My Great Place Winter 2014 by Great Places Housing Group

Winter 2014

The magazine for Great Places Housing Group residents

Reach your goal! An Oldham football team benefits from Great Places Residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fund Your annual report Find out how we performed in 2014

The Golden Girls! Women making a difference in Wybourn

Christmas recipe

Make this tasty treat over the festive season

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

Oldham office

Blackburn office

Salford 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

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

Please see page 9 for our Christmas opening times Write to My Great Place at:

Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/GreatPlacesHousing

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

Email:

Tweet us @MyGreatPlace

Access for all

communications@greatplaces.org.uk

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.

Winter 2014

FSC AND WORLD LAND TRUST LOGOS

Cover star: Kevin Kliemnet, Coppice Rangers FC

The magazine for Great Places Housing Group residents

Reach your goal! An Oldham football team benefits from Great Places Residents’ Fund Your annual report Find out how we performed in 2014

The Golden Girls! Women making a difference in Wybourn

Christmas recipe

Make this tasty treat over the festive season

www.greatplaces.org.uk

Welcome to

Welcome to this special winter issue of My Great Place. You’re now reading an award-winning magazine! My Great Place won Best External Publication at the PRide Awards recently. We want to thank everyone who reads the magazine, and also a special mention to those residents who get involved and tell us their stories. Without you we wouldn’t have a magazine. Please continue to help us tell real life stories – get in touch if you’d like us to feature you. In this issue we’ve got some fantastic examples of how you, our residents, are doing so much to keep

YOUR MAGAZINE!

your communities alive. We’ve also got a couple of features to get you in the festive spirit, including an A to Z of how to have an environmentally friendly Christmas! We showcase one of the recipients of the Great Places Residents’ Fund, Coppice Rangers FC in Oldham, to see how they spent their money. You’ll also find the annual report on pages 15 to 18 – it’s a must-read for anyone who wants to find out how we did serving you in 2014. From everyone at Great Places, have a lovely Christmas and New Year.

Rachel Machin, Editor

What’s inside? Features

4 My voice 8-9 News 10

Grapevine (Elderly services news) 19-21 Neigbourhood news

23 My money 26 in:team: how you can give feedback to us 27 My green place 28 Competitions

Nurturing neighbourhoods: meet Angela Lindsay, an inspirational resident who is transforming where she lives

Christmas recipe: we give you a tasty recipe for mince pies

15-18 Your annual report: find out how we did in 2014 22

5-7

The online journey pages

pages

Kick-off for Coppice Rangers FC

12-13

Customers Services Voice and Insight update: we fill you in on what these important residents’ groups have been doing to help us improve services

The Golden Girls pages

Regulars

24- 25

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

Tweet us: @mygreatplace

Facebook us at:

facebook.com/GreatPlacesHousing

tter Star reLate Place

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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 Oscar Howard, age 4, from Knutsford 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 on a cute little iPod, so get searching! 4their handswww.greatplaces.org.uk

COMPETITION RULES To enter you must be 16 or under and a Great Places resident Entries must be in by 2nd February 2015

Kick-off for Coppice Rangers FC!

Feature

The second year into our Great Places Residents’ Fund and we’ve given out nearly £20,000 to projects that make a difference to your lives or the areas you live. My Great Place went to meet an exciting community football team in Oldham which is one of the recipients 5

Forget Oldham Athletic, Manchester City and Manchester United, there’s a new team in town, Coppice Rangers FC! Set up 18 months ago by lead coach Mohammed Miah, the sessions started rather informally before Mohsub Yousaf, who’d lived in the area for 29 years, got involved in March this year to set up policies and procedures and formalise the structure of the club. “I noticed that although there were plenty of adult teams in the area, no-one seemed to be giving the children any time to learn. We wanted to change that,” he enthuses. Mohsub is helped by his brother Manshah and other members of the community. His aim is to provide training for all age groups – currently it’s just the under 10s (who are in the Tameside league), under 12s (who take part in the Manchester Youth and Mini Soccer league), the under 14s and the under 17s. The football club trains at Tudor Street Kick pitch and needed money to hire out this venue as well as funding for kits, equipment (nets, balls, cones), paying for CRB checks and FA training badges for the coaches. They received £1,100, which has made a world of difference according to Mohsub. “I heard about the Residents’ Fund through Facebook, looked at the criteria and thought we were eligible. What we’re doing is helping the kids in the area. As well as football we’re promoting life skills – teaching them how to conduct themselves. “If you go to any football team they provide them with food, drink – we tell them to bring their own. It gives them the responsibility for doing that. It’s about discipline – being on time for training and match days. The children are thrilled with their new kit – they can’t wait to wear it,” he adds. “I’m in the process of writing a three-year development plan. We want to become self-sustained so we don’t have to keep applying for funding. Then we became a proper academy.” You could be looking at some future Premier League stars. Watch this space! Great Places

Great Places

RESIDENTS’ FUND £19,342 £25,000 total fund £5,658 21 total applications 14 approved applications

SHARED SPACES FUND total committed what’s left

Since we re-launched the fund last year, the quality of applications has improved massively. Thanks to everyone who’s bid for funding. You’ve got until 30th December to apply for what’s left!

£125,000 total fund 20 total applications

£117,804 total committed 18 approved applications

The Shared Spaces Fund has again been successful with a wide variety of projects sifted through and chosen for improvement. The fund is now closed until April 2015.

