Tel: 0300 303 1190
Email: info@ss-ha.org.uk
For all the local news about your community
Web: www.shropshirehousing.org.uk
Issue 75 – Summer 2012
OLYMPIC TORCH VISITS LUDLOW & CLEE HILL Foyer News Page 3
Rockspring Summer Fun Page 4
Grow Cook Share Oven Page 15
Contents 2 St. Davids Day Lunch/Our Services to You 3 Foyer News 4 Rockspring/Tag Rugby Champs 5 Group News 13 Joyners Success/Planned Maintenance Roadshows 14 Let's Celebrate/And the Winners are/TASS Update 15 Grow Cook Share/Competition Winners 16 Competitions Page
St. Davids Day Lunch A Saint Davids Day lunch was held at the Community Centre in Bishops Castle. Also celebrating were Kath Richards, Carol Clarke, Sheila Hawkes and Helen Edwards who passed their food hygiene course, and had an upgraded food hygiene rating from 3 to a 5 rating. SSHA arranged and paid for the tenants training.
How to contact us If you require this document in audio, braille, large print, or if English is not your first language, then please contact us. Si vous avez besoin de ce document en audio, braille, gros caractères, ou si l’anglais n’est pas votre langue première veuillez nous contacter. French Jeśli wymagasz tego dokumentu w audio, Braille’a, duże wydruku, lub jeśli angielski jest nie pierwszy język prosimy kontakt. Polish Если вам требуется этот документ в аудио, Брайля, крупных печатных, или если английский является не ваш первый язык напишите нам. Russian Os oes angen y dogfen hon mewn ffurf wahannol, er enghraifft Braille, llythrennau mawr, tâp audio neu iaith wahanol, gadewch i ni wybod os gwelwch yn dda. Welsh Se ha bisogno di questo documento in audio, Braille, grande stampa, o se inglese è la prima lingua contattaci. Italian
OUR SERVICES TO YOU Our regulator, The Homes & Communities Agency , has asked all social landlords to produce local offers through seven standards that cover the services we provide. Our current offers are set out in the Tenants Report 2011, available on our website.
2 1 1 1 2 4 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 1 3 3 4 2 1 3 33 4 45 45 3 55456656 66 5 6 7 All updates on the local offers will be marked with the appropriate sticker (see below) for the standard it applies to.
Tenant Involvement and Empowerment standard
Home standard
Tenancy standard
Neighbourhoods and Communities standard
Value for Money standard
Governance and Financial Viability standard
Rents standard
2 | The Key Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
FOYER NEWS The Mayor and Mayoress of Ludlow, along with SSHA, held an event on 26th April. The evening was a thank you for the support given by the Mayor to Ludlow Foyer by naming it the Mayor’s charity of the year last year. It was also an event to launch a new charity aimed at ensuring young people are offered local employment opportunities, and ensuring they have the right skills for the jobs offered. 100 guests were treated to food prepared and served by local food project Grow Cook Share and the Foyer Residents catering team. John Aitken, now former Mayor of Ludlow said, "I wish to build on the momentum that has developed over the last year, through supporting the work of Ludlow Foyer with a legacy in the form of a Charitable Trust, which will help our young people into work and support the work already being done by local agencies." Foyer residents Adam Gilman and George Jacks also spoke at the event describing the difference the accommodation and support provided by the Foyer and its staff had made for them with help in training and getting into work. During the evening several guests pledged their support for the new charity through volunteering to provide coaching, mentoring and business engagement for young people or to lend their expertise as trustees on the board.
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | The Key Summer 2012 | 3
Youngsters in Ludlow enjoyed Easter fun thanks to a partnership between leading community groups and agencies in the town. A number of organisations provided both hands-on help and funding for the play scheme at Rockspring Community Centre, which offered a range of fun activities for children during the Easter school holiday. Activities included bike rides, arts and crafts, circus skills and learning to make pizza from scratch with the help of Tish from Grow, Cook, Share. SSHA resident involvement officer, Mike Cotton provided hands-on support for the play sessions, along with other volunteers. Look out for the summer schedule of events at Rockspring coming soon!
A team of junior tag rugby stars are on course for their third visit to the home of the game in England, after once again winning the South Shropshire round of a national competition. St Lawrence's School, Church Stretton, topped the tables of 18 school teams from two counties that took part in a qualifying event for the Tag to Twickenham competition, held at Ludlow Football Club and sponsored by Shropshire Housing Group. The school has a great track record in the event, having already won it twice at the national rugby stadium, but they will have to battle their way through the regional round, to be held in Worcester. The local heats were organised by PC Paul Sparrow, of West Mercia Police, and included teams from around the county.
