Housing News Winter 2014

Housing News The magazine for South Derbyshire Housing Services’ Customers

Winter 2014

South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel

Festive Competitions and Quizzes!

Maria's the Pride of Britain Gardening Competition Results

Dreamscheme Update

South Derbyshire Changing for the better

Festive Season Opening Times

A Letter from the Chairman of Housing Services

The Civic Offices will close at 4pm on Wednesday, December 24, 2014, and will re-open at 8.45am on Monday, January 5, 2015. Customers will be unable to pay their rent in person or over the telephone via Customer Services during this time. You can still pay online at www.south-derbys.gov.uk/our_website/pay_for_it/default.asp or telephone our automated rent line on 01283 595865.

In this issue...

8 ARCH Annual Tenants’ Conference

3

13

A Letter from the Chairman of Housing Services

Rink Radio

4-5

14-15

Dreamscheme Update

Can You Dig It? Enter your garden now

6-7 Tenant Groups and Panels Update

8 ARCH Annual Tenants’ Conference Building homes for the future

16-17 In memory of Mr Frank Bates and his life of achievements.

9

12 A Clean Sweep

Bob Ledger Tell us your views

10-11

19

Tenants’ Tales Maria Hanson

Children’s Christmas Competition

12 Dreamscheme Projects Helps Birmingham Landlord A Clean Sweep

20

16-17

Fact Finder Quiz

Celebrating a Community Champion

Useful Contacts Customer Services Citizens’ Advice Bureau Contents Insurance Council Tax Homelessness Housing Options Housing Benefits Repairs Right to Buy

01283 595795 01283 210109 01283 595781 01283 595795 01283 595802/4 01283 595778 01283 595795 01283 595808/9 01283 595806

Tenant Participation 01283 595788 Out of hours 01283 221225 emergency line (operated by Careline) Please note that if a call-out is made and found not to be an emergency, it may result in the tenant being recharged the costs.

If you have any problems paying your rent please call your Housing Officer on 01283 595795

As Chairman I work closely with Bob Ledger, my fellow Councillors and with Tenant Representatives to develop the vision for the Council’s Housing Service into the future. We have developed plans setting out how we will maintain and invest in our existing stock, develop the services we provide to you as tenants and how we will plan to build as many new Council homes in the district as we can afford. These plans were approved by Councillors in December and we look forward to seeing the difference this will make for South Derbyshire over the coming years.

Over the past 6 months we have continued to make good progress in delivering the first new Council homes in a generation. As we speak we have 4 schemes moving on site which are scheduled for completion in 2015/2016. These are Coton Park in Linton, Pine Grove in Newhall, Lullington Road in Overseal and Pennine Way in Swadlincote. Another exciting project we have delivered in 2014 has been the refurbishment of the Chatsworth Road garage site in Newhall. The existing site was demolished and we have built 21 new pre-fabricated garages for rent which have had great take up from the local community

18

STAR Survey Housing Performance - Update

I’d like to introduce myself as the new Chairman of Housing Services. Since I became a Councillor in 2007, I have spent a number of years working with the previous Chairman John Lemmon on the Housing and Community Services Committee. I am also involved in Housing as Secretary of the Thomas Cook Almshouses in Melbourne.

2015 promises to be an exciting year for Housing in South Derbyshire. We will continue to provide high standards of service delivery in maintaining and improving your homes.

We will keep you updated on these exciting developments in the next issue of Housing News.

Councillor Jim Hewlett

Chairman of Housing and Community Services

18 Business as usual

E

Send Us Your Letters The Publications Panel has decided to allocate space in all editions of the Housing News for tenants’ letters and where appropriate responses from officers, councillors and tenant representatives. If you have any questions or comments on housing matters, please send them to the Tenant Participation Officer, South Derbyshire District Council, Civic Offices, Civic Way, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0AH or email tp@south-derbys.gov.uk.

Please ensure that questions are brief and no more than 50 words. The Performance and Policy Manager and Publications Panel reserve the right to refuse publication of any letters.

Obtaining alternative versions of this document If you would like help in reading this document phone 01283 585788 or email tp@south-derbys.gov.uk.

This document can also be viewed on our website www.south-derbys.gov.uk Winter 2014 Housing News 2

Winter 2014 Housing News 3

Dreamscheme Feedback with “It was good ce.” my confidend, 10

“I enjoyed everything.”

Wileman, 10

is, 16 Connor Holl

lan Charlotte Gar

“I loved the Dreamschem e and would li ke to do it n ext year. It has r eally benefit ted the village. L aurie and Sharon were amazing!”

