This edition of ‘Here at Horton’ contains our annual report.
Once a year, we will publish this report to share with you how we are doing as an organisation. We hope that this will give you a clearer picture of Horton Housing.
In this edition you will find Horton’s new Values and Principles, our latest news and activities, energy saving tips and our latest volunteering opportunities.
We hope you enjoy reading this edition of your newsletter.
Young people from one of our Group Living Services attended Bradford’s Super Soapbox Challenge in May. They had a great time watching the different carts being set up on the ramp then speed down the race track. There were a few near misses, but overall the racers did really well! Afterwards, the group enjoyed going on rides at the funfair in the city centre. Their trip ended with a tasty meal at Amaan’s Grill House in Bradford.
Our Young Persons’ Prevention and Support Service (YPASS) in Halifax started their gardening group earlier in the summer. The group cleared all of the weeds and potted some herbs and seeds, including bell peppers, pumpkin seeds, thyme and onion. The group have also found some blackberries growing in the space and are delighted to see so many creatures enjoying the garden.
Tenants Peter and Sean worked hard to transform the garden at our Spring Street accommodation in Huddersfield. They potted plants, cut the grass and built a bench and table out of pallets. Tenants and staff made the most of the garden over the summer, including having a barbecue with people from our Kirklees based Substance, Tenancy and Resettlement Service (STARS). Great work well done lads!
A Public Living Room was set up outside our Craven Rough Sleeper Pathway service in Skipton in July.
Public Living Rooms are a space for people to chat over a cuppa and make connections with others in their community, who have different backgrounds and experiences. They are a safe, welcoming space with people who listen, treat everyone the same, do not judge, and do not try to fix each other.
The group had lots of interest from the local community who stopped to have a chat and learn about our services. It also provided an opportunity for staff to relax and de-stress. A couple of tenants said:
“Really loved the Living Room it was fun to have a cuppa with strangers.”
“Can we do this more often? It’s good to speak to random people and forget about stuff.”
The Association of Camerados runs the Public Living Room initiative. More information can be found on their website: https://camerados.org/public-living-room/
The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Beverley Mullaney, visited Octavia Court in August.
The Lord Mayor had a look around Octavia Court which offers emergency and short-term accommodation for individuals and families facing homelessness in the Bradford district. She was really impressed with the facilities and the newly redecorated office space. The office has been redecorated to provide a psychologically informed environment for colleagues, recognising that they experience and witness trauma in the work that they do. It provides a calm, comfortable environment for them to work from.
The Lord Mayor judged a children’s painting competition, played some games, enjoyed some food with the tenants and then enjoyed a talent show. Octavia’s Got Talent saw performances from singers, magicians, gymnasts and a moving story from a family about their experiences of trauma.
Afterwards she posted on Facebook: “Delighted to have been invited to this wonderful place and being a Judge on the Xfactor. Such a privilege to meet the amazing staff and families. A fantastic project that does Bradford proud.”
Members of the Senior Management Team and the Head of Service James Allen also attended the event.
The sun was shining and everyone really enjoyed the day. So much so, it may become an annual event! Manager Joanne Mason said: “It was great to see the tenants getting out and about and meeting each other. It helped people to build their confidence and it was good for them to be able to speak to the Lord Mayor about their experiences.”
Between May and July we received 50 donations from the general public.
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their kind donations.
We sent out 122 donations of furniture and clothing to people in our services. Some of these items were everyday essentials and some items went towards furnishing people’s properties.
137 people visited Horton’s Owt for Nowt shop during this time.
Young people at our Group Living Services (GLS) have had a great time expressing themselves in recent art therapy workshops run by the United Arts Project. They let their creativity flow through drawing and painting on canvases. Their artwork is planned to go up in the communal areas at each GLS.
Horton Wellbeing Café visitors painted pebbles to create these wonderful cacti plants.
Young people at YPASS have created a lovely mural to put up at the scheme. Each piece is themed around friendship and kindness.
Do you enjoy doing something creative, such as producing art, making crafts or writing poetry?
We would love to see them and share them here! Please email them to communications@hortonhousing.co.uk or talk to your support worker.