4 | The Key Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
PC Sparrow said: “We were really pleased with the number of entries from across the area and everyone had a really fun day. St Lawrence's School were probably the favourites from the start because of their excellent track record in this tournament, but no-one was going to let them walk away with it, which made for some great sport.” SSHA Chair of the Board Tim Ralphs, went along to support the competition at Ludlow Football Club. He added: “It's great for us to be able to support an event like this. I think everyone who took part did really well and we'll be watching St Lawrence's School's progress in the next round with interest.”
Group News roud Matt's p
Matt o n his way
parents
to me et the torch
Ludlow crowds gathering
Cle eH ill c om es o ut t o
torch g with the Matt runnin
OLYMPIC TORCH
see the torc h
VISITS LUDLOW & CLEE HILL The Olympic torch visited Ludlow and Clee Hill in its first visit to Shropshire. SSHA tenant, Matt Clarke was the first torch bearer on Ludlow, while SSHA tenant, Tom Cox posed with the torch whilst being a volunteer marshal for the day.
Group News Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
bearer e torch h t h it w Tom Cox
Lighting the to rch ready to ru n
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Shropshire Homepoint is a county wide scheme that gives tenants more choice about where they want to live. The majority of Shropshire’s social housing providers use Shropshire HomePoint to advertise their vacant properties. You can apply to join Shropshire HomePoint by completing an application form.
Number on WAITING LIST MAY 2012 Bronze 2,460
Your housing need will be assessed and put into one of the following bandings:
Priority 206 Gold 902
Priority
For those with urgent housing need.
Gold
You have an urgent need to move because of high overcrowding or a medical need.
Silver
Silver 3,846
You need to move because of overcrowding or a medical need, but not urgently.
Minimum Number of bedrooms required May 2012
Bronze
3 bedrooms 760
Any other applicants. Properties are advertised on a weekly listing and you can bid on a property that is suitable for you. There is no fixed waiting list. Whether you are successful or not depends on who else has applied for the same property as you. To help judge how long it might be before you are rehoused, Shropshire HomePoint publishes the results of the successful applications on their website.
4+ bedrooms 271
2 bedrooms 2,345
For more information go to
www.shropshirehomepoint.co.uk Group News Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
1 bedroom 4,038
5
If you find your current home too large to cope with, we can help you move to smaller more suitable accommodation. We are currently running a downsizing scheme that will help you move to a smaller property.
Option 1 – Cash Grant
A no strings attached cash grant of £2000 which is paid to you when you move. You make all the arrangements connected to the removal yourself, and you can spend the money as you wish.
Option 2 – Removal Package
A named officer will help arrange the move, with a smaller cash grant.
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The removal package includes: • • •
Advice and assistance Packing and transportation of furniture and help with unpacking Reconnection of utility services
The total cost of the removals package will be deducted from the £2000 grant and any remaining money will be paid when you move. If you owe any rent to us, this will be deducted from your grant. There is a limited amount of money available for the scheme, so payments will be made on a first come, first served basis.
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | Group News Summer 2012
4
In the spring edition of the Newsletters you may have noticed we enclosed a Newsletter Feedback Form. On the form we asked you to tell us what you think about your Newsletters; are they interesting, do you read them, what you like and don’t like about them. We are keen to get your feedback to ensure the publication is relevant and useful to you. We had a great response, thank you to all those that took the time to give us your views. The results are below as well as details of what we will do next.
MMHA Do you like the layout?
SSHA Do you like the layout? NO 7%
YES 93%
NO 8%
YES 92%
MMHA DO YOU LIKE THE COMPETITIONS?
SSHA DO YOU LIKE THE COMPETITIONS? NO 7%
YES 93%
NO 5%
YES 95%
MMHA DOES IT HAVE THE RIGHT BALANCE OF NEWS/INFO?
