Dear residents, I don’t think any of us expected the 2020 to be like this. It has been a year with some real stresses and strains for everyone. For me, this year has really highlighted why we need to work together for each other and that’s what our new diversity drive, FREDIE (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) is all about. We can all play our part and, while this Christmas might not work the same as previous ones and we all need to stay safe, we can all still be there for each other. Getting online or just picking up the phone to a neighbour can make all the difference. It’s that sense of community that matters right now in Pendleton. If you’re not sure who to talk to this Christmas, call The Spirit of Salford helpline on 0800 952 1000. With a sense of community in mind I’d like to thank everyone (staff, residents and the community) for their patience, collaboration and compassion this year, not only through Covid-19, but also through the programme of fire safety works and other challenges that we’re now moving forward on. I hope everyone has a safe, merry Christmas and look forward to better 2021.
Christmas opening times Brotherton House will remain closed to the public until further notice. We are however providing services as usual and our team will be available as below. Monday 21st December Tuesday 22nd December Wednesday 23rd December Christmas Eve (24th Dec) Tuesday 29th December Wednesday 30th December New Year’s Eve (31st Dec)
8.30am - 4.30pm 8.30am - 4.30pm 8.30am - 4.30pm 8.30am - 4pm 8.30am - 4.30pm 8.30am - 4.30pm 8.30am - 4pm
Julie Blagden, Pendleton Operations Manager
On Christmas Day and New Year’s Day we will operate an emergency only repairs service. Repairs services will operate as usual on all other days. Tel: 0300 555 5567.
Employment support
Contact our Employment Support Officer, Sarah Davies:
If you have recently lost your job, are concerned you may do in the new year or are looking for work or to retrain, we can help you now and all year round.
Email: sarah.davies@togetherhousing.co.uk Call or text: 07793 478815 Visit: pendletontogether.co.uk/supportingyou/employment/
Covid-19 Christmas Guidelines Information and restrictions continue to change rapidly, but the following will apply whatever the tier. • Wash Your Hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water or hand sanitiser as often as possible, particularly when arriving home, preparing or eating food or after touching surfaces
Make sure it covers your nose and mouth to help protect others. You could be infected and not have symptoms.
• Maintain a 2m distance from anyone you do not live with inside or outside, in shops, parks or communal areas.
Wear A Mask In any indoor location other than your home and on public transport you need to wear a mask by law, unless an exemption applies. Pendleton Together staff will wear masks when carrying out work on your home and inside internal communal areas. The symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are: • a high temperature • a new, continuous cough • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste If you think you may have coronavirus, it’s really important that you self-isolate and book a free test to find out for sure. There are several COVID-19 testing centres across Salford which are open seven days a week. If you can’t get to a test centre, you can order a free home test kit for yourself and up to three other people you live with. It’ll be posted to your home and should arrive the day after you’ve ordered it. Once you’ve completed the test, return it as soon as possible to get your results. Go to www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call 119 to book a test or order a home test kit. If you test positive and need to self-isolate, you can call the Spirit of Salford helpline on 0800 952 1000 for support and advice on lots of different issues, such as benefits, council tax, housing advice and getting emergency supplies. Alternatively, go to www.salford.gov.uk
Wash hands
Cover face
Make space
Check restrictions at www.gov.uk
Restrictions In the run up to Christmas, Salford is expected to remain in Tier 3. You can check the latest restrictions at: www.salford.gov.uk/people-communitiesand-local-information/coronavirus From 23rd - 27th December there will be a change in some rules to allow people to meet friends and family. However, it’s important to check these rules in detail, because meeting people against the rules is a criminal offence and you can be fined. You can check these details at www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-thechristmas-period. If you do not have access to the internet, call The Spirit of Salford helpline on 0800 952 1000 to get the latest information and advice.
