Keeping in Touch

Winter 2011

The Newsletter for SYHA Residents

In this issue: Page 2 Contacting SYHA over the festive break Page 3 Welcome to Barbara and former HOME Group residents Page 4 Farewell to John Belcher Cover feature: The Options service at work

Page 5 Apprenticeship opportunities Page 8 Leaseholders Corner Page 10 Care and Supported Housing news Page 14 - 15 Competitions

seasons

SYHA News Cover story:

Support tailored to fit your lifestyle?

What’s that all about ?

A few words from our Options Manager, Phil Parkes

Recently I recruited some new staff to work for our Options service. I was grateful that two of our residents at White Willows agreed to help with the recruitment.

I asked our residents what would they want from someone who worked at our Options service? I thought the answers may have been to turn up on time, be polite, neat and tidy and work hard. These answers would all have been very valid. The actual answer was ‘not to look bored’ and not to ‘treat me as a vegetable with white hair’.

I hope at Options we will always remember this and will always work hard to remember that everyone we support is a real person, with their own story and dreams.

SYHA launched Options 18 months ago and it is our fully ‘personalised’ service.

This means we work with our customers to offer them a complete package of support which is personal to them. Our customers are asked what they want from their support and when they want their support to be. Currently, we support our One of our Options customers receiving support to prepare a meal

customers by reminding them to take their medication, accompanying them to the shops, supporting them to get fit at the gym and helping with the preparation of meals.

We also offer a cleaning service.

If you feel this service could benefit you or a loved one ask your local authority if you qualify for a ‘personal budget’ or ‘individual budget’. If you do they should give you a choice of providers. Alternatively, you can also pay directly for most of our support services. If you or someone you know wants more information about Options please email options@syha.co.uk.

You can always write to the service: Options, 43-47 Wellington Street, Sheffield, S1 4HF. We are always looking for people to help us deliver the Options service. If you are good with people, care passionately about people and feel you can make a real difference please email your details to options@syha.co.uk Finally, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and remind you that if you currently receive support, and the person who delivers this support looks bored, it might be time to think about a change.

Would you or someone you know benefit from more options?

At Options we offer support flexible to your needs, designed around you.

Our prices start from £12.50 per hour.

Our Options staff are: l Enhanced Poilce check l Fully trained.

Ring 0114 2900 250 or email options@syha.co.uk for further information and to arrange an appointment to speak with one of the team.

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greetings and best wishes for the New Year from all of the staff at SYHA.

Contacting SYHA over the festive break Our Wellington Street office is closed for only a couple of days over the festive break. We close at 5pm on Friday 23rd of December and reopen after the bank holiday, on Wednesday 28th of December. We close again at 5pm on Friday 30th of December and reopen on Tuesday the 3rd of January 2012.

If you have an emergency repair whilst the office is closed, please ring our emergency free phone repairs number 0800 1380 580.

Changing Chairs In September we bid farewell to Narendra Bajaria CBE and welcomed Barbara Walsh as SYHA’s new Chair of the Board of Management.

Barbara is our ninth Chair and has been on our Board for the past three years. Her experience as a former NHS Chief Executive, and her involvement in school governance and neighbourhood mediation has prepared Barbara well for the new leadership position.

We took a sneaky peek into the life of Barbara and asked her a few questions: When you were a child, what did you dream of being when you grew up?

I didn’t think in terms of a career, I wanted to have my own family.

What was your first proper job?

After University I became an internal auditor at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington, a great way to find out how the place worked.

Changes to our lettings policy We have recently reviewed our lettings policy which determines how we let our empty homes and who to.

As part of the review, we gathered thoughts and opinions from SYHA customers and we used these to design the new policy. One of the key messages was that you would like us to look at how we can help when our tenants want to move to a different SYHA home.

We find that there are all sorts of reasons why tenants might want to move. They may be overcrowded or have too much space, or simply want to move to a different area.

The good news is that our new policy gives preference to our existing tenants who wish to move, particularly when they have a housing need.

Four out of every five properties we let in an area will be made available first to our tenants who have a housing need and are on our transfer list.

