Inspired Living - Summer 2016

InspiredLiving

SUMMER 2016

THE MAGAZINE FOR OLDHAM PFI RESIDENTS

GOING G REEN Our cham pions gro w th own healt hy vegeta eir bles

!

N I W

g pin hop see s f o – £30 chers e! g vou ck pa ba

YOUR COMMUNITY CENTRE NEEDS YOU

CARVING OUT A HOBBY

We’re looking for volunteers

Wood-carving at the Crossley Centre

Here’s how you can get in touch with us Call Great Places or Wates on 0300 123 2003 A full range of services is available between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

An extra out-of-hours service, which is provided by Wates, can be reached by using the same number.

Press 1 – for Wates Living Space, who can help you with repairs, refurbishment and new-build enquiries.

Press 2 – for Great Places Housing Group, who can help you with housing management and information on sales units.

Need to email us?

Drop the Great Places team a line on oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk or contact the Wates team on infooldhampfi@wates.co.uk

Come and see us

We’re always happy to see you at the Great Places office, which you can find at 119 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1TE. The office is staffed from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

You can also pop into the Crossley Centre, 323 Denton Lane, Chadderton, OL9 9GA or call the centre on 0161 652 1419. Alternatively, you can visit the Primrose Bank Centre, Magnolia Gardens, Primrose Bank which you can call on 0161 624 7202.

We’re online!

Visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and

search for Oldham PFI Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OldhamPFI www.facebook.com/CrossleyCent re www.facebook.com/PrimroseCen tre Follow us on Twitter @CrossleyCentre @Primrose_C entre

Write to Inspired Living at: Communications Great Places Housing Group Southern Gate 729 Princess Road Manchester M20 2LT

Access for all

If you’re visually impaired and need a magnifying sheet, please let us know.

An audio version of Inspired Living is also available. If you would like to read this magazine in a different language, please let us know.

Editor: James Bentley (james.bentley@greatplaces.org.uk) Designer: Tim Hanley (tim.hanley@greatplaces.org.uk )

2

Welcome to

InspiredLiving!

Welcome to your summer edition of Inspired Living. This edition is once again packed with useful stories, including information on the new My Move Oldham website, how you can give us your feedback about Great Places and Wates and how to make the most from your money.

they live by signing up to a commitment to help their neighbours on all things green.

Both Crossley and Primrose Bank community centres have also seen significant works since our last edition, with two community, grow-yourown food allotments being constructed.

Following the recent erratic weather (hot, cold, then torrential rain - ideal conditions for pesky weeds to shoot up!) we have some more helpful gardening tips to help you keep your garden in tip top condition. We also have a story on our newly trained green champions who demonstrated how much they love where

Volunteering opportunities at both Primrose and Crossley Community Centres are continuing to go from strength to strength, with new roles to be advertised soon – we have an article detailing what’s available and how you can register your interest. Both centres really are the heart of the community so we would

encourage anyone who is interested in being involved to pop in for chat with Jan at the Primrose Centre or Lynne at the Crossley Centre.

By the time of the next edition, myself and three colleagues will be in the middle of a 210 mile bike ride for the Royal Oldham Hospital Charity, so if you see me walking around looking like I’m in pain – it may be because I am!

Take care,

Ryan Smith Oldham PFI manager

WHAT’S INSIDE? 6-7 Your local centres: What’s happening at the Crossley and Primrose Centres?

9 Environmental news: Solar power and recycling arrangements in high-rise accommodation.

10-11 Just Champion: How our residents have been acting as ‘Green Champions’ and learning to keep their gardens tidy and growing their own food.

pages

Neighbourhood news

4-5

10-11

Get involved page

19 Sheltered accommodation: How it can help you and your loved ones.

8

Just Champion pages

14 Scrutiny panel to be launched: Can you keep an eye on us?

Health and wellbeing page

13 Get involved: Volunteering opportunities at our centres and an interesting new hobby.

13

3

Neighbourhood NEWS CREATIVE CREDIT AT THE COLISEUM The Creative Credit project came to the Oldham Coliseum and our centres earlier this year.

Creative Credit at the Crossley Centre

Creative Credit is a partnership between Great Places and other social landlords in the town, their financial inclusion staff and Oldham Council which shares information about how to save money.

