6. Heartbeat Spring 2013 Issue 23

SPRING 2013

BEDROOM TAX: WILL THIS AFFECT YOU? SEE PAGE 10 Cover picture: Midland Heart Women’s Group recently took part in a repairs workshop where they learned basic but valuable DIY skills to help them in the maintenance of their own homes. See page 14 for full story.

From the editor...

Welcome to the spring edition of Heartbeat This edition of Heartbeat has been a pleasure to work on and it was brilliant to meet with the new editorial board and gain some important feedback about the magazine. It was great to see their enthusiasm for future editions.

In this edition we have highlighted some key information about the ‘Bedroom Tax’ that will begin in April 2013. You should find some useful contacts here if you will be affected by this.

This year Midland Heart has made the employment and skills of its customers a corporate priority. So you can find out more about how you can get involved with our career, apprenticeship or volunteering opportunities on page 7.

Lastly, the light-hearted stuff…don’t forget to note down when the Midland Heart Customer Carnivals will be coming to your area, and read all about what’s been happening in your local community in the pages towards the back of the magazine.

Introducing the new Heartbeat Editorial Board Having taken many different formats in the past, we are thrilled to be able to introduce you to the new Heartbeat Editorial Board.

We contacted a number of customers who had previously expressed an interest in being involved in the production of this magazine, and they have since enjoyed their first editorial meeting.

We all got together at our social enterprise, Frost and Snow Bakery, to discuss past editions of the magazine and what you would like to see in it. The team had some very good feedback to offer and the enthusiasm for future editions was electric. Everyone must watch this space, we are sure you can expect to see wonderful things from them!

If you would like to get involved in the Heartbeat Editorial Team please contact Anikah Miller-Ryan on 07767 474 361 or email heartbeat.editorial@midlandheart.org.uk.

This is certainly a bumper edition and we hope you will find its contents very useful.

Remember, if you have something to contribute you can get in touch with us by emailing heartbeat@midlandheart.org.uk.

Wellbeing

3-6

Nat

Employment & Skills

7-9

Natalie Hannam Heartbeat Editor

Update

10 - 13

Engage

14 - 15

Health & Safety

16 - 17

How we’re doing

18 - 19

Where you live

20 - 35

Midland Heart 20 Bath Row, Birmingham B15 1LZ tel 0345 60 20 540 heartbeat@midlandheart.org.uk 2

In this issue...

i v a L Customer Carnivals bigger and better in 2013!

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Are you looking for FREE family fun, lots of prizes, games and some fantastic food this summer?

The Midland Heart Customer Carnivals have become bigger and better over the last three years and the good news is that there are coming to somewhere near you again this summer 2013!

You may have heard about the Government changes to Welfare Reform, and because of the impact that this will have on some of our customers this year’s carnivals will give you the chance to meet with Midland Heart staff and other agencies to discuss any issues you are concerned about.

First and foremost the carnivals are about fun, and to give you an idea, here is what some of our customers have said about previous years: “All of the family look forward to the carnival each year.

There are always lots to do for people of all ages; my personal favourite is the bungee run and the face painting. Best of all it is all completely free!”

Kerry Warner, Stoke on Trent “I work during the week so it is good for Midland Heart to put on the carnival each year on a Saturday, they provide another option for us to get involved and meet with Midland Heart and other agencies” Albert Gibbons, Essington

Carnival dates as follows: Birmingham Carnival, The Light House, 100 Alma Way, Aston, B19 2LN, Saturday 6 July 11am – 4pm.

Coventry Carnival, Broad Horizons Enterprise Centre, 161 Broad Street, Foleshill, Coventry, CV6 5BN, Saturday 22nd June, 11am – 4pm Leicester Carnival, The George Ward Centre, Church Lane, Barwell, Leicester LE9 8DG, Saturday 13th July, 11am – 4pm.

Staffordshire Carnival, Essington Community Centre, Hobknock Road, Essington, WV11 2RF, Saturday 22nd June, 11am – 4pm Wolverhampton Carnival, Dunstall Hill Community Centre, Dunstall Avenue, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, WV6 0HN, Saturday 13th July, 11am – 4pm.

For more information please contact engage@midlandheart.org.uk or telephone 07771 676 773

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All you

: t u o b a w o n k o t d e ne

S T E K R A M R E SUP

Food shopping is a big part of our monthly outgoings and the supermarket is where the bulk of our money is spent. Try to remember that supermarkets spend a lot of money finding new ways of making us spend more than we need to.

Have you ever wondered why your favourite song is playing as you walk around the aisles? Or why you can smell freshly baked bread when you walk in the front door but the bakery is at the back of the shop? Possibly not, but you may feel as though you always spend more than expected.

In this issue of Heartbeat we are giving you some top tips to help you save money on your weekly shop, and highlight some supermarket tricks that you’ll want to avoid.

Our top 10 tips for your next supermarket visit: Don’t go to a big supermarket when you only need 2 pints of milk You’ll just end up buying things you don’t need, as well as wasting time and petrol.

Make a shopping list Dig out a cookery book and plan a few meals, then only buy what you need.

Consider own-brand goods You can buy a tin of Asda own-brand baked beans for 14p and a loaf bread at Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's for just 19p, own brand is a much cheaper alternative.

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Bags and packets – loose is cheaper Buying items like fruit or vegetables loose is almost always cheaper than buying them in bags or packets.

Bin the ready meals Preparing your own food costs a lot less than ready meals.

If you need some inspiration try visiting your local library to borrow some cook books.

Go Veggie!

Not buying as much meat will save you lots.

Buy in Bulk It’s not always cheaper to buy in bulk if you end up throwing loads of food away. However you can buy staples like rice, pasta, salt, sugar and flour as they work out cheaper, last for ages and you know you’ll always use them.

Special ‘offers’ The 'offer' is always priced into the deal so think, ‘do I really need this?’ and about whether or not the own-brand version is cheaper.

Real offers – reduced products These are the real bargains, find out when your local supermarket reduces stock (this is usually later in the evenings or on Sundays). Freeze your bargains and then you won’t have to use them straight away.

Check one last time Once you’ve been round the supermarket and got everything you think you need, go through the basket one last time. Take out those items that you don’t really need before pay for your shopping.

Got more of your own savvy shopping tips?

Share them with other Heartbeat readers by emailing them to heartbeat@midlandheart.org.uk

RECIPE

Getting Energy Smart Together!

This is a very straight forward recipe and all of the ingredients can be bought in your local supermarket, so you can feed a family of 4 for around £4.50

Getting energy smart together is all about improving the way we use energy.

Whatever your reason for saving energy: the environment, or money, you will benefit from having smart energy habits. There are many things you can do to use energy smartly such as;

3 Turning your thermostat down by 1 degree. This could save you around 10% on your annual bill

Macaroni Cheese with Ham and Sweetcorn Prep: 15 mins. Cook: 15 mins. Serves: 4

What you need 300g Macaroni pasta 120g Cream cheese 150ml Semi skimmed milk 75g Reduced fat grated cheddar cheese 198g Can no added salt or sugar sweetcorn, drained 75g Lean ham, cut into cube

How to make it 1. Preheat the oven to 190 C, Gas Mark 5. Cook the macaroni according to instructions on pack. Whilst it is cooking, over a low heat, mix the cream cheese with the milk and half of the cheddar.

