Summer 2015
Home improvements
How Great Places is investing in great homes
Love, learn and laughter New play equipment at Lorna Lodge is a swinging success!
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Fire safety Top tips to keep you safe this summer
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Fire safety in the home Sadly, there’s recently been a number of serious fire-related incidents among Great Places residents. Here’s some top tips for keeping you and your loved ones fire safe.
Never smoke in bed!
If you’re feeling drowsy, have been drinking alcohol or are taking prescription drugs, take extra care when smoking. It’s really easy to fall asleep and not notice that a cigarette is still burning. Don’t light up if you need to lie down and never smoke in bed.
Chip pan fire safety
Around 16,000 domestic fires every year are started by chip pan fires. Use a deep-fat-fryer instead or, better still, use oven chips. If you have a chip pan fire never put water on it, don’t tackle the fire yourself. Turn off the heat if it is safe to do so. Get out, stay out and call 999.
Safe summer BBQs
Ensure your barbecue is positioned on a flat surface and well away from a shed or trees, never leave the barbecue unattended and make sure the tap is turned off before changing the cylinder. It’s also a good idea to keep a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergencies. If you suspect a leak to the cylinder or pipe work, brush soapy water around the joints and watch for bubbles – tighten to fix but do not over-tighten.
Fit a smoke alarm
A smoke alarm could save the lives of you and your family in a fire. All Great Places homes are fitted with a fire alarm. Check the batteries regularly if you believe there is a problem with your alarm or call the CAT team on 0300 123 1966.
Don’t leave cooking unattended
More than half of accidental fires in the home are started in the kitchen. It is easy to be distracted while cooking and leave things unattended. Avoid cooking if you’re tired, have been drinking alcohol or taking medication that can make you drowsy.
Get a free home-fire-safety check
Did you know you can get a free home-fire-safety check? Call your local fire service on their general enquiries number and they will visit to fit smoke alarms and give safety advice on keeping your home and family as safe as possible.
GET CREATIVE AND HELP SAVE LIVES! We’re calling for all budding artists to page to help you design your poster. design their own fire safety poster to be featured in Great Places’ receptions across Designs can be done by hand or using a the north west and Yorkshire. computer. Two designs will be selected. The winners will receive an iPod Shuffle. Use the fire safety information on this
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Both adults and children are invited to partake but to enter you must be a Great Places resident. Deadline for entries: 5pm, Monday 3 August 2015. Any entries received after this date will not be considered.
Send your entries to FREEPOST, RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Springboard, Great Places Housing Group, Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Manchester M20 2LT.
Write to Springboard at: Communications Great Places Southern Gate 729 Princess Road Manchester, M20 2LT
Email:
WELCOME TO
Summer 2015
communications@greatplaces.org.uk
Whether you’d like to start up a social or sports club, gain a qualification to help boost your career, or spruce up a communal space for you and your neighbours to enjoy – Great Places can help through its Shared Spaces and Residents’ Fund grants. For some inspiring examples of how we’ve worked with residents to put these grants into action see pages 4–5.
Facebook us at facebook.com/GreatPlacesHousing Tweet us @MyGreatPlace
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 Springboard is also available.
We’ve also caught up with some of the residents who have benefitted from the millions of pounds Great Places invests into improving homes each year (pages 12–13). Plus, check out the fire safety info on page 2 – we’re inviting you to enter a fire safety competition and there are two iPod Shuffles up for grabs! Have a great summer!
Cover stars: Residents of Lorna Lodge
Sally Watts Assistant Director (Supported Housing)
What’s inside? Regulars 6 News: from Great Places 8 Your news: what you’ve been up to!
You could win a £20 high street voucher in our competition.
10 How we’re doing: 14 in:team: how you can get involved
You’ll find it on the back page!