The Coppice FC team, Oldham

News Matt’s message It’s been a busy time at Great Places with lots going on as usual. We’ve produced our residents’ annual report for you to read, which is a round-up of what has been happening over the last year. We worked with Customer Services Voice, the panel of residents who represent your interests when it comes to making decisions about how we run the business, to put the report together. It’s on page 15 and includes updates on the things that matter to you including a section on repairs. We’ve been honest with you about the shortcomings with repairs and recognise that at times we haven’t delivered the service you deserve. However with the restructure that is currently taking place I am confident we’re on the right track. We’ve already improved the way we handle your

calls and the next improvement that will be happening is more staff on the frontline going out to carry out repairs in your homes. I’m a massive football fan so I enjoyed reading about Coppice Rangers FC youth team based in Oldham who have benefited from our Residents’ Fund. This is why we set up the fund, to help groups like Coppice, so if you think we can help you please apply. Finally, as we are approaching the end of the year, all that is left for me to do is wish you all the best for the festive season and a happy new year.

HOMES FOR BRITAIN The Homes for Britain campaign, run by the National Housing Federation, is about making a big splash across the whole country, grabbing the attention of politicians and public alike. Party Conferences – September – October

#Housingday – 12 November

We took the message directly to politicians at the three main parties’ conferences with more than 50 events involving 80 organisations.

Thousands supported and joined in with #housingday on social media.

Ho, Ho, Homes for Britain – December

Amplifying the Message – January – February

Festive campaign activity to tell politicians about the true impact of the country’s shortage of homes on real people.

Spreading the word wider through billboards, posters and attention-grabbing activities that can’t be ignored.

Homes for Britain Rally – 17 March

The Home Straight – April

Thousands of people coming together in the heart of Westminster for the biggest housing rally in a generation to urge the parties to back our call.

Your last opportunity to take the campaign message back to your local politicians once more before the election.

My Great Place magazine picks up prestigious award! Your magazine has been given a Silver Award for Best External Publication at the PRide Awards in Manchester, a prestigious awards celebrating work done by PR and Communications teams across the

North West. Thanks to all the residents who get involved and tell us their stories. That’s what makes this magazine a success!

News How to make a complaint

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 complaints to your satisfaction quickly and without the need for lots of correspondence.

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’.

Number of NIP Number of NIP Complaints Complaints

119

Examples of learning from recent complaints • Regular updates on communal noticeboards to inform residents of progress when work is being carried out • When dealing with enquiries about investment work, staff should consult the current year’s investment programme to check if the work is included • We will train our staff to act professionally at all times and communicate in a clear and effective manner with our residents Staff should ensure they speak to the complainant before the perpetrator to ascertain the full details in ASB cases • Staff to ensure that all contacts are recorded on our database • Ensure all application paperwork is correct before any offer is made • Any policy changes need to be communicated efficiently to residents using My Great Place, Facebook, regional meetings, etc • Great Places staff should take ownership of complaints • Ensure proper communication takes place with residents

304 Number of RFT Number of RFT Complaints Complaints

38 24

July August September October

Compliments Compliments

36 29

36 36

July August September October

Change of contractors One of our contractors, Lovell, will no longer be providing the repairs and servicing to the areas they once covered. This includes areas such as the fire detection systems and alarms, emergency lighting, door entry systems and electronic gates. Other areas including legionella testing and PAT (portable appliance testing) will involve contractors visiting individual homes.

CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS During the festive season you can contact us by calling 0300 123 1966, text 07797 870734 or email cat@greatplaces.org.uk We’re open on: Christmas Eve 27 December 28 December New Year’s Eve

8am – 4pm 9am – 4pm 9am – 4pm 9am – 1pm

We’re closed on: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. All Great Places offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year! The 24/7 automated rent payment line will be available.

All contractors have been through strict checks and provide value for money to you, our residents. The way you report repairs will not change and you’ll be notified by the relevant contractor as and when they require access to your property. Further details on the individual contractors and contact details will be issued shortly.

An apology... We sincerely apologise that the self-service function on our website was down for a long time. This was because of new, internal systems being upgraded which caused problems with our website set-up. It’s now fully up and running and you can pay your rent, check your balance and report a repair. Just visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and sign up if you haven’t already. If you are still experiencing issues, 9 please call 0300 123 1966

GRAPEVINE John Atkinson Court gets a makeover Residents at John Atkinson Court in Weaste, Salford, are enjoying the newly refurbished communal areas of their home. Gone is the 70s décor with dark wood ceilings and woodwork throughout which created a poor impression on visitors, including prospective residents. The communal areas have been totally transformed with all white woodwork, feature walls and attractive, modern furniture. These rooms are now being used by residents for activities such as Healthy Hearts and Hips, Kurling, Men’s Health group, dominoes and residents’ meetings.

Elderly services news

Kurling card Kurling is the activity of the moment at John Atkinson Court (JAC) as residents had their first crack at this popular ‘Olympic’ sport. With funding from the Great Places Residents’ Fund residents from JAC, Myrtle Leaf and Birch Leaf are all able to join in. Kurling is a good way of keeping active, staying fit and meeting new friends. It helps to combat loneliness and is beneficial for people who are less mobile.

Residents are delighted with the refurbishment. Pat: “It looks very sociable and bright, it’s a great improvement to how it used to be, especially the kitchen”.