2. Drain the pasta and return to the pan, mix with the cheese mixture, sweetcorn and ham.

Turn into a greased ovenproof dish and top with the remaining cheese.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until light golden brown

3 Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping 3 Only charge your laptop and phone for as long as they need

3 Turn off the lights when you leave a room 3 Don’t leave your TV on standby 3 Only boil as much water as you need in your kettle 3 Change washers on taps promptly when they start to drip

3 When cooking, keep lids on saucepans 3 Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth How to get the best deal?

Energy supplier’s tariffs are often confusing. They have standing charges and will generally have two tariffs which will usually cost low energy users more than those who use a lot.

To make sure you are always getting the best deal, shop around.

The National Housing Federation has a website which will give you an impartial comparison of what’s available. You can find out more here;

www.myhomeenergyswitch.org.uk 5

Midland Heart is an Investor in Diversity!

We are proud to announce that Midland Heart has been awarded Investors in Diversity (IiD)!

The award, given to us by the National Centre for Diversity, means as well as meeting their key standards we have shown that we are serious about promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and that we are really committed to improving how we meet the different needs of our customers and staff.

Equality and Diversity is right at the centre of our promise to work with all of our communities and neighbourhoods to provide places where people want to live as well as receive our care and support services. We are committed to putting our customers’ needs at the centre of all of the decisions we make.

Martina Honeyghan, who is the lead for the award at Midland Heart says “Equality, diversity and inclusion is very important to us here at Midland Heart and we are working really hard to make sure that it is at the heart of everything we do!”

We have focused a lot on making sure that what we do around equality, diversity and inclusion has a real, positive impact on our customers’ lives. Some of the things that we have done as part of the work around IiD includes providing CV, application and interview support workshops for customers and improving the training we offer to our staff so that they can offer the best level of support to our customers.

We would like to thank all of those who took part and told us what you thought of equality and diversity at Midland Heart.

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Will you be contacted by MEL? Midland Heart works with an independent research company, ca lled MEL Research, to conduct customer satis faction interviews over the telephone.

Telephone interviews are short and last no more than ten minutes. The aim of the survey is to gather specific feedbac k based on recent servi ces received from Midland Heart.

You may be contacted if you have had a recen t repair carried out at yo ur home, have received a communal service such as cleaning or grounds maintenance, or you ha ve recently moved into a Midland Heart property .

We need your views in order to improve the se rvices we provide, so we would really appreciate it if yo u could complete a telep hone survey if MEL Rese arc h contacts you.

If it isn’t convenient to complete a survey at th e time of the call, the int erviewer will arrange a mo re suitable time to call you, and remember; all responses to customer satisfaction surveys are confidential and used on ly to improve our service s.

Employment & Skills

YOUR employment and skills, OUR priority This year Midland Heart has made the employment and skills of customers a corporate priority. This is particularly important at the moment with changes to welfare reform and is reflected in our Building Prospects strategy.

The aims of our strategy include:l To work with schools in our communities to develop routes for pupils to enter the Housing and Care sector l To support social enterprises that create employment and skills opportunities l A target that by March 2016 at least 10% of our staff are, or have been customers of Midland Heart l We will actively encourage and support customers to set up their own businesses from home l To keep developing the Back on Track programme, apprenticeships for young people

To support our customers in gaining employment and building new skills Midland Heart has a number of existing and new opportunities that are available to you: l Employment and Skills days – Come along on

Thursday 11 April, 10 - 4pm and hear about what it is like to work for Midland Heart, receive guidance on how to apply for Midland Heart jobs, and sign up for additional offers of support, for more information call Amy Walden on 0845 850 1020 ext 5624 l Midland Heart job application guidance and support – interested in hearing more about Midland Heart jobs or in receiving guidance in applying? Book an appointment in one of these sessions:–

20 Bath Row, Birmingham, Wednesdays 10am - 4pm, call 0845 850 1020 ext 6101 or 07990 640781

What kind of jobs?

Vacancies at Midland Heart typically include a variety of roles across our Care & Support services.

These areas include: Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, Older Peoples Services, Homeless Services, Administrators and Call Centre Staff.

396 Foleshill Road, Coventry, Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm, call 02476 680 110 We are looking to develop similar offers in Leicester, Wolverhampton and Stoke. l Attend a Workshop - a weekly session giving advice and support, targeting Midland Heart customers in the Snow Hill area of Birmingham,

Wednesday nights 5pm - 7pm, The Snow Hill, 86 Old Snow Hill, For more information contact Manjit Sehmar on 0845 850 1020 ext 6101.

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Midland Heart is already well on the way to meeting its 10% customer target, and here are just two examples of what Midland Heart customers have to say about how they’ve found working for Midland Heart…

EMMA a member of the Income Recovery Team has worked for Midland Heart for 9 years and it is her responsibility to support customers who are facing problems with their debts - which includes rent arrears.

Emma was really impressed with the service she received as a customer which made her realise that she could offer the same great service she had received herself. It all started by looking on the Midland Heart website www.midlandheart.org.uk/ jobsandcareers for current opportunities.

“It really helps to understand the issues from the customers point of view”

SARAH h as Heart for been a customer of Midlan 20 years d and has Support worked a Worker w sa ithin the Health Te Mental am for th e last 5 y ears.

Sarah sa

id: “I and really come from a care an d social ba wa ckground saw an op nted to use the sk il en day ad ls I had g ained. I vertised in and appli th ed. Since working fo e local newspaper have rece r Midland ived supp Heart I ort and tr role, my m aining to anager is c a rry o ve any addit ional train ry supportive and s ut my upports ing I wan t to atten d.

“Midland Heart allo wed fit my shi fts in arou me to nd my home life ” One

of the rea sons I lo Heart is h ow accom ve working for Mid land mo When I co Emma said: “It really helps to understand the issues mmenced dating they have b een. e H m e p art I had loyment w from the customers point of view in my role, and as a young c ith Midlan a h llowed me ild, and M d I am a customer myself I can appreciate the id to fit my s They have hifts in aro land Heart frustrations and issues customers face, and offer also supp und my h orted coll have start sympathetic advice.” Emma speaks highly of the eagues of ome life. ed their c min are what exp training she has received since starting her career erience yo er, this shows it isn e that ’t ab u h right attit ave but if at Midland Heart and feels well supported by her ude – the you posse out s kil ss the experienc manager. e gained.” ls can be taught a nd

If you are interested in finding out more come along to our Employment and Skills event on Thursday 11 April 2013. We will have staff from all areas of the business who can offer advice, support and general information about working for Midland Heart.

During this session our in house training team will also be on hand to support you with any of your additional training needs. They can provide training and guidance on Assertiveness, Customer Service, Effective Letter Writing, Handling Complaints, Time Management and much, much more. Contact Amy Walden on 0845 850 1020 ext 5624

Check out www.midlandheart.org.uk/jobsandcareers 8

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN WORKING IN A CARE AND SUPPORT ENVIRONMENT? Pathways is the internal recruitment bank for Midland Heart that manages a temporary staff bank. They are always looking for enthusiastic people from a Care and Support background who are interested in working within the following areas: l Older people's services l Learning disabilities l Young people's services l Mental health services l Multiple needs l Homeless services Pathways offers individuals the opportunity to work for a leading housing association, flexible hours, competitive rates of pay and the potential for temporary assignments/shifts to become permanent employment.