16 Competitions
Features 2 Fire safety in the home 11 Get online with Len: The real cost of broadband 15 Money matters: advice on how you can get more out of your pennies
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Protecting our communities
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Helping you and your community to flourish
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Home improvements pages
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A place to call home
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Helping you and your community to flourish
15 scheme projects have been awarded funding since 2013 through the Shared Spaces Fund and Residents’ Fund. 4
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The Shared Spaces Fund and Residents’ Fund provide a pot of money to help the people and places in your community to shine. We’ve awarded over £50,000 to Great Places schemes over the last couple of years and we’ve got more money to give away this year. Whether you’d like to start up a social or sports club, gain a qualification, or spruce up a communal space for you and your neighbours to enjoy – Great Places can help. Lorna Lodge in Whythenshawe was successful in securing both a Residents’ Fund and Shared Spaces Fund grant to install a new children’s play area at the scheme. The new sand pit, baby swing, climbing frame, slide, and toy box, have arrived just in time for summer and have proved very popular with the children at Lorna Lodge. In addition to the new play equipment, new cushioned flooring has also been laid as well as plenty of seating so
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Resident Fund applications approved
Keri Berry, senior project officer at Lorna Lodge, said: “The children’s play area is at the heart of Lorna Lodge – it’s a place for the mums to socialise and for the children to keep fit and form relationships with one another as they play.”
Shared Spaces Fund applications received
Total funds given out
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Shared Spaces Fund applications approved
£118k Total funds given out
We’ve got £125,000 to award for projects that help:
• To support employment • To build sustainable neighbourhoods • To promote health and wellbeing
• To increase safety and security of shared spaces • To improve the appearance and usability of shared spaces
You can apply via any of the following ways: Collecting it from your local housing office Calling 0161 925 7928 Emailing maria.morris@greatplaces.org.uk Visiting www.greatplaces.org.uk and searching for ‘Great Places Residents’ Fund’
Lorna Lodge resident Beth Gough, who has a 9-month-old girl called Lottie-J, said: “It’s a great place to socialise with the other mums. We come down and use it every day. Lottie loves the slide and she’s just about able to stand now with the support of the baby walker.”
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We’ve got £25,000 to award for projects that help:
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The new play area has been designed to be transportable so that it can be moved into the indoor crèche during the winter months.
Great Places Shared Spaces Fund update!
Great Places Residents’ Fund update!
Resident Fund applications assessed by the panel
that the mums can kick back and keep an eye on their children whilst they play.
To apply, contact the Great Places customer access team on 0300 123 1966 or email cat@greatplaces.org.uk.
For further information go to www.greatplaces.org.uk and search for ‘Shared Spaces Fund’
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Matt’s message Spending money on maintaining your homes is one of our key priorities and it’s great to see the smiling faces on p12-13. This financial year we plan to spend around £17m on improving our homes so that will mean new bathrooms, kitchens and windows for some of you. How we decide who gets what is explained in more detail in the article. Day-to-day repairs are important so I am pleased satisfaction levels with our repairs service have increased to 89 per cent. We’ve restructured the repairs and asset management team and we’re moving in the right direction but we’re not complacent and continually look for ways to improve the service we offer you. We’re also keen to help improve the communities we work in and that’s why we’ve set up the Shared Spaces Fund and the Residents’ Fund. If you want to establish a sports club or gain a qualification to benefit your career, please see pages 4-5 for more information.
Excellence in Equality and Diversity Awards Great Places is thrilled to have been shortlisted at the first ever Excellence in Diversity Awards – coming second place in the Diverse Company of the Year category. From its commitment to provide equal employment opportunities in order to create a diverse workplace here at Great Places to the many employment and training initiatives it provides to tenants – Great Places is passionate about empowering people in order to create great communities.
Elsewhere we are still waiting to see how the recent general election will affect us. More welfare reform is planned and this will no doubt influence benefits. Whatever policies are decided over the next few months, we will be doing all we can to help you. There is also the possibility of ‘right to buy’ for housing associations residents. We don’t know any details at this stage, for example which properties might qualify and what the rules will be, but as soon as we know more we’ll update you. Finally, we are all ready to (hopefully) enjoy the summer weather and no doubt a few barbeques will be getting dusted down. One thing I would ask for everyone is to keep safe when using them. We’ve launched a fire safety campaign across Great Places after several serious incidents which have happened to residents and we want everyone to stay safe during the sunny weather.
ONE GREAT NEIGHBOURHOOD Our One Great Neighbourhood team have visited over 1,000 residents in Seedley, Langworthy, Coppice, Northmoor, Knutsford, Claremont and Wybourn over the last couple of months to find out how we can make these neighbourhoods even greater. All of the feedback received from residents will be looked at and the key issues that are important to residents will be included in a series of action plans. You will soon be able to view these action plans on the Great Places website and Facebook page.
#OneGreatNeighbourhood
Career opportunities Great Places is committed to not just creating great homes, but also supporting great communities and great people too.