The partnership involved perfomances about three very different factors, which used the arts and theatre to help people learn about how to best look after their money as well as maximising additional income.

It also aims to reduce anti-social behaviour and provide a unique way of engaging vulnerable people and helping them understand the issues they might face.

The project focused on loan sharks and illegal money-lending, Universal Credit and young people’s budgeting.

Universal Credit is a single monthly payment for people in or out of work, which merges together some of the benefits and tax credits that you might be getting now.

Universal Credit will replace income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and income-related employment and support allowance.

If you receive either of these benefits and you have any queries about how the introduction of Universal Credit will affect you, please contact Great Places Housing Group using the methods on the inside front cover of this magazine.

THE HEAT IS ON IN OUR TOWERS There’s going to be some significant capital works taking place in our highrise accommodation at Lansdowne Court and Stockfield Mount soon, as the installation of new heat-metering equipment begins.

Our partners Wates will carry out the works, with their own contractor VitalEnergi, which will be undertaken in all of our properties in the towers.

The new meters will mean more accurate bills and can be read by our teams at Union Street. This means that you will only be charged for the heating and hot water you are using and we won’t be issuing estimated bills any more.

You’ll receive your quarterly bill on time, every time, which in turn means you’ll be able to budget accordingly.

We’ll also be able to read your bill instantly rather than having to put requests in for the information and then waiting as we do now.

During the works, we will need access to each and every apartment. Installation should take between one-and-a-half and two hours in each property, but we will contact you approximately four weeks before starting.

We’ll then call you again two weeks before the works begin to remind you that they’re due, and finally update you the week before they’re taking place to arrange access to your property.

4

A NEW, SIMPLE AND EASY WAY TO FIND A HOME IN OLDHAM Great Places Housing Group, along with our partners who have homes to rent in Oldham, are pleased to let you know about a new and improved way to find your new home. We have listened and acted on the feedback and suggestions from customers and colleagues and hope that you are pleased we the changes we have made.

Our partners include Anchor, Contour, First Choice Homes Oldham, Guinness Northern Counties, Hanover, Housing and Care 21, New Charter, Places for People, Regenda, Riverside and Villages. All these partners advertise their homes on the new My Move website, so that you don’t have to register for housing separately with each partner and you don’t have to look in more than one place to find a home.

This site has been designed to make it easier to apply for social housing and to look for a new home.

You can: • Register for social housing in Oldham • Bid for available homes • Manage and update your account details by using the self -serve tools • Check your bidding activity

We will also be launching a mobile app to make it easier for you to access the site at any time and from any place.

Support is available on the website with Area Guides and Frequently Asked Questions to guide and help you.

Go to: www.mymoveoldham.co.uk

HAVE YOUR SAY ON WERNETH CRICKET CLUB’S REVAMP We’ve secured a fund to redvelop Werneth Cricket Club’s changing room facilities and would like to invite residents to a consultation.

We’re working with Coppice Sporting Alliance by providing resources and support around governance issues on the project, and we’re also working with the cricket club themselves, Tudor Street Kick Pitch and Oldham Council’s district partnership team.

The club would like a two-storey changing room building that would include new showers and a welfare facility too.

The re-building process will begin with the consultation before a meeting with the alliance that will decide which departments are responsible for which aspect of the project.

If you’d like to get involved in the consultation, call us 0300 123 2003 and select option 2.

HELPING THE LOCAL YOUTH COMMUNITY ON KESWICK AVENUE We’ve recently been looking at training up some of our residents in the Keswick Avenue area so that they can provide their own youth activities.

We call this ‘up-skilling’ and its aim is to train residents to act as the area’s very own youth workers.

We need help to do this so we’re working with MAHDLO to work through any issues before we’re able to hold resident consultation meetings every three months.

MAHDLO will be running a consultation over the course of this year’s school summer holidays to see how much our residents might want to work on the project – but we want to find out what kids want by asking kids, not adults!

On an unrelated note, access to Tip Road via Keswick Avenue will soon be changed. Look out for more information.

5

MRO RI

THE YOUR ENTRE COMMUNITY CENTRES P

SSLE RO

THE

Y

ENTRE

WHAT’S ON

MONDAY Sewing class 10am-12noon The class is full at the moment. Please contact the Crossley Centre on 0161 652 1419 with your details and you will be added to the list for when space is available.