The Owt for Nowt shop held a celebration event in August to mark the second anniversary since it opened. Attendees included members of our Senior Management Team, Heads of Services, other Horton colleagues, and current and former volunteers. It was a good opportunity for everyone to have a look around, chat with others and celebrate everything the shop has achieved. Everyone helped themselves to biryani, sweet treats and a slice of cake. All enjoyed the event.
In the last two years we have supported 895 people with donations. This ranges from giving essential items to furnishing entire properties.
The Owt for Nowt shop is located at Edmund Street in Bradford, and is open every Monday to Thursday from 10am to 3pm.
Article by Volunteer Coordinator, Kristina
During 2019, our former Volunteer Services Manager Esther had a great idea that we could make an Amazon wish list and start advertising on social media for donations for the street reach services and some of Horton’s accommodation services. We spent a few months receiving small but generous donations from the public such as hats, gloves, socks, underwear and tinned foods. We also received some amazing gifts including Christmas cards and sweets from local primary schools that were sent out to our services.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020 and we saw the whole of the UK shut down, Esther and myself realised that some of our volunteers and participants were still being signed up for properties with no way of being able to access furniture. One of our volunteers told us she had been sleeping in an empty flat with just a blanket for a few weeks.
This was really upsetting to hear and we made the decision to reach out on social media and ask the local community for furniture donations to help people during these times. The response blew us away. We then spent the next few months collecting and distributing donations and seeing it go from strength to strength.
In July 2021, Horton started supporting Afghan refugees who had arrived in the UK. We saw people arriving with as little as a carrier bag of belongings. We quickly reached out on social media and the response was amazing. We received a generous amount of clothing, baby items and gifts for people and this was a huge support. A group of volunteers, including myself, would travel around Yorkshire collecting and distributing donations. We had a space in the building of one of our services and a shipping container for storage.
In July 2022, Esther was offered a temporary space in the former B&M’s shop in Bradford. This is when she had the amazing idea of opening the Owt for Nowt shop. We recruited a team of volunteers to help run the shop and the rest is history. We had no idea that the shop would grow as big as it has done, and we now see it being a lifeline to people moving in to new properties.
The shop has now moved to Edmund Street and is managed by our current Volunteer Services Manager Shaheen and myself. Shaheen joined the volunteer service in January 2024, and has since played a big part in the day-to-day running of the shop and the donations. We continue to see the shop grow and it has been an amazing journey for everyone involved. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our fantastic volunteers who continue to give us their valuable time. We look forward to seeing the shop grow in the future.
We have new Values. The Values underpin everything we do at Horton Housing and also reflect our strengths based, trauma informed approach to delivering services. We conducted a survey and delivered a series of workshops to get people’s opinions on what our revised Values and new Principles should be. It was important to us that these were co-produced to give people an opportunity to have their input. In total, over 290 people had their input. This included the people who access our services, colleagues, and our Board members.
Our Principles
We are kind, helpful and caring. We create safe spaces where people are listened to with compassion, empathy and understanding.
We are inclusive and approachable. We work together in an open and transparent way to build trust and understanding.
We are positive, empowering and resilient. We are ambitious and work flexibly to provide opportunities for growth.
Strengths: We focus on strengths, potential and what matters most to people.
Relationships: We focus on building trusting and respectful relationships.
Safety: We focus on providing safe and supportive spaces.
Collaboration: We focus on working together.
Liz O’Connor has joined our Senior Management Team as Housing Director. Liz will be overseeing a variety of housing-related matters for Horton, including repairs, asset management, compliance, health and safety, property development, complaints and antisocial behaviour reports, tenant involvement and regulatory framework reporting.
Liz has had a 30-year career in regeneration and housing and brings with her a wealth of experience, expertise and understanding of the sector. She began as a receptionist, working her way up in various jobs, followed by a number of senior roles for organisations.
Liz is committed to improving living standards and making an impact in delivering an excellent customer service. Throughout her career, she has witnessed the transformative power of how a safe, stable home and community can help people in need. She is passionate about housing, creating safe havens, and empowering others to improve their lives.
Horton’s mission aligns with her professional values and aspirations to contribute to a society where everyone has access to affordable and decent housing.