More money for Macmillan! There’s been a raft of Macmillan charity events across our sheltered schemes. In Blackley The Byrons social committee and staff pulled together for a fundraiser which featured a band, hot pop supper and bingo, raising a brilliant £172 which will be split between the charity and the committee. The Byron’s staff team also took part in an Ice Bucket Challenge which raised £324. The grand total was £410 – a brilliant effort! Hawkshaw Court residents in Salford also dug deep to raise £253.51. Thanks to all of you for your generous donations! Blackpool, Manchester and Salford schemes have collectively raised a total of £1,513.

Sing song serenade

Walk the line!

The Farnworth Performing Arts Company Entertainers sang their hearts out recently for residents at Hawkshaw Court in Salford. The local company go out to visit people who can’t always attend performances at the theatre and other venues. The event was well attended and the choir were so popular that residents have asked them to be booked for another 10 www.greatplaces.org.uk performance!

Residents of Openshaw Court, Ramsden Fold and the local community donned their cowboy hats and spurs to take part in some line dancing. Taking place in the Openshaw lounge every Friday between 2pm and 4pm everyone finds this relaxing activity quite enjoyable. It’s also a great opportunity for people to get together.

Nurturing neighbourhoods Angela Lindsay is the heartbeat of Patton Court in Salford. The miracles she’s worked on the communal garden are there for all to see. But her green-fingered greatness is just the tip of the iceberg. My Great Place went to find out more about this formidable lady. For an 80-year old you’d think slowing down might be the best course of action, but Angela Lindsay has no intention of doing that any time soon. Tenant rep and Customer Services Voice (CSV) member, this lady is all about getting things done for her community and neighbours. “I’m a bossy boots,” she admits. “This is where I live and I want to be proud of where I live. If you keep the standards up everyone wants to join you. I’ve gone out and given people curtains before just so the street looks good to outsiders.” Angela has been a mainstay within Great Places since she moved into one of our homes nearly 13 years ago. After selling her home on Plymouth Street in Salford she moved into Patton Court, which has been her home ever since. “I used to live at number 10 but I broke my leg and had to move here which is a downstairs flat. It’s a very close knit community. Craig [who lives upstairs and has been instrumental in transforming the garden] is absolutely brilliant, he’s like one of my sons, we fight like cat and dog. We’ve just been to do Bridie’s shopping next door as she’s not well. I make her a dinner every day at the moment.” It was when Angela moved into the downstairs flat that the idea to transform the communal garden became a reality.

“I had no garden at my previous flat so when I came over here I asked permission to take on this bit of land. There was a horrible old hedge so we dug that out and got some funding to get more plants. It’s taken three years to get to this stage. This is our communal garden and in the summer time lots of us sit in there.” But cultivating plants is not the only way she spends her spare time. As a tenant rep Angela is always campaigning for improvements within her neighbourhood. She was instrumental in getting a petition signed to move from an outdated electric storage heater system to gas central heating across all the homes in Patton Court. In the next few weeks everyone will be getting new kitchens. She’s also a crucial member of Customer Services Voice (CSV), a group made up of residents who represent you and your interests, and grill directors on the subjects that matter most like repairs, support services and service improvements. “I was the very first member on what was then called the Tenant Services Committee (TSC) – I was interviewed to go on the Great Places Board because I was already on the Board of Space. “I think the CSV is very good. We all phone each other and care about how we’re helping. We’re involved up to here!”

Featureonline journey! The

After a very busy and energetic week touring round your neighbourhoods, the online bus is now parked up, and so is Digital Len! My Great Place dobbed the back seat to get the low down. You may have spotted our blue double-decker in your street last month. Manned by our very own Digital Len and his online entourage, Great Places went out into your communities to support ‘Get Online Week’ and spread the message about the benefits of the internet and also provide money advice and environmental tips to you, our residents. Although we would have liked more of you to climb aboard the bus, those of you who got on had a very positive experience and learnt useful skills, gathered relevant information about the services Great Places offers, and felt 12 more confident www.greatplaces.org.uk much using the internet.

Many of you were also able to ask other queries and chat through issues around your tenancies, employment and training and repairs. Anne Cairns, a resident who got on board our bus in Oldham, said: “We’ve got a computer at home but we never use it really. I want to be able to enter free online competitions as its too expensive to phone or text. I’d also like to do online banking but at the moment it seems too complicated.” Great Places’ staff were able to help a variety of residents. Aimee Spencer, who works in our Environmental team, said:

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‘’I’ve really enjoyed being on the bus and helping our residents face their fears of the internet. I spoke to one resident who wanted to try out online shopping but was worried about giving her bank details to websites. Being an online shopper addict I was able to show her all the great websites and the best way to pay for items safely which for me is Pay pal. She left the bus happy and in the draw for a Samsung tablet.’’ The bus is only the start of our mission to help you take advantage of all the internet can offer. Sheffield residents enjoyed two days of training and people in our elderly schemes were also given opportunities to get involved. Watch this space for more!

Need help getting online? There are regular IT drop-in sessions at locations all across our regions. If you need help with anything digital please email leonard.rice@greatplaces.org.uk

22 Christmas food

Christmas Recipe

Unbeliveably easy mince pies!

