Residents News 53 | SPRING 2022
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Hello Fairhive
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Dates for your diary
The dates to make a note of are:
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Spring bank holiday
Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
Summer bank holiday
June
Our Contact Centre will be closed over the upcoming bank holidays. If you need to contact us, please call the Emergency Repairs line on 0800 542 8904.
June
August
We will update our social media with these dates closer to the time, so make sure you keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Facebook.com/hellofairhive
@hellofairhive
! All our email addresses now end in @fairhive.co.uk and not @vaht.co.uk www.fairhive.co.uk
Resident Events
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Bear Brook Orchard Community Grow Meeting
‘Reconnect’ Resident Event Coming this Summer!
Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
May
July
June
16 | 17 | 18 August
Summer Fun
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Dear Resident The last few months have been a really challenging time for everyone. We are all saddened by the tragic loss of life following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I know everyone is trying to do their best to support displaced families, including our own employees who have opened their homes or donated much needed supplies. Whatever you chose to do my thoughts are with the innocent people involved and with those who have loved ones living in Ukraine, they have our unwavering support. The cost of living crisis is another challenge that we are all having to deal with. I know that spending decisions are going to become even more difficult as inflation climbs even further. We are working hard to try and ease the burden as much as we can and support organisations that we know provide help to our residents. Our Thriving Communities Fund has just provided substantial funding to local food banks and other community organisations and you can find out more about these initiatives and what else we have been doing on page 16. Many of you will have seen that we are making some organisational changes and I am very pleased to introduce Fairhive Homes as our new name. As we are now a Community Benefit Society, we will be able to streamline our processes and be more efficient, which will help us to focus more on the things that we know are important to you. We share some more about these changes on page eight in this issue. Please do take a look at our website if you have any questions – we have a great FAQs page on there to help provide more information for you. We have been working closely with our involved residents to launch our Together with Tenants (TwT) Charter. This Charter outlines six commitments to residents and will impact how we perform as an organisation, our levels of service, and how we communicate with you. Find out more about these six commitments on page 10.
I’m really excited to announce that on 28th July, we will be running a fantastic day of activities to reconnect with you all again, now we can see you in person! This event will take place at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in Quainton and you’ll have the opportunity to jump on the trains and entertain the kids with games, ice-cream, and creative fun with our “Grow with Us” pop-up stand. This event is open for all our residents and our teams will be there from Community Engagement, Lettings, Neighbourhood Management, and Property Maintenance to help answer any of your questions and support you face-to-face. This will be running alongside our Summer Fun days so there is plenty to get involved with for the whole family. Read more about the event and how to register on page seven and pop the date in your diary. We look forward to seeing you there!
Matthew Applegate Chief Executive
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The Community Hub Come and join us for a coffee at the Community Hub, where we offer a one stop drop-in for residents. We are here to make a difference, to support you and shape our community. Our team and the amazing agencies that join us can offer advice ranging from funding, debt management, housing, welfare benefits, employment opportunities, training, CV writing and family matters.
Come along and say hello: The Aylesbury Vineyard, Gatehouse Close, Aylesbury, HP19 8DN.
In March, we attended Bucks Skills Show where our team talked to school students, parents and career changers about our job opportunities and careers in Housing. We had a short, interactive challenge for students on our stand where they helped us to build a LEGO town and filled it with everything they thought was missing from their local community. The activity went down a treat and we had some excellent ideas about developments that would benefit all different age groups and backgrounds. Some of the
We open every Tuesday morning from 9.45am until 12pm
suggestions from students included: a new outdoor cinema, a rainbow-coloured retirement home, a multi-faceted homeless shelter and community centre, and some community run cafés! Our team Caroline, Iva and John (pictured above) really enjoyed chatting to visitors at the stand. It was inspirational to work with students from different age groups and see how thoughtful and engaged they were when discussing social, economic and environmental challenges.
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Now that the warmer days are lasting that little bit longer, why not get a spring in your step by volunteering as a Resident Inspector? Take a stroll in an area close to where you live and tell us what’s going on. The purpose of the role is to improve our public spaces by identifying issues such as fly tipping or unsightly grounds and passing on information to neighbours about how to report faults to us and other agencies. It’s also an opportunity to promote our Nurture your Neighbourhood scheme, look for solutions and put these forward to us so we can all enjoy living in a better community.
