Key News Summer 2015

key news Summer 2015

Win with us

ongo Carnival 3 page feature “the best yet�

ongo Carnival a fun-filled day for all

gallery

see if you can spot yourself

budget

supporting you in a time of change

s competition & more

in this issue

a message from Andy Orrey, The big news at the moment is around the Government’s Budget announcements of 7 July and the implications to us as a landlord and you as tenants.

award board

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NEW! join the conversation

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in the headlines...

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ongo Carnival

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jobs & training

12

resident involvement

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volunteering in your community

14

inspiring stories

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building homes & improving others

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you said, we did

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a word with...

19 events 20

housing news

21 homeownership 22

win with us

Starting soon...

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Get in touch Call

Contact Centre 01724 279900 Freephone 0800 0326363 Please note that we record all calls for training and research purposes.

Online

visit us at www.ongo.co.uk

(remember to sign up for your do it online account where you can manage your tenancy online)

Facebook www.facebook.com/nlhomes Twitter @ongoUK or @ongoBear

Pop in

Customer Centre 15-19 Cole Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 6QY

We are open

The chancellor announced that all social rents would reduce by 1% a year for the next four years, beginning next April.

Obviously, most tenants will be pleased to pay less, but this means £5million less income for us by 2020.

As a not-for-profit charity, £5million less income every year means we have £5million less to spend on maintaining your homes, providing the services we know you value, building new homes and carrying out improvement work, like fitting new kitchens and bathrooms.

Our challenge now is to look at all our costs and services in this new world, and redesign what we can offer. The future may well hold further challenges and we promise to look at this redesign with you, not do it to you. The timing is unusually perfect as we were in the middle of talking to Community Voice and ordinary members about services anyway. If you care about your home and community, now is the best time to get involved and influence the future.

Email residentinvolvementdept@ongo.co.uk to find out how you can get involved.

Andy a message from Harry Mortimer of Community Voice:

This is another great edition of our Key News, with some really important information about our homes from the Housing Team and from Sgt. James Main. Don’t miss the housing improvements & Harry new builds (page 16) and an update on some consultation events which have taken place recently.

Mortimer

Don’t forget, Key News reflects the articles that we, as tenants, want to see. Likewise the North Lincolnshire Homes’ Tenant Panels help us to get our voices heard. A recent vote saw tenants having greater influence over major decisions and panels such as Community Voice help with this, so get involved! ®

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Monday 9.00-5.00 Thursday 10.00-5.00 Tuesday 9.00-5.00 Friday 9.00-4.30 Wednesday 9.00-5.00 Saturday 9.00-12.00

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award board

of the Year cial Landlord Social Landlord So Homes was named North Lincolnshire at the prestigious Medium category e th in ar Ye e th of after impressing e awards recently, nc lle ce Ex g in us Ho ices. r diversity of serv the judges with ou

r K’s Rising Staon U e th ss a W e li Ju re at go, was Service Senior he er Julie Wass, Custom g’s (CIH) Rising Institute of Housin d re te ar Ch d ne crow mony in June.

Heroes award cere g in us Ho e th at Star housing ed with two other champion She was shortlist to be crowned the ng pi ho l al ls na professio mony. at the award cere

Social Landlord of the year

ccreditation creditation Leasehold Rea k) Ac g Quality Networ

The HQN (Housin rvices was and Leasehold Se p hi rs ne Ow e m for Ho p team after we r Home Ownershi ou to d de ar aw n agai nst a range of ery outcomes agai liv de e ic rv se ed pass dards, covering –wide quality stan ry st du in g in ng le chal d communities, eas: Customers an ar six g in w llo fo the ting, Income ulation and accoun lc ca ge ar ch e ic Serv agement and covery, Asset man re d an t en em ag man ownership agement of home an M , on iti nd co k stoc r money. services & Value fo

Julie W

ass

BME inspection A recent perform ance inspection of the North Lincolns Black, Minority Et hire Homes hnic (BME) Team resulted in a scor eight areas which e of 100% in all were inspected.

Home Ownership

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Team

Our BME Team pr ovides housing re lated support to m BME community embers of the in North Lincolns hi re through a three with North Lincol year contract nshire Council. Su pport is available the BME commun to all within ity whether they ar e North Lincolnshi tenants or private re Homes residents.

join the conversation

We love to hear from you – get in touch with your stories As part of #RuralHousingWeek, we asked what your favourite places were around North Lincolnshire...

