The Branch - Oct 2016

October 2016

This is the autumn edition of The Branch for 2016. Manchester Student Homes’ Good Neighbours Team has had a busy and eventful Summer with lots of projects and news to tell you about!

Community Hub Grand Opening On 16th September 2016 Manchester Student Homes were joined by Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council for the official opening of the Student Community Hub at The University of Manchester’s Owens Park Campus.

The Hub will be open to students and staff to receive a range of information on various topics including advice on staying safe, housing and alcohol related issues. The Hub will be open throughout the year and will be the base for partnership agencies to promote specific events and campaigns on campus, such as National

Personal Safety Day which took place on 5th October 2016.

Manchester Student Homes will continue to work in partnership with colleagues from Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council and the Residential Life Team to make sure this service is available on an ongoing basis and that students have access to timely and relevant information.

Manchester Student Homes will also use this hub as a platform to promote Halls 2 Home, the flagship Manchester campaign which supports students from their time in halls to living out in the community.

“We are very excited to be providing another means of support to students, and are delighted that we have another opportunity to work with many teams to offer a strong and consistent message of safety” - Sergeant Danny O’Neil, Greater Manchester Police for Fallowfield and Withington

Macmillan Coffee Morning Manchester Student Homes held its annual Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 30th September to bring together people of the community to have a good catch up over coffee and cake! It was wonderful to see so many different people from University Staff, long term residents, students and accredited landlords/ private halls. The event was a huge success and provided a great chance for people to come together and catch up after the summer.

Thank you to all who had donated and made cakes.

The morning raised over £320 and all the left over cakes were donated to the Brailsford, Moseley, Braemar & Balmoral (BMBB) Residents Group for their community event on Sunday 2nd October.

The event was also a great opportunity for Manchester Student Homes to showcase the work we do with accredited providers and promote various campaigns, such as Halls 2 Home, which supports students in their transition from Halls of Residence to living in off campus communities.

Manchester Student Homes is a free, university-run housing service for students. Based in Fallowfield, MSH runs a landlord accreditation scheme and can offer support to students in relation to property searches, providing housing advice and contract checking. MSH also works with students, the community and partner agencies to identify issues in off campus areas.

BMBB Community Event On 2nd October the Brailsford, Moseley, Braemar & Balmoral (BMBB) Residents Group hosted a community event which was enjoyed by residents and students living within the local area. Guests were able to enjoy food, diddi cars, a bouncy castle and face painting. There were also fantastic music performances by Emily Driscoll, Chris Tavener, and Mathew Kerry who played live sets that were enjoyed by all.

Biffa attended this event and advised attendees on proper waste and recycling practises. The Greater Manchester Police also held a stall providing information relating to personal safety and

crime prevention. Our mascot Wolfie also made a surprise appearance which was greatly enjoyed by the children attending.

The event was a huge success raising over ÂŁ250 for the BMBB Residents group. This money will help finance further community events in the future.

Thank you to everyone who came to enjoy the day, and keep an eye out for events that will be happening in the future!

The WOLF (Wary Of Light Fingers) campaign was created by Manchester Student Homes in partnership with Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council, in order to raise awareness on issues relating to student personal safety within the Manchester area. These partnerships collectively promote student safety and have a variety of mediums to communicate our message.

Manchester International Student Safety The Manchester International Student Safety (MISS) Campaign was created by Manchester Student Homes following discussions with Greater Manchester Police and international students. This campaign will be delivered through three effective channels suggested during discussion period.

During discussion time it has been identified that international students are frequently targeted by criminals, and with there being approximately 20,000 international students studying in Greater Manchester the need for the campaign is seen as paramount.

The first medium is an International Student Safety Guide containing specialised and essential

tips and information relating to personal and household security from Greater Manchester Police.

The second element is a Safety Message Tea Towel, which contains a map of Manchester highlighting places of academic and social importance.

The third aspect of the project is an interactive Student Safety Video that educates international students on safe practices and habits involving guiding a student through how to get home safely from campus.