Step 1: To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt if required. Combine the pastry into a ball â&#x20AC;&#x201C; donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t add liquid â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later. Step 2: Preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6/fan 180c. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole. Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies. Step 3: Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Cut a star from each circle then top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal. Step 4: Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar. They will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Makes 18 mince pies Prep time: 30 mins Cooking time: 20 mins

www.greatplaces.org.uk

Ingredients

225 cold butter, g diced

350 plain flour g

100g golden caster sugar

280 mincemeat g

1 small egg

icing sugar, to du st

One of the biggest challenges for Great Places over the past year was getting the repairs service on course and improved. Many thanks to those of you who have helped by giving much-needed feedback and I hope it will continue.

Your annual

In this report you can see how your rent is spent and why it is important to keep a close eye on rent arrears. The next challenge is Universal Credit and what impact this will have on customers and the organisation. Help is at hand, just ask Great Places.

report 2014

Christine Goulden Customer Services Voice

How we spend your rent... We need to borrow money to help us build our new homes.

22% (£19.0M)

15% (£13.0M)

Major repairs and improvements to our homes

Interest on our loans

8% (£6.4M)

This includes things like cutting the grass, landscaping gardens and cleaning communal areas.

Services

22% (£19.8M)

11% (£9.2M)

Staff & office costs

Surplus

11% (£9.4M)

11% (£9.2M)

Routine repairs and getting empty homes ready to rent

Because we’re a not-forprofit organisation, all of our extra money goes back into helping us to build muchneeded new homes. (See final page)

This is an accountancy term to describe the reduction in value of our homes due to wear and tear.

Depreciation

Facts and figures

712

anti-social behaviour cases resolved

138

people helped into apprenticeships

31,184

repairs completed this year

registered and supported through our work clubs

105,333 incoming calls to our CAT and repairs teams

99% 450

of rent was collected

people given advice to help employment prospects

Getting online

Our new digital trainer has helped deliver training to more residents. Over 1,000 customers have registered for online services through our website and a recent survey of customers showed that 80% felt confident when using the internet.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU satisfied with overall service accross general housing

86% 84%

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

average number of unsuccessful offers before re-letting a property

1.5 2.4

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

satisfied with overall service in supported housing

satisfied with our repairs and maintenance services

93% 86%

87% 82%

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

repair appointments made at a convenient time for you

93% 88%

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

satisfied that your views are taken into account

72% 81%

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

repairs are completed at the first visit

73% 79%

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

felt that you were kept informed throughout your complaint

55% 59%

Aug 2014 Aug 2013

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

The impact of problems with the repairs service and governance downgrade may have had a negative effect on our customer satisfaction figures, but the quick action taken by our directors and new board to put improvement measures in place meant that by the end of July 2014 our overall customer satisfaction was back at 86%, from a low of 79%. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not quite where we want to be but believe the new structure will put us back on track. Over 12 months we surveyed 800 residents

96%

satisfied with how their call was handled

76%

satisfied with the quality of their home

88%

satisfied with handling of antisocial behaviour cases

75%

thought that their rent was good value for money

100%

of our homes meet the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s required Decent Homes Standard

87%

happy with their neighbourhood as a place to live

Having your say Our approach to resident involvement underwent significant change. We relaunched our customer involvement team as the in:team, focused on empowering residents to help improve services and increase customer satisfaction. Our first ever

www.greatplaces.org.uk

pop-up doorstep tour, where we visited hundreds of our customers in their homes, was a huge success and helped shape our new involvement strategy.

REPAIRS

It’s been a turbulent year for our in-house repairs team. At the start of the year the service struggled to deliver its key objectives leading to calls being missed regularly, jobs not being done on time and weak management of our empty homes. Action was taken to improve the situation and the arrival of a new director of property services saw a positive turnaround. A major restructure is now in process.

91%

of appointments made at residents’ convenience

88%

of repairs appointments were kept

of residents were satisfied with repairs

INVESTMENT

150

529

327

new bathroom suites fitted

kitchens installed

98%

of new residents were statisfied with work carried out

A-rated boilers installed

394

homes got new windows

249 homes got new doors

Delivering customer satisfaction Our former Tenant Services Committee became Customer Services Voice (CSV), the main advisory group to Great Places’ directors. We also established a brand new scrutiny group, Insight, made up of residents from across

our regions. This group acts as a critical friend challenging our performance, policies and procedures and identifying areas which aren’t delivering customer satisfaction. Look at page 22 to find out what they’ve been up to.

YOUR INVOLVEMENT The Customer Services Voice group has continued to lead on monitoring our performance across services such as repairs, income collection, major improvements and lettings. The group has welcomed two new members and we are hoping another three will be joining us very soon but we are always looking for more customers to join. This year has also seen the formation of ‘insight’ a new customer group who will conduct independent scrutiny exercises on frontline services. We receive feedback from customers in lots of ways including over 100 of you took part in repair instant mystery shopping, our call auditors reviewed over 300 customer calls and over 500 of you took part in our first pop-up doorstep tour this summer.

WHAT IS SURPLUS?

Decades ago the government gave housing associations grants worth 90% towards the cost of building a new home but now they are about 20%. This means we have to borrow much more money to build each new home. It may now take 30 to 40 years before the rent we’ve collected on a new home has covered all the mortgage payments, management costs and major repairs for it. So the surplus we make is used as working capital to reduce the amount we need to borrow to build new homes. In 2013/14 we spent £81m building almost 500 new homes but only received £20m in grant. We had to find the rest, which came from existing loans, and cash surpluses, which reduced the need to borrow more money and reduced our interest costs. If we didn’t have this cash available we would have to pay increased interest costs, which would seriously restrict our ability to build new homes.

