidelines to set increases to your rent each year. These are based on the rate of inflation every September. In September 2014, inflation (CPI) was 1.2%, which forms the basis for the rent increase this year. The guidelines mean the majority of rents will go up by a maximum of inflation plus 1.0%.

What your rent pays for We use the money for the upkeep of your home and to provide you with essential services such as improvements and repairs. Across our homes we’ll be spending over £25m on repairing, maintaining and improving homes during 2015/16. This includes carrying out routine repairs, getting empty properties ready for new residents, servicing gas heating systems and major repairs such as new roofs and improvements like new kitchens and bathrooms.

How your service charge is set Depending on the type of property you live in, you may also pay a service charge. This covers services like window cleaning, communal gardening and door-entry systems. Every tenant who has a service charge will receive a detailed breakdown of the charge.

What if I think I am paying too much? You can challenge the amount you’re being charged for rent and service charges by using our complaints procedure. Details are available from our customer access team on 0300 123 1966, or on our website at www.greatplaces.org.uk

If you’re having trouble paying for your rent, please tell us. You can call 0300 123 1966 or email cat@greatplaces.org.uk. For more information on money matters, please turn to page 19.

Feature

www.greatplaces.org.uk

How to log on to our website www.greatplaces.org.uk

Hundreds of you have now registered your accounts online. But if you haven’t done it already, this article will guide you through the registration process and show you some of the benefits of managing your account online. It’s simple to register online, when you go to our website www.greatplaces. org.uk you’ll see a blue box on the left of the page. Click the word ‘register’ and you’ll be taken to the register form.

Register in 3 easy steps Step 1 Press ‘register’ on the home page. Fill out the form. There’s not much to fill in, just some basic info, your email address and your tenancy reference number (which you can find on your rent statement). Make sure you enter your name, including any middle names exactly as they appear on your rent statement. When you’ve filled in all the information, click the register button. Step 2 Then just wait for your account to be activated – you’ll receive an email telling you when this happens. Once it has you can log in to the website. Click the log in link at the top of the page and enter the email address and password you used when registering. Step 3 Once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to access the My homepage section. Here you can view your rent statements, make payments, report repairs and much, much more!

It won’t take long, you just need to enter some basic information about yourself, you’ll need to have an email address and your tenancy reference number (you can find this on your rent statements). Then choose a password, you will need this to log back in to your account, so be sure to make a note of it! Tick the accept box and hit register, it’s that easy. Once your account is active, you can log in from any page on our website (the link is on the top right of each page) using your email address and password. When you have logged in you can check on your account balance, pay your rent, report a repair and find news for your area. You can also find the contact details for your local Great Places staff. You can also register and log-in using a smartphone. It works in just the same way and means you can check your account on the go! Click ‘register’ in the box on our homepage, this will take you to the registration page.

Need help getting online? If you need help getting online please contact Len Rice on 0300 123 1966 or email leonard.rice@greatplaces.org.uk

A room with a pew

83-year-old Oldham resident Nancy Ryeberg was struggling. She’d been diagnosed with bone cancer 12 months earlier and could no longer use her bathroom, until Great Places stepped in. My Great Place went to meet this extremely brave lady. I’ve always been active. I worked until I was 76 for a training agency in Salford – helping young apprentices find work. It was a job I loved because I enjoyed being with young people. All of a sudden I have to rely on people all the time. I’m on chemotherapy tablet form, injections and pills galore. Some days I’m good, some I’m bad. You take every day as it comes and try and keep going as well as you can. I’ve lived on Grange Court since 1979 but I was on an upper floor and was struggling. I just couldn’t get upstairs anymore. I didn’t want to move because I know everybody and really feel part of the community. I don’t know what I would’ve done without my next door neighbours. I was in a respite centre when one of my neighbours said: ‘I’ve got good news and bad news’. The bad news came first. My elderly neighbour Seamus had died. But then she told me the good news –‘You can have his flat,’ she said. Through my occupational therapist, McMillan and Great Places, we worked out what I needed in my new flat so that I could live a normal life. Soon after, they came and knocked the bathroom and toilet together because the toilet was very narrow and I couldn’t get in with my frame. Having a wet room is life-changing – I just couldn’t get in the bath before. It’s been marvellous. It means I can shower. The kitchen is also going to be done because I can’t bend or stretch anymore so the cupboards are difficult to reach. It’s in a real state. I’ve still got stuff in boxes so I can’t wait until the kitchen’s done, which should be soon.