Midland Heart operates all over the Midlands.

To find out more about the roles available in your area or for further details, please call the Pathways Recruitment Team on 0121 654 6694/0121 666 5363 or email pathways.recruitment@midlandheart.org.uk

nce Gain Work experie eart H d n la id M h g u ro h t number of partner

a By teaming up with art offering Midland He e ar e w ns tio sa ni ga or of work and over a variety 16 ed ag s, er om cust for just nities. This can be experience opportu ys a week rough to a few da one day, a week th to us d, so why not talk over a longer perio interest? about your areas of ities with regular opportun ve ha tly en rr cu e W MEARS, ance contractors, en nt ai m d an s id our vo ics, aintenance, electr around general m d logistics. ministration, IT, an plumbing, gas, ad lved, ion or to get invo For more informat 2 or 07 on on 07901 515 contact Eric Payt .uk midlandheart.org n@ to ay .p ic er l ai em

Interested in Volunteering?

l Would you like to gain new skills and ex perience? l Would you like to help others? l Would you like to enhance your CV? l Would you like to

share your skills with ou r customers?

To see our current vo lunteering opportun ities and for further deta ils, please visit www.midlandheart.o rg.uk/jobs-and-caree rs/ volunteering, for en quiries please call Katiya Nunes on 07 876 475854 or em ail katiya.nunes@mid landheart.org.uk.

Have you ever considered working from home?

We have reviewed our policy on customers running businesses from their homes, and the new policy is to grant permission to run a business from home so long as it does not breach any normal tenancy conditions.

Midland Heart is keen to support our customers to run a business from their home, to become their ‘own boss’, in order to develop an enterprising spirit and ethos within our local communities.

There are a vast range of businesses which can be based in the home i.e. hair & beauty, any IT-based business, creative & craft businesses, childcare, and much more!

For more information, or to find out more contact John Webbe on 0845 850 1020 ext 5601, email: john.webbe@midlandheart.org.uk or tweet John @liveworkmheart to gain a ‘request form’ to run a business from your home

9

Update

Bedroom tax: will this affect you?

From 1 April 2013, the government is making some big changes to the housing benefit system. This could affect you if you are of working age (younger than 61 and half years old in April 2013) and have more bedrooms than the government says you need.

What is under occupation?

It is when you live in a home that the government considers to be larger than you need for your household size. From April 2013, you will only be able to claim Housing Benefit for the number of bedrooms that the government says you need. If you have one extra bedroom than you need, you will have to pay 14% of the weekly rent yourself or 25% if you have 2 or more extra bedrooms.

l Couples who use their “spare” bedroom when recovering from an illness or operation l Foster children (as they are not counted as part of the household for benefits purposes) l Parents whose children visit them l Families with disabled children l Disabled people including people living in adapted or specially designed properties

How much will I lose?

Who will be affected?

All housing benefit claimants who have at least one spare bedroom and are between 16 and 61 and half years old in April 2013. This includes: l People who only get a small amount of housing benefit; for example, if you are working l Even people who are sick or disabled

How many rooms am I allowed?

The government has a set of rules to assess how many bedrooms each household needs and they allow one bedroom for the following: l Every adult / couple. This means a couple are expected to need one bedroom and two adults who are not a couple to need two bedrooms. l Any other adult aged 16 or over l Any two children of the same sex who are aged under 16 l Any two children regardless of sex who are aged 10 or under l Any other child aged under 16 l A non-resident carer is allowed where they provide overnight care to a person with a disability Exceptions will NOT be made for the following: l Separated parents who share the care of their children and have a spare room for when they visit 10

If you have one extra bedroom than you need, you are under occupying and your housing benefit will be reduced by 14% of the total weekly rent. If you have two extra bedrooms, it will be reduced by 25% of the total weekly rent. This means you will have to pay an amount towards your rent or you will fall into arrears.

For example, if your rent is £100 per week and all of your rent is covered by Housing Benefit, if you have one extra bedroom you will have to pay £14 per week, if you have two extra bedrooms you will have to pay £25.

What should I do if my housing benefit is reduced?

You will still be responsible for paying your rent; you will need to fund the difference between the housing benefit you receive and the rent on the home you live in. This will also affect you if you don’t receive full housing benefit for example, if your rent is £100 per week but you only get £50 housing benefit – if you have one extra room, your housing benefit will reduce to £36 per week or to £25 per week if you have two or more extra rooms.

www.midlandheart.org.uk/welfarereform

Some usefull examples

Continued on next page...

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Case Study

There are 2,900 Midland Heart customers who will be affected, here is one of their stories…

Where should I get advice? l If you think you won’t be able to afford the extra amount and want to move to a smaller home, you can do this by registering with Homes Direct, our choice based lettings website that advertises properties available at Midland Heart and other housing associations. For more information visit www.homesdirect.co.uk l You can talk to our experienced money advice team (below) who will be able to provide you with more information and support on 0345 60 20 540

Other places to get support and advice: l If you’re worried about paying your rent, talk to your rent officer who will be able to help l Get in touch with the Citizens Advice Bureau, www.citizensadvice.org.uk l Department of Work and Pensions If you would like more information why not search for Midland Heart on YouTube and watch our Time to Act video about the Welfare Reforms?

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Downsizing was the answer for Annette. Annette, of Coventry, lived in a three bedroom house but found it difficult to afford the rent and the bills.

“I have two children aged 11 and one of 21 who has left home. I made the decision to downsize to a two bedroom apartment to cut costs and it has been absolutely brilliant. It has taken so much stress away. I did have concerns about moving but the plusses outweighed the minuses and I am so pleased that I made the decision as I was having sleepless nights before – I can actually sleep well now!”

Exciting changes to your Environmental Services!

We are passionate about high quality services and real value for money and we provide a range of services for many of our customers helping them to keep their shared gardens, open spaces, internal and external areas clean and tidy.

It’s incredibly important that our properties are maintained by our contractors, depending on the type of work this might be on a regular basis or as and when required depending on the seasonality.

Depending on your agreement with Midland Heart, you may be paying a service charge for the regular maintenance of your property. Your service charge will cover a variety of spaces in communal areas and the areas outside the property.

Ensuring quality whilst maintaining value for money has always been a key priority for us. We work with the very best at affordable rates, passing any cost savings on to our customers.

“l wanted to get involved as a customer inspector as l have pride in the area where l live” Midland Heart customers are making sure that the new services on offer are of the highest quality by signing up as customer ‘inspectors’. They are inspecting the work to make sure it is to a high standard. James Brennan, a Customer Inspector explained: “l wanted to get involved as a customer inspector as l have pride in the area where l live and in keeping my own estate clean and tidy. I feel I could make a difference and ensure the services being delivered to customers is of a high standard” We’re very excited to about these changes to the way we provide your environmental services and we will continue to work with you to improve our standards and overall customer satisfaction levels.