SSHA DOES IT HAVE THE RIGHT BALANCE OF NEWS/INFO? NO 5%
NO 14%
YES 86%
Group News Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
YES 95%
MMHA WHICh PART DO YOU LIKE BEST? LOCAL NEWS 11%
SSHA WHICh PART DO YOU LIKE BEST? FRONT COVER 7%
MONEY SAVING 2%
ALL OF IT 15% LOCAL NEWS 15%
ALL OF IT 21% INFORMATION 30% COMPETITIONS 30% COMPETITIONS 38%
INFORMATION 31%
In the next few issues we will implement some changes to the content including recipes, gardening tips and a letters page. To contribute to the newsletters you can write to Vicki Coleman, Communications Officer, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms SY7 9BW or email communication@shropshirehousing.org.uk
Our tenant had received a phone call from a contractor informing them of the time and date they would be visiting to carry out works to their property. The contractor had been employed by us to carry out the works but did not inform the tenant of this, subsequently we had also not previously notified the tenant of the impending work. The tenant was worried that the company was a false one. The tenant was advised that if the contractors should arrive, not to answer the door. The contractors did arrive as they stated, unfortunately they were not carrying any identification and their vehicle was unmarked. The police arrived to make enquiries but were satisfied that the contractors were legitimately working for us.
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The association upheld the complaint and apologised to the tenant for the worry that had been caused and as a gesture of goodwill gave the tenant a shopping voucher. Following the complaint the Head of Asset Management has met with the contractor concerned to reiterate the association’s procedure, he has also met with officers of the association to ascertain why the tenant was not notified of the impending works.
We agreed that a poor level of service had been received on this occasion, that this is not the normal service the association provides and is not the level of service we aspire to provide in the future.
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | Group News Summer 2012
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Group News Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
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5 7 paid on time. y to make sure that your rent gets As a tenant, it is your responsibilit making sure h of you is equally responsible for If you have a joint tenancy, then eac the rent is paid.
Pay ing We ekly
Monday in If you pay weekly, pay your rent each advance.
Pay ing Mo nth ly
the start of the If you pay monthly, you must pay at you don’t, you will month for the rest of the month. If be in arrears.
TENANTS Amo unt of arr ear s owe d BY CURRENT
SSHA £281 ,054
MMHA £264 ,842
your rent The amount of rent due is shown on kly rent and, statement. This is made up of your wee where they apply, service charges. it and Standing We have recently adjusted Direct Deb accounts are Order payments to ensure these rent g this for other always in credit. We will shortly be doin payment types. ld pay, please If you are unsure how much you shou contact the Neighbourhoods Team.
Amo unt of arr ear s owe d BY FOR MER TENANTS
SSHA £160 ,832
MMHA £114 ,924
Build a future with us... Seddon Property Services Limited is a Painting, Decorating and Maintenance company working in conjunction with Shropshire Housing Group. As a company we annually recruit 30 new apprentices with a view to securing suitable role on successful completion. Seddons’ currently have 2 apprenticeships available, one in North Shropshire and one in South Shropshire, both for painters and decorators placements and are offered on a site/college basis. Successful achievement will depend on satisfactory attendance to both. The minimum criteria is 3 GCSE’s grade C or above. The offer is open to all age groups, male or female. No previous experience is required. Shortlisted candidates will be required to join Seddons’ on a residential selection week in York commencing the 6th August 2012. Closing date for applications is 5pm Tuesday 31st July 2012. To apply, please visit http://apprentices.seddon.co.uk/
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | Group News Summer 2012
TEMP STAFF WANTED Would you be interested in some additional money in your pocket?
Shropshire Housing Group are looking to build a bank of staff to provide administrative duties across the Group on a ‘zero hours’ contract. This means that you will be called upon when needed to cover temporary posts, and not have a set number of hours of work. If you are interested, please send your CV to the HR Department, Shropshire Housing Group, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms SY7 9BW or telephone 01588 676255/257.
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COuroconnttacting Us act telephone number is
0300 303 1190 There are 3 options to choose from:
Option 1: Customer Services
For all general or tenancy enquiries
Option 2: Planned Maintenance Enquiries
Select this option if you have any que ries relating to planned fitting of doors, kitchens, bathrooms etc.
Option 3: Repairs
Select this option if you have a repair to report or you would like to know the progress of a repair that has already been reported.
There’s a new window of opportunity Group News Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
Your right to buy Find out whether you’re eligible, how to get further advice and what steps you should take to own your home.
Contact your landlord and visit www.direct.gov.uk/righttobuy
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In the summer of 2011 work began in Craven Arms on an external wall insulation programme for over 40 homes. The insulation system was fitted to properties in Onnybrook Drive, Mayfield Avenue and Halford Crescent. It enhances the outside of the properties, whilst also improving their thermal performance and reducing energy bills for tenants.