One out of every five will be made available first to tenants on our transfer list who are looking to move but have no specific housing need.

We hope the new policy will help more people on our transfer list to find another SYHA home.

As part of the review, we have tried to make our policy clearer and easier to understand.

You can look at the policy on our website www.syha.co.uk or you can get in touch with us for a copy or for help and advice on moving home using the contact details on page 15.

How do you get away from the stresses of working life?

Walking with the dogs.

Are you a cook?

I’m the day-in-day-out one. I leave the glory stuff to my other half, but we love food in our house.

What would be the best piece of advice you could give?

Live every day to your best.

What was the best piece of advice you ever received?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Retirement – when will it be and what will you do?

Well, this is it, but I am as busy as ever, and really enjoying the stuff I do now.

Welcome to our new residents who have transferred from HOME SYHA has recently purchased 85 properties from the Home Group and will be taking on a further 165 in the near future. The properties are located in Rotherham, Doncaster, Chesterfield and Bolsover. These are areas we know well as we already manage properties in these places.

HOME residents were part of the selection process to decide who would take on

the properties and SYHA was the chosen organisation.

This is the first edition of Keeping in Touch since the transfer was completed and we are delighted to be welcoming all our new tenants and leaseholders who have transferred from HOME to SYHA. Our aim has been to make the transfer as smooth as possible.

Our Customer Panel helped us by telling us what they thought was important when welcoming a new tenant.

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We used their comments to guide the way we communicated information about the transfer. Kath Chambers who is our SYHA Tenant Board Champion said: ‘It is great to welcome the former HOME residents to SYHA and I hope their experience with SYHA will be enjoyable.’

If you are a former HOME tenant or leaseholder and you have any questions or concerns please get in touch using the contact details on page 15.

SYHA News

Employment, education and training for young people

A farewell to John Belcher, SYHA’s founding Director John Belcher, SYHA’s founding Director, sadly passed away on Sunday 16th of October aged 79.

John, who was the first member of staff and founding Director of SYHA, started the organisation in 1972 with nothing but a second-hand typewriter and the use of the local, Bolton-on-Dearne, telephone box. John went on to work at the association for 23 years – growing the housing stock from nothing at all to 3,500 affordable homes for local people.

John had been so moved by the 1966 BBC drama ‘Cathy Come Home’, the plight of the homeless, those affected by it and also the lack of solutions offered at that time by the welfare-state, that he was drawn to apply for the job of Housing Director. With the help

At the last count, Yorkshire and the Humber was the region with the third highest proportion of 1624 year-olds not in employment, education or training.

of the housing charity Shelter and the local authority, John bought run-down properties in Sheffield and improved them for letting to homeless families at prices they could afford.

Many of our long-standing staff worked with John and have fond memories of him as a leader, work colleague and friend. Russell Wright, a member of SYHA staff said: ‘I count myself privileged to have worked with John Belcher for almost 20 years and both I and many of my colleagues were inspired by him. The positive impact John made is still remarkably relevant today. John loved us, and we loved him.’

John’s successor Tony Stacey, SYHA’s current Chief Executive reflected: ‘John’s original vision continues to guide us today. Regrettably, the need for good-quality affordable housing for people who can’t buy their own home or afford spiralling private rents is as great today as it was when John retired. His memory and mission live on.’

In the last 12 months, SYHA has helped 38 young people find education, employment or training. This includes 17 apprenticeships, 5 work experience placements and 16 Future Jobs funded positions for young people not in work, education or training.

The skills and employment opportunities were provided to the young people as part of the new housing developments we have worked on in the last year.

The new development sites, spread throughout Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley, each offered different education and employment opportunities including joinery apprenticeships, work experience for university students and employment for sixteen people through Future Jobs funded places.

The Apprentice Not to be confused with Lord Alan Sugar’s TV programme SYHA is looking to recruit 4 of our own apprentices to work in our maintenance and estates teams, based in Sheffield.

Know someone who is aged 16 - 18 and looking for work ?

Interested in being an apprentice?

See article on the right.