Editor Emily Meridian House, Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, DN15 8QZ

@ongouk

facebook.com/nlhomes Water s Edg Barto e Country n P Vic Fe -Upon-Hum ark, rnand ber ez Ba rtlett

pinterest.com/nlhomes

arket ers M month) m r a F Brigg y of every turda ws (4th Sa ally Matthe S

In response to #RuralHousingWeek, I think the best thing about living in North Lincolnshire is the fact that a growing number of people don’t just want to live in a ‘place’, they want to live in a ‘community’.

- David Lane

Julians Bow Alkboro er, ugh Tim Mills

Star post

great improvements

I’d just like to say that following some renovation works , I’m so happy with my lovely kitchen & my driveway is now underway; the house is full of noise but I don’t care – it’s all coming together! Thank you very much.

- Clare Laura Robinson

What’s trending on ongo social channels #ongoCarnival farm animals

crosby employment

Emma Peachey

healthy living

We’re all trying to stay healthy but finding healthy meals that the whole family can enjoy is a bit of a rarity. Then I came across a recipe for healthy chips, yes, really!

You just get your potatoes, peel them, slice them into chips and boil them for around four minutes in a pan of salted water.

Rough up the edges in a dry pan and pop them on a baking tray to bake for 30 minutes at 240/220 degrees on some low-cal cooking spray. Delicious.

- Sharon Flint

universal credit

After reading about your Universal Credit feature in the Spring edition of Key News, I have decided to take advantage of your free beginner’s internet taster sessions to help me to get prepared (and to keep in touch with my family). I was delighted to see that there’s a session in my area and I can’t wait to start next week!

- Julian Gowan

Find your nearest session by visiting www.ongo.co.uk or call us on 01724 279900

thank you

Myself and a neighbour used to cut the outside grass in our development in Crowle to keep it looking tidy, but since my neighbour died and due to my ill-health there’s been nobody to help.

Keith Smith, a new neighbour, has been helping and has achieved some excellent results, so thanks Keith!

- Alan Hawkins

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Providing the training you need

Crosby Employment offer lots of training opportunities at their Training Centre (opposite the main building on Laneham Street).

Upcoming courses Course Dates Health & Safety 23 & 30 September Food Safety 7 & 14 October Basic Home Skills 4 & 11 November COSHH 18 November Risk Assessment 25 November Manual Handling 2 December Art Therapy 3, 10, 17 & 24 November Computer Confidence 1, 8, 15 & 22 December

a call m a e t e Give th 844848 on 01472 er to regist rest your inte

IN THE HEADLINES ongo Locksmiths help to save lives Ongo Locksmiths have been spending time with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service to train them on how to gain access quickly to homes, and without damaging doors.

This initiative is the first of its kind in the UK and could save lives by allowing fire fighters to do their job much more efficiently. It currently takes around 20 minutes to access a home through traditional methods, but could now take replacing a door can be just two minutes, which could as much as £800! be the difference between life and death.

Jason Frary, Watch Manager at Humberside Fire and Because the fire fighters are Rescue Service commented: being taught how to enter a “This training could property without damaging potentially change the way doors, significant savings will in which the Fire Service be made, since the cost of currently gain entry to

pictured above: ongo Locksmiths training Humberside fire fighters properties, and if successful, will be rolled out across the whole of the Humberside area, with the potential to go even further afield.”

Magic moments for ongo electrician Ongo electrician, Mark Batunas has been helping the Magic Moments charity in Scunthorpe recently, in his own time, to complete their move to 1 Market Hill.

The charity supports children in the area on the Autistic Spectrum, raising money to help make their dreams come true, as well as supporting their families.

Mark has long supported the charity, and has been helping to complete the new move of the charity’s shop and installation of a new coffee shop, which is now open.

The charity was so impressed with Mark’s efforts, that they have named an area after his children, Cameron & Connor.

Mark commented: “I’ve been involved in supporting the charity for a long time and I didn’t think twice about helping them with their new move, but I was so honoured when they told me they were

going to name a room after my kids.”

The charity are currently looking for clothing donations, contact 01724 848683.

news in brief Cole Street gets a makeover The ongo Customer Service Centre on Cole Street, Scunthorpe has seen a bit of a makeover in the last month. The windows now show the Centre’s opening times and the colours help to reflect the brightly coloured furniture inside. There are some further additions to the window on their way so passersby are asked to keep their eyes peeled!

Sunset Stride success Almost 400 people set off for the Lindsey Lodge Hospice Sunset Stride recently to complete the 8-mile walk around Scunthorpe.

Over 20 ongo staff took part in the walk, which took place from 8pm. ongo Bear looked in his best shape yet, after completing the full 8-miles.