To learn more visit www.midland heart.org.uk/ environmentalservices

When asked, our customers told us they wanted local contractors providing local services, so our contractors are now made up of local businesses, small social enterprises, family run businesses and larger national organisations.

If you have any questions about the way your services are provided or wish to provide feedback please don’t hesitate to contact us either by phone on 0345 60 20 540 or email us on customer.servicecentre@midlandheart.org.uk 13 13

Can you fix it?

The Midland Heart Women’s Group can!

Midland Heart Women’s Group recently took part in a repairs work shop where they learned basic but valuable DIY skills to aid them in the maintenance of their own homes.

Everyone showed a real passion and enthusiasm to learn new skills and had no reservations about getting their hands dirty.

This has proved to be a real success and the women involved have learned some very valuable skills including fixing a leaking or blocked sink and replacing bathroom or kitchen tiles.

Customer Involvement Officer, Zaheda Vaid said: “With the groups willingness and Midland Heart’s resources it is amazing what can be achieved. There is a real passion for learning new skills within the group and it was great to see everyone getting involved.”

The group works with Midland Heart customers to find out how they can gain experience and learn new skills by getting involved in Midland Heart activities.

To find out more about the group, future events and how you can get involved, please contact our Customer Involvement Officer Zaheda Vaid on 07733 283474 or email zaheda.vaid@midlandheart.org.uk

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What the Customers say: time It is my first e meetings at one of thes ned so much ar le e av h I d an e away, that I can tak land Heart thank you Mid Amina

It’s so ni c Midland e to see H sensitive eart being to the n of wome eeds n Anonym ous

IY I found this D teresting and in y r e v n io s s e s ttend more would love to a learn about workshops to e home maintaining th ulgrave Norma Dixon-M

I have f ound to day most us eful and interes ting; it has give me the n confide n c e to do DIY in my ow n home Pa t

shop The DIY work really was great, I ling and i t e h t d e y jo en a lot have learned M Emanuel

Get Involved with Midland Heart Last year was a very successful year for the Engage team and saw around 2,500 of you taking part in a wide range of activities, gaining new skills through various training courses, and generally having fun at our customer carnivals.

Whatever time you have to spare, we have something to suit you.

Time commitment - low If you’re short on time, but would like to see some changes in your area then there are a range of ways you can get involved such as community events including carnivals; focus groups and mystery shopping activities.

Do you want to stay in the comfort of your own home?

If so, you can take part in surveys and we can visit you from time to time to get your thoughts and feedback on the services we provide.

Time commitment - medium If you want to take more of an active role in shaping Midland Heart’s services there are a number of ways you can do this such as walkabouts so you can inspect your street or local area with your friends and neighbours, local residents’ groups and customer panels which meet in each of our regions.

Time commitment - high Have you got more time to spare? Join our Heartbeat editorial board and contribute regular articles or become a member of one of our five ‘Service Improvement Groups’ which look at various areas of our work.

There are lots of opportunities for you to get involved in 2013 so if you are interested in finding out more please contact our Customer Involvement Manager, Mary-Jane Gunn on 0121 654 6724 or email maryjane.gunn@midlandheart.org.uk.

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Health and Safety

Fire Safety:

The facts about smoke alarms One of the easiest ways for you to keep yourself, your family and your home safe is to make sure you have working smoke alarms fitted throughout your property, one alarm only costs £5 and it could save your life!

Get it, install it, and test it Did you know? l You’re more than twice as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm l 18 people die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was flat or missing l Over half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents l Three fires a day are started by candles l Every three days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette l Faulty electrics cause around 7000 house fires across the country every year

Get it: Choosing your smoke alarm l They are available from most high street supermarkets, electrical shops, and DIY stores l Look out for one of these symbols which shows the alarm is approved and safe

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Install it: Fitting your smoke alarm l Smoke alarms should be fitted on every level of your property l Don’t put alarms in or near kitchens or bathrooms where smoke or steam could set them off by accident l The ideal position is on the ceiling, in the middle of a room or on the hallway and landing, so you can hear the alarm throughout your home l If it is difficult for you to fit your alarm yourself contact your local fire and rescue service for help.

They may be able to install it for you.

Test it: Make sure your smoke alarm works l Test the batteries in your smoke alarm every week.

Change them every year. Never remove them l Never take the batteries out of your alarm if it goes off by mistake l A lot of people forget to test the batteries, so longer life batteries are better

Strobe light and vibratingpad alarms are available for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Contact the Royal National Institute for Deaf People Information Line on 0808 808 0123 for more information. l Did you know that the fire service can conduct a free home fire safety check? More info at

http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/hfsc l When you change your clocks check your smoke alarm battery at the same time so that you know you are checking it regularly

The silent killer in Corrie Coronation Street's Fiz Brown, played by Jennie McAlpine, has been overcome by deadly carbon monoxide fumes, caused from a faulty gas boiler worked on illegally by her pal Tyrone Dobbs.

This scene is all too familiar of what can happen in the UK every day. An estimated quarter of a million illegal gas jobs are carried out every year by incompetent people like Tyrone who do not have the skills or qualifications to work safely with gas.

Last year an estimated 4,000 people in the UK were affected by carbon monoxide poisoning

In the right hands gas is perfectly safe, but in the hands of an unregistered gas fitter it can kill. Dangerous gas work can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you suspect you are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning get fresh air immediately and see your GP or hospital.

If you think there is immediate danger, call the Gas Emergency Helpline on 0800 111 999.

We only use Gas Safe registered engineers for all gas work carried out in your home - it's the law and will keep you safe. It is very important that you keep the appointments we send you or that you call to re-arrange a date that suits you.

If you have any concerns or would like You can't to talk to someone about this see it, smell it o r taste i futher please contact us on t, but ca monoxide rbon 0345 60 20 540. poisoning c a n quickly w ithout wa kill rning .

Gas Emergency Helpline

0800 111 999 17

How we are doing

How we’re doing Every month we ask more than 1,000 customers what they think about our repairs, new lettings, environmental and complaints services.

Complaints performance: Percentage of customers that are very or fairly satisfied with how we handled their complaint:

Nov 2012 51.16%

Dec 2012 50%

At the end of November 2012: 51.16% At the end of December 2012: 50% Target: 65%

The average for other social housing providers is 63%

Repairs performance: Customer Service Centre performance:

Percentage of repairs completed during the first visit from our contractor:

The total number of calls we answered:

Nov 2012 97.33%

Dec 2012 96.1%

At the end of November 2012: 97.33% At the end of December 2012: 96.1% Target: 95%

Nov 2012 75.89%

Dec 2012 76.07%

At the end of November 2012: 75.89% At the end of December 2012: 76.07% Target: 92%

The average for other social housing providers is 80% The percentage of customers very or fairly satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service: The total number of calls we answered within 20 seconds:

Nov 2012 80.39%

Dec 2012 74.31%

At the end of November 2012: 80.39% At the end of December 2012: 74.31% Target: 80%

Nov 2012 86.33%

Dec 2012 90.13.%

At the end of November 2012: 86.33% At the end of December 2012: 90.13% Target: 92%

The average for other social housing providers is 85% 18

Customer Involvement performance: Customers who are very or fairly satisfied with opportunities for participation:

Nov 2012 83.3%

Dec 2012 86.75%

At the end of November 2012: 83.3% At the end of December 2012: 86.75% Target: 87%

You said...we did u

YOU SAID: you would like more training and to get involved WE DID: we improved our programme of training and developed the Midland Heart Customer College so that we have a great range of training to support customers in their involvement.

