Contour Homes iNside Magazine Autumn 07

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iNSIDE C O N T O U R

autumn

n i e c fferen

i d a g n i k a M ic

r o t s hi

s g n i t t e s

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in this issue‌ Conference

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Dragons

Free Training

Lifestyle

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This issue is dedicated to Freddie Simon


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7 0 n m u t u

Getting Involved in Regal Style

contents Contour News

Welcome to the Autumn edition. We hope you’re enjoying the new format which has received some really great comments from across the Contour regions. The fruit smoothy recipes from CHILL in the last edition seem to have gone down well despite the chilly summer weather. This edition has a distinct focus on resident involvement and our flagship event the Residents’ Conference. Our last event in May is covered here looking into all the great feedback from everyone involved. Look out for the forthcoming Residents’ Conference in November which goes back to Haigh Hall but provides a touch more pudding than last time (yes we take heed of all your feedback)! Sign up with the inserted leaflet. We’re also launching the brand new Residents’ Oscars to celebrate those people who make a big difference in your community and will host the award ceremony at the Residents’ Conference. Your Residents’ Oscars nomination form is included with the magazine, please spare some time to fill this in.

Updates from Area Teams Resident Involvement

This edition is dedicated to Freddie Simon who sadly passed away recently. Freddie has been involved with our Editorial Panel and in many other ways across Contour. He is pictured on the front cover at the last Residents’ Conference with our other residents from Oldham. We will miss his cheery smile and input. Check out your chance to get involved with free newsletter training on page 21. If you’ve got any interesting stories you want to pass through to us, photos, letters, articles or comments we’d be delighted to hear from you.

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Contour Homes Editorial pane Email:

Paul.adamson@contourhousing.co.uk

Tel:

0845 602 1120

Address:

Editorial Panel, Contour Homes

Lifestyle

Freepost RPAU-JBLE-CUJX, Quay Plaza 2 1st Floor – Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH

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Resident Conference

contour news

Contour Homes Resid ents’ Conference Held at Haigh Hall, Wigan on Thursday 24th May 2007.

ference ents Con id s e R tyle Hall in e New S g Haigh ond of th in c n e n s e tu s h T s for t the portunitie y held a tl p n o e y c n a re was rvices ed m n the se y provid o a d k c e a h b T d Wigan. at not onal fee give pers uccess th s to a ts h n c e u s resid and was ave a to them e now h d w e d id e v b ro ri p ubsc we overs rence! only were ext confe n e th r om st fo dback fr waiting li sitive fee o s p f o t re alway ived a lo but we a t, n We rece e v e e about th nts. residents proveme im e k volved a m to ho was in w e looking n o ry ank eve staff for like to th nts and e id s re We would cluding it was. event, in ess that c c with the u s e e event th making th cerely Yours sin

Team t n e m e v l o v n I t n e The Resid

Programme for the day

Respect Agenda – Residents in Control.

The day started with a welcome from Contour Homes Managing Director, Judith Winterbourne, who gave residents a brief update concerning the Contour Homes Business Plan.

Attendees were treated to an inspiring

with tackling the ever difficult topic of

for their efforts from the Government. Afternoon Repairs! Repairs! Repairs! The Head of Repairs and Maintenance at Contour Housing Group provided an update on improvement plans to the

3. Prevention and early intervention

repairs service and fielded questions from

4. Swift Enforcement.

residents, he then introduced the

5. Support.

contractors Mono, Jackson Lloyd, DLP

6. Supporting victims and witnesses.

and Preston City Works. Residents then

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This workshop offered residents the chance to get detailed advice reclaiming bank charges and accessing benefits.

We held six workshops and gave residents the opportunity to attend two workshops of their choice.

Atherton on how they were involved

community and the award they received

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This workshop gave residents a chance to learn about how Contour prioritise areas for investment and gave residents the opportunity to ask questions.

Residents Association, Marjorie

Then began the plenary session which focused around the Respect Agenda. The session focused on the six main stands, which are outlined below:

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Workshop F – Income Management

Workshops

Antisocial Behaviour within their own

2. Empowering and reassuring residents

Workshop C – Local Authority Area Plans

and views directly with the contractor.

speech from the Chair of Kelton Park

Give a little respect!

1. Accountability, leadership and commitment.

had a chance to go and air their concerns

Workshop A – Funding This focused on providing useful information to residents groups that wanted to know how to apply for funding for community projects.

The end of the day Workshop D – Tenant Board Membership Contour has recently been developing its procedure for Tenant Board Membership and this workshop provided the opportunity for prospective board members to learn more about what the role involves.

Workshop B – Customer Service Centre

Workshop E – Service Charges

Attendees were provided with the opportunity to help develop a new answering service at the Customer Service Centre, using the ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ style electronic voting system.

The workshop had two main parts: 1. Informing residents about new service contract procurement and management arrangements 2. Value for money exercise

Andrew Brown, Head of Service, closed the day by thanking residents for attending, there was then a raffle for Residents Groups who had encouraged more than five residents to attend, with the winners being Ridgeway Park Residents Association.

• 74% thought the contractors stalls were good or very good • 94% thought the workshops were good/very good • 77% thought the venue was good/very good • Nobody thought the workshops were poor • Only one person thought the day was poor

Facts and figures from the Residents Conference Feedback

What happens next?

• Nearly 80% of attendees thought the Respect Agenda session was either Very Good or Good

All Contour Homes residents are invited to

• Over 85% of attendees thought the day was either Very Good or Good

Haigh Hall Wigan. For more details please

the up and coming Residents Conference on Thursday 29th November 2007 at see the flyer inserted into the newsletter.

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Rent

Information

Don’t Go To Court Over Arrears…

In return, you should:

Your Data… …and its Protection

• Contact us as soon as you are experiencing

Contour Homes needs to collect and

r u o t n o C Go to

Don’t go to court over arrears, go to Contour - this is the message coming from the courts since October 2006. This is when the ‘Pre action Protocol’ came into force. The idea is that Contour, Rivers and AvenQuest tenants who are in arrears work with us to try and resolve the problem before legal action is taken.

difficulty paying your rent

if you have applied to your local authority

• Contact you as soon as possible when arrears are appearing on your account • Help and advise you on your Housing Benefit claim if you have applied

information we hold about you. We request

Service Centre and ask to speak to

name, age or ethnic origin.

a fee of £10 to cover the administration of

Contour’s Company Administrator, and

A new policy has been developed with

getting all your information together. In

ask for a Data Access Request form.