Aylesbury Job Fair
April saw us mark our first event as Fairhive at the Aylesbury Job Fair. The event had over 30 stands for local businesses and organisations to promote their vacancies and for residents to come along to talk about opportunities suitable for them. We had a wonderful time reconnecting with our residents, partners, and local employers for our first Job Fair since the pandemic. A wide range of employers were at the ready to engage attendees and discuss possible future roles and applications. We had stands for TalkBack, Bucks Fire Service, Royal Air Force, Thames Valley Police, Bucks Adult Learning, P3, National Trust, and many more! We would like to thank everybody who attended and made the event possible. If you didn’t get the chance to join us on April 7th, and want to find out more about our free, online job coaching tool, then please email hello@fairhive.co.uk
No previous experience is needed and you can enjoy the many benefits of volunteering for Fairhive! For further information please contact us at hello@fairhive.co.uk
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Community Grow Project We’ve been working with Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) and residents at our blocks to plant up some community garden spaces and grow boxes as part of the Community Grow project. At the beginning of Spring we spent a bright, windy day with residents and Dave Furze from Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) digging some community beds and building scarecrows with the local children. In March, we took the next big step in the development of the Bearbrook Orchard. Our fabulous team of caretakers, Councillor Adam Poland-Goodyer and Dave (AGT), braved the rainy weather and planted a rare sapling of the Aylesbury Prune, an old traditional English damson plum, emblematic to Buckinghamshire. Dave told us: “The stocks of Aylesbury Prune trees are being rejuvenated across Bucks. This sapling is the first one to be planted from that initative, it also marks the start of the project to renovation the Bear Brook Community Orchard and Garden; making this a very special area in the town.”
The tree can be harvested in October and the fruit can be eaten straight from the branch! Mark Frayne Johnson, our Housing Services Manager said, “The ongoing regeneration of the Bearbrook Orchard will provide local residents and the wider local community with opportunities to become involved in community growing and gardening activities as well as supporting our commitment to enhancing our green spaces, providing environmental improvements and supporting wildlife.” With Summer fast approaching, handmade bug and bee hotels were installed in the area to encourage wildlife which were made from recycled materials by our team. A variety of fruit trees have now been planted in Bearbrook Orchard, including a Cherry boulevard and next we plan to install some planters for the school children and the community to grow their own fruit and vegetables too. This is a joint partnership project where we are working with AGT, Community Grow and Bearbrook School. If you would like to be involved or would like further information, please contact us on hello@fairhive.co.uk
Resident Census and Covid Recovery
Thank you to everyone who sent back their Resident Census form, we are now working hard to update our records. With all the information you have given us we will be able to understand what you need from us and will help us to deliver more opportunities and improved services to all of our residents.
Your Resident Forum update
Over the past 2 years all of the Resident Forum meetings have been held online and in April we were excited to be welcoming everyone back to a face to face meeting. Since the last edition the Forum have approved our adoption of our Together with Tenants Charter, approved the next Resident Scrutiny project (starting in April 2022) and had updates on how we are performing with resident satisfaction of our services. If you would like to find out more about volunteering on the Forum please get in touch with your Community Engagement Officer at hello@fairhive.co.uk
Resident Events
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Rec Res onnec iden t at Dat t Ev our e ent 28t for yo h Ju ur d l m-2 y 2022 iary , .30p m
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Book your tickets from June 8th - simply scan the QR code above and fill in the form. We’ve missed you! We are busy planning a summer day out for residents to reconnect with us and enjoy a great local attraction, Quainton Railway Centre. More information on how to book a place for you and your household will be released shortly.
IMPACT is where you can find out all information about our resident and community opportunities. Visit fairhive.co.uk/register to register or login and have a look around.
Volunteering Opportunities In other engagement news, we are revamping our Block and Resident Inspectors, if you are interested in volunteering and giving us your feedback on where you live please get in touch. Nurture your Neighbourhood – we are open for applications to improve your neighbourhood and community. If you have an idea get in touch to find out how to apply hello@fairhive.co.uk
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Hello Fairhive Introducing our new look and feel, but don’t worry everything else is staying the same and we’ll still be your landlord!
What will these changes mean for me? The conversion won’t directly impact residents and we will continue to provide services to you as normal.
From 1 April this year, we converted to a Community Benefit Society (CBS) and changed our name to Fairhive Homes Limited. Lots of social housing providers have already changed to become CBSs and we’re now registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. A CBS is an exempt charity not subject to Charities Act rules but still maintains a charitable status. By converting to a CBS, we can now focus on making our processes more efficient and support even more people with affordable housing solutions.