YOU SAID: you would like more social activities that bring neighbours together

Overall satisfaction: Customers who are fairly or very satisfied with Midland Heart’s overall service:

Nov 2012 81%

Dec 2012 84.4%

At the end of November 2012: 81% At the end of December 2012: 84.4% Target: 85%

Customer Involvement

WE DID: we’ve organised lots of neighbourhood activity for the Diamond Jubilee, the Lozells “Olympics”, Spots & Stripes events (activities for children, supported by Cadbury’s) as well as the Customer Carnivals.

u Gas Team YOU SAID: that gas operatives were not always showing you their identification before entering your home WE DID: we have reiterated to our gas partners at monthly meetings the importance of showing identification before entering your home.

u

Tenancy Standards YOU SAID: when interviewed by MEL Research some of you said that you were not satisfied with the service that you receive. You said that our policies and procedures deliver the right results if they are followed.

If you would like more information on how we are doing please contact us on 0345 60 20 540

WE DID: we have implemented a case management process, that managers are able to carry out checks against, to ensure that your case is being progressed in a timely manner.

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BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

Lozells community initiatives awarded Keepmoat £’s Two local community projects in Lozells and East Handsworth have received a much needed financial boost with the first share of the £100,000 Keepmoat Community Fund.

The funding was shared out between ten charitable and community groups to fund local projects and activities that have been identified as a priority by the Lozells and East Handsworth Environmental and Housing Forum (LEHEHF).

Here is a snapshot of the Beware Cyclists campaign and Livingstone Road Community Allotment, the two groups that have benefited from the generous Keepmoat donation and support from Midland Heart.

BEWARE CYCLISTS campaign launched

Aston Vision are planing a BEWARE CYCLISTS campaign in the Birchfield area to make both pedestrians and cyclists aware of the dangers of cycling on pavements. This is especially dangerous to older people and mothers with small children.

We are hoping to hold workshops in our local schools where notice designs will be made, shots of ‘silly cyclists’ will be made into a video together with other suitable publicity material to help educate our children and adults to the dangers of careless cycling.

So if you are willing to help with this campaign we would be very pleased to hear from you. Help us to raise awareness of this issue; help us make Birchfield the safest cycling part of the city.

For more information contact us at Aston Vision: astonvision@gmail.com or for more information visit www.astonvision.co.uk.

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BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

Livingstone Road Community Allotment Livingstone Road Community Allotment has been running for several seasons now and meets every Wednesday to involve local people in growing food and spending time outdoors. Birchfield Residents Action Group (BRAG) set up the allotment project, which has a paid worker for one day a week.

The allotment project already does great work with people that already live in supported housing, but the project has the potential to involve and connect many more local people of all ages and backgrounds to the natural environment. We want to promote this resource, encouraging more people to become volunteers, participants or partners in the project.

BRAG is working in partnership with Edible Eastside, a social enterprise based in Digbeth and other local agencies to advocate for the health and social benefits of green spaces. As well as our regular sessions on the plot we are delivering a series of skills workshops and activities to involve new local groups, If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch on 07528 575344 or email bragallotment@gmail.com

Handsworth Hea lth and Wellbeing Gr oup This is a fledgling group of local residents interest ed in their own health but partic ularly that of fello w Handsworth resid ents. We are looki ng for other folk to jo in in, and to help us plan and deliver future activities.

After carrying out some research ab out a variety of health issues w e participated in gr oup discussions about what health and w ellbeing might mean for us and our commun ities.

As individuals and as a community gr oup we are trying to improve health in Handsw or th and among other thin gs we have provid ed free weekly cycling sessions fo r beginners in Han dsworth Park.

If you are intereste d in becoming involve d please do get in touch w ith Kathy on 07507 570 91 4.

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BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

Prize Draw

Each month, all of our customers who get involved are entered into a monthly prize draw. Recent winners for the Birmingham area were:

Health hub at the heart of a community People living in Lozells and East Handsworth are improving their health and wellbeing – thanks to the partnership work of Midland Heart’s regeneration team and Health Exchange.

Health Exchange offers free health information and one-to-one support services at its Health Information Shop in Finch Road Primary Care Centre.

Health Supporters help local people to access information via a touch-screen kiosk linked to Health Exchange’s website.

They check people’s blood pressure and help them understand if their body weight is healthy for their size; they are able to sign-post to other Health Exchange services which help with everything from healthy eating and weight management, to being more active, sensible drinking, how to stop smoking and support people to self-manage long term health conditions.

They have run several health events and action days with local community and faith groups and police.

Health Exchange is now encouraging Midland Heart customers and staff to get in touch with their ideas for local health events.

Moria Borland, West Bromwich - took part in the Bagnall Street, Community Fun Day in September 2012 Farhan Ahmed, Sparkbrook got involved with his local Walkabout & Estate Inspection in October 2012 Elaine Sams, Aston attended her local Resident Meeting in November 2012 Shirin Rajabian, Northfield attended the Santo Grotto Event in her neighbourhood in December 2012

Birmingham Carnival,

The Light House, 100 Alma Way, Aston, B19 2LN,

For more information, go to www.healthexchange.org or call 0121 663 0007.

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Marcia Kelly, Handsworth took part in the Handsworth Fire Station Event that was supported by Midland Heart in August 2012

Saturday 6th July, 11am - 4pm

See you there!

BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

Nechells family homes complete Midland Heart, and building contractor, Thomas Vale Construction, celebrated the completion of a £3.1m development of family homes in the Nechells area of Birmingham, where new residents have now officially moved in.

Midland Heart’s Deputy Director of Development and New Business, Nick Byrne, was joined by Ian Cox, Partnership and Development Director, from Thomas Vale Construction, to welcome Sue Calder and her family to their new home.

Carl Larter, Midland Heart’s Director of Development and New Business commented: “This exciting scheme is one of a number of developments which will help Midland Heart to deliver 2120 affordable new homes to our customers by 2015.”

The former industrial site at Crompton Road has been transformed into a new community of family homes that have been leased at affordable rent. The development consists of twenty-one two-bedroom, seven three-bedroom, and five four-bedroom homes.

Christmas Grottos comes to Birmingham Throughout Decembe r Santa and his Christmas Grotto vi sited customers living around Birmingham to spread a little Chris tmas cheer!

The Grotto offered the ch ance to visit Santa, and have a photo taken with him which was then ma de into a Christmas card, en joy some light refreshm en ts, and activities like card ma king and face painting.

The Santa bus was enjoy ed by over 100 custome rs in Handsworth, Small He ath, Yardley, Sparkhill, Newtown, Lozells, Bartle y Green, Northfield, Smethwick, Winson Gree n, Highgate, Aston and Bordesley Green.

Our thanks goes to Bir mingham City Council who kindly let us use th e Beyond Midnight Bu s to bring Santa to your local neighbourhoods.