Different vans, same great service ongo’s vans have received a bit of a makeover recently, but tenants can rest assured that they will receive the same great service from the maintenance team. The vans now include some of our awards, such as CHAS (the Contractors Health & Safety Assessment Scheme). ‘and they would cycle 100 miles’ Six ongo staff completed the 100 mile charity ‘Castle 2 Coast 2 Castle’ bike ride recently.

The route started at Lincoln Castle, the halfway point was Chapel St Leonards and the ride finished back at the castle.

Money was raised for three charities; Sophie’s Story, St Barnabas Hospice and Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. Team ongo raised over £600 for the various charities which is a great achievement.

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ongo Carnival

Over 700 of you attended this year’s ongo Carnival at Manor Park!

There were some great activities and demonstrations to get involved with, as well as loads of information from ongo stalls and our partner stalls. A balloon launch and party dancing rounded off the day nicely.

Here’s what you had to say...

The ongo Carnival is fantastic;

we can’t believe it’s all for free.

We thought we’d pop down and spend an hour but we’ve been here all day!

- Joanne Altoft

Joanne

Altoft

The Carnival is wonderful for families, we’ve

really enjoyed it, and the little one enjoyed banging the drums!

- Linda Moore

re

oo Linda M

Donna Bea ones ha rdmores little d a grea t day!

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Isla Isla was involved in one of the demonstrations, and did a great job. Well done Isla!

We’ve enjoyed everything, we came last year but there

seems to be more for the kids to do this year.

- Levi Finch

What an amazing day we had the ongo Carnival. It was

so much bigger than last year and with some really interesting and informative stalls. I only prepared to be there for an hour but left just after the balloon launch at 2.30pm.

- Clare Laura Robinson

Thank you from the Resident Involvement Team, and chief organiser, Wendy Wolfe:

The ongo Carnival is all about you, and it’s one of

the many ways we want to give back to our local community. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in organising the event and to everyone who took part.

We try and make all of the activities interesting and the event bigger and better year after year, but we need your feedback to help us to shape the next! Please fill in our survey at www.ongo.co.uk/carnival and be in with a chance of winning a shopping voucher*.

*Terms and conditions can be found at www.ongo.co.uk/competitions

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pot Can you s yourself ? d,

e is circle If your fac h with us to get in touc hance of ac be in with ÂŁ30 in n win g a voucher! shopping

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jobs & training

Crosby Employment – we can help!

Here’s a list of current vacancies: • Personal Assistants in Health & Social Care • Experienced Administrators • Crèche Supervisors (level 3)

We’ve recently achieved the Matrix accreditation!

• Crèche Workers (level 2) • Teaching Assistants

Shaun

Call us today if you think you’re the right person for any of these jobs on 01724 844848

Shaun Mannion - How volunteering turned my life around Shaun is a Customer Service Advisor at our Customer Centre.

He has been working there since June 2015.

Shaun was out of work since 2007 and struggled to get back into a job. This is when he approached Crosby Employment.

Shaun was is a bad motorcycle accident and struggled to find work due to health & safety rules or Insurance purposes. He really wanted to get a job where he could help people.

After an initial discussion between Shaun and Emma from the Employment Support Team, arrangements were made for him to take on an eight week voluntary placement with the Tenancy Support Team at ongo. Shaun loved it, and really learnt a lot. So much so, that when the eight weeks were up, he asked if he could do another voluntary placement. This time it was with the Customer Services Team – an area Shaun was really interested in.

Through volunteering, Shaun gained lots of really useful skills and experience so that when a job vacancy came up within the Customer Service Team, he decided to go for it. He was successful and secured a full time, permanent job.

What I would say to anyone thinking of volunteering is

that they should definitely do it, and the only thing I regret is not doing it years ago!

This is an example of how beneficial volunteering can be. Not only do you build on your skills and experience, but you’ll also be showing potential future employers your dedication and commitment.

So if you’re looking to get some new skills and work experience, get in touch with the Employment Support team today call 01724 944848 or email employmentsupport@crosbyemployment.co.uk

Wardrobe Project The Employment Support Team has been busy setting up a new service to support people trying to get back into work.

As well as offering support, training, advice and guidance about employment; the team now offer interview clothes for clients to borrow.

This is the Wardrobe Project and it is based at Enderby Road in Scunthorpe (above the Choose to Reuse shop).

Hayley Cullen, Operations Manager, explains why the team set up this new service: Feeling comfortable and confident in an interview is really important, so having the

right clothes on is key – so you feel the part. Not everyone can afford to buy a new outfit just for an interview, which is why we have set up this service. We can lend out clothes to people for an interview and they can return them once they have finished with them.

Do you have an interview coming up but don’t have anything suitable to wear?

Call Hayley today to see how we can help you on: 01724 844848.