Is a rebrand expensive?
Rebranding can be an expensive activity but due to the recent pandemic we have made savings in other areas, such as face to face meetings so we’ve not had to spend more compared to previous years.
Because we knew we were changing to become a CBS anyway, it was a great opportunity to give us a well-deserved facelift and a new name. By rebranding at the same time as converting to a CBS, we’re been able to make savings and provide value for money which is central to our aims as a not-for-profit. As Fairhive, we can now look forward to building on our core values to support residents and neighbourhoods, maintain quality homes and build new ones, creating thriving communities where people want to live.
Why are you rebranding?
We want to be around for a long time. To do this we need to ensure we remain viable to funding partners so as well as creating efficiencies, changing our name demonstrated our growth ambitions outside of Aylesbury. By building more market sale properties will also be able to reinvest in our social values providing social housing for those most in need.
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Chief Executive, Matthew Applegate commented: “We’ve had our name for over 15 years and we’ve changed significantly since we were created. As the Board approved a conversion to a CBS it was logical to rebrand at the same time so we could make all the changes at the same time. We’ve grown over the years and developed outside of the Vale (into Oxfordshire and South Northamptonshire) so having Aylesbury in our name didn’t make sense anymore. We also wanted to move away from links to the old district council especially following their merger with the County Council. This means we can continue to operate as an independent Registered Provider. The conversion won’t directly impact residents, however we do have our eyes on the future and how we can continue to provide social housing for all as develop services for future generations. We will still be non-profit and, for residents or leaseholders, tenancies and or contracts will not change.
Will you still maintain our homes? Yes. We will continue to be your landlord and maintain your home as we currently do.
We have been working closely with residents, employees and board members to make sure we take peoples’ opinions and needs into consideration before making changes to our logo, colours, or updating our collateral and website. We worked with them on the renaming of our company and we’re pleased that Fairhive Homes Limited was suggested by our residents! Other areas requiring brand updates would have happened as part of our five year strategy: Bigger, Better, Bolder and Beyond.”
Will Bucks Home Choice still be available? Yes it will. Bucks Home Choice is managed by Buckinghamshire County Council.
If you have any questions about the rebrand, or our conversion to becoming a CBS, then please take a look at are FAQs page on the website: fairhive.co.uk/weve-changed
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Introducing our Together with Tenants Charter
We are working closely with our involved residents to launch our Together with Tenants (TwT) Charter for 2022. In adopting this fantastic initiative we must adhere to the guidance from the National Housing Federation (NHF).
Our promise to you, our residents, is to: 1.
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Nurture our relationship with you by treating you with respect. We are committed to building a relationship that is based on openness, honesty and transparency.
Be accountable by working with you so you can scrutinise and hold us to account on the decisions we make.
Communicate in a clear, accessible and timely way about issues that matter to you including important information about your home and local community, how we are run, how we are working to address problems, and key performance information.
Provide you with a good quality home,that is well maintained, safe and well managed.
Hear your voice and influence by seeking your input and using this to inform our decisions. We aim to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable to speak about issues that matter to them without fear of judgement.
Ensure there are simple and accessible ways for you to raise issues, make a complaint and seek redress, if something goes wrong. You will receive timely advice and support.
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Customer Service Commitments
Setting out the ways we deliver our services to you.
We will promote equality, diversity and inclusion
Our communication commitments We will: Return your call within 2 working days Resolve your complaint within 10 working days Provide updates on an Anti-Social Behaviour case every 10 working days until the case is closed
We will care
Our commitments on how we will look after your home We will: Complete non-emergency repairs within 20 working days Ask new residents how satisfied they are with their new home Measure how many emergency repairs are completed on time Measure how many of our planned works, such as kitchen and bathroom replacements, are completed on time
We will ask for and listen to your feedback
Our service commitments We will measure your satisfaction with: Your neighbourhood manager Our welfare service Our planned works Our communal cleaning, grounds maintenance and caretaking service
Ask you how satisfied you are with our planned service
How we will know if we measure up? We will monitor monthly through satisfaction surveys and will report the results quarterly to the Resident Forum. We will be sharing more information about TwT on our Social Media pages and on our website (under the Residents Area section). You can also read into the national initiative on the National Housing Federation’s website here: housing.org.uk/our-work/together-with-tenants
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New opportunities are opening up for young people in Milton Keynes We’ve partnered with Transitions UK to support young, vulnerable people in the Milton Keynes area through their Aspire Project! This is a fantastic partnership where we’ve been able to extend the Aspire Project in Milton Keynes and North Buckinghamshire to help young people who are at risk of offending or exploitation.