The courts will be looking to check that both the

this in mind which sets out how we treat

most cases, we will be able to meet with

For more information about our new

tenant and Contour Homes, Rivers and

your personal information, who’s allowed

your request. However, because of the

Data Protection Policy you can contact

to see it and in what circumstances and

Data Protection Act, in some case we may

Sam Cooper, Policy & Research Officer.

how you can access information held on

not be able to do so fully. If this is the case

For either the Company Administrator or

you by Contour Homes.

we will let you know.

Sam Cooper contact 0845 602 1120,

You have a legal right under the Data

You can request to see your personal

mail@contourhousing.co.uk or our

Protection Act (1998) to ask to see the

information by contacting the Customer

freepost address on the very back page.

• Keep in touch with us to try and resolve the

AvenQuest have tried to resolve the case before going to court and it could influence the judge’s decision on what order to give.

• Try and reach an agreement with you to repay the debt at a rate you can afford • Only take legal action as a last resort

Explosion In Bolton

If you are in arrears let us help you get out of them - contact us!

Residents in Rawsthorne Street, Bolton were rocked by an explosion in the early hours of 12th July. Thieves had broken into one of Contour’s houses and stole copper piping causing a huge escape of gas. When the gas ignited, the roof was blown off the house and there was major damage to the properties around. Amazingly, no one died in the incident, although a few people were treated for injuries. The explosion happened at 2.15am and emergency services were called to the scene. The police and the fire brigade evacuated Rawsthorne Street and other roads in the surrounding area as they fought to bring the situation under control. Local residents were asked to spend the night with family or friends as the police created an exclusion zone around the area. However, many of the residents, too stunned by what had

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in order to work effectively. To do so we need to collect and use things like your

arrears and pay off any outstanding debt

We promise to:

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hold some of your personal information

• Ensure your Housing Benefit claim is processed

happened, stayed on to watch the drama unfolding.

Home’s Homeless Team, Social Services, and Citizens Advice.

Rawsthorne Street is situated in Halliwell, Bolton. It is an area of old terraced houses. Contour own 8 houses in the street with the others being owner occupied and privately rented.

Contour immediately sent a team of four officers to the emergency centre to meet with local residents and find out what was happening. They were supported by a team of people at the Bolton Office and in Head Office who provided all the necessary support. The first job was to find out where all Contour residents were and whether they were safe and had somewhere to go. Then officers needed to get an assessment of the situation. The police said that no-one could return whilst the area was unsafe and that it would be several hours before the full extent of the damage was known. Food and drink was provided at the emergency centre and the Council provided clothes, bedding and mattresses for those who needed them.

By the morning, the area around Rawsthorne Street was filled with people wanting information. News crews from BBC, ITV and Sky were looking for information and interviewing anyone wishing to speak to them. The area remained cordoned off, with the police and fire brigade treating the area as a possible crime scene and residents were not allowed to return home. The Council set up an emergency room at a local community centre. Officers from Contour were joined by colleagues from, amongst others, Bolton at

homes. Then, late in the afternoon, came the news that some residents would be able to return home that night. However, they had to wait to be escorted home by police officers.

As the day went on, residents began to wonder whether they would be able to return to their homes that night. Officers from the fire brigade and Building Control started the process of checking all the houses to see how bad the damage was. After a time came the news that a further two houses would need to be demolished and this would have to start immediately. Residents worried that more demolitions may follow. Some still had pets or valuables left in their

About 10 families (including four from Contour properties) were told that they would not be able to return home that night and so the process of finding alternative accommodation began. Officers from Contour and Bolton at Home began talking to those affected to find out whether they could stay with family or whether they needed to be found hotel accommodation. Eventually everyone was sorted out. In the end, three properties were demolished, including one of Contour’s. There are still a number of properties which, although not demolished, require major works before anyone can live in them again.

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Dragons Den

Oldham Children Take On Five Dra gons Eight and nine year old primary school children from Limeside and Stanley Road Primary Schools in Oldham have been demonstrating their business acumen in the Dragons’ Den. 20 very nervous but very determined children presented their business ideas to five ‘Dragons’ which included Contour Housing Group’s Chief Executive, Mike Creamer, and Imran Hakim, a successful North West businessman who has featured on the real BBC’s Dragons’ Den and won investment for his iTeddy (a Teddy with a built in web video screen). The winning business, which is operating as a genuine company in September, was Mr Smoothy Maker, and the business team comprised of Gage Pickering and Jordon Bamford (both 9 years old) from Limeside and Mohamed Yusef and Kamarn Khan (both 9 years old) from Stanley Road school. “Smoothies are great tasting and good for your health and I think the judges really liked our idea because of that,” said Yusef. Head teacher of Limeside Primary School, Helen Arya, explains the rationale behind the idea: “In an exercise designed to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, we found that our local community was lacking in start up businesses.

“As well as helping the children develop real work skills that should remain with them into adulthood, a happy

We have excellent working relationships with our colleagues at Stanley Road and their Head Nye Goodwyn, Contour and I developed the Dragons’ Den Junior concept.”

idea that would attract investment from local companies. Sophy Hallam, the business consultant said:

Creamer, Chief Executive for Contour. As an established supporter of Limeside school, Contour was

business - and I hope that as a result, more of them will see being a successful entrepreneur as an option that’s open to

by-product of this exercise was enhanced community cohesion, which is clearly a priority for us,” said Mike

“It’s been a fun way for them to learn about the world of

“Our young entrepreneurs had lots of great ideas and have

them when they get older!”

now learnt valuable skills about developing them. They’ve thought about who the customer is, what their business

Other business ideas included an internet café, a

delighted to offer its services and paid for a 14 weeks intensive

Five teams, each team comprised of children from different

would cost to run and what price they need to charge to

creative arts project and a football coaching after

training programme from a bona fide management consultant.

areas, were challenged to come up with a viable business

make a profit.

school club.

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Insurance

Moving On

! r e v o Take C Every so often disasters happen sometimes on a large scale like the recent flooding, sometimes on a smaller scale like burst pipes or fires. When these disasters damage our home

Mandy and her family have worked very hard to set their home back up after the fire

it can be very upsetting. In most cases the distress is eased slightly by getting everyday objects replaced through your home contents’ insurance or claiming from your landlord’s insurance.