Ellie-May

“It was awesome!”

Before

“It was sooo o good!”

Callum Hull, 11

Jay Ward, 6

yed the jo n e y ll a e r I “ g.” spray paintin

“I enjoyed working with Todd the most.”

Lucy Kelly, 10

Tom Barlow, 13

After

Dreamscheme 2014 In August, Housing Services took on a completely different challenge as our main Dreamscheme project.

Teaming up with Overseal Parish Council, 22 Dreamschemers and 11 adult volunteers spent a week with South Derbyshire District Council’s Tenant Participation Officers to transform the village hall and outside area.

Young people aged from 6 to 22 worked from 9am until 4pm each day to paint an IT suite and office at Overseal Village Hall, in Woodville Road.

They also took part in a two-day spray painting workshop with graffiti artist Todd Wood, of Urban Canvas, and designed and spray painted a mural on the old and neglected youth shelter in the field behind the village hall.

As part of the work, the young people had the chance to create their own piece of bespoke artwork, which was displayed in the village hall. The Council’s Waste Cleansing team helped fund a brand new bin near the shelter to replace the old and damaged one, and the Dreamschemers also dug over a piece of disused land next to Overseal Care Home and planted shrubs and plants for the residents to enjoy looking at.

On the last day of the project, a Family Fun Day was held for the Dreamschemers, their families, the project sponsors, community groups and Council staff to showcase the project’s success and say thanks to all involved. Councillor Pat Murray, Chairman of South Derbyshire District Council, presented certificates to the Dreamschemers before volunteers served up a delicious BBQ for everyone to enjoy.

Premier Sports bought an inflatable penalty shoot-out game to keep youngsters occupied, Christina’s School of Winter 2014 Housing News 4

Street performed a dance routine, Rink Radio did a workshop with the young people and recorded sound-bites about Dreamscheme, and Sing for Pleasure performed a repertoire of songs – and got everyone line dancing!

Tenant Participation Officers Laurie Devitt and Sharon Cole said: “Our Dreamschemers old and new should be extremely proud of themselves for the fantastic things they achieved on this project in just five days. They worked hard, stayed focussed, showed incredible creative talent – and really made a difference to Overseal and all the groups and individuals who will go on to use the facilities here.”

The Dreamschemers were rewarded with a trip to Alton Towers.

Our thanks go to: Overseal Parish Council, The South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel, Etwall Community Group, Waste Cleansing, Sid Moore, Urban Canvas, Overseal Gala Committee, Garrandale Ltd, the Council’s Direct Labour Organisation, Masseys, Garden King, Overseal Co-op, O’Neill Electrics Ltd, Dave Bonner, Newton Fallowell (Swadlincote) and Overseal Ward Councillor Steve Frost.

Dreamscheme Tidy-Ups In May 2014, our Dreamschemers also completed tidy-ups at Pear Tree Court, in Etwall, and Unity Close, in Church Gresley. They were rewarded with trips to Swadlincote Ski Centre and Cadbury World.

How does Dreamscheme work?

Dreamscheme rewards you for working within the community, reduces anti-social behaviour, encourages inter-generational working and enables you to gain new skills. For every hour they work, each young person gets 1 point. The points are accumulated and used towards a trip out. Previous trips have included Alton Towers, Drayton Manor, Tamworth Snowdome, go-karting, Laser Quest and Swadlincote Odeon.

Dreamscheme 2015 Date and Time

Venue

Project

9am-5pm: Tuesday, March 31 – Friday, April 3, 2015

Woodville Sk8 Park, in Woodhouse Street

Street Art Project - working with skateboarders to revamp the area

10am-4pm: Monday, August 10 – Friday, August 15, 2015

To be confirmed

Main Dreamscheme Project

4pm-7pm: Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Unity Close, Church Gresley

Christmas Hamper Project – making hampers

9am-5pm: Sunday, December 6, 2015

District-wide

Christmas Hamper Deliveries

If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more, contact Laurie or Sharon on 01283 595788 or email tp@south-derbys.gov.uk Winter 2014 Housing News 5

South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel A review of the South Derbyshire Tenants’ and Residents’ Forum was held earlier this year with tenants to gauge how effective this method of involvement was. It was agreed that rather than running as an independent group, we would amalgamate the Forum with all our other tenant panels and groups. Now called the South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel, all our involved tenants now meet every two months at the Council’s Civic Offices to discuss all Housing-related matters and any policy changes with service area managers. The Panel is facilitated by the Council’s Tenant Participation Officers, who organise the meetings and produce and circulate an action sheet to managers and tenants after every meeting. The Tenants’ Panel and Council officers will be reviewing this new arrangement in Spring 2015. If you would like to have a voice and influence decisions made by Housing Services, call 01283 595788 to find out more.