Burngreave Building Co. saves the day

Cross Lane, Royston

New homes round up

Parson Cross, Sheffield

Since the last newsletter we have finished building: Eight, 3 and 4 bed homes at Parson Cross in Sheffield.

Twenty-two, 3 and 4 bedroom homes for rent and shared ownership at Cross Lane, Royston in Barnsley.

Ten, 2 and 3 bed homes for rent and shared ownership new homes at Bramah Street, Carlton, Barnsley.

If you are interested in knowing more about the shared ownership homes contact Crucible Homes on 0114 241 3430.

They also have a website which you can find at www.cruciblehomes.co.uk

At SYHA we are proud of our customer service and we ask the same standards from our contractors. A recent incident at Aldersgate Court, Maltby, Rotherham, shows the care one of our contractors, Burngreave Building Company, takes with our customers.

The Burngreave Building Company team was working on the roof and windows of the flats which are for older people. Whilst working they heard residents shouting through a letter box.

They could see the tenant on the floor of her flat, but she wasn’t responding to their shouts.

The team immediately sprang into action to get into the flat and ensure the resident’s safety.

Once the emergency services had left, the team replaced the window, so the property was safe and secure.

Bramah Street, Carlton

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A big thank you to Alan Cooper, Martin Francis and Mark Tucker at Burngreave Building Company for their kindness and quick thinking.

SYHA Apprenticeship Opportunities If you are 16 – 18 years old or you know someone of that age who:l is willing and looking to learn new skills to

help them prepare for work l is reliable and likes seeing things through l enjoys being part of a team and working

with people l is practical and interested in how things

work and how to repair them l likes to work outdoors and in people’s

homes, then these roles could be of interest.

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We will be holding an event in January where, if you are interested, you can talk with us and find out what our apprentices will do.

Apprentices will receive £104 per week, plus a travel allowance to help with getting to and from work and will study towards a recognised qualification. The apprenticeships will last for 2-3 years.

If you are interested please contact us on 0114 2900 200 or send an email to enquiries@syha.co.uk by the 9th January 2012.

SYHA News

Focus on Home Contents Insurance You said, we did…

You said: Mr B from Sharrow in Sheffield said that he felt rushed when picking the design for his new doors.

We did: We have put together a new

Keeping you gas safe At SYHA we want to make sure your gas appliances are safe, so each year we need to do a free gas service check at your home.

The check covers all gas appliances and pipe work fitted by SYHA and a check of any electrically wired smoke alarms. It is carried out by our gas contractors, Liberty Group.

About six weeks before your service is due they will write to you with an appointment.

If you are not going to be home on the appointment date, just give us a call on our free phone 0800 1380 380 to arrange a more convenient time.

Most SYHA customers are in when Liberty call, which makes our job easier and saves money that we can then spend on other things. To say thank you to customers that keep their appointment we now have a prize draw in November and April where you can win £100 in shopping vouchers.

SYHA staff and contractors carry identification. Make sure you ask to see this before letting anyone into your home. If you have any reason to doubt the identity of a caller give us a ring to check.

And finally, with Christmas fast approaching many of us like to decorate our homes for the festive season. But, with the number of house fires caused by faulty Christmas lights, we would like to remind you to test your smoke alarms and make sure that they are working whether they are electrically wired or battery operated. If your think yours isn’t working please call our free phone repairs line on 0800 1380 380 or text REPAIRS to 63333.

SYHA Customer Improvement Panel work with SYHA to produce this newsletter

We did: We have set up a service

You said: Ms G & Mr B from Herringthorpe, Rotherham after an attempted break in said that there was no sensor light on the back of the property which they felt might have deterred the burglars.

LiveGreen and reduce your energy bills

To get your free SYHA LiveGreen pack get in touch using the contact details on page fifteen.

The pack includes handy hints and tips for reducing the gas, water and electricity usage in your property and provides other useful information for living a greener lifestyle.

Why not save money and save the environment.

We use the replies to improve the service and we will get in touch with you if you have mentioned anything on the survey that we need to respond to.

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However, we can arrange for insurance for the contents of your home at a special affordable rate.