What damage/loss did you suffer? We lost pretty much everything that was in the living room

If it’s deemed not your landlord’s fault by the insurance

and bedroom including 3 piece suite, tv, stack system,

company, you will have to claim on your Home Contents

dining table, some clothing. All our kitchen stuff was smoke

Insurance (HCI). If you don’t have this you will have to cover

damaged and the only thing we have been able to salvage

the costs yourself and this could be very expensive as it

was the cooker. We thought the washing machine and

will include items such as carpets as well as your more

fridge freezer would work after being cleaned down but

precious items.

they didn’t and it had taken us ages to clean them!! I lost a

We recommend all residents have home contents insurance. If you are a tenant without HCI read our interview with Mandy Finch, one of residents from AvenQuest in Preston.

lot of sentimental items that I can’t replace, like ornaments. It’s the things that you can’t replace that are heartbreaking. We are gradually trying to replace things but it is hard as

Let us know

Very occasionally people leave their homes without telling us or move out and sub-let their homes without our knowledge. With rising house prices and increasing interest rates more and more people are turning to Contour to solve their housing problems. We know how important it is to have properties available quickly for people who

before you

have applied to us for housing. If you suspect that one of your neighbours has done a moonlight flit or has moved out and is allowing somebody else to live in their home please contact our Customer Service Centre (CSC) as soon as possible. Once you make contact with us we will ensure that a Housing Officer investigates and reports back to you on their findings confidentially. If you are thinking of moving out of your home

go!

please contact your Housing Officer via the CSC. Sometimes people move home for positive reasons such as moving home to be nearer work or moving in with a new partner but sometimes people move for negative reasons such as being

we can’t afford a lot. We got married later in the year so

unhappy with the state of their home or because

some friends and family had to help us out with early

of problems with antisocial behaviour.

Have you taken insurance out previously? Did you

wedding presents but it meant we didn’t get many presents

think about insurance before you moved in?

Once you contact us, your Housing Officer will

for the wedding! My mum’s church have been good to us

come and see you to discuss your reasons for

I have done previously when I have lived in other places

and even had a collection for us.

wanting to leave and if your reasons are

but didn’t have since I moved into Albyn Bank Road. We

What advice would you give to other tenants who

negative they will see if there is anything we

knew lots of people round there and people look out for

haven’t got insurance?

can do to get you to change your mind and

each other so burglary wise, we felt safe.

Get it! You always think it isn’t going to happen to you but

stay with us.

What happened?

it happened to us. You may know that you and your family

Your tenancy agreement states that you must

We had gone away for the weekend with the kids.

are going to be careful but you can’t always guarantee that

give us 4 weeks notice but obviously the more

My mate who lives behind me rang at 7.30am in the

the person living upstairs or downstairs or next door will be.

notice we receive, the easier it is for us to relet

morning saying ‘your flat’s burnt down, I can see right through

How are things now?

it, you better come back quick’. She told me that the man below had set fire to his flat and that it had spread to ours. We felt sick and jumped in the car and came back straight away. It was much worse than we thought when we saw it, we hadn’t thought that there could be that much damage and thought

Fine, we are settling in to our new home but it has been hard work. We have got the living room as we would like now but it’s a case of time and money and we can’t afford to do everything at once. We owe money left, right and centre. Although we’re not allowed to promote one specific insurance

it – I just stopped the car in the middle of the road – it was

scheme, if you don’t have home contents insurance we

gutted – it’s the last thing you expect. I didn’t let the smaller

strongly recommend you get it. Make sure you check all the

children see it, it would have been too upsetting.

details to ensure you’re covered in the best possible way.

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So if you are thinking of moving out or suspect that one of your neighbours has gone without telling us please get in touch! Tel: 0845 602 1120 or email: mail@contourhousing.co.uk

my friend must have been exaggerating. I felt sick when I saw

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the property.

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area updates

Av enQuest, Preston

Neighbourhood Watch…

Preston

Introducing Joanna Slater… …the new Assistant Housing Officer for Chorley and Leyland

Neighbourhood watch is one of the biggest and most

Hello my name is Joanna

I have come from a housing background having previously

successful crime prevention initiatives ever. Behind it lies

Slater I am the new Assistant

worked at Housing Pendle, near Burnley and also Preston

a simple idea:

Housing Officer for the

City, now known as the Community Gateway Association,

‘Getting together with your neighbours to take action

Chorley and Leyland area.

so I bring with me lots of housing experience.

can cut local crime.’

I shall be responsible for all

I will be starting a drop-in surgery at the Mendip Road

aspects of housing

Office every Tuesday morning as from Tuesday 28th

management including

August between 10am - 12pm. So if you have any queries

Neighbourhood Watch schemes can be large, covering for example most of the households on an estate or they might involve just half a dozen houses. It depends what people living in the area want.

income collection, allocations and neighbour nuisance on

or wish to discuss any matter with me please come along.

the Mendip Road, Gillibrands and Ryan Close estates.

Even if it’s just to say hello it will be very nice to meet you.

A scheme is generally led by a volunteer co-ordinator whose job is to get people working together and make

their range of work targeting local problems such as,

sure things get done. Residents meet regularly to plan

vandalism or graffiti.

which problems to target and what action to take.

Everyone can do something that will really

Schemes keep in close touch with local police to share

make a difference!

information and advice.

If you would like to learn more about getting involved or

Neighbourhood Watch activity can focus on the immediate vicinity of homes with members looking out for anything suspicious or helping their neighbours as necessary, but in some areas schemes have broadened

Princes Trust Working In Partnership With CKCC And Contour Homes

Meet your Local Community Beat Manager and Police Support Officers in Morecambe Firstly I would like to introduce

setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme please

The Princes Trust

myself; I am PC 3731 Melanie

contact PC Denise Flitney at the Preston Police Station

recently approached

Caunce based at Morecambe

on 01772 209786 or you can email her on

Contour Homes for

Police Station. I’m the local

denise.flitney@lancashire.pnn.police.uk

the opportunity to

Community Beat Manager for the

place one of their

Westgate Area of Morecambe

young attendees,

which covers the Contour Homes

Martin Horrobin, with

properties situated on Bartholomew Road and

Local Youths awarded

our Community Estate Warden Colin Makinson for work

Wiseman Close .

Martin worked with Colin for a 2 week period. This was very

Clement are the local Police Community Support

We too often hear of youths hanging around in gangs on

successful; gaining valuable experience in multi agency working.

Officers who work along side me, they are very

street corners, terrorising passers-by with their foul

One of his tasks was to start planning various trips and

approachable, enthusiastic and want the same as all

outings for youth groups within Preston. As part of the

of us, a pleasant community in which to live and work.

Princes Trust Team Project the volunteers had to secure

I run a meeting each month for the Westgate area of

funds for transport and entry cost to each venue. This was

Morecambe which is held at the Morecambe Fire

achieved by approaching local businesses for donations

Station, Westgate. These meetings offer a relaxed

towards the costs. After achieving their goal the Princes

and informal atmosphere in which you can discuss

language and drunken behaviour, but for one AvenQuest tenant the quick thinking of six local teenagers probably saved her life. The teenage boys had been on their way home when they

experience as part of his development programme.