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news from your Resident Involvement Team Neighbourhood Pride We’ve been busy working with local communities to deliver Neighbourhood Pride to the area!

The events took place from 30 March – 25 June across different locations across the county; Market Hill, Westcliff, Lodge Moor, Pryme Road, Chatterton Crescent in Scunthorpe, Caistor Road, Barton, Hibaldstow, HallCroft Close, Haxey, Fieldside, Epworth, Winterton, & Springbank, Brigg.

Jointly organised by us; the Resident Involvement Team, plus our Caretaking Team, Housing Officers & Tenancy Support Team, the aim was to bring our local communities together to advise on our services and provide fun activities for all the family. March and April’s events even featured an Easter Egg hunt!

A group of our caretakers ran stalls at the events, where they gave advice and ran the activities. Topics included graffiti and fly-tipping, where information was given out about the bulky item collection service, recycling, and the environment.

Children also had a go at ‘growing your own’ with a sunflower or pansy as a way of promoting National Gardening Week.

I had a lovely time, the kids really enjoyed it,

and the tenants and residents are happy with the work done.

- Sarah Christmas

A fun-filled action packed afternoon of activities awaited residents as they took part in arranging garden areas, enjoying coffee & cake & playing along with bingo, bowls and quizzes.

Resident Associations update: Market Hill residents can enjoy free Wi-Fi thanks to a BT/Barclays initiative to deliver free Wi-Fi to a selected few developments across the UK.

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volunteering in your community How we are going the extra mile for you.

What do ongo staff mean to you? Are they the people who simply work for your landlord? Or are they the people that help to support you during your tenancy with us?

We asked: Why do you think it’s a good thing that we encourage volunteering here?

Hopefully it means the latter. You might have met some of our staff already, be it your Housing Officer, Support Officer, your Caretaker, or a member of our Income Collection Team.

Whether you’ve spoken to them in person, on the phone, or through our social media channels, you might not have been thinking about what type of person they are, what their hobbies & interests are, or what makes them tick.

I think our volunteering scheme is great; it’s

important to our organisation and the benefits are proven each time a volunteer gets into employment.

Unfortunately, we can’t employ every successful volunteer here, but it’s satisfying knowing that we can provide them with the skills and knowledge to make them more employable than when they started.

As part of National Volunteers Week, we showcase just a couple of ongo heroes who opt to volunteer some of their time in the local community, or may help to take on volunteers across their departments.

Have there been any success stories from people volunteering in your team?

Meet Gary Lewis. Gary is the Caretaking Manager here at ongo and liaises with our partner company, CrosbyEmployment, to take on volunteers to work with our caretakers and cleaners. His aim is to ensure the volunteers take away the relevant skills to further their job opportunities.

The volunteering scheme has enabled the company to

look at individuals and how they perform while undertaking work out on our estates. One of our volunteers, Pete Carr, found that his volunteering helped him to stabilise his life, and he found a role that he loved doing. He couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning and his passion for the role showed 100%. Pete was the obvious choice to cover a temporary caretaking role, but then gained full-time employment with us when the position came up.

Paul Grimley, our Senior Housing Officer took part in some volunteering to deliver a ‘Young Enterprise’ programme to pupils at Westcliffe Primary School recently. Here’s what he had to say.

We turned up to school at 8.30am and before we

knew it, the door was opened and we were stood in front of 30 six year olds who had no idea what they would be doing that day.

In summary, we had two great days with the pupils and teachers at an absolutely fantastic school. Every single person we came across was polite, friendly and keen to learn.

I found myself so impressed at the environment the children learn in, and their willingness to learn and accept something “new”. I am proud of what we all did in delivering this project – you have to challenge yourself, that’s what life is about.

Look ou t your ne for Pete in ighbour hood!

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inspiring stories...

Tim Mills & the bo swap sho ok p

Never underestimate what the power of a good book or a good song can do for you. We speak to two people whose lives have changed through reading and music.

The book Tim Mills shares his favourite book, and tells us about his new book swap initiative...

The book swap opened at the same time as we opened the community hub at Queensway Flats on 29th July. It’s a part of the hub so it was important to open it at the same time.

The inspiration behind the area came from having an older community base that we feel is more into reading with good old fashioned paper than on a tablet. We also thought that it would be a good way to get those residents into the hub and interact with us, helping to combat possible feelings of isolation.

Having said that, any person who lives in the Queensway flats can use the area. The basic idea is very simple; you can take a book the first time, but in order to take another you have to bring the first back.

Alternatively, you can swap as many as you wish. One person brought three with her and swapped three, which is still fine with us!