The refurbishment has now come to an end and Joyners, the contractors who fitted the insulation system, have had nothing but praise from the tenants, who are really pleased with the work to their properties. Mrs Rose Walden had a beautiful white wisteria growing around her house, which had been given to her by her daughter for her 65th Wedding Anniversary, she said, ‘Phil from Joyners was fantastic, he carefully removed the wisteria, cut it back and planted it into a temporary pot while the work was completed. He then made a planter for the wisteria to trail up the garage.’ ‘I’m really pleased with the work that’s been done and I’ve been able to turn my heating down.’ The tradesmen working on site have enjoyed a really good relationship with the tenants and have received plenty of tea and biscuits as well as wedding cake and Christmas cards! The project has achieved 100% customer satisfaction rate. Phil said ‘The tenants have been great, it’s been one of the best sites we’ve done’. Phil also had to turn his hand to chicken catching when a tenant’s chickens escaped. Fortunately they were all found in the back garden of the local Chinese takeaway.
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Our asset management team recently held some planned maintenance roadshows in Burford, Craven Arms and Ludlow. Tenants that are due to have work done on their homes as part of the planned maintenance programme were invited to look at samples of the kitchens, bathrooms, external doors and central heating that are due to be fitted. They were also able to meet the contractors who would carry out the work and ask questions. If you missed the roadshows and are due to have planned maintenance carried out on your home, please contact the asset management team, who will answer any questions you have.
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | The Key Summer 2012 | 13
Let’s celebrate! SSHA have donated £200 to the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in Craven Arms. The Picnic in the Park took place on Sunday 3rd June at the Community Centre. Pictured: Bev Jordon (receptionist at the Gateway) hands a cheque to Sharon Demos (organiser).
And the winners are... The Gas Safety Survey Draw winners are Mr Griffiths of Wheeler Road in Ludlow who won £250 in vouchers and Mr Dodd of St Johns Crescent in Craven Arms who won £100 in vouchers. Pictured with Alan Dovey, Gas Service Engineer.
Tass sponsored Work Scheduler Lin Staves in a 22 mile run in aid of Cancer research. She is pictured here (left) with Joan Grant, Chair of Tass
14 | The Key Summer 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1109
Grow Cook Share have constructed their own outdoor oven to cook what they grow. The traditional wood-fired cob oven has been created by volunteers at Rockspring Community Food Garden in Sandford Road, using clay from the site. The oven was built as part of a weekend workshop run by Ludlow graphic designer, Matthew Lloyd, who has set up The Fabulous Cob Oven Company. The cob oven, which has been named Bell, was officially unveiled at Grow Cook Share's Spring Celebration Lunch, where volunteers at the garden were treated to pizzas made by staff to say thank you for their hard work throughout the year. A weekly pizza night every Thursday from 5.30pm to 7pm has started, where the local community can come and make their tea for 50p! For more information on Grow Cook Share and their upcoming events, please call 01584 878642 or drop into the Rockspring Community Centre any Thursday.
COMPETITION WINNERS LEFT: The winner of the children’s spot the difference competition was Elizabeth Jones who won a £30 toy voucher. RIGHT: The winner of last time’s Shropshire Towns wordsearch was Mrs Davies from Ludlow who won £30 love to shop vouchers. www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | The Key Summer 2012 | 15
AD U L TS C O M P ETITI O N Olympic Word Jumble
TISONOGH 9
Find the answer for your chance to win a £30 Love to Shop voucher
MINGYCTSSA 3
7
CYLGINC 2
Name
13
SIIGNMWM
Address 4
LLALBELYVO 1
11
LIAJEVN 10
Postcode
HIHGJUPM
Telephone No
5
NIDIVG 8
Closing date for all competitions: Monday
BONGIX
Send all entries to:
6
RAETAK 12
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3
4
5
6
7
16 th JULY
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8
9
10
11
12
13
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Vicki Coleman, Communications Officer, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms SY7 9BW
K IDS C O M P ETITI O N Find the OLYMPIC TORCHES! Find the OLYMPIC TORCHES* throughout the newsletter and write your answer for a chance to win a £30 toy/games voucher. *DO NOT INCLUDE ANY OLYMPIC TORCHES THAT APPEAR IN PHOTOGRAPHS
Answer: Name Parent/Guardian Name Address
Postcode Telephone No 61634: 05/2012