Intouch Winter 2012

intouch ISSUE 73 | WINTER 2012/13 | FREE

The magazine for residents of Wales & West Housing

Editor’s Le er | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 03

Editor’s

Le er

First and foremost – a Happy New Year everyone from all at Wales & West Housing.

Last year wasn’t easy for many of us, and with more changes to welfare benefits to come, 2013 looks certain to bring plenty of challenges of its own.

But you’re not on your own. We’re not just your landlord, we are also here to help.

We know that money is ght for many of us, so on pages 31 to 33 you can find out more about budge ng – in other words, making the most of every penny that you have got.

We’ve the first results of this year’s Residents’ Sa sfac on Survey (page 34 - Your views on how we are doing.) And you can also review of most up-to-date performance figures in our Quarterly Report on pages 18 - 23.

We’ve a cracking opportunity to an ambi ous young resident in our work.skills.experience sec on (page 38), and you’re sure to be inspired by our new community garden in St Mellons, Cardiff (pages 10 and 11).

Finally, thanks for all your entries for our Christmas photo compe on – resident Jane Styles suggested we run a year-round photo compe on, so that’s what we’re now doing – see the inside back cover for more details.

Warm regards

Contents WWH News and Info Charity Planned Maintenance Quarterly Report Resident Par cipa on Going Green Development Update Money Ma ers Resident Sa sfac on Survey Work.skills.expereience Healthy Living An social behaviour Your News & Views Birthdays and Anniversaries

4 12 15 18 24 28 29 30 34 38 40 44 46 50

Did you know that you can now get more news and updates online?

Follow us on twi er

@wwha

intouch in other languages and formats If you would like a copy of this edi on of In Touch in Welsh or in another language or format, for example in large print, please let us know and we will help you.

Sarah Manners, PR & Marke ng Manager

Contact Us

Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, Tremorfa, Cardiff CF24 2UD. Telephone: 0800 052 2526 | Text: 07788 310420 Email: contactus@wwha.co.uk | Website: www.wwha.co.uk Minicom: 0800 052 5205. You can also contact members of staff direct by their email. For example, joe.bloggs@wwha.co.uk

04 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on

Cambria North

now up and running Cambria North, the second phase of Wales & West Housing’s plan for gearing up to deliver maintenance services throughout Wales has been fully up and running since 2nd January 2013.

Opera ng from its base at Whi ord Road in Holywell, the firm is providing skilled and stable employment for 42 local people, having taken over the responsibility for maintenance from Bushmede Ltd.

Nigel Parry, Head of Cambria North, said: “This is a really exci ng me for all of us, and we are looking forward to con nuing to provide a high quality, efficient service for WWH and its residents with a smile on our faces and a spring in our step.”

With a fleet of 35 vans, Cambria North will carry out planned maintenance and reac ve repairs for Wales & West Housing for the North Wales area from Conwy to Newtown in Mid Wales.

Using Cambria to provide maintenance services throughout Wales will further improve our service and help reduce opera ng costs by working across Wales.

Please note that there is no change for residents in the way you report a repair. If you live in one of our proper es and you need to report a repair, simply call WWH’s 24/7 freephone number 0800 052 2526, as usual.

“Cambria will help us make best use of the resources we have,” said Steve Porter, WWH Opera ons Director. “They will work together with us to really deliver what ma ers for residents across Wales, which is what it is all about.”

News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 05

Suppor ng eight appren ceships in Wrexham

The New Year has got off to a good start for eight young people in Wrexham, all enjoying the benefits of appren ceships on our £15m development in the town.

The eight, all aged between 16 and 26-years-old, are learning their trade by working with bricklaying specialist sub-contractors Alan Davies and Sons who will be doing much of the work on our two developments on Kingsmills Road and Rivulet Road.

Four, who come from nearby Yale College’s Faculty of Construc on and Engineering, will be trained as bricklayers while the remaining four, from Caia Park will be on general building du es with the opportunity to move on to specialist appren ceships.

Iain Murray, Construc on Manager for contractor Anwyl Construc on said: “It is important to both Wales & West Housing and us that this project provides as many high quality training opportuni es as possible.”