Although the area has only been open a couple of weeks, the community group has been operational for nearly a year, and in that time we’ve seen a great cohesion within the flats. People are now stopping to say hello and chat with each other, helping each other when needed and being mutually supportive. That’s a massive impact for us and a great result.

As for my favourite book, I bet you have never heard of this one. It’s called “Have Space Suit – Will Travel” By Robert A Heinlein. It was written in 1958 and is the story of a young man who wins a second hand space suit. After wearing it one night he is picked up by aliens and goes roaming the universe saving the human race.

As a child reading it, it had a massive impact on me, both from an escapist point of view and from certain moral values it imbued in me.

What do books mean to me? Books inspire the imagination. A good book will paint a picture in your head and send you on journeys that can really blow your mind.

A world without books is a world without imagination.

One small step for Queensway… One giant leap for reading!

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The music Dave Lloyd, your Estate Caretaker shares his story: I started collecting records in the early 1970’s, and my collection now takes over the spare room in my house. I’d say I have over 10,000 records! For me, there’s nothing better than the smell of pulling a record out of its sleeve and reading the sleeve notes.

I’ve always had a big passion for music, especially punk, and I think the influence came from my dad. Punk was what I grew up with at school too and I just love the raw energy of it all.

My favourite record is by The Damned – Smash It Up. I’ve even got the Spanish version of this record, I love it so much.

I’ve been to lots of their gigs too, and collect memorabilia, such as badges, gig posters and set lists.

A world without music to me would be boring. At weekends, you’ll usually find me milling about car boot sales collecting my records, or sometimes I’ll buy them direct from the group.

story to share?

Call 01724 279900 or email PRDept@ongo.co.uk

Upcoming events 12 September – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Baths Hall, Scunthorpe 25 September – The Counterfeit Sixties, The Plowright Theatre, Scunthorpe 25 September – Gary Barlow Tribute, The Wortley House Hotel, Scunthorpe 5 October – Hayseed Dixie, The Baths Hall, Scunthorpe 30 October – Sing-a-long-a Frozen, The Baths Hall, Scunthorpe Contact the venues for more information.

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building homes & improving others

We’ve opened some new developments recently, with some firm plans being made for others.

Karen Court

On a warm sunny day in June, we officially opened our new flagship scheme at Karen Court, Scunthorpe. The eight flats were built in partnership with North Lincolnshire Council and provide high quality accommodation for people with a learning disability.

Helen Wright, Tenancy Support Manager said:

It is fantastic that we can officially open Karen Court and celebrate this brilliant development.

These homes have been designed and built to offer people independence and the ability to live in and run their own home, which may not have been open to them previously.

All the apartments have plenty of space to allow for relatives and carers to stay should additional care be required.

The scheme is named after Karen Bostock; a member of the ongo Tenancy Support Team who sadly lost her battle with cancer in February 2014. The official opening was carried out by Karen’s two children Alex and Danielle whilst her family looked on.

G ra n d

o p e n in

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Marsden Drive

Phase one of the properties on Marsden Drive, Scunthorpe, is complete; that’s six properties with car parking and a private garden. The properties are available for affordable rent on Home Choice Lincs (www.homechoicelincs.org.uk).

Ashby new homes

Six new homes are being built in Ashby to include three one-bed apartments and three two-bed houses. They’re due to be completed in March 2016.

Riddings/Wragby Road

Eight new-build homes are now complete. All homes have now been allocated.

Ancholme Gardens

Our Ancholme Gardens development is complete. All homes have now been allocated.

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f your o e m o s meet eam! t s g in t t le Consultation events

We don’t just build homes – we build truly vibrant communities. We held some consultation events recently to hear your thoughts on the planned developments at Westcliff and Ashtree Close.

Both events were well attended and lots of positive feedback was gained. Keep an eye out for the feedback in your next edition of Key News.

you said: we did

Key News surveys are being rolled out to you by our frontline staff, including Housing Officers and Tenancy Support Officers.

Here’s what we know so far.

Policy updates We’ve updated our Aids and Adaptations Policy in light of the Government’s Welfare Reform announcements.

We always want to support you as tenants to live as independently as possible for as long as possible and this will not change. However, at the same time, we need to make sure that any adaptations we approve remain feasible, appropriate and viable with regard to the future occupancy and use of our adapted homes.

98%

of those who answered the survey frequently read Key News.

Why do people like reading it?

You said, it’s great to find out about what’s going on around Scunthorpe We asked you to rate on a scale of 3 (with 0 being not very interested and 3 being very interested) the types of things you like to read.

The most popular answers were, how to live a healthy life, events, about your local neighbourhood, competitions, what tenants have been getting up to & how you are influencing the way we work.