Are you not getting round as easily in your home? Why not get in touch with us? If you think an adaptation would help you, please call 0300 123 1966 or email cat@greatplaces.org.uk to see how we can help.

www.greatplaces.org.uk

News

Litter bugs people in Wybourn

neighbourhood

What’s going on where you live...

Brighten up Brunswick! BLACKPOOL: A steering group has been formed in Brunswick, which aims to make a big difference. In partnership with Great Places, local Cllr Simon Blackburn, Blackpool Coastal Housing and Queens Park Estate, the group has developed the Brighten up Brunswick Project. The project team has carried out lots of work getting the views of residents of all ages to find out what they want from their area and their community. There was resounding support for cleaning up the streets as well as providing activities for children. If you’d like to be involved in any future opportunities with the Brighten up Brunswick project, get in touch with katherine.michaels@greatplaces. org.uk.

SHEFFIELD: Litter bugs are on the rise in Wybourn. Generations of residents are likely to suffer from the epidemic if the trend continues. If you think littering is a good idea, check out these reasons why it’s not: • Littering attracts a fine of £1,000 • Litter costs money. Removing litter costs everyone – money could be spent elsewhere on improving children’s services and activities in the area • Threat to public health. Litter attracts rats and other rodents and is a breeding ground for bacteria • Litter can be a fire hazard • Litter breeds other litter and sends out the message that people don’t care about where they live • Litter can harm or kill wildlife • It hugely impacts the wellbeing of people in the area Make a stand today. Litter is everyone’s responsiblity. If your property was stock transferred to Great Places in 2007 you may qualify for one free collection per year from Veolia Environmental of up to 12 items. Ring Veolia on 0114 2734567 and provide your tenancy reference number which usually begins with XZ or GP. Pick it up. Don’t bring us down.

Recycling dreams MANCHESTER: A group of young people have been volunteering their artistic talents in Northmoor, but they’re not alone, local artist Kerry Howard gave a helping hand. The group decided to use the volunteering element of their Duke of Edinburgh work to spruce up their neighbourhood. They’ve added a splash of colour to old bird boxes, rooted extra plants and yarn bombed tree guards to transform the area into an inviting space for residents. As well as being artistic, the group has been environmentally conscious by making sure they recycle

where possible and have created new planters from old tyres. Pictured are Matthew Horsfal, Memona Shahid, Fasih Shahid, Haseeb Khan, Saquib Hussain and Kerry Howarth

Selbourne Streets ahead! PRESTON: The residents of Selbourne Street have been out and about over the last few months improving the floral features of their streets and cleaning on dedicated days. If you’ve been in the area recently, you might’ve noticed the pesky ivy has been tamed and moved to its home by the fencing. With the help of Sodexo, the Selborne Street

team have also planted Lavender and Hebe bushes and scattered blue slate to improve low maintenance. The next challenge for the dynamic duo is to take on the trees in the area! No one will deny it’s made a huge difference, good luck with the next phase Selborne Street!

News neighbourhood

What’s going on where you live...

Ready, steady, go green! BLACKPOOL: Led by resident volunteers from Claremont in Blackpool, the Go Green Project has been making a difference since September 2014. The volunteers have been through a rigorous two-day training programme to provide residents with advice on all things green, including how to be energy efficient, how to save money on energy bills and how to carry out health checks. The advice has been given in the comfort of residents’ home as well as the Claremont First Step Community Centre, giving the volunteers the opportunity to fit draft proofing and radiator foils for free! Contact katherine.michaels@greatplaces.org.uk if you want to benefit from this. Meet the Go Green volunteers!

Exclusive: over 50s only! SHEFFIELD: If you’re over 50 and a resident of Great Places, why not take advantage of a new and exclusive club? Great Places and Age UK have come together to to offer discounted coach, cinema and theatre trips as well as free social events. You could also take advantage of free IT tuition and the loan of equipment. Terry Quin explains how being a member is helping him: “I joined The Club because I live alone and wanted to meet new people.” If you, or someone you know, would like to join The Club you can request a free membership pack by calling 0114 250 2850 or you can download a pack from the Age UK Sheffield website.