We have created a directory of the local support services available to you in your local area. If you need help to contact any of these services, please ask us. The directory can be found on our website by scanning the QR code here or by visiting this link: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/advice-and-advocacy-service-directory/
Leaflets containing the directory will be available soon.
Bary works as a Training and Employment Advisor for Horton’s Specialist, Training and Employment Programme (STEP). Horton Housing delivers STEP in partnership with World Jewish Relief. The service helps refugees to find work in the UK. Bary himself has experienced life as a refugee and can relate to the people he supports. Here he tells his story.
I was born in Kenya in Kisumu, a town near Lake Victoria. I had a wonderful childhood and was fortunate to be surrounded by lots of wildlife. Life in Kenya was great as we were all one – local communities used to get together to celebrate different religious holidays and events.
Sadly, my family and I had to leave Kenya after the country became independent from Britain in 1963 due to the violence against ‘non-African’ people. My parents were from the Indian subcontinent and East Africa, where we lived, was part of a British colony.
We moved to Pakistan where my grandparents lived. I could only speak Swahili and a bit of
were forced to leave the country. We became refugees for the second time and moved to the UK. I arrived in Bradford with my family on a very cold day, aged 21, with only £5 in my pocket.
Moving to the UK was another culture shock. My English wasn’t very good and I experienced racism and bullying. It was also difficult to get a job as my qualifications were not recognised here. I took on various jobs and went on to work in the voluntary and charity sectors in advice and support roles.
I started working as a Training and Employment Advisor for STEP at Horton in 2022. I support refugees to find work in the UK by helping them to write their CV, sign up to training courses and apply for jobs. The best thing about my job is meeting a diverse range of people who have come to settle into the UK from all over the world. It is interesting to see different people’s customs and practices. The people I support are often surprised to hear that I’m from Africa. I like my job as I can relate my experiences to them.
You can read the full version of Bary’s story on our website: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/barys-story/
Making sure your home is up to standard
The Government introduced the Decent Homes Standard for social housing providers almost twenty years ago. To achieve the Standard, a property has to:
• meet all the current minimum legal standards for housing
• be in a reasonable state of repair
• have reasonably modern services and facilities
• have efficient heating and effective insulation.
We regularly inspect our properties to make sure that they continue to meet the Decent Homes Standard and that they are free from serious hazards such as damp and mould. We also carry out any necessary repairs and improvements such as renewing kitchens and bathrooms. We lease a number of properties from private landlords and aim to make sure these properties also meet the Decent Homes Standard.
We will report every year in this newsletter about our progress in meeting the Decent Homes Standard.
In our last update in the Annual report 2023 edition of Here at Horton, we reported that one property failed to meet the Standard due to the age of the kitchen but that the facilities were later renewed, bringing us back to 100% compliance. The graphic below shows our performance from 1 April 2023 to the end of March 2024.
We will report every year in this newsletter about our progress in meeting the Decent Homes Standard.
Performance during 2023-24 (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024)
Our target to meet Decent Homes Standard
Where we are now
Number of properties not meeting Decent Homes Standard 0
Since April 2023, Chartford Housing Limited, the development arm of Horton Housing Association, has bought and carried out repairs and improvement works on ten houses in Bradford. These properties are mainly for the Single Homeless Accommodation Programme (SHAP) for people who have experienced rough sleeping. As a Registered Provider, Chartford is able to access funding from Homes England under the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26.
Examples of the properties purchased over the last year include:
• A two bedroom terraced house in Bradford. We carried out various repairs and improvements to the property, including the installation of new bathroom units and a new roof. We also installed internal wall insulation to improve energy efficiency.
• A two bedroom terraced house in Bradford. In addition to a new kitchen, we installed a new boiler and, due to the location of the property, a sump pump in the cellar to remove any excess water after heavy rainfall. We also recovered the roof and topped up the loft insulation.
• A one bedroom bungalow in Bradford. We carried out various improvements including the installation of a new kitchen. We also redecorated and re-carpeted the property and carried out a full re-wire.
• A two bedroom house in Bradford. The property has been redecorated and we have installed a new boiler and low energy lighting. We also re-carpeted the property.
As part of health and safety compliance, we install hard-wired smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors at all new properties. We also carry out asbestos surveys, gas and electrical checks and fire and legionella risk assessments.