C

TUESDAY English as Second or Other Language (ESOL) classes, run by Lifelong Learning 9:30am-11:30am Classes are pre-entry and entry level one. If you are interested in joining the class please contact us on 0161 652 1419.

Be Fit class 7:30pm-8:30pm A combination of pure body tone and conditioning with insanity, circuit training and stretch.

Cost: £4 WEDNESDAY Oak Tree Wood Carvers 9am-2pm Creative woodcarving. All wood and use of equipment cost included in fees.

Annual membership of £20 and weekly fee of £5

Zumba Fitness 6:45pm-7:45pm Cost: £3 A discount applies if you attend both classes!

THURSDAY Chair-based exercise 1pm-2pm Easy exercise class for those who want to take it slowly but keep those muscles moving.

Booty Shake 6:30pm-7:30pm 80’s-inspired dance class choreographed per song. Have fun and get fit. Designed to work and tone your entire body, tone muscle and burn fat.

Cost: £4 FRIDAY Work Club 10am-12noon Free Pop up café 12noon-2pm Lovely home cooked food Cost: From £2.50 SATURDAY Coming soon - Slimming World First session on 18 June at 10am

Zumba Gold 4:30pm-5:30pm Cost: £3 FORUMS AND WALKABOUTS

Find out what’s happening in your local community by attending a walkabout or forum!

They’re held every month and give you the chance to have your say on how we can make your community a better place to live.

There’s no need to register to attend them – just show up!

6

WALKABOUTS AT CROSSLEY CENTRE Wednesday 20 July at 10am Meet at Crossley Community Centre Wednesday 17 August at 10am Meet at Crossley Community Centre Wednesday 21 September at 10am Meet at Crossley Community Centre FORUM AT CROSSLEY CENTRE Friday 1 July at 10am Meet at Stockfield Mount communal area. We will be taking a group of attendees to Tandle View, a Housing and Care 21 (H&C21) sheltered scheme in Royton. Information will be sent out closer to the time asking for confirmation from residents wishing to attend, as transport will be provided.

MROS RI

THE

E

ENTRE

P

Y

THE

SSLE RO

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AT PRIMROSE CENTRE

ENTRE

MONDAY Indoor football coaching for six- and seven-year-olds 6:50pm-8pm Free C

TUESDAY Work club 1pm-2pm Get support with looking for work, filling in applications and building your CV. Free WEDNESDAY No events THURSDAY Primrose Ladies fresh Bangladeshi food for sale 12noon-2pm Eat in or take away.

Various prices Grow, Cook and Eat together 3pm-8pm Meet your neighbours and learn more about planting, growing and cooking.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Brunch club and family activities 11am-1pm during the summer holidays only Free FRIDAY, STARTING 15 JULY Football coaching with Oldham Athletic Community Trust at the Tudor Street football pitch 6pm-8pm Free SUNDAY 14 AUGUST Coppice Sporting Alliance fun day Further details to be circulated in August – contact the Primrose Centre for more details.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ENGLISH AS A SECOND OR OTHER LANGUAGE (ESOL), ENGLISH AND MATHS CLASSES WILL NOT RUN DURING THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS. THEY WILL RECOMMENCE IN SEPTEMBER.

COMING SOON! WEEKLY COFFEE AND CRAFT MORNINGS There will be a small charge for refreshments and craft sessions.

LADIES ZUMBA Please contact Jan at the Primrose Centre if you’d like to register for a weekly Zumba class starting in September. A month’s payment will be due in advance at the beginning of each month. Day, time and cost to be confirmed – though this will only go ahead if enough ladies register.

ARE YOU A YOUNG PERSON AGED BETWEEN 14 AND 18 WHO WANTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? We’re looking for young people who can help plan activities at the Primrose Centre and represent the views of other young people. Call into the centre and speak to Jan if you’re interested.

New activities are being added to both the community centre schedules on an on-going basis – pop into your local centre to find out what’s new or email crossleycentre@gmail.com or primrosecentre@gmail.com.

The forum is being held to share ideas, stories and best practice with H&C21.