Community Events Group Members have most recently been working to ensure another successful delivery of the Dreamscheme Christmas Hamper Project for the fourth year running. Panel members helped to gain sponsorship and goods for the hampers, helped to make them up and gave up a Sunday to help deliver them with Dreamschemers to 30 households across the district. The group works in partnership with Housing Services to organise all our main community events, including Dreamschemes, our annual gardening competition Can You Dig It, and any consultation sessions we run. They also help us to identify one-off community projects in areas where they are needed.

Membership to this group is open to anyone living in South Derbyshire.

Performance & Scrutiny Panel The Panel continues to work with the Council’s Performance and Projects Officers to review performance data across Housing Services and identify areas for improvement. In October 2014, the Panel reviewed Housing’s performance data for Quarter 1 (April-June 2014) and Quarter 2 (JulySeptember 2014). In November 2014, members met to specifically discuss the Panel’s remit, how to move the group forward and what projects it will be focusing on in 2015. We will update you via the Council’s website, our Housing Facebook page and in the Spring Housing News.

Winter 2014 Housing News 6

Voids Standards Mystery Shopping Tenant volunteers have taken on a new challenge on behalf of South Derbyshire District Council to ensure we receive accurate feedback about the standard in which we let our homes. Our volunteers are telephoning all new tenants who have moved in 6 to 8 weeks before to ask 10 questions about the standard of the accommodation when they moved in. They include questions about general cleanliness, staff and facilities.

This project started in mid-September 2014 so we are unable to provide any accurate figures yet. We will be reviewing the project in March 2015 and will update you on our website, in the Housing News and via Facebook and Twitter.

Publications Panel The Panel has again worked hard with officers to produce a ‘new-look’ 2013-14 Annual Report, which was published and delivered to 3,050 households and leaseholders in October 2014. The report features new colour-coded sections, with our graphic designer moving away from a Housing News-type layout, to make it a more distinctive and stand-alone publication with a ‘report’ feel. Panel member Derek Rogers said: “I’m really impressed with this year’s Annual Report. I like the colour codes, which makes it easier to find things. It is a very informative document.”

The Panel has also been working to produce this edition of the Housing News, and will continue to work with us on any publications Housing Services produce.

Your Opinion Matters Get Involved If you are interested in finding out more about any of the above panels or groups, or want more information about how to get involved with Housing Services, you can contact us by: •

Telephoning Laurie Devitt or Sharon Cole on 01283 595788

•

Emailing tp@south-derbys.gov.uk

•

Visiting our Facebook page at SDDC-Housing-Services

•

Tweeting @SDDC

Winter 2014 Housing News 7

ARCH Annual Tenants’ Conference

STAR Survey

Members of the South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel joined more than 100 other tenants from across the country to attend a popular housing conference.

We last conducted the STAR Survey (Survey of Tenants And Residents) in August 2012. The STAR Survey helps Housing Services to understand where we are performing well and also identify areas we need to improve on.

The annual ARCH Tenants’ Conference, which had the theme ‘Putting Tenants First’, was held at Birmingham City Council House on September 18, 2014. The event saw 140 delegates and speakers attend from 38 ARCH member councils and partner organisations – to make this year’s conference one of the most successful yet.

For the eighth year running, the ARCH Tenants’ Group, of which South Derbyshire District Council tenant Dave Bown is a member, organised the conference for the tenants of the ARCH member councils.

They worked with the Chartered Institute of Housing events team and HouseMark to plan the venue, the programme and speakers.

During the event members of the group chaired workshops and registered delegates to ensure that the event ran smoothly.

The workshops explored developing a tenants’ manifesto, how to complain effectively, and tenants’ rights and responsibilities, and delegates also had the opportunity to network with tenants from other authorities.

South Derbyshire District Council’s Overseal Dreamscheme Project also featured as part of a display at the conference showcasing the achievements of member organisations.

South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel member Becky Cox said: “We were given the opportunity to develop a tenants’ manifesto based on our top 10 housing priorities/ reforms, which ARCH will be taking to the Housing Minister before the next General Election. It is great that events like this, which give tenants a collective voice and a chance to share information and ideas, are supported by so many social housing landlords.”