Sue Calder, new resident at Crompton Road said: “I am so pleased to have moved in to Crompton Road as myself and my family were previously living in a two bed flat.

This is the first time in two years that I’ve had my own bedroom and the change in the children is unbelievable.”

The Crompton Road site has been developed in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency and Birmingham City Council.

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BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

Tidy up time at Rowan Close!

Customers at Rowan close, Bromsgrove, felt that their communal areas were constantly being used to dump unused items and for fly tipping. So Customer Involvement Officer, Judith Rowe decided to get everyone out to have a good old tidy up.

Gardening contractors, Pinnacle, came along and provided litter pickers, black bags, brooms, soil and bedding plants for hanging baskets and flower pots and the team worked together to fill a skip to overflowing.

We used the Beyond Midnight Bus to support us on the day; a new venture managed by Birmingham City Council, aiming to get young people off the streets at night and offer them guidance and support.

Everyone had a bit of fun and appreciated the time and effort being put into their patch. One customer said: “We always see these things in the newsletter happening everywhere else it’s nice to see we can be included too.”

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Sparkling Waters a community engagement project

Midland Heart customer, Margaret Bannon lives beside the Wash Brook in Bordesley Green which suffers from many pollution issues.

She has become very passionate about improving the water quality of Birmingham’s rivers and streams for the benefit of people who live next to them, to help wildlife and increase biodiversity.

Margaret now works for a company called CSV Environment and is trying to raise awareness about water pollution issues with a project called “Sparkling Waters”. The project, which is funded by the Environment Agency has been running for several months in Sparkbrook, Sparkhill and Balsall Heath and a pilot project has now started around the Wash Brook in Bordesley Green, Alum Rock and Washwood Heath.

Many rivers in England that were once badly polluted have now been improved and support plants, insects, fish, birds and mammals. Even the otter is making a comeback. Our inner city brooks and rivers will become wildlife havens in time, but only if we start to take action now!

If you would like any more information about water pollution issues or you would like to volunteer for a CSV Environment Action Day then please contact me, Margaret Bannon on telephone 0121 753 6300 or email margaretbannon@live.co.uk.

BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

Bagnall, best of Black Country event Customers at a brand new £17 million West Bromwich service joined together with the local community to enjoy a free event themed the ‘Best of the Black Country’.

Guests were treated to traditional Black Country food, hand waxing, frosting cupcakes and a performance from The Choir with No Name.

The new Bagnall Street service, a former industrial site, has been transformed into 106 affordable new homes.

The estate also includes the James Bagnall Foyer which provides supported accommodation for 34 young homeless people.

Toni Watton, Projects Leader for Midland Heart said: “The event was fantastic, it brought lots of different people together and provided everyone with an opportunity to find out about other Midland Heart services and have some fun.

“Everyone had a great time learning how to ice cupcakes with our social enterprise Frost and Snow Bakery, and our Black Country fish and chip lunch went down a storm.”

WHO’S WHO IN YOUR AREA? To contact your local Customer Involvement Officer or Housing Team Leader, please call 0345 60 20 540 and ask to be put through to the relevant person.

Customer Involvement Officers Martin Hall - Inner Birmingham Judith Rowe - South Birmingham Violet Williams - North Birmingham Zaheda Vaid - West Birmingham Outer

Watch out for the eco bus!

If you live near Sandwell, watch out for the eco bus, as it might be visiting somewhere near you!

Housing Team Leaders Michael Wood - Inner Birmingham Christopher Luke - South Birmingham Pete Sandilands - North Birmingham Valerie Hamilton - West Birmingham Outer 25

BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM

All for the love of the game!

Midland Heart staff Beth Dodd and Violet Williams have been busy working with young people from Barnesville Close and the surrounding estate, in response to some anti-social behaviour issues involving noise levels and ball games.

Project: Newtown Aspire Customers living at Crocodile Works, Newtown are working with professional artists from a community group called SECTA to develop a single piece of artwork which will be installed on building hoardings located in Alma Way, Newtown.

The artworks will use a variety of different mediums: photography, mosaic, stained glass and stencil, and is offering these local people, who want to make a difference to their local neighbourhoods, volunteering opportunities.

The project will provide volunteers with structured training and personal and creative opportunities; which in the future, may signpost them to a career in community development.

We are really looking forward to seeing the final artwork!

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During residents meetings Violet has been signposting young people to local open spaces where ball games are allowed and has invited a number of different local organisations to work with them.

Now working in Partnership with Continental Star FC and City United Ltd these young people have regular Football training sessions, and were recently invited to go on an educational trip with City United Ltd to Manchester United Football Club & Manchester New Football Museum.

Cherrelle Young pictured here with Keyanne Tresigne, said: "This was such an enjoyable and memorable experience and I loved every minute of it. I am really enjoying playing with Continental Star FC and would encourage other young people to join a team."

If you would like further details on how to get involved with local sports teams contact Customer Involvement Officer, Violet Williams on 07771 764593 or get in touch with your local leisure centre.

C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY

Youngsters gain job opportunities For the second time in a year, housing associations Midland Heart, Whitefriars Housing, and Orbit Heart of England have worked with West Midlands Fire Service, Coventry City Council Entry to Employment Team, Open Door Employment Programme, The Cook and Eat Well Programme, the Youth Offending Service and West Midlands Police, to create an opportunity for youngsters to forge more positive futures for themselves.

All those who attended the Boot Camp were not in education, employment or training and aged from 16 to 19 years old and for the first time, all of the young people who completed the course were awarded a work or education placement.

Midland Heart’s maintenance sub contractors in Coventry, A&D Carpentry & MS Contractors offered jobs to 2 participants and 18 year old Midland Heart customer Alex Thomson was offered an apprenticeship with Whitefriars.

The participants took part in various activities, including physical exercises, CV writing and interview skills, team building, healthy cooking and

eating, pitching for business, a charity car wash, and a gardening project to improve and smarten up the grounds of Poppy Court, an extra care housing scheme for older people run by Midland Heart.

The partnership group has set up a formal partnership to run the scheme, and have employed a project manager, Danny Wright to secure the Boot Camp’s future.

“I’m delighted that they have all now secured either work or education opportunities.”

Commenting on the Boot Camp, Danny said: “Boot Camp is an extraordinary opportunity for youngsters who may have either lost their way, or need guidance on their future, to progress towards the world of work.

“The young people who completed the course deserve credit. They did enormously well to meet the various challenges which we presented them with, and I’m delighted that they have all now secured either work or education opportunities.”

If you are interested in becoming involved in the next Coventry Boot Camp call Elaine Shirley on 07770 585346.

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C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY

Foleshill family fun day Last November Foleshill library and Midland Heart delivered their third family fun day, this time with a festival celebration theme, attracting over 200 families.

A range of agencies attended and were on hand to give advice on welfare reforms, saving energy, free health checks, healthy eating tips, budgeting support and much more.

In addition children and adults enjoyed a wide range of activities, including: zumba, meditation for beginners, art & crafts and story time for younger children, who were treated to a special visit by Lady Godiva!

Elaine, Regeneration Officer for Midland Heart and Michelle from Foleshill Library are organising a series of smaller events for 2013 focusing on supporting local people through the welfare reform changes and health and wellbeing.