PCSO 7474 David Mason and PCSO 7484 Joanne

Trust approached the Callon Kids Club and invited them to

any issues about your area. Where possible I will try

spotted smoke pouring from a house – they raised the

attend the trip they had organised and secured funds for.

to bring information about the things that may affect

alarm with a neighbour and assisted in the rescue until the

On 24th July the junior arts and crafts club went to the Eureka Museum in Halifax, this was also attended by volunteers from the Princes Trust, Contour Homes and other members of the Callon Kids Community Club.

you and most people find it useful. We always

The kids had a great time and the trip was very successful. We would like to thank The Princes Trust and Martin for arranging the trip and providing the Kids Club with a great day out.

any issues is welcome to contact me via Morecambe

fire brigade arrived. The youths aged between 13 and 15 have been awarded the Avenham Community Action Award for their bravery and a local Community Beat Manager said that they could also be in line for The Celebrating Young Peoples Award organised by the police.

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welcome new people to the meetings so please come along if you can. In the meantime anybody who has any problems or Police station on 01524 63333.

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Bolton

Rivers, Bury & Blackburn

News from The Pungle

The Mere

HEART really is developing into an extremely pro-active team and is to be congratulated on it’s well-deserved success”.

Residents have now started moving in a new development at The Mere in Bolton. This development, on the site of the old Skagen Court, is located in Halliwell. The 110 newly built homes are a combination of rented, shared ownership and outright sale properties.

Eric Riley, Chair of HEART

HEART Committee “I am pleased to report more good news from the Rivers (Hillock) Estate” said Chairman of H.E.A.R.T. Mr Eric Riley. “Boz Park facilities continue improving with the picnic tables and benches about to be installed. The ball zone markings have been painted on the playing surface and it really does look good. During the summer holidays, Bury Sports Development team organised sporting activities on the ball zone for the over sevens. This was only made possible by HEART receiving a grant of £7,000 to share with a neighbouring estate.”

There has been plenty of activity on Contour’s scheme at The Pungle in Westhoughton. In recent months. Contour, in conjunction with the residents association, PPRA, and the Police have been working up a scheme to deliver a 24 hour, monitored, CCTV scheme for local Contour residents. Planning permission for the installation of the cameras has recently been obtained and work will start in the near future. The installation of the CCTV system will help the

The Mere is the latest offering from Bardsley Construction. All homes will be equipped to a high standard to maximise your enjoyment of your new home, Your new home will come with the following:

partnership made up from agencies working in the area including Contour, Greater Manchester Police,

• Gas central heating with combi boiler • 10 year NHBC guarantee • Timber windows and French doors

St Vincents Housing Association, Bolton’s Community Safety Team and local schools. The aim of the

• 4 panel internal doors

partnership is to work together to prevent and combat

• Twyfords View range sanitary ware

anti social behaviour for local residents.

The Mere has been designed specifically for people who

The residents association are working with Contour to

wish to get a foothold on the home ownership ladder but

set up a community house on the scheme, for the

who might ordinarily have difficulty in doing so via the

benefit of local residents. The aim of the house will be

conventional route. Each home will be sold on a shared

to provide a base for local clubs and activities.

ownership basis ie. either for 50% or 75% of the total equity

Recently, members of the residents association carried

and in addition a rent and service charge will need to be

out a fact finding visit to the community house on the

paid to Contour Homes. If you’re interested in shared

Callon estate in Preston

ownership contact Gill Walker on 0845 602 1120 or iwanttobuyahome@contourhousing.co.uk

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In order to maximise the use of the church hall on Tuesday mornings, the Rivers’ Community Wardens are hoping to run other activities. Residents have been invited to take part in indoor games – chess, dominoes, bowls etc., photography – making post cards or calendars of the Estate; and art classes – water colours, oils, pottery and sculpture. Senior Community Warden Andrew Taylor said, “We are simply inviting residents of the Estate to come along on Tuesday mornings if they are interested in any of the activities we have on offer. We will then discuss their ideas, and, by working with the Bury Adult Learning team, arrange the classes or activities to suit their wishes. It has worked with the Garden Club so there is no reason why we cannot expand with other activities” New HEART members are always welcome. Anyone interested in joining should contact Chairman, Eric Riley, Tel: 0161 766 8385. E-mail: eric.riley@tiscali.co.uk.

• Contemporary kitchen

“Pungle Partners” in dealing with nuisance and anti social behaviour in the area. Pungle Partners is a

Rivers’ Area Manager Ann Walton was full of praise for the HEART team. “None of this success would have been possible without Eric and Karen Vickers spending much time completing grant Boz Park Ball Zone application forms.

HEART has also been granted a further £1800 from Bury M.B.C. to continue running the Garden Learning Course. The Garden Club reconvened after the summer break on 4th September and will meet every Tuesday morning from 10am until 12 noon in St. Michael’s old church hall on Ribble drive, Whitefield.

The Willows, Bradley Fold, Bolton The Willows is situated on the border of Radcliffe and Bolton. Although it has a Bolton post code it comes under Bury Local Authority, and was built approximately 1992. It consists of a mixture of one, two and three bed houses. Over the period of 2006 – 2007, a lot of improvement works were carried out on the scheme. These were as follows:• Tenants had long been asking for more car parking spaces. The Association made a grassed area into an extended car park. • Since the works were finished it has been used in abundance by the residents. • The wooden barrier that separated the two car parks (which was always being repaired) has been replaced by a metal one. The new barrier looks better and requires less maintenance.

• Nine unsightly bin stores have been removed from the front of the houses. • Spare land, which was used as a dumping ground/football pitch has been divided between three tenant’s gardens, giving these tenants some much needed space. • Metal fencing has been placed around the scheme to help prevent nuisance from motorbikes. • Fencing replaced and stained at some houses. Prior to this work going ahead letters were sent to all residents asking their views on the proposed work. A meeting was also held to discuss these issues some weeks later. Now that all this work has been completed, the estate has improved in appearance.

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Middleton, Rochdale & Oldham Community Coldhurst Week commencing 6th August saw the arrival of the Beatsweep to Coldhurst Ward. The Beatsweep is a weeklong period of partnership activity aiming to make a ‘positive impact on an area and provide an opportunity for a fresh start for the community’. It involves a number of agencies and the whole community in a week of intensive activity. The start was signalled by the distribution of a community questionnaire to find out what residents felt about the area. Then the work started. Agencies involved included Environmental Services, Streetscene, Highways, Groundwork, Probation, Fire Service, Trading Standards, Police, Housing Benefit, Connexions, Road Safety, Housing, Highways, Youth Service and PCT to name but a few, as well as an army of local residents.

Clarkwell Community Day Continuing the theme of community involvement, 31st July 2007 saw the second Clarkwell Community Partnership Group Family Fun Day. The Clarkwell Community Partnership Group is made up of tenants and residents of the Clarkwell estate, Oldham along with representatives from a number of agencies, including Contour.