How to Complain

The ARCH Tenants’ Group has produced a booklet giving social housing tenants advice on how to complain to their landlord.

It gives tenants a range of information including what a complaint is, how to complain properly and how to work with their landlord effectively to resolve any issues.

More information is available by emailing info@arch-housing.org.uk.

In 2012 65% (1,958) of tenants completed and returned their surveys to us – a very high rate compared to other landlords.

The results from the STAR Survey in 2012 confirmed that Housing Services was achieving high performance across all of the seven core satisfaction questions. 92% of tenants were satisfied with the services provided. Only 4% of tenants were dissatisfied.

We intend to conduct the STAR survey again in the summer of 2015. For the first time ever, our tenants’ top 10 issues will also be fed directly in to the Housing and Environmental Service Plan for 2016/17.

The Service Plan is a key document which details how Housing Services has performed over the year and outlines what our aims are for the forthcoming year.

We hope as many of you as possible will complete and return your surveys so that we can continue to provide services that meet your needs and aspirations.

The survey results were presented to the Performance and Scrutiny Panel - a Panel of tenants which scrutinises Housing’s performance. The Panel reviewed the results from the survey and selected the top 10 tenant issues where improvements were needed. These areas for improvement were subsequently presented to the Housing Management team to consider.

Housing Performance - Update Performance management is integral to the success of Housing Services. In order to ensure Housing Services continues to deliver a high performing service to our tenants the Senior Housing Management Team set challenging targets against 53 key performance indicators at the start of the financial year. These indicators span across the entire Housing Service.

Some of the excellent performance achieved so far includes:

Building homes for the future South Derbyshire Tenants, Councillors and Housing staff have been meeting as part of a Housing Revenue Account Working Group to develop a business plan for the management of the authority’s housing assets and financing the necessary investments including new build activity. It is the key element in ensuring the effective short and long-term management and maintenance of the council housing stock.

We continue to be well placed in housing management terms in that our services are good, low cost and well regarded by you.

Winter 2014 Housing News 8

The working group produced the draft plan in October 2014 and it was approved by Members in December 2014. It is now available on the Council’s website.

This new plan is primarily focussed in what resources can be freed up for new build and we will look to build around an additional 110 homes alongside the 50 we currently have in development. The challenge is that our Housing Revenue Account resources are tight in the next few years. Our financial capacity to help with the provision of large numbers of new build is 10 or more years away but our demand for additional housing is here today.

The Careline Team took a staggering 21,823 phone calls between April and September and answered 22,149 (98.5%) of them in 30 seconds or less.

It is currently taking the Housing Team 18 days to re-let an empty property. This includes the time it takes to carry out any repair work that is required and advertise and allocate the property.

The repairs team received 548 questionnaires from tenants who were satisfied with the repairs completed on their homes. 97% of our tenants are either satisfied or very satisfied with the repairs completed by our tradesmen.

All of our performance information is reported on a quarterly basis on the South Derbyshire District Council website. If you have any questions about Housing Performance please contact either Clare Booth or Jenny Doughty, Performance & Project Officers on 01283 228746 or e-mail clare.booth@south-derbys.gov.uk or jenny. doughty@south-derbys.gov.uk

Winter 2014 Housing News 9

Maria’s the Pride of Britain

“The awards ceremony was amazing,” said Maria.

“I met Bruce Forsyth in the lift and told him he was my favourite, like he tells all the couples on Strictly – and he laughed; he was fantastic.

But what made it for me was meeting the Invictus British Games Armed Forces Team who won a Special Recognition Award” The day after the ceremony, which was held in London, Maria and the other Pride of Britain winners and finalists were invited to meet Prime Minister David Cameron at Number 10 Downing Street.

meningitis – I really don’t see myself as one of the people who could reach the finals for a Pride of Britain Award.”

Since being featured in the Housing News two years ago, South Derbyshire District Council tenant Maria Hanson is busier than ever with her charity, Me & Dee. Set up 8 years ago in memory of her beloved cousin, Delia, she tells us how the work she does to give hope to adults and children with lifelimiting illnesses has been recognised for a national Pride of Britain Award.

She also talks about why she is changing the charity’s name to secure its long-term future.

“Standing there with people who have lost limbs, a soldier who spent two and-a-half years in hospital after being severely burned in the line of duty in his tank – and the man who discovered the glass test for Winter 2014 Housing News 10

The mum-of-two, who turned 60 in September, was named as the East Midlands Regional Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards in October 2014, after being nominated by Rose Unwin, a Me & Dee volunteer. While she didn’t win ITV’s Local Fundraiser of the Year category, she was still thrilled to be nominated for the accolade.