SHARED SPACES

We use some of our efficiency savings each year to establish two funds to help customers improve their own lives and the local community. Applications to both funds are analysed, evaluated and scored by a panel of customers. Our Residents’ Fund provides £25,000 each year to support projects that either support employment, promote health and wellbeing or build sustainable neighbourhoods. Last year the panel funded 22 applications totalling £24,307. The Shared Spaces Fund provides £125,000 to support major improvements to the communal areas of our stock that either improves the safety and security of residents or improves the appearance of the scheme. Last year the panel funded 17 applications totalling £112,000.

OUR FUTURE PLANS FOR YOU • Complete the restructure of the repairs and asset management team which will see us employ more repairs staff who will be carrying out jobs in your homes • We will be spending about £13 million on improvements to our homes. This includes new bathrooms, kitchens, window, boilers and new doors • We aim to put £1million back into our residents pockets through sound money advice from our Financial Inclusion team • We will build 460 new homes in 2014 • We will visit 500 of our vulnerable residents to make sure they are able to keep warm and well over winter • We are changing the way we manage contracts for things like servicing lifts and gates, and other health and safety matters such as fire inspections and legionella tests

If www.greatplaces.org.uk you wish to read our full VFM self-assessment please visit www.greatplaces.org.uk

News neighbourhood

What’s going on where you live...

Online offer for residents BLACKBURN: ‘Get online’ has been the message going out to local residents following the success of a pilot project on Bower Street and Primrose Close telling people about the positives of using the internet. Others from New Wellington Mews and Hollin Street in Mill Hill were also recently surveyed to find out who needs help with getting online.

Believing in Bowland BLACKBURN: Residents from Bowland House in Blackburn have been talking to staff about what they like doing in their spare time and what they’d like to see happening in their community room to encourage involvement. A successful party was held in the community room with a great turn out where everyone enjoyed the food and entertainment on offer. Staff also visited residents in their flats and discovered that many have skills they’re happy to share with their neighbours. Great Places is now looking to develop various groups and activities including an art club, craft club and reading group. These are just a few of the ideas but everyone feels this is just the start!

As a result a series of taster sessions and visits will take place in the area over the next few months with opportunities for many to access a new laptop/tablet loan scheme. If you live in the Blackburn area and are interested in volunteering to become a ‘Digital Champion’ (eg help others get started online by sharing basic knowledge of the internet), email louise.ramsay@greatplaces. org.uk or call Louise on 01254 588758. It’s a great thing to put on your CV and we can pay for you to do a qualification.

Scam alert!

Grow! KNUTSFORD: Great Places held a bulb-planting event at our over 55s scheme in Knutsford in association with GROW (Garden Regeneration Over Ward)

Curious critters at Welcome café KNUTSFORD: Everything from Barn Owls to frogs and African snails made an appearance at the Welcome Café in Knutsford. 24 excited children were able to hold 15 different types of animals brought in by Curious Critters, a Wigan-based business.

Please be aware that there’s a scam going round. Someone rings to say you have a problem with your computer (usually calling from Microsoft) and asks you to switch on your PC. They then go through the systems and can debit money from your switch card. The perpetrators have been know to mention Great Places when they call. We’ve reported this to the police but please be aware and share with other Great Places’ residents. Ring us on 0300 123 1966 if you have been contacted by these people.

News neighbourhood

What’s going on where you live...

Astoria arise! OLDHAM: The Astoria in Oldham is looking shiny and new thanks to a major refurbishment. Work has included new rendering on the outside of the building as well as sprucing up individual flats. The decorating of all communal areas, and replacing all carpets is also on the agenda. Thanks to all residents for their patience over this last year. Hope you’re pleased with the results.

Stronger! PRESTON: Congratulations to Catherine Williams, Kelly Blakey, Lisa Mullarkey and Sultana Patel on completing the Strong women’s Course in Preston. As featured in the last issue the course brings women together to tell stories, learn to understand themselves better and to take time for themselves, build confidence and learn new skills. Sultana said: “I really enjoyed the course. It got me out of the house, taught me how to say NO and it built up my confidence. I have made some new friends and in the future, I will try to speak to people more instead of bottling things up, and also get out and about more. ” Lisa said: “I really enjoyed the course. The two course leaders were wonderful. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed that Great Places cared so much about their tenants to put on a course to give us so much confidence. I have not worked for five years and thanks to the trainers I now feel ready to go to work and not only that, I feel I CAN DO IT!”

From drab to fab OLDHAM: More streets in Oldham are being given facelifts thanks to Great Places. External refurbishments of houses in Lee Street and Chelmsford Street have taken place using splashes of colour chosen specifically by the residents themselves. Once tired, uninspiring buildings, they’ve been transformed into attractive family homes. The next phase of the project will see the improvement of external areas where flytipping has been a

It’s off to work we go! SALFORD: If you’re looking for help in getting back to work, Salford Work Clubs have events in the following areas! Why not drop-in...

problem.