WALKABOUTS AT DEW WAY Monday 11 July at 2pm Meet at Hilda Street flats Monday 8 August at 4pm Meet at Hilda Street flats Monday 12 September at 10am Meet at Hilda Street flats FORUM AT DEW WAY Monday 11 July On-site after walkabout

WALKABOUTS AT PRIMROSE BANK Tuesday 5 July at 10am Meet at Primrose Community Centre Tuesday 2 August at 2pm Meet at Primrose Community Centre Tuesday 6 September at 4pm Meet at Primrose Community Centre FORUM AT PRIMROSE BANK Tuesday 6 September at 5pm Primrose Community Centre

WALKABOUTS AT FITTON HILL Tuesday 19 July at 4pm Meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill Tuesday 16 August at 10am Meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill Tuesday 20 September at 4pm Meet in front of the park at Fitton Hill FORUM AT FITTON HILL Tuesday 16 August At Hub after walkabout

7

HEALTH AND WELLBEING PEDAL POWER RULES FOR INSPIRALS ON COAST-TO-COAST RIDE Staff from Wates, John Laing and Great Places will be free-wheeling on a 207-mile bike ride from Southport on the west coast, to Hornsea on the east coast this September.

They’re committing to the grueling task to raise money for the neonatal intensive care and Christies cancer unit at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Riccardo Tiano, Tony Grundy and Ryan Smith will start in Southport on the 26 September and hope to finish, via a long hard slog over the Pennines and the Woodhead Pass, in Hornsea three days later.

If you would like to donate to their great causes, you can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/teams/InspiralCoast2Coast - or you can text your donation by following the instructions on the right.

TAKING GREAT STRIDES TOWARDS GETTING HEALTHY Walking is a FREE, fun pastime that improves your health. It’s the ideal start to the week – which is why members of Active Oldham Outdoors in conjunction with Walking Works are getting active outdoors every Monday.

The group meets at the entrance to the Crossley Centre on Mondays at 10am for a friendly walk at a medium pace.

For more information, email activeoldhamoutdoors@gmail.com or call 07941 537 645.

Active Oldham Outdoors members taking a stroll

GET INSPIRED AT LIFELONG HEALTH FAIR

GUARDING AGAINST FIRE

Come to Alexandra Park and find out how you can live a healthier life at the Lifelong Health Fair.

It’s on Sunday 14 August and it runs from 10am-5pm. Best of all, it’s free to find out how you can make your life healthier!

Email barry@nwbs.info or call 07754 476 369 for more information

8

Fires start easily and spread extremely quickly, so it’s always worth making some quick checks that could go on to save your life.

Always make sure your smoke alarms are working and test them regularly, never smoke in bed, do not leave barbecues unattended and keep a bucket of water next to it, never leave lit candles unattended and use a fireguard and keep flues and chimneys maintained if you have an open fire.

You can call also Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on their non-emergency number to arrange a free home fire safety check. Simply call 0800 555 815.

LOOKING AFTER THE ENVIRONMENT RECYCLING MADE EASY IN HIGH-RISE ACCOMMODATION We all need to do our bit to help the planet – and recycling is one way to go green.

Working with the local authority and Viridor, we need every resident to play their part in recycling as much of their waste as possible. All Crossley residents must recycle their rubbish – and the offer has now been made available for residents living in both Stockfield Mount and Lansdowne Court too.

Shared recycling bins are located near the entrance of each high-rise block. They’re clearly labelled with what can and can’t be recycled.

WHICH RUBBISH GOES IN WHICH BIN? LOOK AT THE LABELS ON THE FRONT!

All paper, cardboard, catalogues, directories and Yellow Pages in the ‘mixed paper and card’ bin with the blue label.

All food and drink cartons glass bottles and jars (no broken glass) drinks cans, food cans and aerosols, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays including margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and other plastic food containers.

Our mid-rise properties already have facilities like this in place following partnership work with Manchester City Council and thankjs to Viridor our high-rise residents are now following suit.

Please do not put sacks or general waste into the shared recycling bins, as this can result in the entire contents of the bin having to be disposed of as general waste. As well as good recycling going to waste, it can cost twice as much to get rid and can delay collections.

SO-LAR SO GOOD FOR BRINGING HOT WATER BILLS DOWN We’re keen to utilise as much clean, green, free energy as possible so we are installing solar panels around the area.

They’ve been added to roofs to supplement the heating of hot water, so that the process is more economical, efficient and uses renewable energy, therefore reducing gas usage.

The design of the panels means that they can supply your property’s demand for hot water throughout the year, which means that between 20% and 30% of your property’s hot water needs can be heated this way which will save you money on your bills.