“ITV called me and said they needed to come and film me for Pride of Britain, and arrived the next day.

I had no idea I’d even been nominated,” said Maria. “I was up against three other charities for the award – Macmillan, the County Air Ambulance and the Anthony Nolan Trust. There was no possibility in my mind that I would win against all these major national charities. So when I did, it was total disbelief.”

The judging panel said they chose Maria as the East Midlands finalist because she is hands-on despite her ill-health and has achieved all she has with a very small band of helpers compared to the millions of volunteers who help the other charities.

Since setting up Me & Dee in 2006, Maria has raised over £250,000 and helped over 1,000 families by providing treats including being a princess for the day, race car experiences and meeting their favourite footballers.

The charity also provides comfort packs for families whose loved-ones are admitted to hospital for a stay.

The work she does, says Maria, gives people hope and special memories to hold on to in the face of incredible hardship, sadness and tragedy. However, after a huge increase in demand for the services it provides, she is appealing for local businesses to step up and pledge their support to secure Me & Dee’s future.

“Me & Dee cannot run without 80 hours a week of work, and is costing £30,000 a year to keep going,” she said.

Therefore, Maria has decided, in consultation with her family and Delia’s, to rename Me & Dee The Maria Hanson Foundation.

The new structure will see a corporate Trustee Board – Greenbank’s Managing Director, Charles Conroy, financial consultant Kevin Moody and Sharon Cox, who owns Essential Print, in Derby. Under The Maria Hanson Foundation umbrella, will be several branches focusing on each section of the charity – fundraising, events, and volunteering.

“The idea is to have one person with the relevant experience to co-ordinate each area and to recruit and manage volunteers with relevant skills,” Maria explained. “This will enable me to do the corporate networking to get new businesses on board for sponsorship – and, the most important aspect for me, to allow me to continue what I started Me & Dee for in the first place – spending time supporting the families.”

Some exciting projects are getting off the ground as part of the revamped structure – fundraising packs enabling people to organise, advertise and run their own events for the Foundation, The 100 Club and the Me & Dee Angels volunteer group.

“The 100 Club is an exclusive group of businesses who have pledged to give £200 a year to provide one family with a seaside holiday. We have to raise £15,000 a year for three caravans in Mablethorpe, £3,000 for huts and £200 per holiday, so I’m exploring how we can do this. I tell businesses it costs them £20 a week. We have 11 so far, so need 89 more by the end of February 2015.”

As part of this, businesses will have the exclusive use of the charity’s new logo, a badge, a quarterly newsletter updating them on where their money has been spent, and an annual event to say thank you. So far this year, Maria has provided 82 families with holidays and is planning to continue visiting to make sure the accommodation and surrounding facilities meet the families’ needs. She’s also hoping to extend the scheme to former servicemen and women.

Maria is also moving her charity’s base from Melbourne to Derby. The money that she is saving on rent through the move has also enabled Maria to take on a paid events organiser for nine hours a week.

“People are at the heart of Me & Dee, and if I couldn’t continue to run it through the Maria Hanson Foundation in a way that I wanted, well it just wouldn’t happen. It’s about these families, giving them some normality, hope and dignity.”

More information is available by emailing info@meanddee.co.uk, or visiting www.mariahansonfoundation.co.uk.

Winter 2014 Housing News 11

Tenants living in two supported housing schemes in South Derbyshire say they are finally happy to use their community rooms again thanks to their new cleaner.

Newlands Close and Unity Close residents, in Church Gresley have been singing the praises of Housing Services’ cleaning supervisor, Stephanie Thornley, after transforming the scheme’s communal areas from fusty to fantastic.

After the 2012 STAR Survey highlighted that 72% of tenants were dissatisfied with the cleanliness of internal communal areas, the Council’s tenant-led Performance & Scrutiny Panel identified this area as one for improvement.

Dreamscheme Projects Help Birmingham Landlord Officers from a housing association in Walsall have asked South Derbyshire District Council to help launch their first Dreamscheme.

CaldmoreAccord’s Customer Engagement Officer, Nazir Ahmed, visited the authority in October 2014 to find out how it organises and delivers Dreamschemes, after seeing a YouTube video diary of Housing Services’ 2013 Open Space Project in Etwall.

Winter 2014 Housing News 12

Since Stephanie began working for South Derbyshire District Council earlier this year, tenants have really been noticing the difference.