When good neighbours become good friends Lianne Horrocks

Mark Stephenson

Marion Donnelly

1k to make cancer go away KNUTSFORD: A huge congratulations to Vanessa Ashton who, along with other residents, has raised £1,000 for Cancer Vs Woman. Vanessa has recently cycled around China to raise money for charity too, and continues her good work this Easter.

BLACKBURN: Residents of the new North Road scheme received a very warm welcome to the neighbourhood recently. The local community hall became host to a family party as well as a welcoming committee for the new arrivals when Lincoln road residents opened the invite to all. It was a chance for the children get to know each other, enjoy a magic show and for long standing residents of Lincoln Road to get to know their new neighbours. Mary Brown put on a crafts session for all and the event was a huge success.

Great Places encourages raising money for charity. If you’d like to get involved in a charitable event, get in touch with lucy.beesley@greatplaces.org.uk

BBC comes to Blackburn BLACKBURN: Ever wondered where your food comes from? Food is becoming more and more important to people as the government cuts take hold. Food banks are on the increase across the country, and more and more volunteers are needed to help make them work. One such volunteer in Pendle, Jill, works hard to supply food to16 local food banks, often travelling between Manchester www.greatplaces.org.uk Smith Fields Market and Blackburn to deliver donated fruit

and veg from store holders. Recently, Blackburn received a shared spaces fund to create a wild food garden in Burton Gardens. The garden, which aims to grow fruit and veg as well as edible flowers, has gained the attention of the BBC thanks to the enthusiasm and passion of Jill and Kerry, who works for In-situ to deliver the project.

A close-knit community

Free surfing in Oldham! OLDHAM: Did you know that if you’re a Great Places resident you can access a range of free services in Oldham? If you need help getting online, or would like to take part in free courses, why not pop into your local library and ask about getting online. Visit the website www.oldham.gov.uk/libraries or call 0161 770 8000. If you’d like to learn the basics, book yourself on a course today. www.oldham.gov.uk/lifelong T: 0161 770 5805

Sporting progress in Lancashire! MORECAMBE: Children from Aldingham Walk, Whinsfell View and Old Market Court in Morecambe are taking part in an exciting sporting opportunity. In partnership with Lancashire Sports, Great Places, Sports England and Positive Together, the young people are enjoying free trampolining, running and archery sessions over a stretch of 26 weeks. For more information, or to join in or volunteer for the project, please email: katherine.michaels@greatplaces.org.uk

West side story MORECAMBE: Residents have been getting involved in a consultation to improve the area which is at the heart of the estate that includes Baycliffe Cresent, Longmire Way and Kilnbank Avenue in Morecambe. One popular suggestion was to astro turf this area with fun designs like hopscotch, snakes and ladders and driving lanes to create an area for children to play safely. If you would like to submit an idea, get involved, form a residents group, or just have your say, then please contact katherine.michaels@greatplaces.org.uk

BLACKBURN: Great Places Residents’ fund gives you the money to fund projects that make a difference to lives in the areas you live. One project that’s benefited is the Bowland House Knit and Natter group. The fund has provided much needed start up materials like paints, canvasses, wool and patterns to ensure they have what they need to achieve their goals. Neighbours have shared their expertise with those who want to learn and everyone has been encouraged to attend the sessions.

Computers for Claremont BLACKPOOL: Want a friendly environment where you can learn about computers and enhance your digital skills? Great Places Blackpool team has six Digital Champions eager to put their computer know-how to the test. The champions will be in Claremont Park Community Centre every Wednesday, 10am – 12pm, to help you with everything you wanted to know about computers, aided by a suite of gadgets for you to practice on including computers, tablets and printers. For further information and to book a place please contact: katherine.michaels@greatplaces.org.uk