Councillor Mark Pritchard, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Housing and Planning said: “This is another example of successful partnership working and I’m

thrilled that young people in the area will be able to gain valuable experience by working on this development.”

Our twin developments, in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council, will see 35 houses and apartments built on Rivulet Road, as well as a further 92 on Kingsmills Road, plus a new Community Resource and Medical Facility.

Anne Hinchey, Chief Execu ve of Wales & West Housing, said: “We are commi ed to enabling work and training opportuni es for local people, and to suppor ng the local economy by employing local companies wherever possible.”

Keep up to date with news, employment and training opportuni es on this development at www.hightownflats.com Go to page 39 for more news about work and training opportuni es in Wrexham.

06 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on

How we let our proper es We are planning to change the way we let proper es – and we’d like to know what you think.

In the last two edi ons of In Touch we have let you know about the ‘bedroom tax’ and how it might affect you. In April of this year the UK Government is cu ng the amount it pays in housing benefit to individuals and families who they think are living in a house or flat which is too big for them. This applies to people of working age. As a rule of thumb it means that: • Where there are two children aged under 10 in a family they will be expected to share a bedroom • Where there are two children aged under 16 and of the same gender they will be expected to share a bedroom • Disabled people who need an extra room for equipment will only be en tled to one bedroom • Couples who have a medical condi on that means they require separate rooms will only be en tled to one bedroom • Single parents with access to children will only be en tled to one bedroom

So how will this affect the way we let our proper es?

Our le ngs policy isn’t changing, however we are planning to change the size of accommoda on that we offer to some households. We will only let

proper es of a size that would be fully funded by Housing Benefit.

I’m an exis ng resident. Will I be affected?

You may be affected if you want to transfer from your current WWH home to a different one.

For example if a family is made up of parents and two children under the age of ten then the bedroom tax rules say they only require a two bedroom property. In these circumstances if they are already living in a two bedroom house and wanted to move to a larger house we would not consider their request to move because under the housing benefit rules their home is the right size for their family.

If the same family needed to move to another area to take up the offer of a job then we would consider them for a two bedroom house in the new area.

The table opposite summarises the main changes. It shows each type of accommoda on we let and the sort of households we would let this type of accommoda on to now and the sort of households we would let to in the future.

This may change in the future if the housing benefit regula ons change too.

News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 07

PROPERTY to be REGISTERED

HOUSEHOLD TYPE (EXISTING)

HOUSEHOLD TYPE (PROPOSED)

Studio/ 1bed flat/ house

Single person

Single person

1bed flat/house

Childless couple

Childless couple Single parent with access to a child/ children

2 bed flat, maisone e or house

Couple or single parent with 1 child

Couple or single parent with 1 child

Single parent with access to a child

Couple or single parent with 2 children under 10 Couple or single parent with 2 children of the same sex under 16

3 bed flat, maisone e or house

Couple or single parent with 2 or 3 children, regardless of sex

Couple or single parent with 2 children of dierent sex with at least one over 10

Single parent with access to 2 or 3 children regardless of sex

Couple or single parent with 3 children Couple or single parent with 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls) Couple or single parent with 4 children (3 of one sex, 1 of the other where at least two children are under 10, and of the opposite sex)

4 bed flat, maisone e or house

Couple or single parent with 4 or 5 children, regardless of sex

Couple or single parent with 4 children (3 of one sex, 1 of the other where at least 3 children are over 10) Couple or single parent with 5 children

If you have your housing benefit reduced because you are under occupying your home we will give you priority for a move to a smaller home if that is what you want. If we do not have proper es of the right size in your area we will try to help in another way such as asking if another housing associa on could help.

08 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on

Are there any excep ons to this rule?

In extreme cases we will consider applicants for an extra bedroom. This is likely to be where there is a strong medical reason. There may be rare occasions when we do not have a household of the appropriate size for a property. In this circumstance we may make an offer of a property to a smaller household. However, these will be the excep on rather than the rule and in each case we will check that the applicant can afford to pay the rent due.