Ivy Pearce, from Newlands Close, said: “We have a great new cleaner now. I’m really impressed with her standards.”

Her neighbour, Helen Garner, said: “Since the new cleaner started the standard of cleaning has changed.

The room smells clean and fresh, not old and musty. I no longer have to deep clean the kitchen.”

Ann Holmshaw, from Unity Close, said: “She really is fantastic. She even moves the piano to clean behind it!”

Stephanie and her team of 11 cleaners are also responsible for cleaning the Council’s Civic Offices, the Council’s depot, in Darklands Road, Swadlincote Town Hall, the Civic Offices and Kendricks Close, in Hartshorne.

The Council’s Tenant Participation Officers, Laurie Devitt and Sharon Cole, met with Nazir and two of CaldmoreAccord’s Housing Officers at Overseal Village Hall, to show them the results of their latest Dreamscheme. After also seeing the work done at Unity Close, in Church Gresley, they discussed ideas for a Dreamscheme in Walsall.

Laurie and Sharon said: “We gave Nazir advice on a range of issues, including how to identify the need for a Dreamscheme project, consulting with tenants, recruiting young people and adult volunteers, gaining sponsorship and advertising and marketing.

“They have invited us to visit to see the work they do in Walsall, which we are looking forward to. It is always very useful to share information and best practice with other social housing landlords and look at whether we can use it to improve the service we provide to our tenants.”

When Housing News last caught up with Midway tenant Dylan Jones in 2013, he spoke of his ambition to create South Derbyshire’s first online community radio station. Well, what a difference a year makes!

Dylan and fellow radio enthusiast, Jason Cockerill, have now teamed up to create South Derbyshire Community Media. As part of this, the pair launched Rink Radio in the summer. They run the not-forprofit station from premises in George Holmes Way, Swadlincote, and manage a group of volunteers, including DJs, to provide information and promote local events across the district.

continue to work with schools so pupils can record their own material.”Along with Rink Radio, which primarily serves the over-25s, there are three other strands that the pair hopes to develop under the South Derbyshire Community Media umbrella – Voice Radio, social media advice and a digital hub.

“We really want to expand our schools service and improve literacy through broadcasting, which is something we are looking at with Burton and South Derbyshire College and Derbyshire County Council’s Youth Forum through Voice Radio,” explains Dylan.

“We have also got a commercial and marketing manager who is looking at helping businesses to use social media more effectively to promote themselves. In the future we’re also hoping to set up a digital hub for the whole community to use.”

The pair says the venture has been a labour of love – but that they are steadily gathering a loyal listener base.

Jason says: “We need to look at ways of bringing revenue in to the station, because all of us are volunteers.

“When people listen, they stay,” says Dylan. “It’s because there’s local adverts and local content. We also have a few regular presenters now, including Mark Bolton, who presents a Sunday morning show.

He’s well-known in South Derbyshire, and some people tune in just to listen to him.”

“Media is changing all the time and we want the community and other agencies, like the Police, the CAB and South Derbyshire District Council, to come and use this great resource.”

Rink Radio recently had a much-needed £9,000 funding boost from Awards for All. Dylan says: “We’ve kitted out our production studio so we can pre-record links and interviews, and we also

For more information about Rink Radio, and to listen online, visit rinkradio.co.uk.

Winter 2014 Housing News 13

This year, the annual gardening competition Can You Dig It saw a large number of entries, all of which were of a high standard making judging this year’s competition very challenging.

The Winners

The Runners Up

Best Front Garden – Peter Clough, Melbourne

Best Front Garden – Brian Hutson, Melbourne

Tenant judge Wendy Bruce said: “The gardens this year were as good, if not better than previous years, making it difficult to judge. It took the three of us hours to agree on the winners and runners up for each category as we had different views. We hope to see more entries in 2015 so please enter or nominate your neighbours.”

Best Rear Garden – Pauline Ferris, Newhall

Best Rear Garden – David & Catherine Ryles, Weston on Trent

The competition was open to all South Derbyshire District Council tenants and is designed to recognise those going above and beyond to spruce up their homes and communities.

Most Improved Garden – Sarah Eames, Midway

Winners and runners up in 10 categories were presented with prizes during a ceremony attended by South Derbyshire District Council Chairman Pat Murray at Swadlincote Town Hall.