Thanks to you Thanks to your suggestions, I’m able to provide articles and information that most interest you, and I’ve used the feedback so far to shape this edition of Key News.

We’ve consulted with you to review our Pet Policy. You still need to ask permission to have a pet and you’ll need to fill in a letter provided to you for us to say yes or no, but we’ll not withhold permission for a pet as long as it meets the conditions of the tenancy & policy. Sorry, there’s still to be no dogs or cats in flats or sheltered schemes unless they have access to the outside by a front door.

We consulted with tenants on both policies in a variety of ways. We put draft copies on the web site so that anyone could send us their comments. Our Plain Language Panel checked whether the documents were easy to understand and our Armchair Champions sent us their feedback via e-mail. Community Voice gave us their thoughts too. Changes were made following your feedback.

You can send your ideas to: Editor Emily Meridian House, Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, DN15 8QZ

il y E d it o r E m 17

a word with...

Chief Executive of ongo, Andy Orrey, talks about his biggest achievement, the next big thing for North Lincolnshire Homes, and escaping a zombie apocalypse.

You’ve been Chief Executive of North Lincolnshire Homes for a number of years now, what’s been your biggest achievement? Culture is often the hardest thing to change, and I think the way the Management Team have created our ‘ongo’ culture is amazing. People see us as an organisation that does stuff, and hopefully the ‘can-do’ positive culture will stay for ever.

Looking to the future, what’s next for the ongo partnership? We are in a difficult environment at the moment so it’s difficult to plan too much without knowing how the recent announcements in the budget are going to impact on us specifically. I would hope we can continue to build many more new homes though.

If you could have a super power for the day, what would it be? To be able to hit a golf ball straight would have to be up there!

As well as being a Chief Executive, you sit on various Boards to help make important decisions for other services. What fuels your passion?

I am on a few local Boards, but I see it all as being part of my job here really. I also get so much from those positions – they are all about making North Lincolnshire a better place and the contacts and networking help in so many ways with the day job.

What’s your favourite thing about working for ongo? That’s easy – it’s the staff. I’m constantly amazed by the ingenuity and ideas they come up with. Everybody contributes and seeing national awards coming our way is just the best feeling; brilliant people getting some recognition.

Being the Chief Executive, you’ve got to take into account lots of people’s views, but did you always want to be a Chief Executive? No, I was quite happy being North Lincolnshire Homes’ Finance Director, but it really is the best job in North Lincolnshire.

With such a busy lifestyle, you must look forward to unwinding. How do you like to unwind? I love playing golf and going out cycling. Anything outdoors is good, although as I get older I have noticed I really don’t like the rain!

Up close and personal What can’t you live without? Crisps Who would be your ideal dinner party guests? Billy Connelly, Ian Botham and my three lovely daughters What would you do in a zombie apocalypse?

If there was time, I would have a last holiday in Cornwall Are you a do-er or a thinker? I’ve tried to become more a thinker, but it hasn’t worked. A doer.

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Events Julie

meet Julie Donskoy, Wellbeing Activity Co-ordinator

Julie co-ordinates all of the wellbeing activities for our tenants.

Having spent 15 years as a Support Officer here at North Lincolnshire Homes, Julie spotted an opportunity she couldn’t refuse when the position of Activities Co-ordinator came up.

She commented: “I really enjoy my job, and even though the activities are just taking off, they are usually well attended.

“From ‘knitt and natter’ classes to art therapy and craft sessions, there are lots of activities to be involved with.”

“Our knit and natter attendees are currently making bonnets for a local charity, so it’s great to know that we can help the wider community too.”

The main purpose of Julie’s job is to help reduce social isolation, particularly amongst older people, and to encourage people to make use of our facilities.

Pop along to one of Julie’s sessions (below) and you might even be treated Did you know? to a homemade Anyone over the age of 60 can pop biscuit (or two!). along to a sheltered/retirement scheme event, so if you have a Armchair exercises friend or family member in the take place for free at community, ask them the following places: to go along too!

Wednesdays: Horsefair Paddock, 3pm to 4pm Tuesdays: Blackmoor Road, Haxey, 10am to 11am Mondays: Albion Grove, Epworth, 10am – 11am Fridays: Broadlands House, Bottesford, 3pm – 4pm Art and crafts sessions are held monthly at the following: Horsefair Paddock, Brigg, Day Close, Keadby, Blackmoor Road, Haxey, School Close, Epworth, Chatterton Crescent, Scunthorpe Knit and natter: Wednesdays: Horsefair Paddock, Brigg Thursdays: Blackmoor Road, Haxey Contact Julie on 01724 279900 for more details on dates and times, and for some other events that might interest you, including coffee mornings.