Works programme Update on cladding removal with Jill Siddle, Resident Liaison Officer Co-ordinator. Firstly, I’d like to thank all of our high-rise residents for their patience and support during the works. Many residents have had to remain at home and we know that this, coupled with the noise (particularly from the brick remediation work) has not been easy. We are working with the contractors to minimise disruption, however please do get in touch if there’s anything we specifically need to know. The good news is that cladding has now been removed from all nine high rise blocks. Of course, this also means that our high-rise residents are without insulation over the winter months, so we are providing some help towards costs. If you’re concerned about this, please do get in touch so we can discuss your specific needs and how we can help.
2021 will continue to be a busy year. The brick slip work you may have seen beginning on some blocks will be continuing on most blocks until Easter and a number of surveys will be taking place just this side of Christmas and into the new year. Where tenants are affected by these, we will always write to them in advance. Next year will also see the commencement of internal works and, in the summer, the start of the cladding replacement. Due to the uncertainties of a project like this (especially given the uncertainties around Covid-19), we can’t be specific about dates, but we will let everyone know was soon as we can. Each week the RLO Team update the website for the coming seven days and you can find out what’s happening block by block.
Just go to www.pendletontogether.co.uk/works-programme/ Please do take a look every Monday for the latest updates.
Fire safety
Rubbish Christmas? Sort it.
Fire safety is as important as ever this year and, with many people staying at home, it’s vital everyone plays their part. Please remember to switch your tree lights off every night and before you leave the house and take care if using candles, especially if you are likely to be drinking. Most hardware stores now sell safer battery alternatives.
This Christmas we know many people will generate lots of waste, much of which can be recycled if it’s sorted correctly. Salford City Council have a great campaign to help you understand how to get it sorted, by putting clean cardboard, paper and some drink cartons in your blue bin.
For details see www.pendletontogether. co.uk/check-the-halls Please ensure that Christmas decorations are not placed on doors or in areas where they could obstruct or disrupt an evacuation, or where bulbs or transformers could present. We want everyone to be safe and enjoy Christmas as much as possible, but we will have to remove any decorations or items where this advice isn’t followed.
Find out more at www.salford.gov.uk/bins-andrecycling/ Get Christmas tips: recycleforgreatermanchester.com/communitypost/winter-tips/
Parcels and packages Please remember that packages left on a landing or communal space represent a fire hazard or could be stolen – Fire marshals will remove unattended packages left in communal areas.
Dealing with stress
Getting online
This Christmas may be particularly difficult for many people. But there are always people you can turn to.
Have you got a tablet, phone or smartspeaker on your Christmas list? If Santa delivers for you, now is a great time to explore the Pendleton Together website, download the Pendleton Together app (from Google Play Store or Apple App Store) or to join the Tea and Tech events to help you learn online skills.
Spirit of Salford Helpline Samaritans Childline Domestic Violence Support Galop of LGBT+ support
0800 952 1000 116 123 0800 1111 0808 2000 247 0800 999 5428
There’s more information on our website: www.pendletontogether.co.uk/get-online/
Be a good neighbour this Christmas
Recognising Diversity in Pendleton
More people are at home due to the current restrictions. Along with this we are seeing a rise in complaints associated with noise levels.
The National Centre for Diversity has conditionally accredited Pendleton Together with the Investors in Diversity Award.
We will always investigate any complaints in line with our ASB policy and procedure to establish if this is excessive or what cannot be classed as everyday living noise. Please be mindful that you will see a rise in noise levels due to more people and families being at home at the same time. We also ask residents to consider their neighbours and make sure their behaviour is not negatively impacting on others.
The award is recognised as the national standard to ensure that the FREDIE values of fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion and engagement are at the center of decision-making.
If you are experiencing excessive noise and nuisance please ensure you report this on 0300 555 5567 at the time it is happening so that we can provide appropriate advice and support. We can also attend to witness any noise which will help to progress the investigations. If you feel there is an immediate risk to yourself or others please ensure this is reported to GMP via 999, obtain a log number and then contact Pendleton Together so we can review any further action needed.