Best Tubs, Pots and Baskets – Walter Hall, Church Gresley

Best Vegetable Garden – David Godfrey, Repton Best Small Garden – Eric Fairbrother, Church Gresley Children’s Category – Lucie Eames, Midway

Best Garden Feature – Andrew and Doreen Pegg, Hartshorne

Best Vegetable Garden – Gerald Hudson, Hartshorne Best Small Garden – Janet Orme, Swadlincote Most Improved Garden – Joan Orme, Midway Best Tubs, Pots and Baskets – Sean Wilson, Hartshorne Best Garden Feature – Lisa Hardy, Netherseal Best Communal Garden – Joan McCarthy & Margaret Scullion, Etwall

Best Communal Garden – Mick Wain, Church Gresley Highly Commended Garden Feature – Judy Guest, Midway

We are now planning the launch of our 2015 competition.

No matter how big or small your garden, young or old, thriving vegetable patches to manicured lawns, we welcome all entrants. If you would like to enter or you are unsure which category best suits your garden then please call 01283 594788 or email tp@south-derbys.gov.uk.

Winter 2014 Housing News 14

Winter 2014 Housing News 15

CELEBRATING THE LIFE

which he then went on to show. Verona smiled as she told the story of how they would pull up with her in a car with caravan and Frank on a flatbed lorry with tractors on the back. Frank then went on to sell these tractors ready for his new venture.

COMMUNITY CHAMPION

From this, he purchased a 42 keyless fairground organ called ‘Verona’s Windmill’ which the pair took to many steam rallies across the country including one in Anglesey.

Enjoying their regular visits to a friend there, Frank and Verona decided they would relocate to Anglesey.

However, there was only one rally each year so Frank and Verona took to the markets selling baby knits and demonstrating the fair organ to make ends meet. There was also very little work in Anglesey for them so they decided to sell the organ to Commander John Baldock in London and it was placed in a steam museum. With Verona’s health also deteriorating they decided to move back to Newhall.

OF A

Housing News went out to speak to Verona Bates the widow of Frank Bates to get an insight into his amazing and colourful life and their long happy marriage together.

Frank’s next venture was setting up a caravan trailer club, called ‘The Vale of Trent’, which is still thriving now. Frank and Verona were involved with the set-up and administration of this group as volunteers, and Frank and Ian always provided entertainment for the members.

From this they started discos in Newhall for youngsters during the week, which were always greatly anticipated.

Frank was born in Linton in 1935. He first met his wife, Verona, as they both played darts and dominos against each other in the pub that Frank’s parents ran. They fell for one another - or Verona fell for Frank’s car, which was a 1934 Baby Rolls. “It was the car I liked not Frank!” she joked. The pair married in June 1956 and had two children, a son born in 1958 and a daughter in 1962. The family lived in Meadow Lane, Newhall.

Frank also had a steam engine that he took to steam rallies. He spent hours making good a Baby Alice Tractor along with a Field Marshall Series D Walker Plant Hire,

Frank was well-known for his hobbies which started with scrambling in 1970. He built a go-kart and started a club at Cannock Waters, which he and his family enjoyed for a few years.

Frank then decided he would purchase a canal barge. He and his son, Ian, travelled to Burton to collect their new boat that was moored at Findern, until they moved to a mooring near Horninglow.

Winter 2014 Housing News 16

Frank became interested in trikes and decided to buy a dodgem (bumper car) and an engine from a Kawasaki to build one. He and his trike became well-known after he was filmed by Sky for Quest at Bretby Country Club for ‘A bike is born – Trike’. After this Verona had a trike built called ‘Bo’s Bobbers’ and they used to go around the country trophy hunting at bike and trike rallies.

It was after this that Frank and Verona became involved with the Unwanted Motorcycle Club, in Shobnall, through which they fundraised for the National Association for Disabled Bikers and the Air Ambulance. In the 12 years they were a part of this group, they raised thousands of pounds for charity and helped disadvantaged children through the Easter Egg Run and Christmas Run. Their daughter now carries on her dad’s legacy and has a trophywinning trike.

In 2006, Frank turned his hand to gardening and entered South Derbyshire District Council’s Gardening Competition, getting a highly commended award for his water feature. In 2013, Frank entered the competition again – and won the Best Garden Feature category for his amazing model railway and sights of South Derbyshire, which he made by hand and lovingly maintained all year round.

He started working on a model of Moira Furnace but when he became ill was sadly unable to complete it before he passed away. Unfortunately, Verona had to sell the railway and Frank’s organ to cover the cost of her beloved husband’s funeral. However, his legacy lives on in the hundreds of people whose lives were touched by this true community champion.

Winter 2014 Housing News 17

Business as usual for Housing Director of Housing and Environmental Services Bob Ledger is keen to make one thing clear – although he is leaving South Derbyshire District Council, it is definitely business as usual.