The system works by circulating a special liquid in pipes and through the solar panel. Once it has run through the panel, it is heated by the sun (even when it is cloudy!) and then circulates through a coil in the hot water cylinder, which heats the water.

The system is designed to be maintenance-free, so once it’s installed you shouldn’t have to do anything as the property occupier.

It also means that hot water will reach a set temperature quicker than by just using the boiler alone.

9

JUST CHAMPION It’s good to keep your garden neat and tidy. But as well as that, wouldn’t it be great to grow your own food? You can save money and get healthier too. Here’s how some residents have been learning how to do just that as our ‘Green Champions’.

Our Green Champions came together at the Crossley and Primrose Centres in May to learn all about how they could keep their gardens well maintained. Many residents weren’t sure about how they could do this, so the project was put together to help them learn new skills and give their estates a makeover.

Jo Dyer from Trafford Hall came to the centres to lead the project, and the first thing that the Champions did was to take a walk around their estates. It was on this relaxed introduction that they learned about the different types of plants and weeds that thrived in the community. Jo even told the group which plants were edible!

From there, it was back to the community centres for lessons from Jo on what gardening involves and how to make an individual garden a success, which will lead to a knock-on effect of other residents wanting to follow the Champions’ example. It’s all about the residents sharing

Cover stars!

10

the advice and training they’ve received.

“I really enjoyed the course, it was a lovely day,” said resident Amina Stihi.

“It was a very good way for my husband and I to spend time with each other. I learned about many different types of flowers as well as what is good for my garden and what is bad for it.

“It was a day of learning lots of new skills. I don’t think I’m very good at the gardening at the moment but I love it! I’m now much more interested in my garden as a result,” she added.

As the course drew to a close, the group planted their own herbs and the seeds of some edible flowers in the planters which have been set up in the Crossley Centre’s new community garden. The Champions were also given seeds to take home and plant.

“It’s given me the boost to start looking after my own garden more and to set up my very own herb garden,” said Sonja Costello of the Crossley Centre.

The Crossley and Primrose Centres will be receiving a

From left: Boualem Stihi, Amina Stihi, Ryan Smith, Amjad Khan, Sonja Costello, Natalie Christou, Amanda Mallitt and Naseem Ahmad in the Crossley Centre’s growing space

Learning about plants outside the Primrose Centre

similar boost as they’re aiming to use products that they’ve grown at their events.

“Now that we’ve got funding to carry on the project, the aim is that we come together as a community and by the end of the year we’ll be selling our produce in cafes, youth clubs and other activities. We want to be self-sufficient,” said Oldham PFI manager Ryan Smith.

“We’ve got some strong partnerships in place and we want to show how growing our own food in the heart of the community can be the catalyst for residents to get involved in the wider neighbourhood and other residential areas,” he added.

It sounds good to us. Now, who’d like lettuce on their burger from the Crossley Centre’s pop-up café?

The growing area at the Crossley Centre

11

OLDHAM ACTS AS IRISH INSPIRATION We recently received a visit from a government delegation based in the Republic of Ireland.

They’re interested in developing PFI schemes across the Irish Sea, so they visited us to see examples of what’s considered to be the best way of developing such a scheme.

Tim English from Oldham Council (third right) shows the visitors from the Irish government around the Primrose Centre

Visitors included senior project manager Sean Court, project manager David Power, project manager Derek Allen, senior financial analyst Paul O’Neill and financial analyst Grainne Kenny. Oldham Council’s Tim English and Inspiral general manager John Gilmore showed them around town on their visit.

SAVE THE DATES – COMMUNITY CENTRE AGMS ARE COMING

In September, the management committees will be holding their AGMs where people will be given the opportunity to nominate themselves as a committee member for 12 months.

New residents are welcome to join the committee. Any skills or expertise that can help with the role will be considered favourably, but no previous experience is necessary.

This is your chance to have your say about the way your community centres are run – don’t miss the opportunity!

12

ENTRE

P

THE

Y

SSLE RO

Information will be circulated nearer the time, but call into the Crossley or Primrose Centre if you’d like to have a chat with someone.

MROS RI

THE

E

ENTRE

C

The Crossley and Primrose Community Centres are both run by management committees who meet to discuss, debate and vote on decisions to ensure the centres are well run. These committees are made up of local residents, councillors, staff from Great Places and Oldham Council, community centre users and partners.