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As part of this, we keep our fingers on the pulse of apprenticeship and career opportunities relevant for our residents. Check out the ‘Great Places Housing Group’ Facebook page for the latest career opportunities.
Protecting our communities
The community safety team work across Great Places neighbourhoods to tackle unacceptable behaviour. We work alongside our neighbourhood staff and other agencies to put you first. What do we do? We investigate incidents of: • Anti-social behaviour • Domestic abuse • Hate Crime • Crime and nuisance • Neighbour issues Safety first! It’s all about early intervention and prevention. We want to resolve issues and work with you. We know it’s important to you that appropriate action is taken against those responsible. We work closely with the police and other agencies to reduce crime and nuisance in your neighbourhoods. How to get help We want you to feel comfortable about approaching us. We’re a friendly team and we’re here to help. We will listen without judging you, and offer advice. Our staff are fully trained and you will be treated with complete discretion. If you need the help of an interpreter we will arrange this for you. If we visit you, we will always show an identity card and will respect your home, privacy, customs and culture. We will always show an identity card and will respect your home, privacy, customs and culture.
Contact information 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 www.greatplaces.org.uk. Look out for our eye-catching leaflets and video on Youtube.
Your news A stitch in time Linda Marshall, former Meadow Lodge resident, has been stitching up a success after receiving funding from the Great Places Charity Fund to purchase a sewing machine. Linda suffers from several illnesses which normally limits her carrying out regular day-to-day activities but she’s found a real talent in clothes making.
Meadow Lodge mentors pass with flying colours Great Places has teamed up with Youth Elements to provide mentor training to residents at Meadow Lodge, Trafford. The training programme aims to empower residents so that they can provide support to one another through difficult situations and challenges. This is in addition to, and compliments, the mentoring support services that Great Places staff provide. All seven residents who took part in the training programme have successfully received their certification and a celebration event was held on 23 June.
Linda said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved in sourcing the funding for the machine – it has really made a difference to my life and I’m hoping to now set up my own online business.”
Sizzling success at Docherty With financial support from the Great Places Charity Fund the Docherty Project in Manchester has been holding regular cooking groups. Docherty Project resident Louis Kirkwood said: “I’ve always liked cooking and completed my NVQ Level 2 a few years ago. I really enjoyed making cheesecake, although it was so popular with everybody else that I never got to taste it! The cooking group also gives me an incentive not to drink, as I would not want to miss it.”
Home is where the art is Residents at the Next Step Project, which is based in Withington and provides support and accommodation for men with mental health needs, completed an eightweek art course, including painting and ceramics, in collaboration with Home Is Where The Art Is. The paintings and ceramics were exhibited at St. Luke’s Art Project in Longsight and one of the residents, Sanjay Chavda, was successful in selling his painting.
Free veggie seeds! Great Places have some free seeds to give away. Please call our Customer Access Team on 0300 123 1966 and let them know if you would like runner beans, spinach or peas.
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Photographed: Docherty residents Angela Elliott and Louis Kirkwood.
Olivia Lodge on its way to five a day Olivia Lodge, a scheme for young mums in Manchester, has erected a new greenhouse after receiving funding from Growing Manchester. Olivia Lodge residents and staff plan to use the greenhouse to grow tomatoes, strawberries, kale, beans and cabbages.
A place to call home
Sue Cook shares her inspirational journey from an alcohol-driven life on the streets to finding her feet at Docherty House. My life before I moved into Docherty was quite unsettled. I was drinking too much, I was homeless and I was living very chaotically. It was a godsend getting my place at Docherty when I did. I heard about Docherty through a friend who once lived at the project. The staff at ‘Women Matter’ at the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester supported me to fill out an application for the Docherty project and I was offered a place about seven weeks later. When I first came to Docherty I only had the clothes on my back and a pair of my daughter’s pyjamas. I had a shower, put my pyjamas on and washed the clothes that I had come in. I felt brilliant; I finally had a place I could call home. I settled in quickly and started to get back on track with help
from my keyworkers. Over time I started to drink much less and set myself a goal to only drink twice a week. With help from the staff at Docherty I worked towards moving into a property in the community, which was still part of the Docherty scheme. I was absolutely over-themoon when I was offered a house. I feel like I’m back on track and doing more things than I was ever able to do when I was drinking heavily. I have a beautiful home, a cat and, most importantly, I feel safe and secure. There’s still some way to go but I’m taking each day as it comes. Springboard
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Getting online with Len! The real cost of broadband We see adverts all the time telling us we can get broadband for a few pounds a month but is this really true? Most internet providers don’t include the monthly line rental when they advertise their low cost deals, which normally adds on about £16 per month. This means the real cost of getting broadband usually works out at over £20 per month. Our digital trainer, Len, has found two low cost packages that can really cut down the cost of getting online.