Why we are changing the rules The amount of housing benefit residents who are under- occupying will lose will vary but it has been calculated that families who are under- occupying by one bedroom will lose on average £10 each week which they will have to make up out of other benefits or income. It is our view that we should only let homes of a size that would be funded by housing benefit.

We believe that it is not right to let a property to a family where they cannot afford to live and where there is a real risk they will lose their home if they fall into arrears.

What about residents who are not on housing benefit?

We are proposing that our new approach will apply to everyone whatever their financial circumstances. We feel that the

new approach should be applied equally to those in receipt of housing benefit and those we do not receive housing benefit who may be able to afford the rent.

A rela vely small propor on of our residents do not receive housing benefit, however it is our experience that residents’ circumstances change and they may go from paid employment to welfare benefits and back again on a frequent basis.

So what do you think?

Please let us know what you think. The deadline for comments is Friday February 15th 2013.

You can contact us By le er: Cate Dooher, Head of Support Services, Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, Cardiff CF24 2UD By telephone: 0800 052 2526 By email: le ngs@wwha.co.uk On our website: h p://www.wwha.co.uk/Pages/ ContactUs.aspx

By SMS text: 07788 310420 By speaking to your Housing Officer You can obtain a full copy of our consulta on document by contac ng the Customer Service Centre on 0800 052 2526 or by downloading a copy from the website www.wwha.co.uk

News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 09

New community garden

in Sylvester Court

Residents of Sylvester Court re rement scheme in Wrexham are celebra ng a er their new community garden was opened in late November.

Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Adult Social Care, Wrexham County Borough Council, did the honours and cut the ribbon to the new gardens at the popular scheme on Monger Road.

Vy Cochran, WWH Community Development Project Officer, said: “This resident-led project has transformed an overgrown site into a tranquil haven and project partners helped to raise over £2,800 during the last twelve months in order to carry out this work.”

Key features include: • raised planters accessible by wheelchair users • a greenhouse and shed both donated by local residents • dedicated plots in which to grow fruit, vegetables, salad and flowers for use

by Sylvester Court Lunch Club, and, • a pa o complete with garden furniture where residents can sit and reflect on their achievements.

Added Vy: “This project would not have been possible without support from a number of organisa ons.”

These include: • Hightown Communi es First • Age Concern NE Wales • Keep Wales Tidy • Wales Proba on Trust Volunteers • Offa Community Council • Wrexham County Borough Council, • Wales & West Housing.

“Their support has enabled the purchase of tools and materials needed to make the project a success,” said Val Groves, Chair of the Sylvester Court Residents’ gardening group.

See pages 10 and 11, and 26 and 27 for more news on WWH community gardens across Wales.

Pictured above, Cllr David Griffiths cuts the ribbon to open Sylvester Court Community Gardens.

10 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on

Growing together with St Mellons Community Garden

Residents from St Mellons in Cardiff are working with WWH to transform an overgrown plot of land into a thriving community garden.

Chris Walton, Housing Manager for Cardiff, explains how it all started…

Several residents told us that they’d like a community garden for St Mellons so we found a suitable plot on Newent Road part of a larger garden that the current resident could no longer manage.

In September 2012, residents and staff from the St Mellons Compact (WWH, Hafod and Linc Housing) viewed the then empty garden and, over coffee at a local garden centre, the ideas started to flow.

Clean-Up Day

The residents decided we needed to clean the garden up before we could start plan ng. So one beau ful, autumn day in late September our St Mellons volunteer gardeners cleared the site of weeds and deep roots, painted the fence and laid a new garden path through the centre of the garden.

Keep Wales Tidy “Wild Weekend in Wales” grant award

The group has already been awarded a £200 grant by Keep Wales Tidy to encourage wildlife to live in the garden.

WWH’s Resident Par cipa on Strategy Officer, Claire Hammond, helped the group to apply for this money which will help to pay for:

• Bulbs, wildflower seeds and lavender to a ract bees and bu erflies • wood to make bird and bat boxes • hand tools, gloves and compost.

This group was one of several sets of keen gardeners across Wales who successfully applied for funding from Keep Wales Tidy.

See pages 26 and 27 for more informa on.