St James Church

Mondays from 10am-12pm

The Broughton Trust Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-12pm

www.greatplaces.org.uk

The Ordsall Cafe

Wednesdays from 10am-12pm

The Langworthy Cornerstone

Wednesdays from 10am-12pm

Residents move into Great Places’ 17,000th home SALFORD: Great Places Housing Group has handed over the keys to its 17,000th home to a delighted family. Hayley Ashton and Chris Branthwaite and their children are the new tenants at the three-bedroom house at Keswick Grove in Salford. The property is part of the group’s Jubilee Street development in the Langworthy area of Salford, one of several by Great Places in the district over the past few years.

Sponsoring the Sheffield scrum! SHEFFIELD: We’ve sponsored the University of Sheffield to undertake ruby coaching sessions at Emmaus Primary School. As a result of the sponsorship we have our logo on their official kit! Clare Fairclough at Emmaus School said: “All of the children really enjoyed the fun game. It was great to see so many girls in particular trying something new. The volunteers were reliable, positive and well organised.”

Matthew Harrison, chief executive of Great Places, said: “We’re delighted to have reached this milestone and are proud to be one of the biggest and best housing associations around, at a time when people need us most and demand for greatquality, affordable housing is higher than ever. “It’s also nice that our 17,000th home is in the heart of Langworthy, a real heartland for us, where we’ve been working for more than 20 years.”

New homes on the way SHEFFIELD: In November residents from Wybourn were invited to look at plans for new homes on Cricket Inn Road and Maltravers Way. Current designs show the creation of 42 new homes with a mix of apartments, bungalows and family sized housing. The Maltravers Way development offers 34 new homes with a mix of townhouses, flats and semi-detached houses, all of which will be affordable housing. A landscaped area will also be available for residents to use.

No sitting on the fence! SHEFFIELD: Great Places, as part of the Community Partnership Project, has been instrumental in putting funding in place for Athelstan Primary School. A significant milestone has already been reached with new perimeter fencing installed. Look out for an event to promote the project within the community!

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.

‘insight’ is a group of resident volunteers who act as a critical friend to Great Places. They scrutinise one area of service at a time to find out if Great Places do what they say they will do, by: • • • •

looking closely at the promises made to residents by Great Places finding evidence to support if these promises are delivered, by talking to residents speaking to staff to find out about their experiences of delivering these promises making recommendations for improvements to Board and the service manager.

‘insight’ recently completed their first scrutiny review of the ‘Complaints Resolution’ service, which was presented to Great Places’ Board in early December. Look out for the improvements in the next issue and on our website. ‘insight’ would like to hear from any residents who want to find out more about the work they do and/or anyone who maybe interested in joining the group. You can call Tracy Gregory on 0161 925 7918 or tracy.gregory@greatplaces.org.uk

Great Places r

Custome Services Voice

Customer Services Voice (CSV) is the main advisory group to Directors with responsibility for monitoring Great Places’ performance, shaping policy and reviewing improvements to the services we offer you.

Recent discussions points on the agenda have included: • repairs – the group review and challenge the ongoing improvements being made to the service • our investment programme – how we’ll be improving your homes next year • Great Places’ performance – how we’re doing in a variety of areas including ASB and Complaints • aids and adaptations – how well we’re helping to adapt your homes • Customer Involvement Agreement/Action plan – agreed content of resident involvement agreement and action plan for 2014. CSV would like to hear from any residents who want to find out more about the work they do or anyone interested in joining the group. You can call Pauline Heron on 0161 925 7938 or email pauline.heron@greatplaces.org.uk

www.greatplaces.org.uk

money

Our Financial Inclusion team work hard to help residents save money. Last year, they helped put £1m back into your pockets! Below are some great stories about people they’ve helped.

Help is at hand! Read some of the successful outcomes for our residents after we helped. Sheffield – Lady lives alone and suffers from depression. Completed Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) and helped clear £170 water arrears. Also helping her tackle store card and mobile phone debt. She is now paying £10 a fortnight to clear her arrears. Salford – Family with three children in crisis with a large loan swallowing up household income. We worked closely with Manchester Credit Union

Credit unions to reduce it to an affordable amount – saving £1k in interest costs! Got a low cost loan for furniture and sorted out £44 per week in Housing Benefit payments. Fylde – Family with three children. Helped them get £600 DHP payment, Water Trust Fund of £800 savings, helped with budgeting advice – now have no rent arrears! Also worked in partnership with the NHS No Smoking Campaign to help couple stop smoking saving an estimated £4k per year!

Don’t delay, please pay We know money is tight over the Christmas period, but please don’t forget you need to pay your rent. All rent payments should be made weekly in advance as per your tenancy agreement or monthly if paying monthly by direct debit (if you want to set one up please call 0300 123 1966) Other ways to pay: 1. Pay online by registering on our website or by logging onto the Allpay website. 2. Pay using the Allpay app which you can search for in the app store if you have an android phone Pay via text message. 3. Pay using the 24-hour Allpay automated telephone service; call 0844 557 8321 4. You can also pay with an allpay rent card at any Post Office or Paypoint outlet. For more information, visit the ‘Your rent’ section of our website under ‘Residents’.

It was International Credit Union Day in October. We celebrated by hosting an event to raise awareness of credit unions and why they’re a great alternative to banks, building societies and doorstep lenders. We have links with all the credit unions, including Manchester Credit Union. Even if you don’t live in the area as one of our residents you can use them. Contact fit@greatplaces.org.uk for more information.