Avenues and Hollins, Oldham Limeside Park, First Phase – Complete! The Friends of Limeside Park with the help and support of landlord Contour Housing Association

The aim of the fun day was to deliver an atmosphere of multiculturalism and community cohesion. There were activities for all ages encouraging healthy living and community safety.

have transformed the

Activities included face painting, arts and crafts, healthy living stalls, music workshops and community safety advice. Groundwork Trust provided seed growing, and a bouncy castle.

donations, hard work

Children attending Limeside Primary, St Margaret’s, Holy

and enthusiasm.

family, Limehurst and Kaskenmoor were all invited to play

It is estimated that approx 350 people attended this successful event. The work of the Clarkwell Community Partnership Group continues, focusing on the priorities identified by the local community. If you would like further information on this group, please contact Contour Homes’ Middleton Office.

Park thanks to a combination of grant funding, plant

Without the support of local people, the transformation of the Park would not have been possible. Contour has applied for and won around £42,000 in SRB funding, this has allowed us to drain the playing fields which mean they can now be used as a football pitch and for other sporting activities. Oldham Council and Citigroup, provided 100 new trees which Friends of Park have worked hard around the clock to plant hundreds of seeds and shrubs which will transform the area. We will be consulting with local community to develop the rest of the master

Particular mention should go to Hayley and Natalie, residents of Coldhurst Hall who worked tirelessly on the Beatsweep. They were involved in 2 clean ups, as well as encouraging others to get stuck in, working closely with Groundworks distributing leaflets, and running their own Q&A session for other residents in the area advising on how residents can get involved in improving their own local area. Some of the achievements of the week include 3 arrests, the execution of 4 warrants, 6 vehicles being removed, issuing of 8 fixed penalty notices, 4 untaxed vehicles were reported to the DVLA and the distribution of 1300 crime prevention leaflets to the local community. 100 blocked gullys were cleaned out, over 30 tonnes of litter and fly tipped rubbish was removed from the area. Out of date food removed from 2 premises, unlicensed skips reported and Shop Safe scheme promoted to off licences. Education and employment advice was given as well as health advice and fire safety by the relevant organisations involved.

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Oldham Athletic FC, Working in Partnership

Westwood 16th July 2007 saw the first Westwood Community Partnership Group meeting. This new group was setup to try and gain awareness of some of the issues affecting residents in the Westwood area and to do something about them. The aim is for the main service providers to work together to benefit the residents and the community. All local residents were invited, irrespective of tenure, as many of the issues are not restricted to just one tenure, street or estate. Translation services were available at the meeting to ensure that everyone could contribute and get involved. All those who attended agreed that they wanted to get the Group up and running. If you are interested in becoming involved and live or work in the Westwood area of Oldham, please contact Contour Middleton Office for further details.

plan for the Park in order that this initial success can be built upon.

football on Limeside Park with Oldham Athletic coaches. Sessions took place from July 23rd over the summer holiday and a tournament commenced mid August where the winning teams were presented with certificates and medals at a presentation event on 17th August. The funding for this project was awarded by Hollinwood and Failsworth Youth Sub Group. A big Thank you to them for contributing to this rewarding project.

Celebrations at Limeside Park Festival People from all over Oldham converged onto Limeside Park

it can be used as a sporting venue. It has recently hosted football training sessions supported by Oldham Athletic.

on Sunday 19 August to join the locals in celebrating all the good things about the area with a Festival. In a unique partnership between the Church of England and Contour Housing, local people took to the streets in a procession, while enjoying the free entertainments on offer. The Festival is the first of its kind on Limeside Park which

Fr David

began with a procession from St Margaret’s Church in

Hawthorne, vicar

Hollinwood to Limeside Park. The carnival included a Chinese dragon carried by 50 children, bands and Morris dancers. Contour has managed to get government funding to turn the Tenant’s Hall into a community facility and internet café, and secure funding for the drainage of the Limeside Park, so that

of St Margaret’s, Hollinwood, said “This festival was about bringing the communities of Hollinwood and Limeside together. It was for everyone, no matter what age or colour they are. We always look forward to welcoming people to our community.”

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Manchester, Trafford & Salford

Focus on Lower Broughton

Stockport, Handforth & Liverpool Work Finishes on New Home in Stockport

years and has made great efforts to

purpose

improve the communal gardens at

The existing community in Lower Broughton will be

built family home in

the scheme.

re-housed as part of the re-development of the area so

Stockport.

there is a lot of consultation to carry out. We have been visiting and working with resident for over two years, which gives you an idea of the process we have been Contour were appointed lead RSL for Broughton, Chapel

through to get to the point where we can build and let

Street, Charlestown and Kersal. We have been working

the first homes. We will be working with residents at this

hard on the ground on a number of initiatives to deliver

scheme to develop local groups. We can’t wait to

Salford City Council’s vision for the area. The scale of

welcome the new residents in to the existing structures

the Councils vision is dramatic. In Lower Broughton

for participation and involvement that we have. If you

alone over the next 10 to 15 years they want to build

want more information on this regeneration please give

over 3,000 homes for rent and sale. The first properties

Paul Charnock a call on 0800 731 0446.

Focus on Ridgeway Park

New Staff

After a considerable effort from residents we finally saw the erection of

We have Faye Ditchfield who is the

fencing at Ridgeway Park, Timperley. Preparatory work started in July and was completed in August. The residents identified a need nearly two years ago. There were problems with security at the scheme. We also had kids cutting through the scheme escaping the police. So we got together with the residents and agreed a wider plan of action through a local lettings

new Assistant Housing Officer working with Tariq Julani. Faye will be working

Pieris and Forest Flame which is really appreciated by other

has five bedrooms

residents. Jim says he likes to think of this as a legacy for

was specially

the future and something positive for residents to focus on.

designed for Mr and

Jim was recently given recognition for his work by Droylsden

Mrs Reynold and

District Assembly by winning first prize this year in the Best

their four children.

Communal Garden category. He has now been entered into

Their previous

the Champion of Champions Category for the whole of

property was unsuitable and Contour were commissioned with designing a property which was able to meet the needs of the whole family. The

Tameside and we wish him the very best of luck for this. Knowle Park Garden Party

property which has a specially designed lift for taking

Knowle Park Tenants and Residents Association had a garden

wheelchairs to the upper floor and shower room is

party at the end of July, which was opened by the Mayor and

able to meet the needs of all the family.

Mayoress of Macclesfield, Mr Barry Burkhill and Sue Bidwell.

Mr and Mrs Reynolds said that life has been a lot easier for them since they first moved in to the property in August and are looking forward to life in their new home.