CARVE OUT A NEW HOBBY FOR YOURSELF One of our more specialist hobbies that we offer at the Crossley Centre is woodcarving.

It’s a painstaking pastime but as you can see from these pictures, the results are stunning and breathtakingly intricate.

Terry Kelly runs the class at the centre and has received lottery funding to keep it going until December.

The course is held every Wednesday at the Crossley Centre between 9am and 2pm. Costs start with a yearly membership of £20 followed by a weekly fee of £5. All wood and use of equipment is included in the fees.

Derek Buckley is one of the residents who takes part in the class. “I’d always been interested in woodwork and I’d admired carvings, so I thought I’d give it a go,” he said.

Malcolm creating his latest project The Crossley Carvers - From left: Derek, Ged, Malcolm, Terry, Martin and Eunice

“It’s not something I’d be able to do at home because there would always be something else to do instead, so it’s nice to come along and learn new techniques while having a chat with the other residents,” he added.

Come along and see what you can create from a simple block of wood.

YOUR COMMUNITY CENTRES NEED YOU If you’ve ever wanted to put something back into your community, we have the roles for you.

We’re looking for two volunteer administrative workers at each centre, a volunteer cleaner at each centre and a volunteer business development worker for each centre.

We’ve also applied for funding that would allow us to recruit a volunteer co-ordinator for each centre too.

The co-ordinator role will be treated as competitive process, so you’ll have to attend an interview if you’d like it – but unlike most job interviews out there, we want you to ask us questions!

We want you to ask us how it would help you if you got the job.

Are you looking to boost your employability and skills? Will the job bring you greater employment opportunities? Will it help you connect to a new group of people by playing a greater part in the community?

The co-ordinator role will involve making sure that the 15 volunteers in each centre are kept busy. The successful applicant will fill in a learning plan for eight months, which will track what they want to get out of the position as well as the key tasks that they perform.

13

Can you keep an eye on us?

As part of making sure that we’re always doing our best for you, Great Places and Wates are launching a scrutiny panel specifically for the PFI scheme in Oldham. This will look at four key service areas every year and examine their output.

The new members will be residents from the Oldham PFI scheme. They’ll be trained on what scrutiny actually is and be given the tools that will help them put the scheme’s services under the microscope.

They will then meet over the course of a week and look at policies and procedures that are in place in the PFI scheme, the best practices established by other organisations that we might adopt and how the scheme might not have been as successful as it might have been – like a mystery shopper!

14

The scrutiny panel will then come up with a series of recommendations about the work of the PFI team that they’ll put to the residents’ panel.

Great Places Housing Group has previously worked with scrutiny groups and there has even been some people in our neighbourhoods who have scrutinised the PFI scheme before. We need to hear from those people again so that they can act as a ‘guiding light’ for newcomers.

Training will be provided for all new scrutiny panel members ahead of the first of the four, annual reviews.

Over the first 12 months, the group will be examining community safety, repairs and maintenance, grounds maintenance and the re-let standard of void properties.

Please contact Jan Wade on 07736 693120 if you would like to join the panel or for more information.

my money

Our Financial Inclusion team work hard to help residents save money.

Last year, they helped put £1m back into your pockets!

HOUSING BENEFIT: CHANGES TO THE RULES Great Places is giving you this information to make you aware of the changes that are taking place to the way Housing Benefit and Universal Credit is calculated.

The changes will affect people that start a new tenancy from April 2016 but the update will not come into effect until 2018.

We need to give you this information now so that you can prepare for how you would pay your rent if your income changed after April 2018.

From April 2018, if you receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, the money you get to help with your rent will be capped by what is called the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), and may not cover the full cost of your rent.

Most of Great Places rents are below the LHA cap.

However, the biggest change will be for single people under 35 years old who, from April 2018, will only be entitled to an amount that is based on a single room rate. This means that the amount of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit you get will be capped at what you would get if you were renting a room in a shared house.

The LHA is based on where you live, so if rents are higher where you live, you are entitled to more. These rates can, and do, change, but the table below gives you an idea of the different rates in different areas as of March 2016.