International Older Persons Day

Come along and join us for afternoon tea on 1 October 2015 to help us celebrate International Older Persons Day. This free event will be held at Lincoln Court and tenants over 70 can attend. Transport will be provided, but spaces are limited so please contact the Tenancy Support Team on 01724 279900.

Dine & Dance

The Dine and Dance event will take place again this year at Heslam Park Rugby Club on Monday 9 November.

Last year, there was a high demand for this free event so please reserve your place by contacting the Tenancy Support Team on 01724 279900.

Beginner’s internet taster sessions

Our internet taster sessions have really taken off and so many of you are attending a session near to you to talk to our Digital Champions about all things digital.

Mondays: Age UK, Scunthorpe 10am–12 Wednesdays: Market Hill, 10am–12 & Ashby Link, 1pm–3pm Thursdays: Brigg Community Wellbeing Hub, 10am–12 Albion Grove shared this picture with us of their tea party as part of their digital taster sessions, set to begin again soon.

Money advice sessions

A member of our specialist team will be on hand to advise on benefits, money, rent & budgeting at the following locations each week:

all sessions are free!

Tuesdays: Barton Local Link, 9am–12 & Winterton Local Link, 2pm-5pm Wednesdays: Ashby Local Link, 9am-12 Don’t forget to keep checking the ongo Events page for more at: www.ongo.co.uk/events

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news from your housing team Thinking of moving home?

Below are some of the options open to you - there are some things you need to know about each option so make sure you’re clued-up before starting the moving process.

Mutual Exchange

We work closely with Swap and Move (www.swapandmove.co.uk), to help you to find other tenants wishing to swap homes which is free if you are a North Lincolnshire Homes tenant – but if you were previously registered with homeswapper you will need to register with swap and move first.

Some things you need to be aware of when thinking about mutual exchange; · You must be an assured tenant · You must satisfy a pre-leaving inspection · You must have a clear rent account · You must have no tenancy breaches · The property must be the right size and needs for your household

Transfers

Want to move to another of our properties? · If you are in Band 4 (low or no housing need), you will not normally be offered a property until you’ve held your current tenancy with us for at least 2 years · Your rent account should be clear (and have been for the last 12 months) · You should not have any other housing related debt e.g rechargeable repairs · You should not have breached your tenancy in the last 12 months · You will need to undergo and pass a full property inspection

Our out-of-hours service now sits with our Customer Service Team at Cole Street.

The number remains the same, but it’s so we can offer you the same level of service, day or night.

Tips from Sgt. James Main

There’s been some reports of a telephone scam lately whereby a criminal will impersonate a police officer and will ask for your bank account details, claiming that your account has been hacked.

Remember that the Police, or any other public authority, will not ask you for personal bank account details.

The www.actionfraud.police.uk is

a great website where you find out

more information about fraud, or

you can contact your local Humberside Police Communities Team.

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Love thy neighbour.

Remember to look out for your neighbour, especially if they are vulnerable or older. Ask yourself, have you seen them this week?

rner Kaz’s cleaninngpico ck to life: ece of furniture ba

To bring a woode oks all ece of furniture lo When a wooden pi ean it with e best way is to cl scruffy and dull, th r. When the all purpose cleane a soft cloth and an ed, let the e have been remov stains and the grim on it. You put pure beeswax wood dry and then remove the ft cloth and then rub it in with a so You can see another soft cloth. excess again with e wood will e a sponge and th that the wood is lik again after a again. Repeat this be coming to life ur neglected u will find that yo week or so and yo lease of life! has now got a new piece of furniture

homeownership

A day in the life of Lesley, Home Ownership Officer.

What do the Home Ownership Team do? The Team looks after people who have expressed an interest to buy their home.

But, if you live in a flat and want to buy it, it’s a bit more complicated than buying a house. When you buy a house, you normally own everything including the land the house is built on. When you buy a flat, it isn’t possible to own the land your flat sits above or even the external walls surrounding the flat as you share these with other occupiers of the building.

So, in order to buy your flat, it has to be leased to you – the lease agreement is set out in a similar format to a tenancy agreement but it normally allows the owner to live in the property for a set term of 125 years and it also make the owner responsible for the upkeep and repair of the interior of the flat.

The landlord is still responsible for the maintenance, repair and cleaning of the external structure and communal areas with a service charge involved.