Universal credit If you are getting Universal Credit please contact your neighbourhood co-ordinator so we can help you to budget. For further information up to date information you can look at the website www.gov.uk/universalcredit or our website www.greatplaces.org.uk

If payments aren’t made regularly and missed we have no alternative but to follow our arrears procedure and recover the money. In some cases we need to go to court and your home could be at risk. This is the last thing we want to do so if in doubt ring us immediately and we’ll try to help.

DON’T LET SHARKS TAKE A BITE THIS CHRISTMAS! We know some of you will be strapped for cash this Christmas but please don’t give in to the temptation of a loan shark. If you know of loan sharks operating in your area, please let us know by emailing fit@greatplaces.org.uk We can help.

Billscutter We can help you save money by getting you the best tariff for your gas and electric. So far this year we’ve helped residents save £8,000! We can give advice on best prices and methods of payments and help you to switch suppliers.

The Golden Girls It stands unassumingly on the corner of a street in Wybourn, Sheffield, but The Corner House community centre is the meeting place for a bunch of inspirational women – the Golden Oldies! My Great Place went to meet them. You might be forgiven for thinking that you were sitting in someone’s living room sharing cosy tea and cakes with your nearest and dearest, but we’re in a converted semidetached house in the heart of Sheffield’s Wybourn neighbourhood making use of a temporary community centre available for use by everyone. But currently only a handful of people are using it – the Golden Oldies group! Margaret Bailey, Christine Gardner, Brenda Hague and Joan Newhall, minus a few ladies who are currently ill, run this tight little unit weekly. It’s a chance for older people in the area to get together.

www.greatplaces.org.uk

“We’re here every Tuesday. The group has been set up for five or six years. We’ve only started using The Corner House this year. This place has been really good because it’s our own. We know we’ve got it. We can do different things – we’ve got more space. We try our hardest to encourage people – leaflets and all sorts, but it’s not working as well as we want,” says Christine. Joan continues: “We used to alternate between the Children’s Centre and the Church, who were very kind to allow us a room, but it was cramped. We tried doing a Bingo one evening but no-one turned up. It’s very difficult to get people interested but it’s a big estate and a lot of people might miss the leaflets and posters around.”

As well as the Golden Oldies group the ladies organise mother and baby events and trips to places like Bury Market and Chatsworth (which are hugely popular and always sold out, according to Margaret) but there is a reluctance to get involved in other things. “We fill coaches up like nobody’s business but no-one is interested in coming to the groups. We’ve been trying for years. We’ve passed out leaflets on buses, stood outside shops and handed them out,” adds Margaret. Christine, who works on behalf of Manor and Castle Development Trust, a charity set up to help regenerate the area, continues: “The idea was that it was going to be a community hub. We started off with a committee. We want more people involved. Part of the ethos behind all this is that we’ve only got it for so many years as it’s due

to be demolished. What we’ve got to do is prove that we need a community centre so they can build a brand new one in the middle of the estate.” Great Places works with Manor and Castle Development Trust and other local organisations to put activities on for younger people too. A free community cinema can show films as long as they aren’t advertised – people have to spread the word. There are also football matches, bands on and other activities for children. “It would be nice if more people came and put something into the community,” confesses Margaret. “They always say it’s a rough estate but there are only odd pockets of people who cause trouble. Everyone is so good hearted here.”

Opening times: 8:30am – 5pm, seven days a week. For more information on The Corner House, and to find out what activities take place, please contact Philip Walker on 0114 284 2061 or email philip.walker@greatplaces. org.uk. To book a room contact Dawn Dale on 0114 278 9999 or email dawndale@manorcastle.org.uk

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

Got any spare time? Are you someone who likes to make a difference or are you looking to gain new skills and work experience? If so, we would love to hear from you. Below are some of the activities you can do from home, which help Great Places deliver quality customer services. Call Audits – help us to deliver quality telephone customer service by listening to a selection of calls each month and telling us what you think.

Mystery Shopping – helps us to deliver customer service, which meets expectations. The information collected from doing this helps us to understand how our services are received by residents in the real world.

What do I have to do? • You will be sent a selection of five calls by email or on a CD • Listen to each call, answering a number of simple questions about the call • Send your feedback to the in:team

What do I have to do? • You will receive five scenarios of general enquiries or request for information every three months. • You choose if you would like to visit a Great Places office, make a telephone call, email, text or look on the website • Record your experience with Great Places and answer a number of questions about the service you received • Send your feedback to the in:team

Survey says! Thanks to those residents who completed the Community Safety and Complaint Resolution surveys. Your opinions will help us to understand how others feel about the services.

Senior Voice Great Places is keen to listen to residents and aims to provide a service they are happy with. The Senior Tenants Voice group gives a direct line of communication so that working together we can improve our services. My Great Place caught up with them

It’s always a lively discussion when the Senior Tenants Voice group get their heads together. At the last meeting they voiced their opinions on a variety of subjects.

Your nominations are now in and a panel of judges have been sifting through them all to pick out the winners. Thanks to everyone who nominated. The shortlisted people will attend an award ceremony on the 24th January where the winners will be announced. We’ll be featuring a full list of the winners on our website, Facebook and in the Spring issue of this magazine.

The new Customer Involvement Agreement, which, outlines the how we involve you, our residents, in the services we offer, was on the agenda and members of the group talked about what being involved meant to them. Community Safety is always a hot topic, the group is helping Community Safety manager Reece Barton come up with a new Customer Charter. The group also took a look at the new visitor rules at our elderly services schemes, and they also agreed on the content to be displayed on elderly services noticeboards. Great Places’ new Vision and Values was also on the to-do list and 26 talked www.greatplaces.org.uk residents about what they thought Great Places stood for.