And the next bit of good news is that more funding has also been agreed by the three St Mellons Compact landlords who have agreed to each contribute up to £500 towards the development of the Garden.

Facebook Page

The group has also set up a Facebook page to help keep the community informed and engaged. If you’re on Facebook go to: www.facebook.com/StMellons CommunityGarden The group will use this page to share informa on, including: • How the garden will look/be used by the community (see the community garden plan which was recently uploaded)

News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 11 • equipment /plants/seeds you can share • any ideas or skills that you are able to share with the group.

So please go ahead and tell us what you think of the plan for the garden and share any ideas you may have.

The raised beds will be built over the winter so we can start plan ng fruit, veg and herbs in the spring.

We’re also planning a children’s area so the younger residents of St Mellons can have their own bit of the community garden, just for them.

What’s next?

WWH’s Environment & Sustainability Officer, Owen Jones, has sourced na ve Welsh fruit trees that should thrive in this environment as well as provide local people with plenty of fresh, home-grown fruit for next year! We’ve already planted three apple trees, with resident Glenys Vandervolk (below) doing the honours of plan ng the first tree. Next we’re plan ng cherry, plum and pear trees so we’ll have a fantas c harvest once they’re established.

If you are inspired and would like to get involved with the St Mellons Community Garden project or would just like some further informa on, please contact me, Chris Walton, Housing Manager, at Wales & West Housing on 0800 052 2526.

Pictured right, staff and residents of WWH, including Chris Walton (far le ) start work on St Mellons Community Garden in Cardiff

12 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Charity Update

WWH’s charity team: Suzanne Round, Di Barnes, Charmaine Deen and Leah Jenkins

A truly Heroic effort

Wow – £24,523.66! Yes, that’s how much we have raised for the charity for wounded servicemen and women, Help for Heroes.

It has been a great two years with everyone involved enjoying raising funds for such a worthy charity. Staff, residents of WWH, friends and families have organised dozens of marvellous events from coffee mornings, dress down days, raffles and Christmas par es to even some staff members adding the odd change from their monthly wages towards Help for Heroes. In fact, the list is endless.

The grand total we are dona ng to this charity is a fantas c £24,523.66.

Looking ahead we’re delighted to announce that Stroke Associa on Wales has been chosen as WWH’s nominated charity for 2013 - 2014.

If you’d like to get involved in fundraising in any way please contact our very own charity team Di Barnes, Charmaine Deen, Leah Jenkins and Suzanne Round who will be pleased to help you.

Either call 0800 052 2526, or email contactus@wwha.co.uk Did you know? Since 2005 WWH staff, residents and Board, have between us raised more than £106,000 for dozens of chari es.

Charity Update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 13

Suppor ng your local foodbank Did you know?

• According to the charity Trussell Trust, 13 million people now live below the poverty line in the UK. • Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income.

• In 2011-12 foodbanks fed 128,687 people na onwide, 100% more than the previous year.

• Foodbanks provide a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK.

WWH is now suppor ng this vital work of foodbanks with our own collec on points at: • • • • •

Head Office Flint office Hanover Court, Barry Ty Ponthrun, Merthyr Tydfil Cwrt Anghorfa, Bridgend.

Dona ons of nned, and non-perishable goods, are welcome from staff or residents at any me. For more details go to www.trusselltrust. org./foodbank-projects

Pictured above: Herman Valen n, Community Development Project Officer, with Anne Hinchey, Chief Execu ve of WWH, with Ian Purcell from Cardiff Foodbank and Tony Graham from the Trussell Trust.

14 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Charity Update

Remember

Movember?!?

Several WWH staff including Michael Barker (pictured above), Tom Griffiths and Nigel Canterbury have helped to raise more than £150 during ‘Movember’ – November with a moustache!

All monies raised go towards the charity which specifically tackles prostate cancer.

They started clean shaven on the 1st

Opera on

Christmas Child Many thanks must go to WWH Finance Accountant Louise Carpanini and her team of helpers who, together with all those who contributed to this scheme, ensured that 103 boxes stuffed full of presents made their way to Belarus, one of the poorest and under developed countries in Europe.