Local Housing Allowance area

The maximum amount a single person under 35 would get towards their rent

Bolton and Bury

£49

Central Lancashire

£54

Central Manchester

£67

East Cheshire

£71

Sheffield

£64

The new rules will kick in from April 2018 but will apply to all new tenancies from April 2016, which is why we are giving you this information now. If your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit reduces, you will have to pay Great Places the difference if you want to stay in your home.

BENEFIT CAP: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The government has recently put a limit on the amount of money that people can receive in benefits. It’s called the benefit cap and the new rules mean that a family will get a maximum of £384 per week while a single person can receive a maximum of £257 per week.

If the benefit cap affects you, you will have received a letter from the government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

£ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £

£ £

You’ll be exempt from the cap if you receive any of the following benefits: • Working Tax Credit • If you qualify for pension credit • If you or someone in your household is long-term sick or disabled and receives the following:

o DLA or PIPs

o The Support component of Employment Support Allowance

o Attendance allowance

o Carers’ Allowance If you are affected, there are things we can do to help you, so please contact us for advice and support on how to manage the impact of the benefit cap. Get in touch using the methods given on the inside front cover of this magazine.

15

NEWS

What’s on in the wider borough in the summer holidays?

HACK THE LIBRARY! Coding is the new buzzword as the world becomes more and more digitally connected. Come along to Oldham Library and code, make tech and game the day away.

Every fourth Saturday of the month with Hack Oldham All ages, 10am-4pm, free www.hackoldham.com

XPLORER ORIENTEERING SESSIONS Grab your map and follow the clues to the trail of plaques around two parks in the borough.

Foxdenton Park 9 July, 18 July, 27 August, 11 September All ages, 1pm, free Chadderton Hall Park 20 July, 3 August, 31 August All ages, 1pm, free Email mail@oakapple-environmental.co.uk or call 07894 572171 for more details

FULL CIRCLE: GET MOVING SESSIONS Come to Coalshaw Park and play different sports throughout the day and improve your skills. Children aged under-8 must be accompanied by an adult.

Every Tuesday and Friday from 22 July to 26 August, 2pm-4pm, free, all ages

IMPROVE YOUR FOOTBALL SKILLS – AND EVEN YOUR DANCE MOVES!

11

16

23

Chadderton Hall Park is the home to these weekly skill sessions.

Every Wednesday from 3 August to 31 August, 1pm-3pm, all ages, free.

Email martin.vose@oldhamathletic.co.uk or call 07927 312 929 for more information.

SPINDLES SHOPPING CENTRE SUMMERTIME FUN There are lots of activities coming your way throughout the summer holidays at the Spindles shopping centre in the town centre.

Shopping Susie’s Kids Club Saturday 16 July and Saturday 20 August, both 11am-3pm, ages 4-10 Torch and medal making Wednesday 27 July, 11am-3pm, free, ages 4-10 Bracelet and key-ring making Wednesday 3 August, 11am-3pm, free, ages 4-10 Magnet and cookie decorating Wednesday 10 August, 11am-3pm, free, ages 4-10 Face painting and balloon modelling Wednesday 17 August, 11am-3pm, free, ages 4-10 Meet the Stegosaurus Saturday 27 August, with appearances at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm, free, ages 4-10

FAMILY FUN SESSIONS Join Oldham Play Action Group and their wide range of arts and crafts at the following venues and times.

Children aged under-8 must be accompanied by an adult.

Foxdenton Park Every Thursday from 21 July to 25 August, 1pm-3pm, free, all ages.

St Barnabas Church Every Tuesday from 26 July to 30 August, 11am-1pm, free, all ages Waterhead Church Every Wednesday from 27 July to 31 August, 11am-1pm, free, all ages Chadderton Hall Park 25 July, 8 August, 15 August, 22 August, 1pm-3pm, free, all ages Email playactiongroup@hotmail.com or call 0161 678 9662 for more information

Spindles shopping centre, Town Square, Oldham Email enquiries@spindles.co.uk or call 0161 628 5891

‘YANKS’ IN SADDLEWORTH THE 9TH ANNUAL AMERICAN AUTO CLUB NORTH WEST CAR SHOW Hit top gear to reach Uppermill Park and look at some of the greatest American cars that ever cruised down Route 66.

Sunday 7 August, 8am-5pm, free

Celebrating Uppermill’s place in cinema history in the 1979 film Yanks, visit the area and see classic military vehicles from 1914 right through to the Gulf War. There are also military encampments and vintage stalls. We can’t promise that Richard Gere will be here though!

