Around the Houses
August 2012
‘Around the Houses’ is published monthly to showcase the excellent work members are doing in a wide variety of different areas. If you have any stories you’d like to include in the next edition, please send them to bethan-samuel@chcymru.org.uk. All stories received will also be put up on the CHC Group’s website.
Building careers from scrap A new generation of trainee plumbers is receiving hands-on experience thanks to a partnership between RCT Homes, plumbing and heating specialists Bouchard and Jones, and Coleg Morgannwg. With over 10,000 homes, RCT Homes is updating tenants’ homes with bathroom suites, heating systems and kitchens. Contractor Bouchard and Jones, who would previously take old boilers to scrap yards, is now taking part in a first initiative of its kind with RCT Homes. Damaged or broken bathroom suites, plumbing parts and boilers are now donated to Coleg Morgannwg to support the plumbing department. Students at the Plumbing Centre spend two years learning the skills and knowledge to find employment. They will now be able to use the materials donated by RCT Homes and Bouchard and Jones to gain vital experience. David Carr, Assessor/Examiner at Coleg Morgannwg, said, ‘For us to buy just one boiler could cost up to £400 and this won’t stretch far in a large class. The materials we are now receiving will be used by the students for fault finding and eventually the students will be repairing items to get them up and running again.’
Gwalia puts play first Grŵp Gwalia has announced funding for a Play Development Officer post to improve play opportunities in local communities. In partnership with the Play Right charity, Gwalia is launching ‘Playful Communities’, an initiative designed to improve wellbeing and foster a stronger sense of community spirit. Play Development Officer, Tori Wright, has been employed to work with children and young people living in Gwalia’s properties and surrounding areas. Playful Communities will provide opportunities for children and adults. The Play Right pirate ship will visit communities throughout the summer, offering children the chance to get together and play safely outdoors. The project will also support adults to develop play opportunities in their area. Lesley Penn, Executive Director of Housing & Community Welfare at Gwalia said: ‘We’ve been working with Play Right on projects such as the pirate ship summer play schemes for a number of years, and it’s been a resounding success. We hope that funding a play development officer will help to meet the developmental needs of children and young people leading to improved wellbeing.’
A blooming great success Service users at Noddfa homeless hostel (North Wales Housing) in Colwyn Bay have transformed their rear garden into an oasis of flowers, plants, fruit and vegetables and have entered the Colwyn in Bloom competition to showcase their efforts. The team have worked collectively to turn around the former empty yard utilising donations of materials, bulbs and equipment. This summer has seen the first crop of lettuce, onions, tomatoes and chillies, which have become part of the Noddfa summer diet! Geoff Baldwin of Noddfa hostel said: ‘This has been a long term initiative that many of our service users have been involved with from the outset. To see their hard work, efforts and enthusiasm result in our first crop is brilliant and our produce has become very much part of our daily meals... Fingers crossed now that we make the grade but we already feel we’re onto a winner!’
NPT Homes’ tenants now able to pay rent via smartphones NPT Homes’ tenants who have been paying their rent using allpay cards can now pay their rent on a smartphone by downloading the new allpay app. Tenants who have been provided with allpay payment cards are already able to make payments to their account via the allpay secure website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, over the telephone, at any Post Office or at one of 82 stores throughout the Borough which offer the PayPoint service. The app enables tenants to pay their rent charges easily, wherever they are, at the touch of a button. What’s more, once they have logged into their account, they can safely store all payment reference numbers, bank card details and payment amounts so they don’t have to enter them every time.
Around the Houses August 2012
Wales & West Housing project to deliver 150 homes in Wrexham Work has begun on a £17m Wales & West Housing (WWH) project to deliver up to 150 affordable homes in Wrexham. Huw Lewis AM, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, has visited the site to see how work is progressing. The development will see 92 affordable homes and apartments built at the Kingsmills Road site, and will also see the redevelopment of the former gas works on Rivulet Road, with 55 homes being built. All homes will meet level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, incorporating high levels of insulation and photo voltaic panels to reduce the electricity cost for residents. ‘I am pleased that the Welsh Government has been able to support the development of this scheme with £5.4m from the Social Housing Grant programme,’ said the Minister. ‘The scheme is an excellent example of partnership working, with several different organisations (the Welsh Government, WWH, Wrexham Council, Hightown Communities First and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board) all working together. It is exactly the sort of development we need to deliver more of in Wales to ensure we are providing people with decent affordable homes that fulfil their needs.’ Anne Hinchey, Chief Executive of WWH, said: ‘By working in partnership with Wrexham Council and local contractor Anwyl, WWH will be helping the local economy by sourcing local supply chains and providing employment and training opportunities for local people.’ Residents will benefit from the community facility which will offer an activity hall, meeting rooms and kitchen. A medical resource centre is also being built, which will provide three consulting rooms and a treatment area. The project is set to be completed by Autumn 2013 and a ‘Meet the Contractor’ event held in Wrexham attracted interest from local businesses and individuals. WWH is now working with Anwyl to develop employment and training opportunities for the local community.