These Christmas presents, including toys, pens, pencils and toiletries, woolly hats and gloves, helped to bring a smile to some of the EU’s poorest children during the Christmas period.

November then for the en re month they grew some pre y fantas c moustaches.

Well done to all involved!

Planned Maintenance | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 15

“I’m over the moon with my

new central hea ng” We recently replaced night storage heaters with gas central hea ng in all 32 residents’ homes at Doyle Court, Fairwater, Cardiff.

Mrs Lillian Jacobs (pictured right), who has lived in a one bedroom flat at Doyle Court since 2007 told us, “I love my central hea ng.

“It’s fantas c, easy to control with the thermostat, and the heat and hot water are instant. The boiler itself is so quiet and fi ed easily into my kitchen cupboard. The workmen were lovely and polite, and didn’t make any mess and agreed with any changes I wanted, such as placing a radiator in a certain place.

They also told me how to use it and le useful informa on for me.

“The night storage heaters, which the gas boiler has replaced, were cumbersome and ugly as well as being awkward to use and took up a lot of space. ” Contractor PH Jones/Bri sh Gas carried out the fuel switch, followed by the installa on of a new kitchen by GKR Maintenance.

“Besides having new hea ng I now have a new kitchen, fi ed about five months ago and I feel like a kid with a lollipop.

“I just love my flat. That’s what I like about WWH, they have very nice polite people working for them.”

We have now carried out 260 fuel switches from electricity to gas, in proper es across Wales.

Doyle Court Scheme Manager Nigel Canterbury said “Gas central hea ng is so much be er and cleaner, totally controllable and responsive in the flats.

Night storage heaters were boiling all night and had a very drying effect plus they cooled down around 5pm on most days so backup was some mes required.

These new boilers are much be er.”

16 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Planned Maintenance

So do I really need to have my gas boiler serviced every year?

The answer to this is YES! As your landlord we have a legal obliga on to ensure that the gas boiler in your home is serviced every year, writes Commercial Manager Mike Wellock.

Why? To make sure that it is working correctly, not leaking poten ally deadly carbon monoxide, and, that your health and wellbeing is not at risk.

Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas given off when fuels including gas are burnt and if your hea ng appliances are not working correctly, the flue is blocked or the room is not ven lated correctly, then carbon monoxide can build up quickly and suffocate those inside.

The majority of our residents understand and appreciate the need for this annual service and work with us to ensure the work can be carried out.

However, unfortunately there are a few who think that this annual service is not necessary and who do not allow contractors entry to their home, meaning that their boiler remains untested.

Did you know that on average 50 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year in the UK? And that 200 are seriously injured, and another 4000 people are affected each year facing the possibility of long-las ng effects on their health?

A boiler service is quick and clean so please help us to ensure that you and your family do not become a sta s c.

It’s easy to arrange. Our contractor PH Jones will contact you when your boiler needs a service, and all you have to do is agree a me which is convenient for you for them to have access to your home.

Once the visit has taken place you will not only know that your home is safe, but you will also be placed in our draw for one of two £250 prizes to be won every three months.

For those who refuse to allow us access to their home to service their boiler the end result may not be so happy.

At worst it could lead to death or serious injury and at best it will certainly lead to a court judgement, payment of £150 court costs and a forced entry into your homes to do a job for which you could have won a cheque for £250.

Have your has boiler serviced every year - you know it makes sense.

Planned Maintenance | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 17

Planned Maintenance Spring 2013 Kitchens Twyncarmel, Merthyr Tydfil Victoria Road, Rhyl Bathrooms / Over Bath Showers Con nuing with Spruce Close and Sapele Drive, East Tyndall Street, Cardiff Re rement proper es at Hanover Court, Barry Clos y Wern, Brackla, Bridgend Clos y Waun, Brackla, Bridgend Windows / Doors St Catherines Court, Caerphilly

Win £250 and be a

lucky WINNER

Miss Kirsten Axon from Bridgend and Mr & Mrs Griffiths from Brecon were the lucky winners of £250 cheque, box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers each. The only thing they had to do to qualify for the prize draw was to have their gas boiler serviced on their FIRST appointment, or give us at least 48 hours’ no ce to postpone the visit.