Bob, who was first appointed as Housing Manager in 2003, is leaving this month to become Lincoln City Council’s Director of Housing and Community Services.

He said: “I will always hold South Derbyshire in great affection. The positive changes that we have seen in both the Council and the Community over the years have been immense – and I’m sure things will continue to develop here in the future.

As for the Housing Service the improvements we’ve made have been through a partnership with our tenants and wherever possible we’ve incorporated their views in to service developments”.

Etwall tenant Dave Bown, who represents the Council on the national ARCH Tenants’ Group, said: “Bob positively encourages tenants to participate. He has always made time to attend Tenants’ Panel meetings and goes to great lengths to answer our queries and explains how our rent is spent.

He is well respected in housing circles both locally and nationally and is a hard act to follow.”

Children’s Christmas

Competition

All our young tenants aged between 2 and 12 can get creative and decorate this festive scene to be in with a chance of winning a £10 voucher.

Use glitter, stickers, glue and felt pens and any other craft items you can to create a colourful and vibrant picture. The best picture will be selected by an independent judge.

win £10 of Vouchers

Tell us your views to win £25 of shopping vouchers An initiative to encourage South Derbyshire District Council tenants to give us their feedback is finally paying off.

expected to continue for the foreseeable future until returns reach an acceptable level.

Renuvo, which provides tenants with a central heating and gas maintenance and repairs service on behalf of the Council, has launched a monthly voucher giveaway to encourage tenants to return their customer satisfaction surveys following any completion of works.

The 87-year-old, who has been a South Derbyshire District Council tenant for 54 years, said: “I never win anything, so I wasn’t expecting this. I always return my satisfaction questionnaire; it’s really important to let the Council know whether or not you’re happy with the service – and I have never had any complaints about contractors.”

All those tenants who complete a survey after an annual gas safety check, gas repair appointment or a replacement heating appointment are automatically entered in to a prize draw to win £25 of Love to Shop vouchers. One is then selected at random by a member of Housing Services’ Improvements team and contacted to collect the vouchers.

Since its launch in March 2014, the scheme has seen survey returns increase from 139 between April and October 2013, to 432 in the same period this year. The scheme is Winter 2014 Housing News 18

Tenant Denis Johnson won after completing a satisfaction survey following an annual gas safety check at his Swadlincote home.

Renuvo’s Operations Director, Lawrence Toth, said: “It is very important to receive feedback from our customers so we can continually improve our service. It’s also paramount that we know our engineers are doing the job that we pay them to do.”

More information about Renuvo’s voucher scheme is available by telephoning the Council’s Heating Project Officer, Mark Walster, on 01283 595925.

Name and age: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Send your entry to (postage is free): FREEPOST RTHU-RKKL-UXYY, Housing Services, South Derbyshire District Council, Civic Offices, Civic Way, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 0AH by 5pm on Wednesday, January 8, 2014, or bring your entry in to our offices. The judge’s decision is final.

Winter 2014 Housing News 19

Fact Finder Quiz

Read your Housing News from cover to cover to find all the answers to the questions below to be in with a chance of winning £25 of vouchers.

win £25 of Vouchers

1. Name the South Derbyshire District Council contractor who has launched a voucher giveaway this year. ___________________________________________________ 2. When does the Civic Offices re-open after the Christmas period? ______________________________________________________________ 3. What is Dylan Jones’ community radio station called? ______________________________________________________________ 4. How often does the South Derbyshire Tenants’ Panel meet? ______________________________________________________________ 5. How many categories were there in the 2014 Can You Dig It gardening competition? __________________________________________________________________________ 6. What was the theme of this year’s ARCH Tenants’ Conference? __________________________________________________________________________ 7. How old do you have to be to take part as a young Dreamscheme volunteer? __________________________________________________________________________ 8. How many key performance indicators does Housing Services have? _________________________________________________________________ 9. What is the full title of the recent award given to Maria Hanson? ________________________________________________________ 10. How many Dreamschemes is Housing Services running in 2015? ________________________________________________________

Name: _______________________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________ Telephone: _______________________________ Email: _______________________________ Send your entries to: Freepost FREEPOST RTHU-RKKL-UXYY, Housing Services, South Derbyshire District Council, Civic Offices, Civic Way, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 0AH by 5pm on Wednesday, January 14, 2015. Entries with the most correct answers will be placed in a hat and the lucky winner chosen at random and contacted. The Judge’s decision is final.

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