The cover has been designed to help you insure most of your belongings as easily as possible and also covers you against theft, vandalism and fire.

The minimum value of possessions you can insure is £6,000 (£9,000 if you are aged under 60) and premiums start from as little as £2.03 a fortnight (over 60s) and £2.83 a fortnight (under 60s).

Postcode:

Extended accidental damage cover, personal possessions (cover away from the home), hearing aids, wheelchairs and buildings cover for sheds, garages and greenhouses are also available for an additional premium.

Telephone Number: Tick here if you would like to receive more information about the home contents insurance scheme.

A.

B.

For tips on how to have a greener Christmas see the article on page 11.

Mrs Phillips

We enter every returned survey into a 3-monthly prize draw to win £50 in High Street Vouchers. Congratulations to the winner of the most recent draw, Mrs Phillips from Greasbrough, Rotherham.

You have to be in it to win it so make sure you return your survey to be in with a chance of winning the next draw.

EASY READ

Your furniture, decorations and other belongings are not insured by SYHA. So, if you haven’t thought properly about insurance cover, you could be in for a shock.

The following organisations provide help and advice in cutting your utility costs and managing your bills: Energy Saving Trust: 0800 512 012 www.energysavingtrust.org.uk Home Heat Helpline: 0800 33 66 99 www.homeheathelpline.org.uk Consumer Direct: 08454 04 05 06 www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Repairs satisfaction survey winner Each time we carry out a repair you receive a satisfaction survey to complete asking you how satisfied you were with the experience.

There are seven differences in the two pictures shown below.

Some are easier to spot than others! Can you find them?

Mark them with an X on picture A and tear out this page and return it to South Yorkshire Housing Association Ltd, FREEPOST SF1336, Sheffield, S1 1AY before the 16th of January 2012.

Address:

agreement with the manufacturer so that We did: We have arranged for a sensor future problems are resolved quickly. light to be fitted.

It is no secret that gas and electricity costs have been increasing by record amounts this year. These rising costs may cause you some concern. Apply for our LiveGreen pack to find out how you can save on your utility bills over the difficult winter period.

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find your home full of water or if you came home to find you’d been burgled?

Name:

door catalogue which shows the door choices in more detail.

You said: Mrs A at one of our extra care schemes for older people said that the service received by the out-of-hours contractors was unsatisfactory as they were not able to fix the doors.

Spot the difference competition

CUSTOMER IMPROVEMENT PANEL

Changes to Housing Benefit In the last newsletter we let you know about some potential changes to Housing Benefit which are being proposed by the Government.

One of the main proposed changes is to reduce Housing Benefit if your home has more bedrooms than necessary for

the size of your household. The proposed changes will only apply to people of working age and not to anyone over retirement age.

It is very important in the run up to these changes that if you receive Housing Benefit you make sure that all your children and other people who occupy your home

are included when you claim.

We have been doing some work to see how many SYHA customers might be affected.

We estimate it is between 600 and 700 of our nearly 4000 general needs tenants.

The Government have not yet finalised their proposals and 2013

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may seem a long way off, but we think it is important to make sure any of you who might be affected are properly advised about the changes.

In the next few months we will be contacting the people we think it might affect to give further advice and guidance.

SYHA Involving you

Estate Walkabouts As we mention regularly in our newsletter, our Neighbourhoods Officers carry out regular walkabouts on estates and the dates are publicised on our website.

We love it when residents join us, but even when you don’t the walkabouts are a useful way for our Neighbourhood Officers to help ensure the standards on our estates are being maintained.

Our Neighbourhood Officers use the walkabouts to identify anything that needs tackling.

They will identify and arrange to remove any graffiti or fly tipping, organise litter picking of hotspot areas, deal with problems of untidy gardens and sort out any communal repairs SYHA is responsible for. The walkabouts are there to pick up and sort anything which may be spoiling your enjoyment of the neighbourhood and to look at ways we can make improvements.

You are welcome to join us on any walkabout and please let us know if there is a problem in your area that you think we can help with.

To get in touch with your Neighbourhood Officer use the contact details on page 15.