In May 2024, Horton purchased a newly redeveloped property in Keighley for the Group Living Service (GLS). It has nine flats and a staff office. GLS will be relocated to this property from its current location in Bradford. The building in Bradford will be handed back to Places for People.
We are always looking for ways to make our money go further. In 2023 to 2024, we:
• Continued to increase the fuel efficiency of our new developments by installing better insulation, LED lighting and solar panels and explored the use of heat pumps where we can.
• Successfully bid for funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 1 and Wave 2, as well as the West Yorkshire Mayor’s booster fund, to improve the energy efficiency rating of our properties through improved insulation, solar panels and other measures. This grant support has amounted to more in excess of £250k in the year and improved the energy efficiency of 27 properties.
• Outsourced our main ICT systems and servers, which are now mostly hosted by third parties. This has improved operational efficiency, reliability and security whilst making ongoing cost savings.
• Renewed our phone and internet services at many of our sites. This has decreased our costs. This programme of renewal will continue over the coming years.
• Re-provided our printers and photocopiers across the company, leading to improved operational stability and more security.
• Renewed our mobile phone provision, leading to cost savings.
• Sourced additional support for our Asset Management Team to deliver refurbishment work and energy improvement work from our partner organisation, Unity Housing. This has led to more flexibility in support available and cost savings compared with external recruitment.
• Retendered 9 electric and gas contracts for renewal in October 2023. Whilst costs doubled, this was a considerable saving on open market variable rates at the time.
We want to make sure that the services and accommodation we provide deliver value for money.
Every year we measure our value for money against benchmarks set by the Social Housing Regulator and benchmarks we set ourselves. The results for 2024 can be found in the documents section on our website: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/about-us/ documents/
Our rents and service charges are set annually and change on the first Monday of April each year. We follow the guidance of the Regulator of Social Housing when we set our rents and take into account the rise (or very rarely fall) in the Consumer Prices Index each year. We notify all of our tenants of the new rent and service charges four weeks before they are due to change.
For the year starting on 1 April 2024, the rent increase has been set at 7.7% in accordance with regulation.
If you have a tenancy with us, your rent also includes a service charge element that is not restricted to a 7.7% increase. We reviewed how our service charges were made up, in preparation for the April 2024 increases. This review has resulted in a number of adjustments to service charge levels at different properties, especially reflecting increases in energy costs and living wage costs. These has led to slightly different increases in service charges at individual properties being applied this April, but we have endeavoured to keep these at or around 7.7% where possible.
If you live in one of our properties, your tenancy is referred to as ‘supported accommodation’. As the name suggest, this means you receive support to help you manage your home. This includes the provision of furniture while you rent, support from staff, additional security at some properties, a responsive repairs service, etc.
This is why rents and service charges in supported accommodation are higher than a home that you would rent without these services.
Being ‘in arrears’ means owing rent. We aim to keep within or below the national average of 4% of tenants in rent arrears by eight weeks or more.
We had not received all the increases in rent during the reporting period of 2023-24. As a result, the percentage for arrears is higher than normal and the rent collection percentage is lower than normal. We have been discussing rent increases with Bradford Housing Benefit and we are expecting an outcome shortly.
Last year we spent £1,404k on repairs against a budget of £1,142k. In 2022-23 we spent £1,043k. The current year spend has included c. £250k of spend on energy efficiency improvement works that was part grant funded.
The work this year has also included some significant work on properties that were subject to insurance claims.
We also continued to undertake some significant repair and grounds maintenance works on our Traveller sites in North Yorkshire.
We completed a total of 8,946 repairs April 1 2023 – 31 March 2024.
Our day-to-day repairs response times are categorised in the following way:
Emergency Within 24 hours – 759 emergency repairs completed.
Urgent Within 3 days – 1234 urgent repairs completed.
Routine Within 28 days – 6,953 routine repairs completed.
Other Where a specific date or special arrangements may need to be arranged for example where a void property requires urgent or priority repairs in order for re-let.
Repairs completed in target time in the last 12 months
We did not receive any tenant feedback on repairs satisfaction in quarter one. We started to phone tenants who had repairs on their property for their repair satisfaction feedback in July 2023, and began reporting in quarter two.
We received a total of 29 complaints over the reporting period of 2023-2024.