If you are concerned that anyone is breaching Covid restrictions this can be reported to GMP via 101.
The commitment will see training and support for staff, contractors and residents to ensure a culture of equality, diversity and respect.
Christmas budgeting Making ends meet can often be a struggle at Christmas. Our new updated website has details for supporting you in managing your finances. With many people staying at home, utility bills will be a concern for many this year. For residents in our high-rise properties, where insulation has been removed, this may be of particular concern. High rise tenants are entitled to support payments and these are being paid over the winter months. We urge you to contact us with your bank details if you haven’t already so you can benefit from the extra money. You can find out more about these by contacting your Resident Liaison Officer on 0300 555 5567.
How we’ve calculated the energy support payments There are many ways to assess the impact on energy bills when insulation is removed, and we know that none are likely to be exact given that every household will have different needs and behave differently. We have used data taken from a number of reputable and official sources and our own monitoring of a sample of flats in 2018/19. For example, we have taken the Ofgem average for 1-2 bedroom property and the information provided by our remote monitoring and then adjusted that based on official figures for energy price rises from Money Advice Service. From this we have calculated a contribution of £25 per month. We hope this helps you to understand how we have arrived at the £25/month. As is always the case with standardised amounts, there will be some who feel this isn’t adequate. We urge anyone with concerns to get in touch and discuss their individual needs. We continue to offer help and advice so you get the best from your heating system. Please get in touch.
Show us your decs We’d love to see how your house is decorated! Please post photos of any Pendleton Together property on Facebook and the one that receives the most likes will become our cover photo from Christmas Day until New year. Photos shouldn’t have children on them unless you are their parent and give express permission for their photo to be shared. Any photos that are inappropriate or of decorations that appear unsafe will be removed.
Window management If you live in a high-rise home, please remember that your windows are designed to be used in tilt mode day to day. We have seen a number of window repairs being required due to damage being caused whilst being used incorrectly in the turn setting. Please remember that this type of damage will result in the repair being charged back to you. Please use your windows as advised to ensure that this is avoided.
High rise heating handy tips If you have no heating, it’s worth following the steps below in case you can sort it quickly by adjusting the settings. Is the system’s target temperature lower than the flat temperature? At the top left hand corner the picture of a house shows a number which is the flat temperature (sensor is normally in the hall)Turn the wheel so the top left curls up and press ok. There will be a few options here, select the top one temperature. Press ok. You will now see a thermometer with a number this number needs to be higher than the number in the house. If this is lower press ok again. The number will start to flash. Turn the wheel to increase the temperature to a number higher than the one in the house. Press ok again.
Christmas fun We’ve been handing out Winter Warmer packs to some residents in need of Christmas Cheer. The packs contain everything you need to stay safe and well this Christmas, as well as card designed by local school children. Why not spread some festive cheer by getting your kids to colour in the picture on the next page, drawn by Resident Liaison Officer, Paul Wilde. Stick it in your window for Christmas.
Are your radiators set to less than 3? Turn the valve at the side of the radiator to a higher number than 3. Remember, the radiators won’t get hot to touch like they do with a gas system but the flat should feel warmer. The radiators are twice as big and that means the water in them doesn’t need to be so hot to do the same job. The system may be heating your hot water Look at the top right corner where there is a picture of a blue drop of water with a number in it which is the water temperature. Is the number less than 48? If it is then the system is concentrating on heating your hot water and once it has reached 48-53, it’ll switch to heating your flat. Another way you can do it is by seeing what the system is doing. Look at the bottom right hand corner where there is a letter ‘i’ for information. Press OK. Then press ‘service info’. Press OK. Look at the ‘service prioritisation’. It’s either heating or hot water.
This document can be provided in large print, audio, electronic and Braille formats. If you need this document translated, please contact us on 0300 555 5567.