Lesley

What do you wish other people knew about the Home Ownership team? I’d like to think that both our colleagues and customers know how much we care about the services we deliver and we work closely with other teams across the organisation to ensure that we are constantly improving.

win a £25 ucher! shopping vo rs,

f ou aseholder o If you’re a le survey to s rd a d e Stan ic rv e S r u o e tak inning. chance of w be in with a petitions o.co.uk/com g n .o w w w e Se y) for more ership surve n w O e m o (H ntact details or co .co.uk @ rton ongo lesley.warbu copy! for a paper

What does a typical day for you involve? Normally day to day our team deal with a variety of enquiries from our leaseholders. We manage the service charge accounts, monitor arrears, and determine responsibility of maintenance and repairs, ensuring that the lease agreement is being complied with from both sides.

We also deal with disputes, boundary issues, consultation for major works and work with external solicitors when leasehold properties are sold on the open market.

When processing home ownership applications we have to ensure that we comply with specific legislative deadlines and co-ordinate between 30-50 applications, all at different stages of the application process, at any one time.

What has surprised you most about working in the Home Ownership team? The lease is there to help you, not to confuse you!

What do you find most challenging in the Home Ownership team? We have at least 7 different types of lease agreements, so that means that the answer to the same question may be different from one customer to the next so we have to be very thorough and careful to explain our processes and the reasons behind them.

Your Home Ownership team

Leasehold handbook

Your new leasehold handbook is available now, and it contains lots of useful information for existing leaseholders or for those interested in purchasing a North Lincolnshire Homes leasehold property. Request your copy by calling 01724 279900 or email homeownership@ongo.co.uk

21

kids corner Drawings

Draw us a picture of Mr & Mrs ongo Bear with your best felt tips!

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Ponsadtultipto.s.t your

have a r Emily to Edito s e r u t ic p dd your ring to a mber e b m e m (re t nu a contac name & k) for a chance ac on the b prize! to win a

Recipes Our tenant Shazeda Haque and her family were visited by CBBC’s ‘Crash My Kitchen’ recently.

Lisa Faulkner helped to prepare some yummy chimichurri chicken kebabs. Here’s the recipe so you & an adult can make them too!

Shazeda & F amily

22

4) n kebabs (Serves chimichurri chicke You’ll need: parsley Bunch of flat leaf ic 1-2 cloves of garl o 1 tbsp dried oregan es (optional) ½ tspn chilli flak 1 lemon r 1 tbsp malt vinega 2-3 tbsp oil (For the chicken) st 500g chicken brea matoes a pack of cherry to ace in 2 courgettes lengthways and pl es tt ge ur co e th el in, method: Adults: pe nds to soften. Dra co se 30 t ou ab r ater fo a pan of boiling w water. ak the skewers in So wl. e. id as t se en th ace in a mixing bo pl d an ic rl ga d an rsley on, vinegar Adults: chop the pa juice from the lem , es ak fl i ill ch o, e Add the oregan e chicken and leav th er ov e ad in ar ur the m ur. and oil, and stir.Po minimum of one ho a r fo ge id fr e th on the in a freezer bag in read the chicken Th s. st ea br n ke ic erry Adults: dice the ch courgette and a ch of op lo a h it w g in skewers, alternat tomato. for 5-8 minutes on ok co d an ill gr t ho ra ut.

Adults; place unde ping hot througho pi e ar s er ew sk e th each side, ensuring

Spot the following Summer words...

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Cong Rose Heather g all for f indin ords. gw our sprin

Heather

Rose

BARBEQUE SUNCREAM SEASIDE BUCKET SPADE ICECREAM FLIPFLOPS PICNIC HOLIDAY SUNFLOWER

Name

win a

Address Postcode Daytime Telephone number Email address Tick if you’re happy to hear about other promotions and competitions.

Entries must be in by Monday 2nd November 2015.

The winner will be drawn from all correct entries.

The editor’s decision is final. Please return the coupon with your completed word search to: Editor, Key News North Lincolnshire Homes Meridian House, Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, North Lincs, DN15 8QZ

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23

Universal Credit

Be prepared Universal Credit is now active in North Lincolnshire and is a single, monthly payment which merges many benefits and tax credits, including Housing Benefit.

Free s sessihoelpn?

need n ee sessio f ind a fr ou. near y

The roll-out of Universal Credit is gradual and at the moment only affects single claimants who would have been eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

It’s different because of the way it’s managed (claims are made online) and the way it’s paid (directly to you on a monthly basis).

Money advice sessions: Barton Local Link Tuesdays 9.00am – 12 midday Winterton Local Link Tuesdays 2.00pm – 5.00pm Ashby Local Link Wednesdays 9.00am – 12 midday

A Financial Inclusion session will be held each week at: Westcliff Drop-in Centre Thursdays 1.00pm – 4.00pm