Thanks for the memories KNUTSFORD: During the 1950’s through to the 1970’s, Longridge and Shaw Heath in Knutsford was going through a huge process of change. People from all over the urban areas of Manchester began migrating to the two estates, to begin a new chapter in their lives. A project team has now been tasked to capture and immortalize the story of those who took part in this journey. The project, which has received substantial funding of £50,000 and support from the Heritage Lottery Fund will weave the memories of those who experienced the move into a showcase exhibition at The Heritage Centre in Knutsford as well as The Welcome Café and People’s Museum in Manchester. The project team want to hear the stories of as many residents as they can. If you want to get involved, contact lucy.beesley@greatplaces.org.uk

GRAPEVINE

Elderly services news

Residents to the rescue! It wasn’t a good Christmas for David Beever, one of the residents at our sheltered scheme St George’s Court in Blackpool, when a fire badly damaged his flat just before the big day. Many of his neighbours came to the rescue including resident Carl Ashton who opened his flat up to David so that they could share meals, inviting him to treat it as his home. Many other residents helped by donating practical things. Long live community spirit!

Birthday greetings for Blackpool schemes Residents from Douglas Leatham House got together to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The event was attended by many residents and local dignitaries including the Lady Mayor and her Consort. Windmill House also celebrated 22 years of being open. Together they had a Jacobs Join buffet, a wonderful singing act and lots of bingo! There was over £250 in cash prizes given out on the night and some fantastic prizes in the raffle.

Take a bow Allan

A resident from number 31 Stanyard is celebrating after successfully completing a peer mentoring course with Turning Point, a national health and social care provider. This gives Allan, who’s a Voice representative for the scheme and a former alcoholic, the skills and training to support people with drug and alcohol addictions.

New Year’s Eve black-out! Another tale of residents pulling together at times of adversity! On the eve of 2015 there was some unexpected excitement as The Willows, Preesall was plunged into darkness due to high voltage fault on the Electricity North West system. Over 700 homes were affected but in true Willows spirit there was light at the end of their tunnel. Thank you to all who helped! Did you know that if you are elderly, frail or have a disability, you can contact your providers to register on their priority schemes? This will give you extra services in an emergency. Also make sure you keep an emergency draw or box with essentials so if you were suddenly plunged into darkness you know where the torch is… with batteries!

Fish dish fulfils wish Imagine having a catch of the day every day! That’s a reality for Tulloch Court resident, Roy McCartney, who spends most of his days ‘rod in hand’ on Blackpool promenade fishing for his tea. He’s becoming a bit of a local celebrity with many people asking how many fish he’s caught. Roy rekindled his long lost passion after this wife sadly passed away two years ago.

Hips, hearts and minds! Hawkshaw Court residents got their hips going and hearts pumping at the first ever Healthy Hips and Hearts session, a chair-based exercise class to music. The scheme will be running this session weekly on a Wednesday afternoon at www.greatplaces.org.uk 1:30pm. 18

100 years young! Congratulations to Blackpool resident Olive Simmons who celebrated her milestone birthday on 16th January. A Great Places resident since December 1991 Olive received over 50 cards and generously gave her birthday money to the local hospice. Mrs Barlow from Richmond Park Avenue in Sheffield also turned 100 on 12th February.

my money

Our Financial Inclusion team work hard to help residents save money. Last year, they helped put £1m back into your pockets!

Put your rent first! We make it easy for you to pay your rent a variety of ways: Direct Debit, over the phone, by text, online, at a payment outlet or by calling our 24-hour automated telephone line. Visit www.greatplaces.org.uk for more details. What happens if you don’t pay? 1. If you get behind with your rent you’ll be contacted by us to discuss payment arrangements. 2. If you still don’t pay we’ll contact you again and a Notice Seeking Possession may be served against you. This gives you 4 weeks to sort out the situation. 3. If all else fails we have to follow our arrears recovery process, which is bound by the rent arrears pre-action protocol – this means we must do all we can before we apply to court. 4. Throughout this we’ll offer you support to help you manage your money. 5. If you leave owing rent you will get traced for a forwarding address and the debt will be recovered or referred to a Debt Collection Agency. This can often affect credit ratings. Last year we evicted 58 tenants due to non-payment of rent. We do not take this lightly and always offer support before making this decision. However, if residents maintain their court order or seek support we have no choice but to seek possession of the property.