Who are TUK?
Transitions UK are a provider of youth mentoring who do incredible work with vulnerable young people: young people with learning disabilities, young people leaving care, those with mental health and emotional needs and young people who are offending or at risk of offending and/or criminal exploitation.
The Aspire Project:
As part of this project, we will be supporting at least 6 young people through volunteer mentorship – the mentors have been trained and deployed by Transitions UK. Each young person will be assigned 1-3 mentors subject to their own personal development plan.
Finding this dog a new home ended in a happy household for Gail too!
Supporting our community and building homes is at the heart of what we do, so when our team heard of a pet in need and the chance to home her with Aylesbury resident, Gail, it really put a spring in our step! Very sadly one of our elderly residents passed away earlier this year leaving their lovely little dog, Cher, in need of a home. While she had a temporary bed with a family member she really needed a loving home for life. Our Independent Living Team shared the news with Fairhive colleagues and worked together to discuss the opportunity of dog adoption with
The 6 young people are given 6 hours per week of 1-2-1 support including life planning, skills, and personal development. They’ll also receive training and employment opportunities which will be sourced and secured. Our Community Engagement Business Partner, Caroline, commented “We are excited to be working in partnership with Transitions UK to provide 1-1 mentoring and support for young residents living in Buckingham and surrounding villages to build better futures and stronger communities”
The Goal:
Our goal for this partnership is to help the young people who go through the project to improve their social skills, employability and reduce their risk of offending. But it doesn’t stop there! We’ll be working closely with TUK to offer our tenants rewarding opportunities to volunteer with the project and support safer and better neighbourhoods!
interested residents. It wasn’t long before Gail was recommended as a possible new dog-mum. “I’ve wanted a doggy these last few months, I’ve really missed a little heartbeat in the house” Gail told us when we caught up with her to see how Cher was settling in. Gail is one of our residents who has always had dogs and said she would love to rehome Cher. The family of Cher’s late owner are pleased she has a happy new home and have been regularly in contact with the team throughout the re-homing.
Working with Bucks Council to tackle fly-tipping For the past eight months, we have been working closely with Buckinghamshire Council in dealing with a number of fly-tipping incidents in our local area by supporting residents in disposing their waste responsibly. Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said: “This joint work is not about trying to catch people out for innocently throwing things away, but it is important that people know the correct way of doing it. “Dumping excess waste or large items by a bin may seem logical to some but the reality is, it’s unsightly and unsafe, not to mention, illegal. There are correct ways to get rid of different types of waste and we want to work with our colleagues at the Trust to educate and inform residents on the right way to do it.”
Getting Online on a Budget
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Heledd Williams, Our Assistant Director of Housing pointed out: “Fly-tipping is an anti-social and selfish act that makes our communities look unsightly and pollutes our environment. We are committed to dealing with fly-tipping and working in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council to tackle this issue and to support and protect our communities as much as possible. “Last year, our caretakers dealt with 351 instances of fly-tipping (between 1 April and 31 December) and we want to reduce the amount of investment that has to go into disposing of tipped waste so we can use this to improve our communal spaces for everyone.” The Council will continue to work with us to ensure that the ‘scrap fly-tipping’ message reaches more tenants and people in the local area. This will include installing new signage and providing information on council waste disposal services and also how to report fly-tipping incidents.
Computer Recyclers have come up with a range of special offers for refurbished PCs and keyboards exclusively for residents. They supply internetready quality computer equipment at highly competitive prices.
• Windows 10 refurbished PC with 19 inch flat screen monitor, keyboard and mouse for £99 • Windows 10 refurbished laptop for £169
Computer Recyclers currently have three deals • Windows 10 refurbished tablet for £139 open for Fairhive residents: For more information or to purchase, please call 03719 100 100, email info@computerrecyclersuk.com or visit the website at www.getonlineathome.org
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Scam awareness Scams are always a concern and can be worrying if we fall into one. It’s important to iterate these 3 steps which could prevent you from being a victim of a scam.
STEP 1 STOP
STEP 2
CHALLENGE
STEP 3
PROTECT
Take some time to comprehend what details you may be handing over. It’s ok to refuse, reject or ignore until you feel comfortable. It’s important to remember banks will never ask you to reveal personal information including your pin or passwords for your account. If there is uncertainty, hang up and call the company back on a trusted number. Contact your bank or the company straight away if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to them and the police.