BT Basics + Broadband This seems like a fantastic deal but not everyone can get it. It’s only available to people on low incomes and in receipt of either: Income Support, JSA, ESA, Pensions Credit or Universal Credit with zero earnings. There are also limits on the amount of data you get, which means if you want to use the internet to watch TV or videos this £9.95 per may not be the best deal for you. month including line Call BT Basics on 0800 800 864 to rental request an application form.
Are there other cheap deals out there? Yes, there are lots of low cost broadband packages to be found by looking on the internet but these are two of the simplest and the cheapest. Are there any hidden costs? If you don’t already have a phone line, most companies will charge you for installing one and connecting you. Don’t forget to ask them how much this will be! You’re already paying line rental but don’t have the internet? Then you really should be able to get online for just a few extra pounds per month by talking to your service provider. You can still consider switching to another provider to get a better deal but make sure you ask about any installation costs.
SSE Everyday Broadband + Talk Weekend Anyone is entitled to get this deal but you will need to sign up to an 18-month contract and after two years the price will increase. This gives you unlimited internet and also uses BT lines so your connection should be just as good. Call SSE on 0800 197 1928 to find out more. Offer is scheduled to end September 2015.
£12 per month including line rental
What about mobile internet? If you don’t use the internet a lot then this might be a good option but first you need to make sure that you can get a signal where you live. If you don’t want to enter into a contract you can also ‘pay as you go’. For average users though, this may work out to be more expensive in the long term. If you need any more advice about getting connected, buying a computer or tablet, or taking your first steps to using the internet or a computer, then just call 0300 123 1966 and ask for help to get online.
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Home improvements
The new shutter windows bring a breath of fresh air to Rodney Street.
Great Places plans to invest over ÂŁ17 million during the next year in order to improve the comfort, energy efficiency and safety of our homes. This is in addition to the everyday smaller repair jobs which Great Places takes care of as and when a resident reports a matter to our in-house repairs team.
Springboard visited some of the schemes that have recently benefited from a touch of home improvement magic.
RODNEY STREET, LIVERPOOL New double-glazed windows and external paintwork has given Rodney Street a much-needed facelift and improved the security and energy efficiency of the building as well as helping to block out traffic noise. Rodney Street, which provides supported housing for young vulnerable women aged 16–25 years, is a Grade II listed building and so Great Places hired a specialist joinery firm to refurbish the sliding sash windows to ensure that the building’s original character was retained. Rodney Street resident, Gemma Hammond, said: “The new windows are so much better. They keep the place draught free when it’s cold outside and, unlike the old windows, they stay open properly so they keep the building cool when it’s hot outside.” Donna Duxbury, support coordinator at Rodney Street, said: “The new windows have made so much difference to the living quality of the building, whilst still retaining its charming character.”
Rodney Street residents Charlie Evans and Rachael Holland give a big thumbs up to the new improvement work.
KERWOOD DRIVE, OLDHAM Residents at Kerwood Drive in Oldham (a supported scheme for those with learning difficulties) are enjoying a new communal bathroom/wet room – complete with a new bath, tiling, flooring and paint work. Ami Dodd, supported housing officer at Kerwood Drive, said: “The new bathroom means that all residents can be easily bathed and it is much more wheelchair friendly.”
3 MOOR LANE, NORTHERN MOOR, MANCHESTER The new tarmac driveway at 3 Moor Lane, a supported scheme for residents with learning difficulties, has made access to the building much more functional for those residents with limited mobility and who use wheelchairs.
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For more information on the in:team please contact: cat@greatplaces.org.uk or call 0300 123 1966
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 Service Voice (CSV) is the main resident advisory group which
provides feedback to Great Places directors regarding Great Places performance, policies and reviewing improvements to the services we offer you as a resident. During the first two meetings of 2015 the CSV have discussed over 30 matters relating to Great Places services and policies, including:
Great Placesr Custome Services Voice
• Agree how we respond to customers who use social media • Monitor Great Places’ progress against the Insight Complaints Service Action Plan • The effect of welfare reform on customers and what Great Places are doing to support residents affected • How Great Places perform in different service areas including how quickly we let our empty homes, how satisfied customers are with services received, how we manage complaints and how we collect rent • The successful Shared Spaces and Residents’ Fund applications, funding during 2014/15, and proposals to improve these funds further. • The ongoing improvements to the repairs service Would you like to come and see the CSV in action? The CSV meet six times a year. If you want to find out more about what the CSV do or would like to come and see them in action, call Pauline on 0161 925 7938 or email pauline.heron@greatplaces.org.uk
Community Safety Review ‘insight’, the customer scrutiny group, has been extremely busy during the last few months testing the community safety service.