Case studies Manchester: Resident lives alone in a 3-bed house. He originally had a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) agreed, but when this came up for renewal Manchester refused because they thought he wasn’t doing all he could to downsize (even though he was registered on Manchester Move and bidding for homes!). We helped him appeal the decision and worked closely with his neighbourhood co-ordinator. As a result of this, Manchester agreed to take £150 off his arrears, provide a further DHP for three months and a further payment of £500 when he downsized.

Sheffield: Miss L lives in a 3-bed house with four children. She had stopped making payments towards her rent due to medical circumstances. She was keen to open a credit union account to pay her rent because she was concerned about maintaining payments otherwise. Arrears have reduced already and so have the residents’ stress levels.

Universal credit update The government has rolled out Universal Credit to all job centres in the North West. It’s a benefit for working age households, which includes the rent part within the payment (it replaces housing benefit). If you’re asked to claim Universal Credit you’ll be expected to make your claim online. Your Job Centre can help or you can contact Len Rice, our digital trainer, for advice on 0300 123 1966. IMPORTANT Universal Credit doesn’t replace Council Tax Support. If you’re claiming Universal Credit and want help with your Council Tax bill you must contact your local authority to claim the help. For more info please visit www. gov.uk/universalcredit If you’re already on Universal Credit and have received a rent increase letter, it’s important you call 0345 6000 723

Slash your bills If you’re behind with your bills we can help. If you’re in arrears you may be eligible to apply for a trust fund. There are things you can do within your home to be more energy efficient. Visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and search for ‘environmental matters’ or ‘money advice’ or email FIT@greatplaces.org.uk or for energy efficiency information e-mail environmental.team@greatplaces.org.uk

Did you know... Home contents insurance is available at competitive rates! Visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and look under the section ‘Money advice’ for more information. 19

For more information on the in:team please contact: cat@greatplaces.org.uk or call 0300 123 1966

Great Places Residents’ Fund update! 25

Resident Fund applications assessed by the panel

Resident Fund applications approved

Great Places

SHARED SPACES FUND

£20.7k Total funds given out

What did we fund?

£118k

Shares Spaces Fund applications approved

Shares Spaces Fund applications received

Total funds given out

What did we fund?

£15,593

£3,968

3 Moor Lane, Wythenshawe, Manchester – Driveway re-surfacing and gate widening

Courses to increase employment opportunities

£1,186

£2,851

Coppice Rangers Football Club in Oldham

Openshaw Court/Ramsden Fold older persons scheme in Pendlebury, Manchester – Lower curbs outside communal areas

£1,609

£858

Lorna Lodge supported housing scheme in Manchester

32 Pleasant Street, Blackpool – Improvements to bin area

£900

£1,666

Bowland House flats in Blackburn

The Bridge in Altrincham – Increase lighting and signage

We’ve got £25,000 to give out, here’s how to apply...

You need to complete a Great Places Residents’ Fund application. You can get these from the following places: • • • •

Calling our Customer Access Team on 0300 123 1966 By calling Maria Morris on 0161CLEAN 925 7928WARDENS By emailing maria.morris@greatplaces.org.uk WE NEED YOU! At www.greatplaces.org.uk IT’S by EASY! searching Great Places • F ill in a short monthly form to tell us Residents’ Fund what you think about the window and communal cleaning in your block.

CLEAN WARDENS We need you!

• No special trips or inspections to do. Just tell us what you see when you’re out and about.

• Fill in a short monthly form to tell us what you think about the window and communal cleaning in your For more information or to sign up, contact customer involvement blockCathy McCormick, on 0161 925 7930, or email co-ordinator, cathy.mccormick@greatplaces.org.uk • No special trips or inspections to do. Just tell us what you see when you’re out and about. For more information or to sign up, contact customer involvement co-ordinator, Cathy McCormick, on 0161 925 7930, or email cathy.mccormick@greatplaces.org.uk

Got an idea?

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For more information on clean and green wardens or to sign up, contact customer involvement co-ordinator, Cathy McCormick, on 0161 925 7930, or email cathy.mccormick@greatplaces.org.uk

Loving leaflets!