It was a great day out for the whole family and is the culmination of hard work by the Tenants and Residents Association. The bouncy castle was enjoyed by all and the buffet was excellent. It was a great way of getting the local community together.

[excluding Ridgeway Park] schemes. Faye used to work for Adactus and has a housing background. She is an experienced person who can

residents the right type of fencing was agreed last year and we

bring a lot to the team. People will

successfully made a bid for the works from this years budgets

see a lot more of Faye as she gets out and about.

have been set up. The purpose of the action week is to focus energy and resources on a particular area and push

Housing And Police Officers Join Forces The Handforth office has now become a one stop shop for community support with the addition of two new faces.

hard to deal with nuisance. Our experience of the initiative was limited to Chorlton. We have just the one scheme at present but we gave information to the police about

Government’s drive to tackle crime, nuisance and

problems that local residents experienced and we’ll

anti-social behaviour. They are working in partnership

see what the impact was over the coming weeks and

with agencies such as landlords and the Police to tackle

months. Every area of Manchester will get a week of

problems highlighted through existing task groups that

concerted action.

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Jim has planted an array of flowers on the scheme including

The property which

across Manchester and Trafford

policy. It included the erection of fencing. Thanks to the perseverance of

CONTOUR HOMES

has lived on the scheme for many

work on a new

of work to do.

18

to the hard work of Jim Poole. Jim

recently completed

handovers during the next three months so there is a lot

Action Weeks’ across its areas in response to the

Tameside have seen their communal

Contour have

from August to October this year. We have got 92

Manchester City Council has been organising Respect

Residents at Fairbank in Droylsden, gardens bloom for some time thanks

that we will manage and maintain are being handed over

Focus on Chorlton

Jim has fixed it for Fairbank

office they jumped at the chance. Officers Newns and Spencer have settled in to their new home fast and say their main role is to develop relationships with the community. “This new site has already proved successful in the effective gathering of intelligence,” said Jim Newns. “We are able to share information with our colleagues from Contour and if there any any problems we can act upon them and resolve them a lot quicker. We also have more visibility in the area

Police Community Support Officer Jim Newns and Police Constable Lee Spencer are now based at the housing office full time thanks to a new initiative between the local police force and Contour. The police are keen to be at the heart of the community they serve and because we work with the police on a number of initiatives when we offered them a base here in the housing

and we find this gives increased peace of mind to everyone living and working in Handforth.” Monthly Police surgeries have been set up on a Tuesday between 2.00pm and 3.00pm on the following dates; 23 October 07, 20 November 07, 11 December 07, 22 January 08, 26 February 08, 25 March 08.

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Supported & Sheltered Housing Working in partnership with other agencies to support young people In providing housing solutions

The project we have today has emerged from the

for young people, Contour

consultation and work with the young people in the

Homes is conscious of the need

community. The Central Facility on Marsden Road and the

to consider more than providing

Dispersed Foyer were launched in May 1998.

well managed, secure accommodation. The support and resettlement needs of young people who may be leaving the family home, or a care environment, for the first time are of paramount importance.Our partnership work with Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme, BASE and New Day is a prime example of partnership working which successfully provides 16-25 year olds with a ‘stepping stone’ towards independent living. These agencies provide support and advice to young people to enable them to live independently, and access training and job opportunities.

The young people of Bolton requested housing in the community to help them integrate and live independently. The accommodation we provide is shared and self contained. In total we have 40 places to house 40 young provide project workers who deliver the support to the young people in their accommodation. The launch of the Dispersed Foyer and the Central Facility on Marsden Road opened new opportunities for the young people of Bolton. The central facility also provides office space to agencies providing a service to young people which enable them to live independently and empower them to challenge any

people in the Greater Manchester area have provided details

disadvantage that may be faced. The Central Facility on Marsden Road provides a centre for the provisions and links to appropriate specialist groups

BASE Bolton Accommodation, Support, Employment Ltd, known

alongside training and education opportunities.

as B.A.S.E. Foyer is registered charitable company that

Referrals are via the Bolton Leaving Care Team or direct

provides dispersed accommodation to homeless single

self-referral. BASE operates an appointment system and

young people aged 16 – 25 years.

register of applicants.

Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme is a charity, providing supported housing for up to two years to single people aged 16-25 years who are homeless. BYPHS accommodates 25 young people in self contained flats. Each flat is fully furnished and in a good condition before

• Sort out their income, whether employment, training or benefits; • Develop the skills and understanding needed to live in their own flat; • Tackle any relationship problems with family;

a new resident moves in. • Find ways to fill in their leisure time. Each BYPHS resident has their own support worker. The support worker and resident meet at least once a week and keep in touch by phone and text. Together they draft a support plan that enables BYPHS to tailor their support package to the residents specific needs. We help residents to:

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CONTOUR HOMES

Residents can move-on from BYPHS into their own flat once they have lived successfully in their BYPHS tenancy for at least 6 months. BYPHS has a Resettlement Worker who provides ongoing support to former residents for 6-12 months. If you are interested in receiving further details please contact BPYHS on 01204 373 979

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New Day New Day is supported accommodation for 36 young people aged between 16 and 25. Referrals to the project usually come from Barnardo’s, Social Services, Connexions and local voluntary agencies. The accommodation is dispersed accommodation and so our tenants are expected to be able to live semi independently with a weekly support visit from a Supported Housing Officer. Tenants receive support from staff

on a variety of things such as budgeting and benefits, information on training, education and employment and advice on how to maintain a tenancy successfully. Staff can also signpost tenants to specialist services where they are needed. Tenants are encouraged to get involved in the project and regular tenants meetings are held as well as gardening projects. Within the 36 units, 8 of them are Move on Flats that are owned by Contour Housing Association and at the end of a two year period if the tenancy has been conducted successfully, young people can be put forward to Contour to become permanent General Needs tenants. This has been very successful over the years with many people going on to maintain independent tenancies. If you are interested in receiving further details please contact the Newday team on 0161 447 5100.

people aged 16 – 25 years. The B.A.S.E Foyer team

In this article a number of our partner agents supporting young on the what services they offer.

Supported & Sheltered Housing

New voices when you call for help By the time this reaches your doorstep we should have chosen the new company who will respond to emergencies when you use your warden call equipment. We are carrying out a review of the alarm monitoring service and mobile warden service. A situation existed where we used lots of different companies who charged us very different amounts and gave us different levels of service. At the sheltered tenants forums we discussed the kind of service that tenants wanted to see at their scheme. It was very clear that you wanted a standard service for Contour residents so that all tenants of Contour’s sheltered housing were getting the same service. One example of this was that all schemes with a Scheme manager wanted to have cover from a mobile warden when their Scheme Manager was off sick or on

holiday. We also set some standards for the people tendering for this work. We wanted all mobile wardens to respond within 20 minutes and calls that you put through from your warden call equipment to be answered within 45 seconds. Moving to a new monitoring service meant that we needed to reprogram your warden call equipment to go the new monitoring centre. You will also have seen some new faces around the schemes as the new mobile wardens respond to emergencies and cover for your scheme manager. The new contract last for 3 years and we hope that we have a contractor in place delivering a high quality service to an agreed standard that residents helped decide. It will also give us some more certainty about our costs.