Cash for your neighbourhood As we approach Christmas it’s often a time of year when communites think about getting together and having a party or celebration.

If you are planning an event which will bring together your neighbours and they or their families are SYHA residents, why not think about applying for one of our neighbourhood grants to help with the costs.

Our neighbourhood grants are available to anyone who wants to do something in their neighbourhood that will benefit SYHA residents.

If you are organising a party or celebration for SYHA residents or you have an idea for a project then get in touch to discuss whether you can apply for funding from SYHA. You can find our contact details on page 15.

SYHA Leaseholders corner The following information is for customers who are leaseholders.

Leasehold Meetings

We met a lot of our leaseholders at We would like to say a big welcome to the the Leasehold Meetings we held in the summer.

Leaseholders that have come to us from We introduced these meetings at the Home Group. You should have received request of some of our leaseholders and your welcome pack in September but we found them to be really successful.

If you pay a variable service charge if you did not receive one, just get in Meeting our customers is an important you will have received the latest set of touch and we will send another one out part of our work and we are enjoying accounts for your scheme in September to you. We also welcome former Home getting to speak to so many of you face to 2011, and we will have invited you to Customers in the article on page three. face. We will be holding another round of come along to a meeting to discuss the meetings in January and February 2012. accounts with Karl and Lizz. All of these Look out for your invite in the post and we meetings have now been held and we look forward to seeing you there. were pleased to see so many people We are always keen to know what you Don’t forget, you don’t need to wait for getting involved. think of our services and by now you will a meeting to speak to us - our contact The accounts are based on the overall have received your Leasehold Satisfaction details are below. spend on a scheme. If we have spent less Survey. If you have not received a survey, than residents have paid during the year, please contact us straight away and we some people may receive a refund. will send you another copy.

If you are due a refund we will be writing If you respond by the deadline of the 16th Email: leasehold@syha.co.uk to you in the near future with details. of December 2011 you will be in with a For Leasehold Management, contact In the meantime if you have any questions, chance of winning one of two £25 High Lizz Cadman on 0114 2702688 just give us a ring; our contact details are Street vouchers. We will publish the two For Service Charge queries, contact lucky winners in the next edition of this at the end of this article.

Karl Drabble on 0114 2900260 newsletter.

We will use the results of this survey to see For queries relating to your rent or support We recently acquired a number of where we need to make improvements to charges for Care and Supported Housing, properties from another Housing the service you receive, so your feedback contact Hanna Bottomley on 0114 2900343 Association called Home Group. is really important.

Update on the Customer Challenge Group In the last newsletter SYHA tenant Martin Phillips from the Challenge Group let you know that the group were about to start their first exercise, looking at the way SYHA carries out planned works such as replacing bathrooms, kitchens, windows and doors.

You may remember the Challenge Group is a group of SYHA customers that was set up this year to look at the way SYHA does things and how it could be improved for customers.

As the planned works exercise is their first exercise, the Group are still finding their feet and working out the best way to do things. So far the exercise has involved looking at programmes and plans, interviewing a Property Services Manager and sending out a survey to customers that have recently had planned works carried out on their homes.

Service Charge Accounts

Welcome Home!

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Our Count Me in Club is a club for SYHA customers that are interested in getting involved with SYHA or in their neighbourhood.

We invite you to get involved with us, tell us how good or bad you think we are doing and to share your opinions to help us improve services.

Getting involved in your neighbourhood is more about improving things in the area where you live.

WIN If you wish to join the club HIG you need to let us know VO H ST UC REEIN what you are interested in HE RS T and how it would suit you to get involved. We then invite you to get involved in the things that you

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have told us interest you. You receive a six-monthly involvement newsletter and you are entered into two draws a year to win £50 in High Street Vouchers.

It is easy to join. You can complete and return the form below, fill it out online on our website www.syha.co.uk, text SYHA to 63333 and we call you back and take details from you or give us a call on 0114 2900 200.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

Mobile:

Email:

Please tick all of the topics below you are interested in: l Local

l Improving

the services SYHA’s customers receive

l Looking

at how SYHA is performing

l Looking

at how SYHA spends money

l Looking

at national issues that affect all housing provider customers else (please tell us what)

Are you interested in getting involved by: (Please tick all that apply)

The Group will soon be using what they have found to come up with recommendations for improvement for the SYHA Management Team. We will give you an update on the exercise in the next newsletter.