Complaints were varied and included, quality of staff, quality of support, and length of time to carry out repairs.
• We agreed with eight complaints
• We partly agreed with eight complaints
• We did not agree with 13 complaints.
We received 290 compliments which included quality of staff, support and service.
For more details on the annual review of complaints, visit our website: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/chairs-statement-re-annual-evaluation-of-complaints-2024/
How to make a complaint
If you have a complaint, let us know. We welcome complaints as they help us to improve our services and sort out problems. More information on making a complaint can be found on our website here: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/contact/ making-a-complaint/
Tenants satisfied with Horton’s service as a landlord overall
At Horton, one of our most important jobs is to keep people safe from harm, abuse or neglect. This is called ‘safeguarding’.
We follow special policies and guidelines to help keep you safe.
We also provide information to you. This explains the different kinds of abuse and how to raise a concern about the safety of yourself or another person.
At Horton, we have a Specialist Safeguarding Lead for Adults and a Specialist Safeguarding Lead for Children and Young People.
When a safeguarding concern is identified, we complete a safeguarding report. We share this with the relevant Safeguarding Lead so that this is recorded, monitored and followed up.
Most concerns were resolved quickly with support from staff.
Where concerns could not be resolved by us, we referred these to other agencies such as social services, police and/or mental health services. Where possible, the referral was discussed with the person or the family before it was made.
For information on keeping safe and the support available if you are experiencing abuse, visit our website: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/keep-safe/
Horton understands that Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) can have a serious impact on our tenants’ quality of life.
All incidents of ASB are taken seriously and we take prompt and positive action in tackling incidents of crime and serious ASB in or around our accommodation and/or grounds or properties.
Complaints about ASB are monitored and recorded separately to general complaints.
During 2023 to 2024 we received a total of 17 ASB complaints.
We agreed with 16. We did not agree with one.
One report did not relate to Horton. Neighbours complained that visitors to one of our properties were causing trouble in the area. However, these people were unknown to our tenant and were not visiting the property. This matter did not continue and there were no further complaints.
The majority of complaints were resolved immediately and were relatively minor. For
example loud music or neighbours shouting/ arguing.
We received one complaint relating to hate crime.
We did not receive any complaints to suggest that anyone had experienced domestic abuse.
Any ASB incidents that were not fully resolved within the quarter reporting period were carried over into the following quarter for ongoing actions and monitoring. This was to make sure that the issues were satisfactorily resolved before the cases were closed.
We worked with partner agencies including local authorities and the police on concerns which were more challenging to resolve in order to achieve satisfactory resolutions.
Any cases that remained open at the end of the reporting period were carried forward for ongoing action and monitoring. This was to make sure that the issues were satisfactorily resolved before the cases were closed.
Please report any ASB incidents to us as soon as possible. For more information on how to report ASB incidents to us visit: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/reporting-anti-social-behaviour/
Horton Housing Group signed up to be official adopters of the National Housing Federation’s Together with Tenants Charter in December 2020.
This means we want to make sure that:
• you are safe and listened to
• you can help shape our services if you want to
• the homes we provide are good quality
• when things go wrong, it is easy for you to tell us or make a complaint and we will sort it out quickly.
Our commitment applies to everyone, regardless of whether you live in our accommodation or are accessing any other Horton service.
If our maintenance team come to your home to carry out a repair, you will receive a repair satisfaction survey postcard from us. Are you satisfied or unsatisfied about the repair? Let us know by completing the survey.
Please send it back to us by using one of our pre-paid envelopes or give it to your support worker or key worker.
If you prefer, you can also complete the survey online:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MyRepair
All completed surveys we receive will be entered into a prize draw which takes place every three months.
My name is Claire and I work for my own company, Tentacles, to make sure people in supported and social housing are involved and engaged in the services they receive. Horton has asked me to come and work with them for a while so that I can look at new, fun and interesting ways of doing this. You might be wondering what involvement and engagement are, so I’ll start by explaining. Involvement is
• Asking you for your opinions and ideas on how Horton works. You’re the expert!
• Listening to what you like and dislike about Horton’s services.
• Taking action when you tell us things need to change. Engagement is
• Having fun to help us build good relationships with you.