So does living in Sheltered Housing make any difference to me? How long have you been living in your new home? What difference to your life has moving to sheltered housing made. This is the kind of thing that the government are now asking us to find out. Many people who live in sheltered housing have a scheme manager who completes a support plan with them every six months. You may have also decided to move to sheltered housing because of worries about health, money, security or just wanting to nearer friends and family. Well every time we do a support plan with you in future we will need to pick a random sample of you to see how your live has changed by being in sheltered housing. Don’t worry we will not be sending you any more forms to fill in to do this.

However it does mean that your scheme manager will need to be checking your support plans to see what changes have happened. The kinds of things that we are being asked to look at are Have you had help to maximise your income – sadly we cannot predict lottery numbers for you but we can point you in the right direction for benefit advice. Have you had support to get in touch with family friends and find what you need in the local area? Have we supported you with any health issues – this will often mean making sure that you have registered with a GP and helping you find any specialist help that you need. To make sure that we meet the new requirements to monitor the outcomes of living in sheltered housing it does mean that we will be doing our support plans in Feb next year which is earlier than we would normally do.

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21


t n e m e v l o v n i t n reside

Residents

Training

Sheltered Tenants

FREE Tenant

Get Fruity!

Newsletter Training Do you fancy learning how to improve your journalistic/ newsletter writing skills as well as have fun and meet new residents?

It may not be the weather for

“Our residents together with supporters

If the answers yes, why not attend the free newsletter

strawberries and cream but residents

from the local church raised £240 for

training we are running on Friday 26th October.

from two sheltered housing schemes in

Breast Cancer Care,” said a delighted

Stockport and one in Lancaster did not

Sandra. “We were very happy to

let the rain stop them from partaking of

support such a good cause though our

1. Understanding your audience

this very English summer treat all in order

next fund raiser may focus on how to

2. Planning your newsletter

to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care.

lose a few pounds. A lettuce and

3. Structuring stories

Contour Homes’ Edwards Hall scheme in Hazel Grove joined forces with friends

carrot tea doesn’t have quite the same appeal!”

at Old Hall sheltered scheme in Offerton

In Lancaster, Greenfield Court tenants

to enjoy a Strawberry Tea.

and committee members worked hard to

Scheme Manager, Sandra Smith who lost a friend to the disease wanted to support the charity and asked residents

sell raffle tickets and prize draws, making all sorts of strawberry delights, quiz, bingo, live music and food galore. As Richard Harris, Scheme Manager,

if they would join in.

writes, “it was a great team effort and Naturally there was no shortage of takers

resulted in a wonderful £180

in the offer to indulge in strawberries and

being raised.”

cream, delicious home baked scones filled with strawberry

The course will cover the following areas:

Tameside tenant wins luxury hamper

4. Writing in plain English

Congratulations Annette Warwick of Park Street, Denton.

Cost: This is free course and we will reimburse you fully for any travel/carers or childminding costs you have for attending the course.

Annette was the first name out of the hat of completed decoration satisfaction surveys and was presented with a

jam and cream all

hamper of goodies, kindly supplied by Kendrick

washed down with

Painters & decorators.

a nice cup of tea!

Fri 26th day Octo b 2007 er

5. Identifying picture opportunities 6. Making newsletters visually appealing and eye catching Time: 10.00am – 3.30pm Venue: This will be arranged around attendees; once we have a list of interested people we will book a venue that’s easy for everyone and will contact you with details.

This course will allow you to learn how to write articles for your own newsletter or this magazine. If you are interested in attending please contact

During the past year a number of Contour Homes’

Rebecca Frost, Resident Involvement Officer, for more

properties have been decorated by our approved

details on 0845 602 1120 or e-mail

painting contractors.

resident.involvement@contourhousing.co.uk

In order to monitor and assess the performance of our contractors, Contour has asked all residents with newly decorated homes to complete a satisfaction survey. This has given each tenant the opportunity to comment on both the workers and the work completed. On receiving the hamper a delighted Ms Warwick commented that the contractors had done an “ excellent job”. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all residents who returned a satisfaction questionnaire.

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23


On Trial

Resident Involvement

Resident Involvement Feedback Your feedback, Contour’s Response How your feedback has improved services At Contour Homes we have a variety of ways you can feedback on services which are all contained with in the arena of opportunities which contains all the ways to ‘get involved’ and ‘have your say’. This ranges from Service Review iN Panels (makes improvements to each service) Residents Groups to the Residents Conference. See how we have responded to your views on services.

The Jury’s In!

As a regular feature we want to show you how your feedback has improved services.

Your feedback

Contour’s been on trial multiple times in

Tenants’ Jury

The Sheltered Forum

one day and can’t be more pleased!

Jury members were provided with

Several joint resident and staff juries

‘evidence’ which consisted of details

have passed their judgements on

about time, money and general

Contour Homes’ Resident Involvement

resources used to set up resident

opportunities as part of a unique

involvement opportunities and their

technique devised by our Resident

outcomes e.g what impact had they

Involvement Team to tie into a

had on improving services?

Government assessment.

The Jury were then asked to give their

Evidence: On average costs £1,800 to run, 8 Contour members of staff attend, on average 60 residents attend to provide feedback on all of the services the sheltered team provide. Residents at the forum are provided with real opportunities to make a difference to new policies and service developments. Jury’s Verdict: Not guilty

Every year Contour Homes is required

verdict which included:

by the Housing Corporation

• Guilty: The opportunity needs

(the organisation that governs housing

reviewing, it had not made a

associations) to carry out an

difference to improving services and

assessment of all the opportunities we

residents do not find it useful outlet

offer to residents to have a say on how

for their views, it a waste of resources

to improve the services you receive.

and seriously consideration needs to

This includes events like the Residents’

go towards cancelling opportunity.

Conference, Residents’ Groups, service

• Not Guilty: opportunity works well,

review iN Panels or our Read and

produces clear outcomes, helps with

Review Club etc.

service improvements and provides

To get the most informed feedback

value for money.

the Resident Involvement Team

• Hung Jury: Opportunity produces

brought together a ‘Jury’ of resident

some improvements to services,

and staff members in a dummy trial to

however it needs reviewing to

pass judgement.

make changes.