Last issue, on the back page of the magazine, we asked you to answer a couple of questions about the kind of leaflets you like. Over 60 residents completed the survey and the key responses

You are invited to the

were: “Simple design, bright colours, large print and not much writing”. Thank you to all who took time to tell us what mattered to them!

join us for

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How you’re helping to improve services

We catch up with the two main resident-led Great Places groups to find out what they’ve been doing to make our services better for you. Customer Services Voice (CSV) is the main resident advisory group to Directors with responsibility for monitoring our performance, shaping policy and reviewing improvements to the services we offer you. During 2014 the CSV challenged, debated and questioned over 70 areas that matter to you:

Great Places r Custome s e ic Serv Voice

• Challenging how Great Places are doing in different service areas including customer satisfaction with services, complaints, and how quickly we let empty homes. • Monitoring the ongoing improvements to the repairs service and challenging the repairs performance.

• Looking at the ways we’ve tried to involve you in the work of Great Places over the last couple of months. • Monitoring how we are improving your homes. The CSV meet up to six times a year. Want to know more about what they do on your behalf, or would you like to come and see them in action? Call Pauline Heron on 0161 925 7938 or email pauline.heron@greatplaces.org.uk

In the last issue we told you how ‘insight’ (Great Places’ customer scrutiny group) had just completed their first review, which was of our complaint resolution service. In December, Board heard the group’s key recommendations and said: “they were impressed with the attention to detail shown during the investigation and the time offered by members to ensure the success of the review.” From this an action plan has been agreed, and the CSV will monitor progress. Below is a list of the key recommendations for our Complaints service: • Make sure residents can easily raise issues of dissatisfaction • Review training so staff are equipped to manage dissatisfaction in a realistic timescale • Make sure reaching a resolution is the main objective of the customer care training program • Keep residents informed throughout the complaint • Revise ‘compensation policy’ to help staff reach a timely resolution with residents • Review the way learning from cases of dissatisfaction is used to continually improve services

You can read the full report, which can be found on Great Places’ website in the news section. If you want to know more about ‘insight’, or would like to join the group, contact Tracy Gregory on 0161 925 7918 or email tracy.gregory@greatplaces.org.uk

HOW WE’RE DOING January 2015 We want to regularly keep you up-to-date on how well we’re serving you in a number of areas. See below for the latest facts and figures on our performance. Every month we’ll update these on our website. Just visit www.greatplaces.org.uk, click on the ‘About us’ section and visit the ‘How we’re performing’ page.

85% 93% 87% 79% 1.4

of you are satisfied with our overall service across general housing of you are satisfied with our overall service in supported housing of you are satisfied with our repairs and maintenance services

of repairs are completed at the first visit average number of unsuccessful offers before re-letting a property

93%

of repair appointments were made at a time convenient for you

73%

of you are satisfied that your views are taken into account

When dealing with complaints, throughout the process

62% of you felt you were kept informed

Complaints update

Recent performance

You can make a complaint by email, telephone, post or in person. One of our frontline staff will initially try to resolve your issue. We call this ‘Nipping in the Bud’ and staff have five working days to identify the best possible course of action to put things right.

As shown below, NIPs have proved to be an efficient way of resolving your complaints quickly and without the need for lots of correspondence. Number of NIP Number of NIP Complaints Complaints

If you’re not satisfied with how we propose to put things right you can request that one of our service managers looks at it in more detail. We’ll then investigate your issue, discuss why you’re unhappy with our initial offer to put things right and provide you with a final, formal offer. We call this process ‘Right First Time’.

41 Number of RFT Number of NIP Complaints Complaints

October November December

Examples of learning from recent complaints • Staff to check contact telephone numbers when taking calls. • Upon receiving interest for newbuild properties we will be clearer in our explanation of the parameters we are required to operate within. • We will record all incoming messages on our AXIS system to ensure that all requests for service are recorded. • We will ensure that where requests for service are forwarded to another member of staff that the customer is made aware of this. • We will ensure that where an issue is identified on a home visit that this is actioned. • Repairs need to be accurately logged and when an operative attends they must be clear on the job beforehand so as to avoid repeated visits.

www.greatplaces.org.uk

October November

December

Compliments Compliments

October November December

green place

Advice, tips and ideas on staying green and saving money!