Mr & Mrs Griffiths were so surprised to have won and they will be giving the money to their eldest son, Joshua, to help him out at university. He is studying to be a primary school teacher. Kirsten was going to put aside the money towards Christmas.

Mr & Mrs Griffiths with their winnings (top) Miss Axon with her children Shane and Madison (opposite)

Fuel Switches Hillbrook Court, Crickhowell Cae Mawr, Llandudno

18 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resume of the year - January to December 2012

What ma ers to you?

Here’s our third edi on of our regular feature on performance across all areas of service delivery. This me we’re repor ng on our performance during the past 12 months.

As always we really value what you think of the services we provide to you so any comments and feedback you have are always welcome.

Focus on Rents

In this edi on we have focused on our rent collec on service. As you will be aware the rent we collect from all our residents is vital in helping to fund the services that you want from us. These include kitchen and bathroom replacements and upgrades, window and door replacements, estate management services and managing an -social behaviour.

So it’s really important to us that we do all we can to help you to pay your rent and manage your money effec vely.

We offer a wide range of payment methods to pay rent including the hassle free Direct Debit op on. You have told us you would like more op ons in terms of payment dates, so we now offer a wider range of dates.

We meet with all prospec ve residents and discuss their household budgets to give them an idea of the costs of living in one of our proper es. This gives them the right informa on to decide if they want to accept a tenancy with us that they can afford and sustain.

Throughout all tenancies our officers maintain contact with residents to offer support as residents circumstances change.

This could be gaining employment, children leaving home and other family changes.

Each of these can have an impact on benefit en tlement and how much residents need to pay. Our officers can provide advice to help manage these changes.

Essen ally, you have told us that these things ma er to you most and that you want clear and accurate informa on on the following: • How much I have to pay • How I can pay – via different payment methods and at mes that suit me • How I can afford it • How I can access advice and support We aim to deliver our service around the things that ma er to you.

Do you agree with these? Are we focusing on the right things for you?

If not, please tell us what you want to see here. Rent collec on is central to our business so we have given our staff support, training, and specialist tools to help them offer you all the support you need to manage your day-to-day budgets; pay your bills and signpost you to other partner organiza ons if you need specialist help.

Resume of the year - January to December 2012 | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 19 We are aware of the very difficult economic climate that we are all facing and so it’s really important that we work together to help you and give you all the support we can. This, together with the welfare reform changes, including the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ mean that we are all facing a challenging future over the next few years.

However we also recognize that not everyone is willing to work with us to sort out any rent issues they may. When this happens we will take ac on to resolve things. This can end in the court gran ng an evic on order and residents having their homes taken away from them. We don’t want to evict people but may have to as a last resort if you do not engage with us to resolve any rent arrears.

So how well are we doing with collec ng rent and across other areas of the business?

(All figs are between Jan-Dec 2012) We have evicted 18 residents

97.7% We have collected 97.7% of rent due from residents which is over £37m

28% Of these 28% owe less than £50

Rent

18

33% 60% 60% of rented households are maintaining payments and paying off arrears

33% of rented and managed households are in arrears - 3,133 residents

Despite the challenging economic environment staff have been working closely with residents to help and support them with their rent payments. So it is great to see that of those in arrears more than half are making payments and working to reduce their arrears.

As stated we do not want to evict residents and we offer a wide range of help including referrals to Money Advice and other relevant organisa ons. However we will evict if we are not able to work with residents to find a resolu on to their issues.

20 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resume of the year - January to December 2012

70%

98%

158 remaining proper es where a gas service is required

Gas Safety Compliance

Repairs completed in one visit

Repairs

9.5/

10

Resident sa sfac on

97% Repairs that stayed fixed

18.5 Average number of days to complete a repair

Cambria Maintenance Services has expanded and increased its scope of work in South and Mid Wales throughout 2012. From this month Cambria is also providing the maintenance services in North Wales.

Following feedback from various sa sfac on surveys we have experimented with the way that we deliver reac ve repairs in south and mid Wales so that in the majority of cases, appointments are made at first contact when repor ng a repair.