In the meantime, if you would like to contact the group you can reach them via Caroline Hubbard, Housing Manager, on 0114 2900 200 or by emailing involvingyou@syha.co.uk.

l Completing

questionnaires sent to you by post

l Completing

questionnaires over the phone

l Completing

questionnaires by text

l Completing

questionnaires by email or on our website

l Going

along to a meeting in your local area

l Going

along to a meeting at SYHA’s Sheffield office

l Someone l By

from SYHA visiting you at home and having a chat with you

helping recruit new staff

l Becoming l In

✔

issues in your neighbourhood

l Something

Leasehold Satisfaction Survey

How to contact the Leasehold Team

Join our club

a mystery shopper or customer inspector

some other way (please tell us how)

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✔

Care & Supported Housing News

SYHA Care & Supported Housing

The wider picture

Tips for a greener Christmas Buy gifts, wrapping paper and cards made from recycled materials, or send e-cards instead.

Residents at Westmeads take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning In October, residents at our Westmeads Extra Care schemes for older people in Barnsley took part in The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan Cancer Support. They enjoyed coffee, biscuits and a raffle and managed to raise £74.

Macmillan Cancer Support helps

improve the lives of people affected by cancer, both those living with cancer and also their families and carers. The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning event started in 1990 and since then it has raised over £60 million for Macmillan Cancer Support.

If you are interested in holding a coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan go to the website coffee.macmillan.org.uk or call 0845 602 1246.

Partying on Dronfield Centenarians Harcourt Road Mary Rawson

In October residents living on Harcourt Road in Sheffield got together to organise a street party.

The local residents and Community Group, including some people living in SYHA homes, got together to organise the party so they could get to know each other better.

SYHA as well as Sheffield University, Zest Health Centre and the Community Police supported or helped to organise the party.

Earlier this year, the residents were experiencing some problems on the street and the local Community Group worked with SYHA to organise skips for a clean up day and to lobby local agencies to tackle some of the issues. The idea for the party came from the people involved in helping tackle the issues.

Margaret McDonald and Dronfield Mayor, Doug Oxspring

Scary goings-on at White Willows The Residents Group at White Willows, one of our Sheffield Extra Care schemes, organised a Halloween ‘Scary’ Party.

Everyone helped to decorate the lounge and café area to look like a scene from a Hammer horror movie and residents dressed in scary costumes.

The café catering staff from Yes2Ventures joined in the fun and Freddie Kruger (Carl the chef), assisted by a witch and a devil, served up a delicious buffet from the café.

Local singer Dennis Vincent provided the entertainment and the party went on well into the night. Residents’ Group Chair Rachel Turton said ‘This year’s event was bigger and better than last year’s and now that White Willows is full to capacity, we hope to organise more fun nights like this, with Christmas being the next big event to concentrate on.’

Organise a ‘swishing party’ and bring your old clothes to swap with your friends so you all have something ‘new’ to wear at Christmas.

Remember your bags when you go to the supermarket for your Christmas shopping. If you have a ‘bag for life’, add it to your shopping list so that you don’t forget it.

Think about buying Christmas lights that are made with light emitting diodes (LEDS) - they last longer and are up to 90 per cent more energy efficient.

Recycle your used batteries - many shops have battery recycling bins, so once the Christmas fun has stopped and the batteries have died pop them back If you would like some tips on how to the shop.

Winter is a hard time for garden birds, so remember to put nuts and bird seed out for them, and water for them to drink.

you can live greener the rest of the year get yourself a SYHA LiveGreen Pack. There are details about how you can get one on page six.

Struggling with debt ?

Are you one of the millions of people across the UK struggling with debt and don’t know where to turn for help.

More and more fee-charging debt companies are springing up, coldcalling and pushing people into expensive debt repayment packages.