The group has looked at community safety service policies and procedures to understand what the service offers customers and how it helps customers who may be experiencing issues relating to community safety such as anti-social behavior. insight has: • Looked at satisfaction feedback and complaints received from customers • Interviewed staff and customers • Reviewed other landlords’ community safety services to see how Great Places compares. We would like to thank customers who have helped by providing valuable feedback of their experiences during this review. insight is now preparing a report to set out the key findings of the review and suggest recommendations, which will be presented to Great Places Board in July 2015.
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Our Financial Inclusion team work hard to help residents save money. Last year, they helped put £1m back into your pockets!
matters
How to avoid unwanted sales calls There is a way you can reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive by registering with the Telephone Preference Service (also known as TPS). It’s completely free to register your phone number with TPS, so you don’t need to pay your telephone service provider to do this. Once you have registered your number with the TPS, it is a legal requirement that all organisations (including, voluntary organisations and political parties) do not make sales-related calls to your number unless they have your consent to do so.
How to register with TPS
What about unwanted texts?
Go to www.tpsonline.org.uk. Alternatively, you can register by writing to Telephone Preference Service, DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8SS.
If you’re with EE, O2 or Vodafone then just forward unwanted texts to 7726. This will help the mobile companies to stop you from receiving these texts.
Ways to pay your rent
Here are seven easy ways in which you can pay your rent Direct debit: call the Customer Access Team on 0300 123 1966 (option 2) for more details.
Online: log on to www.allpay. net and click on ‘make an online payment’
Over the phone: use your debit or credit card to pay; call the Customer Access Team on 0300 123 1966 (option 2)
24 hours a day: call 0844 557 8321 to access Allpay’s 24-hour automated telephone service. You will need your rent card topay this way – please call us if you haven’t got one
Over the counter: Pay with an Allpay rent card at any Post Office or Paypoint outlet
Allpay app: this is available on all smart phones
Text message: use your payment card and debit card to register at www.allpaynet
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Competition time Complete the word search, spot the difference and survey questions, cut them out and post them to us, along with your full name and address, to be entered into a prize draw to win a £20 shopping voucher. Six winners will be selected. Make sure you include your survey questions with your entry.
Word Search!
Send your entries by post to: FREEPOST, RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Springboard, Name: Maria Morris, Date: Great Places Housing Group, 4th Floor St James’ House, Pendleton Way, Salford M6 5FW. Find and circle each of the words from the list below. Words may appear
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All entries must be in by Friday 21 August 2015. Remember, you must also complete the survey questions at the bottom of this page to be entered into the prize draw.
Wordsearch
C G E D U S U M M E R H O O
O A O P A O A P M U Y R A W U R G T W K A S E G N A O B
Words to find are: SUMMER FLOWERS SUNSHINE GARDEN ICECREAM
BEACH PICNIC STRAWBERRIES SHORTS HOLIDAYS
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Congratulations to last issue’s winners: Wordsearch: Sandra Mills – Manchester, Erica Bickley – Northern Moor, Louise Anderson – Northern Moor Spot the difference: Jill Eard – Morecambe, Charlene Thorpe – Dukinfield, Melissa Creelman – Nelson
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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE There are five differences – can you spot them? Circle the five differences on photo two.
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flowers strawberries holidays summer sunshine sandcastle suitcase icecream beach picnic garden shorts
Copyright ©2015 WorksheetWorks.com
Please circle one answer for each of the below questions and send it along with your competition entry in order to be entered into the prize draw. Do you know how to make a compliment or a complaint to Great Places?
Yes / No
How would you make a compliment or a complaint to Great Places if you needed to? post / phone / email / text message / in person / any of these Name:................................................................................................................................................................................... Address:............................................................................................................................................................................... 16 www.greatplaces.org.uk Telephone/Mobile: ...............................................................Email:....................................................................................