Against this backdrop, performance throughout 2012 has remained constant and customer sa sfac on scores remain high.

Resume of the year - January to December 2012 | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 21

478

1037/1079 96% completed so far

done so far

Boiler renewals Bathrooms completed

Planned Maintenance

592/601

250/253 99% completed so far

Window renewals

99% completed so far

8.5/

Kitchens completed

10

Resident sa sfac on The 2012 planned maintenance programme has been delivered as planned with a consistently high level of resident sa sfac on. Only two areas have been iden fied for improvememnt and these are around decora on and communica on - we are learning from feedback and are working to ensure that these issues are improved.

Our maintenance company Cambria was responsible for installing an increasing number of kitchens and bathrooms and this will con nue in 2013.

22 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resume of the year - January to December 2012

Le ngs and building proper es

46 Number of new build houses

9 Number of new build flats

707

9.5/

We let 707 proper es

10

Resident sa sfac on Of the total numbers we acquired 8 houses and 1 flat through our mortgage rescue scheme where we helped people with financial diďŹƒcul es to be able to remain in their own homes.

We have a strong development programme that is building homes throughout Wales and we have a large number of schemes that are currently being built.

We con nue to relet homes all over Wales with strong demand for our proper es. We are working closely with local authority partners with common wai ng lists in Cardi, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf, and are part of working groups in Powys and North Wales who are currently developing single access routes to housing with the aim of making it easier for applicants and residents to apply for housing through a single place.

127,472

98%

Telephones

203,347 75,875 Emergency Alarm

Total number of calls answered

CSC/ Emergency Alarm

Number of calls answered within 30 secs

5 5 seconds average answering me

Resume of the year - January to December 2012 | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 23

778 An -social behaviour (serious, including criminal)

1436 Neigbourhoods that work

17 Average number of days to inves gate - ASB

Incidents reported to us

10 Average number of days to inves gate - Estate Management

658 Estate management issues affec ng tenancies

7.8/

10

Resident sa sfac on

The number of cases we have dealt with in 2012 has remained constant with 2011, however the way and speed in which we have dealt with them has improved. Our average me to inves gate an -social behaviour (ASB) cases has reduced from 22 days in 2011 to 17 in 2012 and this has happened due to much closer working with residents to resolve cases and taken ac on when needed.

We also work in partnership with a range of agencies tasked with dealing with ASB. We o en undertake joint work with the police and Noise Pollu on teams. We also make referrals to Community Safety Partnerships.

So what do you think about our performance?

If you have any comments or feedback on anything we have told you please let us know. You can contact us about this or any other issue at any me.

Feedback can be given in a variety of ways– online via our website, email, le er, phone, by text, or, in person to a member of staff or at our offices.

• We are always happy to hear from you whether you want to ask a ques on, tell

us something, make a sugges on, pay a compliment or make a complaint.

• This feedback helps us to make decisions about our future plans and improvements to our services.

Finally, in the next edi on of In Touch we will be bringing you up-to-date data about our performance as a business during the period January to end of March 2013.

Thank you!

24 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resident Par cipa on

Your views improve

our services

Resident par cipa on is about using your views to improve our services and your community. Last year we told you about our new Resident Par cipa on (RP) Strategy, which sets out how we work by our values to listen to you to make sure that our services fit your needs and how we can work together to improve where you live.

We’ve now updated the strategy following feedback from the Welsh Government including more detail on our review of resident par cipa on, how this strategy links to our corporate plan, and providing clearer outcomes.

We’ve also updated our progress over the last year including: • how we plan to tell you about our systems thinking approach and involve residents more when we redesign a service area.

• our new simpler complaints approach.

• our Contact Us approach and webpage, where you can leave us any comments.

• our review of Area Improvement Plans (AIPs), which see decisions made at a local level, so you can match how we’ve improved your estate or scheme, based directly on what you said.

• how we plan to feedback to you on how we are doing, what you’ve told us ma ers to you and how we’ve used your views to make improvements.

Our strategy also has a new aim that we feel reflects why we do RP. It is “to involve our residents in improving our services and their communi es and to increase our accountability to our residents.”