• Celebrating different events to bring people together and understand each other more.
• Socialising with other people to prevent loneliness and create friendships. Getting involved with how Horton works has never been more important. The Government tells us we have to work this way but, more importantly, it’s the right thing to do. The home you live in and the support you get could change your future, so we need to get it right. The only way Horton can be sure they’re getting it right is by hearing from you.
Throughout July and August, I visited Horton services to speak to as many of you as possible. I gave more information about involvement and engagement and found out what interests you. I will be starting to set up groups and activities that are interesting and fun while still finding out what your thoughts and ideas are.
If you’d like to know more, ask your support worker to put you in touch with me.
Condensation is a common cause of mould. When warm air comes into contact with cooler surfaces, the moisture in the air turns into water droplets. These droplets can appear on surfaces such as windows, walls, and furniture. If these surfaces remain damp for an extended period, mould can begin to grow.
Below are some useful tips of how to prevent damp and mould in your home. More tips on how to prevent damp and mould is available on our website. Scan the QR code here or visit this link: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/preventingdamp-and-mould-in-your-home/
Keep your home ventilated
• Open windows regularly to improve air circulation and reduce moisture build up.
• Ventilate appliances. Make sure that the tumble dryer or any moisture producing appliances that you may have are vented to the outside.
• Avoid having too much furniture (particularly close to walls) as this can restrict air circulation and cause damp and mould.
• Regularly wipe down walls, windowsills and other surfaces where condensation forms.
• Regularly check areas prone to dampness, such as basements, attics, and bathrooms, for early signs of mould.
• If mould appears anywhere in your home, wipe down the affected area with a fungicidal wash. Follow the manufacturer’s guidance carefully.
Report any signs of damp and mould as soon as possible. Contact your landlord or if you are in a Horton property, contact your support worker or our maintenance team. If you live in one of our properties, we may carry out an inspection at your home to help us to identify and fix any causes of damp and mould.
E-scooters and e-bikes can catch fire due to their lithium-ion batteries and chargers. To prevent this danger and keep everyone safe, e-scooters and e-bikes are not allowed in any of our properties. This includes flats, balconies, storage units, communal and shared external areas. Our schemes have included the ban in their own house rules. If you do not follow this rule, it could result in you having to remove your e-bike or e-scooter from the property, or could even be considered a breach of your tenancy.
If you see anyone with an e-scooter or e-bike at one of our properties, please report it to our staff. We will keep your report confidential.
If there is a fire related to an e-scooter or e-bike, follow the building’s emergency evacuation plan and call emergency services straight away.
Please use regular bicycles or public transport instead. Ask your support worker if we have extra storage available for your non-electric bike.
These guidelines may change. We will let you know about any relevant updates as soon as possible.
By following these rules, you help keep everyone safe. Thank you.
Here are some tips to help you save money on your energy bills. You can find more online.
• Turn your thermostat to no lower than 18°C. Only have radiators on in rooms where you spend your time.
• Where possible, keep furniture away from radiators and do not cover them with clothes. This helps the heat to flow around your room.
• Close curtains at night and tuck them behind radiators to keep the heat in the room.
• Wait until you have a full load before using the washing machine. Wash your clothes at 30-40°C. Only set higher temperatures for items which need extra cleaning.
• Air-dry your clothes instead of using a tumble dryer.
• Spend less time in the shower.
• Only run taps when you need to and make sure you turn them off properly. Fix dripping taps or contact our maintenance team.
• Only fill your kettle or pan with the amount of water you need. Just enough to cover vegetables when boiling them. Using a lid saves more energy.
• Close fridge/freezer doors as soon as you have finished using them.
• Turn off the lights when you are leaving a room.
• Switch off at the plug anything you do not use regularly. Switch chargers off at the plug when they are not in use.
• Insulate your home by filling gaps around windows and doors with strip insulation or use draught excluders. You can also speak to your housing officer or landlord for advice.
Useful information, guides and local support to help with the cost of living can be found on your council’s website. Bradford: https://costoflivingbradford.co.uk/ Calderdale: https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/benefits/money Kirklees: https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/cost-of-living/index.aspx North Yorkshire: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/cost-living-support
This recipe is a comforting meal to warm you up as the days become colder. Tenants at our Fairmount scheme in Bradford made this meal at a recent Cook and Eat session led by Carole. The meal went down a treat and was another big favourite.