We are a ‘Friend against Scams’ organisation; there is no shame associated with being a victim of a scam. We want to empower residents to take action. If you or someone you know has fallen victim to fraud, please call Action Fraud on: 0300 123 2040 where you can report a scam or any cyber-crime. If you need advice on what to do next, or support if you or someone you know has been scammed call Citizens Advice on: 0808 223 1133
Community groups come together to give young people better chance of surviving a knife crime We have teamed up with other local Bucks based community groups to provide two ‘bleed kits’ across Aylesbury, which could mean the difference between life and death. The initiative came after the tragic death of 22-year-old Amir Shafique, who lost his life during a fight in October 2020. Five men have since been jailed for their involvement in the events that led to Amir’s death. We joined In This Together, Southcourt Baptist Church, Thames Valley Police, Buckinghamshire Council and Carewell Health Recruitment Services to provide, fit and maintain the bleed kits in Aylesbury.
Lidia Sadlowska, One of our Neighbourhood Managers at Fairhive, said: “Amir’s death was tragic and a huge loss to all those who knew him. Everyone has worked hard to make sure his death was not in vain, and that should others find themselves in the same situation, they have the greatest chance of surviving and recovering.” Each kit contains essential equipment and instructions on how to use them in the event of treating a knife wound or traumatic injury. Quite often the first person arriving at the scene of an incident is a member of the public, and that person is best placed to offer immediate first aid – saving vital minutes can save a life.
WIN!
£50
PRIZE VOUCHER Time for this season’s puzzle! Can you find the list of words hidden in the grid? Return it with your name and address to Puzzle Time, c/o The Communications Team, Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 2NJ. The closing date for the entry draw is Thursday 30th June and the winner will win £50 in shopping vouchers and have their name published in the next edition of Residents News!
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We are pleased to announce the winner of our Residents’ News Special Winter puzzle was Kathy Brown. Congratulations on the £100 shopping vouchers!
First
Contact
home ‘Lifeline’ service
For more details please call
01296 732600
Rent a garage with us as a low cost storage solution! Our garages are; safe and secure, located across Buckinghamshire and low cost and great for:
in N in cre o co as st e
A Fairhive garage is ideal for: • additional storage space
• somewhere to keep your car
• a convenient parking space near your home, work or train station • a place to carry out your hobby (certain criteria apply).
For more information, visit our website fairhive.co.uk/rent-a-garage or contact our Garage Team directly on garages@fairhive.co.uk or 01296 732600
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The buzz is now electric for the Aylesbury Wombles, thanks to Fairhive Housing! The Aylesbury Wombles have been given an electric boost– after their trusty litter-collection vehicle gave up the ghost! The Aylesbury Wombles are a litter-picking community started by Abigail Walker when she was just 14. She started the group after learning about the environment at school which gave her the litter-picking bug – just like the Wombles from the popular 1970’s children’s TV programme. Fast forward to 2022, the group now have a committed team of volunteers and are always welcoming new joiners. Head Womble Richard Walker said: “All you need is a good pair of shoes and a smile and we provide the rest!” However the year started on a downer for the Aylesbury Wombles, when their beloved ‘Womble Wagon’ had to be scrapped – which is where Fairhive Homes comes in! The Wombles applied for a grant from Our Thriving Communities Fund and Buckinghamshire Council’s Community Board.
Its application was successful, and now the Aylesbury Wombles are back in action with a new environmentally-friendly electric van. The Fund has £250,000 per year to offer projects benefiting communities in Aylesbury Vale and beyond and enrich their lives. It supports a wide variety of cultural, sporting and social activities, as well as supporting and equipping services for those most in need. The Thriving Communities’ Fund aims to provide financial support for our residents and also voluntary and community organisations that operate within the areas where our residents live. Richard added personal thanks for bringing forward the application to get them back on the road so quickly.
Interested in more information on how you can apply to our grants? Visit our page here www.fairhive.co.uk/thrive for more information on the three types of grant we offer and you can get in touch with our Grants Officer at grants@fairhive.co.uk
Fairhive is able to produce this document in other languages and formats. If you need these services, or those of an interpreter, please contact us.
Got any feedback about this issue of Residents News?
Please email hello@fairhive.co.uk or call us on 01296 732600 and ask for Communications.
Fairhive Homes Ltd Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham St, Aylesbury HP20 2NJ | Tel 01296 732600
fairhive.co.uk
Facebook.com/hellofairhive
@hellofairhive