Website review 49 residents who use the self-service section on Great Places’ website completed a survey to help identify future improvements we can make to the site. Thanks to all those involved!

I J K L M N O P Q

The A – Z of Christmas!

A B C D E F G H

Artificial trees are not necessarily greener – although they last for longer. Real trees help to remove carbon from the atmosphere while they are growing. Christmas brings yet more batterydevouring appliances and toys. So use mains or go for rechargeable appliances where possible, and treat your household to a battery charger. One billion Christmas cards are dumped each year in the UK (Friends of the Earth). Use recycled cards or make your own from last year’s. Use last year’s decorations or decorate your tree with products that are fairly traded and ethically sourced. Or get creative and make your own. Use an eco-friendly cotton shopper bag instead of all that plastic. Don’t have a cotton shopper bag? Contact Great Places’ Environmental team and they’ll put one in the post for you. By the time the food that make up the average British Christmas dinner arrive on our plates, it has travelled a combined distance of 49,000 miles. Buy local or buy less. Green eyed frog– Check it out for a selection of ethical and eco decorations and Christmas stocking fillers. www.greeneyedfrog.co.uk Hark the winter birds sing. It may be cold outside but some birds love to stay in the UK over winter. When you are out for a walk see how many you can spot. Our winter favourites are: Robin, Dunnock and Chaffinch

green place Bring in some holly and ivy from the garden – fallen branches are obviously okay, but take only what you need.

After Christmas take those unwanted gifts to a jumble sale and payback Christmas early.

Keep the curtains closed, it keeps heat in and saves energy and money.

Christmas tree lights left on for 10 hours a day over the 12 days of Christmas produce enough CO2 to inflate 12 balloons, so turn them off when they are not needed. Use LEDs instead of traditional bulbs. Over the Christmas period we use an extra 750 million bottles and glass containers, and 500 million drinks cans. Make sure you recycle yours! When decorating the tree, consider using natural or homemade edible treats rather than plastic baubles to save on creating rubbish. Ten million turkeys are eaten every Christmas. If you can, try to make sure yours has been reared in humane conditions by choosing a free-range organic one. Remember that good food makes a great present, especially if you’ve made it yourself – also pictures, knitted hats, bedsocks!

Have a quick search on the internet for more ideas to minimise the impact of Christmas on your wallet and the planet.

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

R S T U V W X Y Z

According to Recyclenow.com, households will throw out five sacks of rubbish per family over the festive period. Much of this could have been recycled. Buy stockings and advent calendars that you can use year after year or for a more personal touch, make your own.

Aim for a few car-free days this Christmas. Travelling on a cheap flight for Christmas seems like an irresistible bargain, but we’re starting to realise that it’s killing the planet. Use the right-sized pan for the vegetables you cook, and only boil the kettle with the amount of water you need.

Is that mountain of Brussel sprouts too much for the family? Compost all your food peelings or get a wormery to help break down the vegetable food waste into rich soil nutrition. It was estimated the UK used enough paper to wrap up the entire island of Guernsey last year. Try wrapping your presents in brown or recycled paper. Buy your fruit and vegetables loose and ditch all that excessive plastic packaging.

It’s your world, your choice.

Have a post-Christmas doze, content that your Christmas carbon footprint is minimal! zzzz!

Competition time V

Word Search!

Name:

Date:

Find and circle each of the words from the list below. Words may appear forwards or backwards, horizontally, vertically or diagonally in the grid.

Please answer the questions below to enter the competitions

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

E B A U B

CHRISTMAS TREE HOLLY CRACKER SANTACLAUS

REINDEER PRESENTS TURKEY SNOWMAN

Congratulations to last issue’s winners: Wordsearch: Tazeem Begum – Rochdale, Eileen Williams – Preston, Margaret Hollingworth – Blackburn Spot the difference: Khaleda Chowdury – Longsight, Baldeb Singh – Preston, Gillian Mercer – Bolton

K P A

F R P

S C

S G K V R E U U H U H

E D X U S

MINCEPIE CAROLS SLEIGH BAUBLE

E E E B O O D V

P S

Words to find are:

C K A

C P R E S E N T N S Y H Y A A G L

M N U

X O D R Z

C R A C K E R S

E A A I

S N V Y F

A O P E

K E R U K G E M

R T

U E O A N R N O P

D A

E A

H C E A U Q L

N S

E S

N C P S

Q M O V

L M U

W D Q O S C D E R

H A E N O O

X U D N M M Y W S S Y U

E P

N N R E

A N Q E

C Y A H R

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. presents cracker santaclaus reindeer bauble snowman mincepie christmastree turkey holly carols sleigh

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 Monday 2nd February 2015

Leaflets and marketing materials are all around us. Some we read, some go straight in the recycling bin, but what three things might make you pick-up and read a leaflet? Please tick three only. 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.

Bright colours

Large print

Lots of writing

Lots of pictures

Detailed design

Dark colours

Small print

Not much writing

Not many pictures

Simple design

Name:................................................................................................................................................................................... Address:............................................................................................................................................................................... Telephone/Mobile: ...............................................................Email:.................................................................................... Please cut out and return this slip to the My Great Place FREEPOST address above. Don’t forget to include your name, telephone number, email and address.