But there is plenty of free debt help available from charities like the Consumer Credit Counselling Service.

You can find more information about how they could help you on their website www.cccs.co.uk or by calling their free phone line 0800 138 1111.

Two residents at our extra care scheme Stonelow Court in Dronfield are now centurians. In October Margaret McDonald celebrated her 100th Birthday and Mary Rawson celebrated her 101st birthday in November.

There was a party to celebrate Margaret’s birthday and she received a speech from Doug Oxspring the Mayor of Dronfield and birthday card from the Queen.

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Send your cards, wrapping paper and even your real Christmas tree to your local recycling centre, and take unwanted gifts to a charity shop.

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The wider picture

Winter health & well being Check that you have had your flu jab if you are aged 65 or over, pregnant, have certain medical conditions, or if you are the main carer for an older or disabled person.

Check that you have well-gripping shoes to prevent falls in cold weather; wear several layers of clothes to stay warm; and remain active in your home.

Wash your hands regularly to help prevent the spread of colds and viruses.

Check that you have had your heating and cooking appliances serviced (see the article on page six).

Over to you...

Is there something in particular you would like to read about in the next newsletter?

Would you like to write an article or tell us about something happening in your local area which you think might be of interest to other SYHA customers? Or do you have a top tip or recipe you would like to share?

If you do, please get in touch with us.

We regularly get good feedback about the newsletter like the feedback we received from Mrs Cant from Glossop:

‘The quality of the newsletter is excellent.

Comments and features are so interesting.

You do a great job. You’ve got it right.’

To help us continue to make it a great read, let us know what you would like to read about. You can use the praise or grumble form on the back page to let us know what you think.

Everyone that returns the form is entered into a prize draw to win a £50 High Street Gift Card.

Check the NHS choices website ww.nhs.uk for health guidance on winter ailments (flu, winter vomiting, cold temperatures).

If it gets extremely cold To help you and your family keep warm and well in extremely cold weather: l Keep curtains drawn and doors closed to block out draughts. l Have regular hot drinks and at least one hot meal a day, if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during winter. l Wear several light layers of warm clothes (rather than one chunky layer). l Keep as active as possible. l Wrap up warm if you need to go outside on cold days. l Keep your main living room at around 18-21°C (64-70°F), and the rest of the house at least 16°C (61°F). If you can’t heat all the rooms you use, heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before you go to sleep.

Spotlight on winter safety Clearing snow and ice If the white stuff starts falling this winter and you don’t know whether you should or shouldn’t clear snow yourself, read the following advice provided by the Government.

If you clear snow and ice yourself, be careful that you don’t make the pathways more dangerous by causing them to refreeze.

But don’t be put off clearing paths because you’re afraid someone will get injured.

Remember, people walking on snow and ice have responsibility to be careful themselves.

It’s easier to move fresh, loose snow rather than hard snow that is packed together from people walking on it. So, if possible, start removing the snow and ice in the morning.

If you use water to melt the snow, it may refreeze and turn to black ice. You can prevent black ice by spreading some salt on the area you have cleared. You can use ordinary table salt - a tablespoon for each square metre you clear should work.

Be careful not to spread salt on plants or grass as it may cause them damage.

If you don’t have enough salt, you can also use sand or ash. These won’t stop the path icing over as well as salt, but will provide some grip under foot.

When you’re shovelling snow, take care where you put it so it doesn’t block people’s paths or drains.

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Look out for others Your local council will add grit to roads and pavements in your area and clear snow in winter. For information about where and when your council is gritting local roads, check its website.

If it does get very cold find the time to look out for others. Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be more vulnerable to cold weather. Cold weather is especially dangerous for older people or people with serious illnesses, so check up on them if you can.