Handover of Keys for New GP Surgery in Llanrwst A new purpose built surgery has been completed at Hafan Gwydir in Llanrwst, providing state of the art facilities next to the Canolfan Crwst integrated health and social care centre. The new doctors’ surgery has been developed and financed by the Pennaf Housing Group. The Surgery is situated within the former Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy site and has been completed by North Wales contractors Anwyl. The building will be owned by Clwyd Alyn HA, part of the Pennaf Housing Group. The new surgery consists of five doctors’ consulting rooms and two nurses’ consulting rooms, together with general office space, treatment rooms, a training room and a main reception area. The new ‘Meddygfa Gwydir’ (Gwydir Surgery) is located near the Hafan Gwydir Extra Care Scheme, where a community café is open to the public every day.
Fun for all at Bro Myrddin’s fun day and AGM Bro Myrddin residents and their families had a great day out at a fun day held in July at the Queen Elizabeth High School, Carmarthen. A wealth of practical information and advice was available from organisations manning stalls and stands, and in rooms set aside for workshops and demonstrations. Peppa Pig was a big draw for children during the morning – some staff members were also excited to see such a celebrity at the event! Radio Carmarthenshire provided entertainment with a live broadcast and music. Residents and staff had the opportunity to give their views about the event on air. Workshops were run on financial inclusion by Moneyline Cymru, and on fire prevention in the home by Mid & West Wales Fire Department. Demonstrations included cooking on a budget, painting and decorating, gardening, and health and wellbeing. Held at the school on the same day, Bro Myrddin’s annual general meeting was a great success with many residents attending and showing their support.
Around the Houses August 2012 Double award for Cymdeithas Tai Cantref Cymdeithas Tai Cantref celebrated a triumphant evening at the annual TPAS Cymru Awards by scooping two awards. Cantref beat off stiff competition to win in two out of ten categories – the Val Feld Wales Best Communication in Housing and the Inspirational Colleague Award. Cantref’s win for the Communication in Housing award was for their production of bilingual YouTube videos which give tenants the low-down on how to use technology in their homes to manage energy consumption. Rhiannon Ling, Community Regeneration Officer, won the award for ‘Inspirational Colleague’ for her work in creating sustainable communities. Her community initiatives on the estates include the introduction of structured play sessions to create diversionary activities to help reduce anti-social behaviour, and the provision of play areas. She has also helped embed tenant participation within Cantref by introducing art workshops. Eighteen-year old Rhonda Hughes, who lives at Cantref’s young care leaver scheme in Aberystwyth, achieved third place in the Young Tenant of the Year Award. Rhonda has faced many challenges in her life but through sheer determination has managed to turn things around. She is now engaged as a voluntary worker providing peer support and advice to others at the scheme. Lynne Sacale, Chief Executive, said: ‘We are delighted to have been presented with these awards at this prestigious ceremony. It is testament to the hard work and commitment of the team that we have done so well.’ John Drysdale, Director of TPAS Cymru, said: ‘These awards are the “Oscars” of our industry, and not only celebrate the achievements of those involved but also allow us to share good practice and learning from across Wales.’
Melin residents in Torfaen are first to benefit from latest green scheme Melin resident Cherrie Haines and her young family are set to become one of the first households in Torfaen to benefit from Powering Up Communities First. The new green scheme will help low income households put pounds in their pockets by providing energy saving advice and information. Powering Up Communities First aims to help families to save money by changing their habits such as changing light bulbs to low energy ones, turning appliances off stand by, and changing energy suppliers etc. The project promotes a ‘whole house approach’ and will ensure that people like Cherrie are given one to one support to help her make vital financial savings. The project is supported by the Welsh Government and the European Social Fund, and is being hosted by Melin Homes. Melin will work in partnership with Communities First, Torfaen County Borough Council, and Bron Afon Community Housing. Garndiffaith resident Cherrie was one of the first to be selected for the scheme, and will be soon be visited by a member of the Powering Up Communities Team to help her with energy saving advice. Cherrie also had solar panels fitted on her Melin home as part of the scheme. Allison Cawley, Project Manager for Powering Up Communities First said, ‘This is a fantastic new scheme, not only will it support low income households, but it will also work within the community to show householders how making small changes to their behaviour can help to reduce the energy that they use – putting pounds in their pockets as well as saving the planet.’
Around the Houses August 2012
40 year celebration for Cadwyn! Cadwyn HA has celebrated its 40 year anniversary with a fun-packed Open Day and AGM. Music sessions, yoga, cooking demonstrations and a visit from Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell were just some of the activities on offer. Children were kept entertained with a play bus, face painting, arts and crafts and circus skills. The afternoon kicked off with an inspiring speech from Darren Campbell and the story of how he went from a young boy knocking about a council estate to an Olympic gold medal winner. Cadwyn seized the opportunity to promote the services offered in the local community including the Food Co-operative, the child literacy programme Imagination Library and career and training opportunities. The feedback on the event has been positive with guests commenting on how enjoyable and well organised the day was. Nichola Williams, a tenant of Cadwyn said: ‘I didn’t realise how much work Cadwyn actually puts into social enterprise projects. I thought that housing associations were just accommodation providers, but it is clear from today that Cadwyn is so much more and I am proud to be a tenant of an organisation that gives so much back to the local community. Well done!’ Cadwyn’s Chief Executive Chris O’Meara commented: ‘We are delighted to have reached the 40 year milestone and the Open Day was the perfect way to celebrate! In the past 40 years we have grown from just 5 members of staff and 80 properties to 100 staff and over 1,200 properties. The Open Day was a great way of showcasing our diverse activities and celebrating our achievements over the past 40 years.’