Serves 4
• 2 kg of potatoes, peeled
• Olive oil
• Salt (optional)
• Milk (optional)
• A small piece of butter
• 8 sausages
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced
• Gravy granules (or gravy powder)
• Worcester sauce (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan oven) / 200°C / Gas Mark 6.
2. Put a frying pan on a medium-high heat, add a bit of olive oil and add the sausages. Fry until brown.
3. Peel and dice the onions and place them into an oven dish and add the sausages. Pour some hot water into the oven dish – just enough to cover the food.
4. Put the oven dish in the oven and cook for around 45 minutes.
5. While the sausages are cooking in the oven, peel and dice the potatoes.
6. Place the potatoes in a large pan, cover with water and add a pinch of salt. Cook them on the hob for around 15 minutes or until soft and ready to mash.
7. Drain the potatoes over the sink with a colander, then return them to the large pan. Add a small piece of butter to the potatoes and a splash of milk (optional). Mash the potatoes until they are nice and fluffy using either a potato masher, the back of a fork or an electric mixer (if you have one in your kitchen).
8. Take the dish out of the oven and add gravy granules (following the packets instructions). Optional: pour a little bit of Worcester sauce into the oven dish. Mix it all together.
9. Serve the food and enjoy.
Would you like to volunteer at Horton Housing? Check out our latest volunteer opportunities below.
We will provide:
Induction, support, supervision and training
Out of pocket expenses, such as payment towards travel
A reference if you volunteer for more than three months. You can keep up to date and apply for our volunteer roles by visiting the volunteering section of our website: https://hortonhousing.co.uk/volunteer/
If you are interested in volunteering and would like to find out more, please contact our Volunteer Services Manager on 07525 667874 or email volunteer.applications@hortonhousing.co.uk
Volunteer roles available:
Work coach volunteer
Work coaches give advice and support with finding jobs. You will help to improve and develop a person’s strengths and weaknesses to help them become job ready. The role involves working one-to-one with the people to find suitable job opportunities based on the person’s skills, interests, experience, and qualifications.
Activities support and administrative assistant volunteer
The role involves providing administration support for Horton’s Substance, Tenancy and Resettlement Service (STARS). You will also help staff to facilitate group activities and the occasional day trip out with people in the scheme.
Activities support volunteer
You will assist with the activity support group at our male-only accommodation service. You will engage with group activities including arts and crafts, coffee mornings, community trips, and much more. The role will require you to attend once a week.
Activities support volunteer
You will assist staff at our Housing and Community Support (HACS) 4 All based in Keighley with organising activities and taking part in weekly support sessions at the scheme. This role also requires you to help staff with administrative tasks including answering the phone, photocopying and sending letters.
You will call people who have been referred to our Young Persons’ Prevention and Support Service (YPASS) and offer support to them as they wait to be allocated a support worker. YPASS supports people who are aged between 16 and 25, and are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. You will be a listening ear to the young person being referred and encourage the people we support to attend activities held at the scheme. The role also involves uploading referrals to a secure online database, logging notes and completing forms. For more information or to apply, please contact YPASS Volunteer Coordinator Tanya on 07809 203876.
Tick when found:
Barista Cake Chairs
Coffee
Cutlery
Juice Menu Milk Mugs
Pastry
Sandwich Tables Tea Teapot
Horton Housing is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Our aim is for our organisation to be truly representative of all sections of society, for each individual to be treated fairly, to feel respected and be able to be their best. We are committed to ensuring that our services are appropriate and accessible to the people who need them. We are opposed to all forms of harassment and unlawful discrimination.
We have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy which sets out how we will meet the needs of the people we work with and our equality duties. Every year we publish an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan which sets out our targets and how we will put our commitment to equality and diversity into practice.
We have been awarded the Housing Diversity Network Accreditation (DNA)
recognising our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
We are a member of the Housing Diversity Network.
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You can contact us through your support worker or by emailing: communications@hortonhousing.co.uk
Or you can write to us at: Communications
Horton Housing 54 Little Horton Lane Bradford BD5 0BS
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