If you would like to find out the dates for the next event call Elaine on 07770 585346.

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OUR JUNIOR WARDEN Ten year old Ann Jesuthasan from St Elizabeth's School in Edgwick, Foleshill, Coventry is the first young person to win the Junior Wardens prize - sponsored

by Midland Heart for identifying and reporting litter and dog fouling in the neighbourhood.

The Local Authority Wardens working in partnership with Midland Heart meet with children from school years 5 and 6 every month to talk about how they can help to improve the environment by not dropping litter, reporting fly tipping and ensuring that dog mess is cleared.

Ann Jesuthasan is pictured receiving ÂŁ5.00 voucher from Neighbourhood Warden, Tom Carter.

C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY C OV E N T RY

Prize Draw Clay Lane means more new quality homes for Coventry In the next two years we are investing £16.6m into creating 124 new high quality homes for Coventry.

One of the latest developments is Clay Lane in Coventry. Building contractor GalifordTry has delivered the £1.1m development on behalf of Midland Heart, which has seen a former ex-Serviceman’s club site transformed into 20 brand new quality homes comprising of nine three bedroom houses and five two bedroom houses, plus six two bedroom apartments.

Carl Larter, Director of Assets for Midland Heart said: “This exciting scheme is one of a number of developments which will help Midland Heart to deliver a total of 2120 affordable new homes across the whole of the east and west midlands by 2015.”

Each month, all of our customers who get involved are entered into a monthly prize draw. Recent winners for the Coventry area were: Anne Davis, Coventry – took part in the Disability Reference Group in September Keira Russell, Coventry attended local community tenant groups and activities in October Aisha Bhayat, Coventry attended local community tenant groups and activities in November Miss Davies, Coventry took part in a walkabout consultation on new lift being fitted in December

The housing scheme, which is due to be completed in March this year, is right on the doorstep of the £2.6m Upper Stoke Health Centre Coventry Carnival, Project which will see a Broad Horizons Enterprise Centre, brand new health care 161 Broad Street, Foleshill, centre, managed by the Coventry, CV6 5BN Coventry Care Partnership.

WHO’S WHO IN YOUR AREA?

Saturday 22nd June, 11am - 4pm

See you there!

To contact your local Customer Involvement Officer or Housing Team Leader, please call 0345 60 20 540 and ask to be put through to the relevant person.

Customer Involvement Officer Gail Gavan Housing Team Leader Anita Kapadia

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EAST MIDLANDS EAST MIDLANDS EAST

Barwell Play area The George Ward Centre is a thriving community centre in Barwell, Leicestershire and is at the heart of the local community.

When staff at our Leicester Office heard about plans to raise funds for a new a soft impact children’s play area for the George Ward Centre they decided that they may be able to offer their support.

In 2012 a successful bid was submitted to the environmental bids fund and the new soft impact play area has now been installed. The money that had already been raised by the play group will now be put towards new toys and equipment.

Congratulations Sam! Sam is a customer who began attending local meetings for people living in his block of flats in Leicester City Centre, out of curiosity more than a desire to scrutinise what Midland Heart do.

Initially wary of the idea of engaging with his landlord and not confident about the idea of going to meetings generally, he was not very keen to get involved. Now, just three short years later, Sam is a long standing member of the Customer Panel, the Finance Service Improvement Group and one of our most active Customer & Communities Committee members.

Customer Involvement Team Leader and Officer for the East Midlands, Cameron Whyld said: “The Centre and the kids from the toddler’s play group are over the moon with the new play area. We hope that the new play area will be used and enjoyed by the large number of Midland Heart customers living close by the George Ward Centre, as well as the local community as a whole.”

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Sam’s confidence has soared, through familiarity with being outside his comfort zone, boosted by training provided by the Customer Involvement team. Sam has recently become a full time volunteer for the Citizens Advice Bureau - something that he would not have considered doing prior to getting involved.

We’d really like to congratulate Sam on his new role with Leicester Citizens Advice Bureau. His desire to help and advise others is what motivates him to get involved with scrutinising what we do and we know that he’ll bring the same passion and skills to his work with the CAB in Leicester.

EAST MIDLANDS EAST MIDLANDS EAST

Prize Draw

Housing Surgeries

Each month, all of our customers who get involved are entered into a monthly prize draw. Recent winners for the East Midlands area were:

BARWELL: Housing surgeries are now being held at the George Ward Centre, Church Lane, Barwell on the third Thursday of the month, 1pm-3pm, and are proving really popular.

Tina Woodward, Nuneaton – attended the Camp Hill festival in August 2012

As well as seeking housing advice, customers are approaching with welfare-reform related questions and we are able to provide advice or refer customers to other advisers that can help.

LEICESTER WEST END: We have joined up with Leicester City Council and Leicestershire Police in holding a housing and policing surgery. The surgery is held at the St Andrews Tenants and Residents Association building on Walnut Street on the first Wednesday of the month, 10am-12pm.

Surgeries are proving a really popular way for people to engage and talk to us face-to-face. We’re responding to this by setting them up in other areas. East Northants, Atherstone (Warwickshire), Beaumont Leys (Leicester) and Milton Keynes are some of the areas where you can expect to see surgeries being set up over the coming months.

Watch this space for more details.

WHO’S WHO IN YOUR AREA? To contact your local Customer Involvement Officer or Housing Team Leader, please call 0345 6020 540 and ask to be put through to the relevant person.

Pamela Ball, Atherstone – got involved during the Cooks Close door knock in September 2012 Sam Raddie, Leicester – attended the October meeting of his Customer Panel Valerie Davies, West End, Leicester – attended and chaired the Monday Allsorts Residents Group in November 2012 Wolstan Henry, Leicester – engaged with his housing officer during one of the doorstep surgeries in his building in December

East Midlands Carnival,

The George Ward Centre, Church Lane, Barwell, Leicester LE9 8DG

Saturday 13th July, 11am - 4pm

See you there!

Customer Involvement Officer Cameron Whyld Housing Team Leader Leo Daniels 31

STAFFORDSHIRE

Beauty in Burslem One of our Burslem live/work customers, Lisa Wilding has just completed a month-long photography project encouraging people to ‘look beyond the shop fronts’ in Burslem town centre.

Everyone was asked to see what’s above, and below, the shops in the town centre to help highlight the hidden beauty of the city. Throughout the month long event the projects submitted were projected every evening onto the wall of a local pub in the town centre.

Burslem is a great town. It has great people, a thriving creative scene, an amazing heritage and so much potential. But sometimes it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. The Beauty in Burslem photography project was all about encouraging people to fall in love with their town centre again If you would like to see more visit: www.beautyinburslem.co.uk or www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-in-Burslem

WHO’S WHO IN YOUR AREA? To contact your local Customer Involvement Officer or Housing Team Leader, please call 0345 6020 540 and ask to be put through to the relevant person.

Customer Involvement Officer Gareth Hopkins Housing Team Leader Sue Caley 32

STAFFORDSHIRE

Support for young people in Stoke-on- Trent Young people in Stoke-on-Trent aged 16-19 years old, not in education, employment or training have been given an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that will support them with their future plans, by participating in the Burslem Youth Routes project.