Denise’s Bacon and Lentil Soup Serves 2

In the autumn newsletter we gave you a recipe from Denise Boler on our Customer Panel for leek and potato soup. One of our customers, Miss Thirwell from Sheffield, got in touch to say she would like to see a recipe for a winter broth ‘to keep you warm and healthy’. So we went back to Denise and asked her for her favourite winter soup recipe and here it is…

You will need:

Method:

l 2

tablespoons of vegetable oil

l 1

onion finely chopped

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion and bacon.

l 2

rashers of bacon (smoked or plain)

Cook until lightly browned.

l 1

teaspoon of thyme leaves (optional)

Add the thyme leaves, lentils and chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils start to break down.

l 150g l 1.25 l Salt

red lentils

litres of chicken stock & pepper to season

Season with salt & pepper and serve.

Denise and her husband Roy like to serve it with some grated parmesan cheese, a drop of sour cream and crusty bread.

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SYHA Contact & Competitions

Competition Winners

Design a Christmas Tree Bauble

We want you to decorate a Christmas tree bauble around a particular theme.

Congratulations to winners of the autumn newsletter competitions.

WIN £

The £50 winner, for giving us their praise or grumble, was Mrs Ray from Eastwood, Rotherham.

Ms Reid from Upperthorpe in Sheffield won £25 for finding out that the missing birthstone in the word

25 HIGH STREET VOUCHERS

search was ‘topaz’, and well done to Alicia aged 3 from Tinsley in Sheffield for winning £10 for colouring in the garden animals and finding the names of the animals in the word search.

Remember - you’ve got to be in it to win it…

Winter Sports Word Search You have got to be in it to win it and you could win £25 High Street Gift Vouchers to spend in the January sales by finding all of the winter sports in the word search.

So, for example, it could be a snowman bauble and be decorated with snowmen or a nature bauble and be decorated with things from nature.

Decide your theme and get creative.

ALPINE SKIING

SLEDDING

BOBSLEIGH

SKI JUMPING

CURLING

SKIING

FIGURE SKATING

SNOWBOARDING

ICE FISHING

SNOWMOBILING

ICE HOCKEY

SPEED SKATING

ICE SKATING

TOBOGGANING

LUGE

Add your name and address and return the completed word search to South Yorkshire Housing Association Ltd, FREEPOST SF1336, Sheffield, S1 1AY. The closing date for entries is the 16th of January 2012.

Name: Address:

Kid’s Competition Name:

Telephone No: Age:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone No:

WIN £

Postcode:

10 HIGH STREET VOUCHERS

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Once you have designed your bauble send it to: South Yorkshire Housing Association Ltd, FREEPOST, SF1336, Sheffield, S1 1AY. The closing date for entries is the 20th December 2011.

If you want to enter the adults’ competition and fill in the praise or grumble form overleaf, all you need to do is detach the whole page, send it to us and we will make sure your competition entry and praise or grumble are both entered in the prize draw.

How to contact SYHA Telephone 0114 2900 200 enquiries@syha.co.uk SYHA, 43 – 47 Wellington Street, Sheffield S1 4HF Text keyword SYHA to 63333 If you text during office hours we aim to call you back by 5pm the same working day.

Repairs Freephone 0800 1380 380 Out of office hours emergencies 0800 1380 580 Repairs@syha.co.uk Text keyword Repair to 63333

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If you text during office hours we aim to call you back by 5pm the same working day.

You can also find more information about SYHA and our services on our website www.syha.co.uk

Praise or Grumble

WIN ÂŁ

50 HIGH STREET VOUCHERS

Your comments are very important to us.

Please use this form to let us know your praises, grumbles, comments, suggestions or to nominate a staff member or team that you feel has given not just a good service but a great service.

We will respond to every form that is returned and enter you in to a prize draw to win High Street Vouchers worth ÂŁ50.

We will draw the next prize on the 16th of January 2012.

I would like to: Praise

Grumble

Comment

Nominate a staff member or team for a Good to Great Award

Details

Suggestions:

Name

Date

Address

Postcode

Contact Number Cut out the form and return it freepost to: Performance & Planning Team, South Yorkshire Housing Association Ltd, FREEPOST SF1336, Sheffield, S1 1AY

If you are having difficulty reading this document, please contact us.

If you would like to make a Praise or Grumble please call us on 0114 2702 685 or email praiseorgrumble@syha.co.uk

Help us to help the environment 0LEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSLETTER WHEN YOU HAVE READ IT