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CONTOUR HOMES

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The Day to Day Repairs iN Panel Evidence: On average this costs £250.00 (travel expenses, refreshments) to run. 3 staff members and 9 residents attend to provide feedback of their experiences of services users of the Contour repairs system. They then work with staff to resolve issues. General consensus was the group had huge potential to impact on this service area but it had not be running long enough to make a full judgement. Verdict: Hung Jury Residents really enjoyed the day and being part of something a little different, as well as the chance to improve the services we provide.

Service area

We did…

You said we were unclear about what a ‘Short Life Tenancy’ involved when signing up for your property with Contour Homes.

Housing Services

We amended the sign up checklist, to include (where necessary) that new residents signing up for a ‘Shortlife’ property fully understand that the lease will expire after a certain period, after which they will be offered re-housing advice.

You said that on ‘sign up’ the questions you were asked about your financial background were intrusive, irrelevant and felt that more sensitivity needed to go out to asking personal information. You were also unaware that giving this information was compulsory.

Housing Services

We are putting measures in place to promote to Contour Officers that they need to advise residents that providing this information at sign up of tenancy is optional. We also need to advise why it is helpful for us. This includes: it helps anticipate if tenants have the potential to suffer financial exclusion or debt problems in future.

You said that we need an ‘out of hours’ message for when the Call Centre is closed and no one is available to talk too.

Customer Service Centre

We constantly staff out of hours phone number for emergencies, however we are now investigating a message facility with a specified reply time.

You said that a new automated telephone service at the Customer Service Centre needs to be kept to a maximum of 4 options. It must provide a facility for people who have sight problems to bypass options and go through to operator.

Customer Service Centre

When developing the system we will do what you’ve asked

When carrying out your Scheme Inspections, you said you were unhappy with the standard of window cleaning.

Housing Services

Housing Officers for various schemes contacted the cleaning companies to discuss standard of window cleaning and asked that they improve the standards.

You said that information on the new Contour Housing Group Website was incorrect and were unhappy with how your feedback was managed on the chat forums.

Corporate Services

We have reviewed the information contained on the website and looked into how your feedback is managed on the system. We will continue to do so to make sure residents are happy with the service.

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25


lifestyle

Recipes

Cream of the crop with a zing This quarter’s Vegetarian Society’s recipe comes from our supported scheme, Melbourne Court. It has been awarded the Gold Healthy Choice Award from Tameside Primary Healthcare Trust for its meal provision to residents. A true accolade indeed showing our scheme is cream of the crop. This recipe is great for trying something seasonally different, easy to make and useful for warming you up in autumn time. Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup Ingredients: • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

Fun and Puzzles

Halloween wordsearch Cut out and send in your completed wordsearch to us and you could win £50. Remember to include your name and address (and phone number if you have one). The address is: Paul Adamson, Contour Homes, Freepost RPAU-JBLE-CUJX, Quay Plaza 2, First Floor Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH • Apples • Bats • Black Cat • Broomstick • Candle • Candy • Cemetery • Coffin • Costume • Dracula • Frightening

• Full Moon • Ghosts • Ghouls • Goblins • Graveyard • Jack O Lantern • Mask • Mummy • Night • Pumpkin • Scarecrow

• Scary • Scream • Skeleton • Skull • Spiders • Tombstone • Vampire • Werewolf • Witches • Zombie

S L U O H G W I T C H E S L G

V N B G O B L I N S P R P E H

A R C A N D L E M U M M Y T O

M E B K C I T S M O O R B A S

P T N C T N N P K A F N M C T

I N G O I O K E L U O A A K S

R A R F T I M U T O L R E C S

E L A F N E C B M H E L R A R

Z O V I K A L L S C G S C L E

O K E N R S L E R T T I S B D

M C Y D C U A O K A O H R S I

B A A A F G W M B S O N G F P

I J R W E R E W O L F P E I S

E Y D N A C Y R E T E M E C N

B O E M U T S O C S E L P P A

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 15g/½ oz butter or 15ml/1 tbsp vegetable oil • 700g/1½lb butternut squash, peeled and chopped • 10 ml/2tsp freshly grated ginger root juice

Spot the difference for kids…

• a pinch freshly grated nutmeg • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 900ml/1½ pts light vegetable stock To garnish: 20ml/4 table spoons of cream or creme fraiche or concentrated soya milk (dependent on how healthy or gluten free you want the recipe to be)* a few fresh chives a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional) Method: 1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter or oil for 5 minutes covered, without browning. 2. Add the butternut squash, ginger juice, nutmeg and a little seasoning. Cover and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent browning.

Spot the 10 changes and you could win £25 in gift vouchers. Ring the differences then ask an adult to cut out and send in your entry to the address below. Remember to include your name and address and your age. Contour Homes, Freepost RPAU-JBLE-CUJX, Quay Plaza 2, First Floor Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH

3. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender. 4. Puree the soup in a blender or processor. 5. Reheat to serve and garnish with a swirl of cream, creme fraiche or concentrated soya milk*, sprinkle with a little nutmeg if liked and arrange a criss-cross of chives on the top.

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CONTOUR HOMES

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Last Issue Winners… Winner of the Spot the Difference was Ieva Bickunaite from Salford. Winner of the Word Search was Mr Robert Wilson from Middleton

CONTOUR HOMES

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27


If you have any difficulty reading or understanding this publication, we can provide this copy in large print, Braille, recorded onto tape, or you could request a translation. Please contact our Customer Service Centre on 0845 602 1120 or mail@contourhousing.co.uk

Contour Homes would like to express their appreciation to the following people, without whom this Magazine would not have been possible: Alan Lancaster, Joan Winston, Len Lloyd, Malcolm Shaw, and Eric Riley, Mandy Finch, PC Melanie Caunce, Friends of Limeside Park, PCSO Jimmy Newns, PC Lee Spencer, Jim Poole, Mr and Mrs Reynolds and their family, Residents at Lancaster Court and Edward's Hall, Annette Warick, Helen Arya, Pupils at both Stanley Park Primary School and Limeside Primary School. If you have a comment about the Magazine, our service to you, or any housing related subject we would be delighted to consider it for publication in a future issue of iNside. You can send your contributions to Paul Adamson at Contour Housing Group Limited, Quay Plaza 2, First Floor - Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH. Alternatively you can email them to paul.adamson@contourhousing.co.uk Please, don’t forget to include your name, address & telephone number.

Head Office: Quay Plaza 2, 1st Floor - Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH. Tel: 0845 602 1120. Fax: 0161 745 9393 www.contourhousing.co.uk Contour Homes is an industrial and provident society (registered No. 23607R) with charitable status. A member of the Contour Housing Group.


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