Do you want to save money on your energy bills? Great Places is working with Groundwork Cheshire to offer all residents a visit from the Green Doctor! My Great Place went to find out how he’s curing the environmental ailments of residents in Knutsford. Alistair Cook is the Green Doctor. This is certainly not an episode of Doctor Who, although the gadgets he’s armed with might be more at home in the Tardis! He’s on his way to visit Longridge resident Linda Southon who’s taken Groundwork Cheshire’s offer of some friendly advice on how to save energy, and more importantly, money in her home. “These visits help residents reflect on what they’re doing well and encourage them to carry on with those good practices,” Alistair explains. “This is our second go at Longridge. We’ve done about a dozen visits. We do it by appointment – my colleagues ring up Great Places’ residents and they’ll say whether they’re interested or not. About 70% have so far said yes.” The gadget referred to earlier is an electricity monitor, which Alistair will give to Linda so that she can check how much energy she’s using in monetary terms. Really useful if you’re trying to find out what’s zapping those pennies. So why did Linda want a visit? “I really wanted the Green Doctor to help me save energy. I think I’m doing OK at the

moment but I’d like to see if I could get cheaper electricity and gas. Energy bills are quite expensive. I try to do things already like use energy efficient light bulbs but I’d like to see if I can pay less on energy as my home is quite small and I work 12-hour shifts so don’t have the heating on all the time.” After running through Linda’s paperwork on her current energy use Alistair does an online marketing comparison. “We’ll also go through the heating system, whether it’s performing well and how Linda operates it. Then look at the radiators, boiler etc to see if there is any room to improve efficiency. Talking about how clothes are dried, the problem of condensation, and water supply are all subjects we’ll cover.”

If you would like a visit from the Green Doctor, please call 0300 123 1966 or email environmental.team@greatplaces.org.uk

Competition time

Word Search!

Name:

Date:

Find and circle each of the words from the list below. Words may appear

Please answer the questions below to enter the competitions horizontally, vertically or diagonally, but forwards only.

Wordsearch te the Comple h and rc a wordse uld you co in 5 2 £ in w ! rs e h vouc

Words to find are: WEBSITE COMMUNITY STARS VISION VALUES ADAPTATIONS

DAFFODILS MONASTERY AWARDS CHAMPION SPRING

SAFETY RENT

R C K A

C B

K E

M Q H W H Y

C O M M U N

E O

A E

Y A E H E

Y S

F W

A R S

A M E

E E D N P P D

P S E A B B N N

V A I

S S N S

Y U N

P S B

Z O

V A

U E S

P R

N G T

L M O N A S

E R Y

O N S X N

R E N T

A D A P

Y R D E

W O W M D

U T

Spot the difference: Ahmad Raza – Nelson, Sadik Zakaria – Oldham, Valentina Strumilo – Bolton

A W A R D S

S M G O M S

Congratulations to last issue’s winners: Wordsearch: Joanne Crump – Wybourn, Norma Stott – Blackpool, Pauline Singleton – Blackburn

U A M A

S A

T O D T

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Just circle the FIVE differences on picture number two. You could be one of three lucky people to win £10 worth of vouchers. Website CommunityStars Values Adaptations Daffodils Monastery Awards Champion Rent Spring Vision Safety

Send your entries by post to: FREEPOST, RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, My Great Place, Maria Morris, Great Places Housing Group, 4th Floor St James’ House, Pendleton Way, Salford M6 5FW. All entries must be in by Friday 29th May 2015

There are no right or wrong answers to the questions below, but please answer them and send us your details if you’d like to be entered into our competition prize draws. Please circle one answer. Are you happy to communicate with Great Places by email? Yes / No / Don’t use email If you have received any emails from Great Places recently, did you reply? Yes / No / Didn’t receive email If you answered ‘no’ above, why didn’t you reply? Circle all that apply: Wasn’t relevant to me / Thought it was spam / No time / I don’t check my email / Came at the wrong time of day / Email was too long / It went in my junk folder / Other (please state) Name:................................................................................................................................................................................... Address:............................................................................................................................................................................... Telephone/Mobile: ...............................................................Email:.................................................................................... Please cut out and return this slip to the My Great Place FREEPOST address above. www.greatplaces.org.uk Don’t forget to include your name, telephone number, email and address.