Friday 5 August to Sunday 7 August, 10am-5pm, free

Email val.bert.kendall@ntlworld.com or call 0161 865 7684 for more information

17

ELSEWHERE IN OUR COMMUNITY MAKING THE MOST OF THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AT MAHDLO! If you’re aged from 8 to 14, there are lots of things to do at MAHDLO Youth Zone this summer holidays. And what’s more, activities run every weekday from 18 July right through to 2 September, from 8.30 in the morning to 5.30 each evening.

A day’s activities will cost £3. Email info@mahdloyz.org or call 0161 624 0111 to find out what’s on.

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE SERVICES ON YOUR DOORSTEP You may be aware that the lower floor communal areas of both Stockfield Mount and Lansdowne Court are currently out of use.

We’re pleased to announce that our fantastic partnership working with Chadderton’s local policing team will continue as they will be given full use of the communal rooms in both high-rise blocks as their base in which they can hold local surgeries.

Residents are free to visit and discuss any concerns about the local area and crime that they might have, or they can just pop in for a coffee and a chat with one of our police officer Ian Hope and police community support officer Tony Bowker.

PC IAN HOPE

PLANTING THE SEED FOR ALLEYWAY REVAMP IDEAS Members of the community have recently met with the contract manager of our grounds maintenance team Greenfingers to see what can be done with alleyways in Oldham.

We’ve identified about 30 alleyways that could do with some tender loving care and we want to hear from you about what you think we should do with them.

The ultimate aim is to turn the alleyways into useable community spaces, so some of you have suggested that we can install planters that would hold plants and flowers, while others would simply like them to be safe and secure.

A significant number of these alleyways are the responsibility of Oldham Council, so we’re working with their district partnership team.

The alleyway at Cashmere Walk has already received some attention as you can see from our pictures. Well done to everyone from the Primrose Centre who took to the streets during the recent school half-term holiday to help!

Lee Street in Coppice is another example of an alleyway that could do with a bit of hard work. For this and all the others we need your ideas – tell your neighbourhood co-ordinator what you think we should do with them.

18

PCSO TONY BOWKER

LIFE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE DIFFICULT AS YOU GET OLDER There’s no shame in admitting that as you get older, you find things more difficult. That’s why there are options available for our older residents from Housing & Care 21.

SHELTERED ACCOMMODATION Sheltered accommodation offers comfortable apartments that are built around communal areas, or self-contained bungalows. The communal facilities available in the apartment schemes include laundry, lounges, gardens and guest rooms.

The schemes also offer a 24-hour emergency call system to give you and your relatives peace of mind, as well as an on-site manager who’s there to offer support and advice if you need it.

The main benefit of sheltered accommodation is it allows residents to keep their independence.

Residents are free to come and go as they please, just like living in their own home.

EXTRA CARE HOUSING For some residents, Extra Care housing is an increasingly positive alternative to residential care.

It supports tenants who already have care and housing needs but allows them to keep their independence.

Extra Care housing is made up of a mixture of support, care and security over a 24-hour period and is generally, but not exclusively, offered to applicants aged over 60 who need a level of care and support.

Adult Social Care Services will have assessed the amount of support required, and if it’s deemed that you need enough, you’ll be allowed to apply. The service offers flexible and responsive care and on-site support from a dedicated team, with a full programme of social activities throughout the week.

19

Competition time £30 in vouchers to be won!

You could be one of three winners of a £10 shopping voucher! Simply complete the wordsearch and spot the differences between the two pictures below, cut the page out and post it to us along with your full name and address. You’ll then be entered into the prize draw.

Send your entries by post to:

Deadline for entries: Monday 22 August 2016.

Remember, you don’t need a stamp!

FREEPOST, RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Inspired Living, Great Places Housing Group, Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Manchester M20 2LT

Wordsearch Words to find are: GREEN CHAMPION BOROUGH HEAT

WALKING PARKING METER SCRUTINY

CARVING ALLEYWAY SHELTERED DELEGATION

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST ISSUE’S WINNERS:

Shahina Akther – Oldham N Esser – Oldham Janine Taylor – Oldham

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1

2

There are five differences between the two pictures. Can you find them? Circle the differences you can see on picture 2.