Throughout the five day programme, organised by Midland Heart, participants were invited to meet local employers, discuss training and volunteering opportunities and gain a referral to partners to assist with the development of their CV, and essential interview skills.

A total of 31 young people benefitted from taking part in the Youth Routes programme and have each been introduced to apprenticeship opportunities in the area.

Simon Hilson who participated in Burslem Youth Routes programme said: “I really want to start my own business and I have ideas but need help, everyone organising the programme has been great and really helped to point me in the right direction.”

Jackie Grant, Regeneration Officer for Midland Heart said: “We worked with Hanley YMCA and a number of other agencies to make this project work and I would like to thank each of them for their input, I hope to be able to do this again sometime in 2013”

If you are be interested in taking part in the programme call Jackie on 07766 781648.

STAFFORDSHIRE

STAFFORDSHIRE

Customer Group Christmas Events Three of our Customer Groups hosted Family Fun Day Christmas Events in December: Jervis Court, Burntwood; Abelia, Tamworth and Upper Sneyd Road, Kitchen Lane and High Hill Residents Association in Essington.

These events were once again successful in attracting customers of all ages to attend, many of which we do not

usually see at the more formal customer involvement events. The celebrations did include some helpful information for customers about the planned changes to welfare reform.

Jayne Davies from Jervis Court said: “It is amazing how much difference a bit of food, some small presents and a chirpy Santa can have on the local community. Half the block of customers attended which is really positive.

Taking your children to see Santa at a shopping centre can often be quite expensive, so it is really good that we were able to put these events on.”

Burslem and Middleport successful funding bid Burslem and Middleport Local Forum won a bid from the Design Council CABE for the design your neighbourhood grants programme.

Design Council CABE received almost 100 applications from across England and the forum was one of only 11 to be awarded the £9,500 funding.

The Forum and Urban Vision have used the funding to organise, project manage and to host the Middleport ‘Winter Design Festival’ 22nd & 23rd March 2013, where they brought together the community, local businesses and decision makers to look at community-led development opportunities for the Middleport area.

Prize Draw

Each month, all of our customers who get involved are entered into a monthly prize draw. Recent winners for the Staffordshire area were: Stephen Maskery, Lichfield - took part in his local Customer Panel in September 2012 Donna Wakelin, Burntwood – attended her Local Residents Meeting in October 2012 John Floyd, Lichfield – attended his Local Residents Meeting in November 2012 Jayne Davies, Burntwood – attended a local Community Event in December 2012

This project was chosen because it demonstrated both the need for good design in the local area, as well as a good level of community support, in order to drive positive change.

If you would like to get involved with the local forum please contact Jackie Grant, Regeneration Officer for Midland Heart on 07766781648, or to keep up to date follow @visitmiddleport on twitter.

Staffordshire Carnival,

Essington Community Centre, Hobknock Road, Essington, WV11 2RF

Saturday 22nd June, 11am - 4pm

See you there!

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W O LV E R H A M P T O N A N D B L A C K C O U N T R Y

New affordable Housing in Wolverhampton Work is well underway on a new Midland Heart development near East Park in Wolverhampton.

Whitmore Reans Youth panel – Penalty shoot out 2012!

Members of the community engagement team based at the Wolverhampton office have been working with a local youth group ‘Positive Vibrations’ to develop a youth action plan in the Whitmore Reans area of Wolverhampton.

A penalty shoot out event was organised by ‘Positive Vibrations’ for local young people living in the Whitmore Reans area to offer an opportunity to meet and develop good relationships with Midland Heart staff.

Lorna Mcketty, Senior Youth worker said: “It was one of the most enjoyable nights I’ve had working with young people in a long time, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with Midland Heart.”

Over 40 young people got involved in the penalty shoot out and the night was a great success. The evening ended with two local young people: Kishon and Cameron being crowned Winner and Runnerup of the penalty shoot out.

Anikah Miller-Ryan, Customer Involvement Officer said: “The event was a good opportunity for me to meet our younger Midland Heart customers and residents who live in the Whitmore Reans area. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and was very impressed by the enthusiasm shown by everyone involved in the event!”

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The development on Hurstbourne Crescent consists of 5 spacious one bedroom and 12 two bedroom apartments for affordable rent.

The apartments have an open plan kitchen/lounge area, modern fitted kitchen and bathroom with good size bedrooms. l One/two bedroom apartment l Modern fitted bathroom l Open plan kitchen/lounge area l Landscaped areas l Parking space

For further information contact Joan Gooden at Midland Heart at joan.gooden@midlandheart.org.uk or call 0845 850 1020 ext 6152.

W O LV E R H A M P T O N A N D B L A C K C O U N T R Y

Getting a head start in Dudley Midland Heart has delivered and completed its first Youth Routes to work programme in central Dudley, tackling the issues around youth unemployment.

Joan Gooden, Regeneration Project Officer, working with partners in the Dudley area recruited six young people between the ages of 16-19 years of age who are not in employment, education or training on a programme that will provide them with employability skills and hopefully a brighter future.

Prize Draw Each month, all of our customers who get involved are entered into a monthly prize draw. Recent winners for the Wolverhampton and Black Country area were: Craig Duncombe, Walsall attended & participated in the Tamworth Close Family Fun day in August 2012

Joan said: “We are hoping that the young people on the course will leave with the confidence to start a more focussed job search, these six individuals in particular had a good idea about what they wanted to do in the future.

We are very thankful to St Thomas Community Network who supported us in developing the programme”.

They were both nervous about carrying out job interviewing practice but, found the experience and feedback from the tutors useful.

Young people who took part in the course have learnt life skills in budgeting and personal health as well as how to analyse job adverts and write their CV's.

All of the young people on the programme went on a two week work placement in areas where they were interested in finding permanent work.

Viviene Weir, Dudley – took part in the Your Home Service improvement Group in September 2012

Jessica M o Michael rgan (16yrs) and Hutchins on (18 y rs)

For more information or to get involved please contact: Joan Gooden, Mobile: 0779 8572 358 or email joan.gooden@midlandheart.org.uk.

WHO’S WHO IN YOUR AREA? To contact your local Customer Involvement Officer or Housing Team Leader, please call 0345 6020 540 and ask to be put through to the relevant person.

Lyn Burkett, Wolverhampton – took part in Peer Review Training in November 2012 Eve Bradley, Stourbridge – took part in the Smallshire way Christmas Party in December 2012

Wolverhampton and Black Country Carnival,

Dunstall Hill Community Centre, Dunstall Avenue, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, WV6 0HN

Saturday 13th July, 11am - 4pm

See you there!

Customer Involvement Officer Anikah Miller-Ryan Text/call on 07767 474 361.

Housing Team Leader Dawn Finnan 35

Money worries? Don’t know where to turn for help?

Our expert money advice team offer free, unbiased and confidential advice and information about any debt or benefit problem you may have.

We help you by: l Making sure you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled l Advising you on how to deal with financial problems and helping you to negotiate with the people you owe money to l Offering ongoing help and support.

Your Money Advisors are: From left to right Front row - Tracey Chisholm, Lucy Mosedale. Middle - Helen Zamorski, Danielle Lewis-Rogers. Rear - John Jackson, Joanne Burns, Sarah Golding

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