As always, the updates have been approved by our Resident Par cipa on Steering Group (RPSG) and our Board of Management.

To read the full strategy go to: www.wwha.co.uk/Residents-Area/ Ge ng-Involved Or if you aren’t online yet, we can send you a paper copy. Just get in touch with us through the usual methods • 0800 052 2526 Customer service Centre • Speak to your Housing Officer • Text us on 07788 310420 Claire Hammond Resident Par cipa on Strategy Officer

Resident Par cipa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 25

Learning from each other

at na onal conferences Members of our Resident Par cipa on Steering Group (RPSG) a ended two conferences that brought together social housing residents and staff from across Wales.

The Welsh Tenants annual conference was held in September in Llandrindod Wells and the TPAS Cymru annual conference in November in Cardiff.

Both conferences featured a number of workshops and guest speakers so the audience could learn about and discuss the latest news in resident par cipa on.

As our sounding board for resident par cipa on we feel it’s important for RPSG members to a end these conferences to keep them up to date.

It’s also a great opportunity for them to speak to residents of other social landlords and share ideas.

Claire Hammond Resident Par cipa on Strategy Officer

Are you looking to buy

your own home?

We now have three lovely new homes for sale in St Mellons, Cardiff - at just 70% of the market price.

Ordinarily these 2 bedroom proper es, part of the new Wimpey development at Parc Llaneurwg, would cost £119,000 – but we have them on the market for just £83,300 under our shared equity scheme. They’ll be ready to move into from the end of March.

If you’d like to find out more go to the Low Cost Homeownership page on our website www.wwha.co.uk, or call freephone 0800 052 2526 and ask to speak to the Housing Op ons team.

26 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resident Par cipa on

Wild weeken

Would you like to encourage more w Residents from six Wales & West Housing schemes have been awarded grant funding to encourage local biodiversity such as bees, bu erflies, bats and birds to live in their communal gardens.

The funding was from the Keep Wales Tidy ‘Have a Wild Weekend for Wales’ campaign which was funded by Welsh Government, Countryside Council for Wales and Homebase.

Residents (pictured) from St Mellons Community Garden, Wilfred Brook House and the Caerau Po ers in Cardiff and Cwrt Pentwmpath, Wrexham; Constan ne Court, Rhondda and Western Court, Bridgend were granted up to £200 in Homebase vouchers to buy wildflower seeds, “Bee-happy”bulbs and plants to a ract bu erflies and bees, and hand tools and wood to build bird and bat boxes.

Our Resident Par cipa on Strategy Officer, Claire Hammond; Community Development Project Officer, Vy Cochran and Scheme Managers Julie Rowlands (Cwrt Pentwmpath), Maria Mulford (Constan ne Court) and Bill Ford (Wilfred Brook House) helped residents to complete and send in their funding applica ons.

Western Court Gardening Group, Bridgend

Keep Wales Tidy told us that they received a very high number of applica ons so our residents did very well to be awarded their grants. Some of our other schemes who applied weren’t so lucky and we understand that this may have been because priority was given to Communi es First areas.

If your group wasn’t successful this me, or you would like to do a similar project where you live, we can help with funding and prac cal support.

Our Environment Grant can help pay for environmentally-friendly projects and Owen Jones (Environment & Sustainability Officer) can advise you on what will work best at your scheme or estate.

Resident Par cipa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 27

ds in Wales!

wildlife to your communal gardens?

Debbie Phillips and Stan Jones of Caerau Po ers, Cardiff

We also have our Make It Happen grant which helps residents to get together and take part in ac vi es where you live.

For more informa on on either of these grants please: • Speak to your Housing Officer • call 0800 05 2526 • email owen.jones@wwha.co.uk for the Environment grant or claire.hammond@wwha.co.uk for the Make It Happen grant.

Peter Jones, Cwrt Pentwmpath, Wrexham

28 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Going Green

Make Sure You Claim Your

Warm Home Discount

For winter 2012 to 2013, you could get a £130 discount on your electricity bill through the Warm Home Discount Scheme. The discount won’t affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment. However not everyone can get the discount - you have to qualify.

What you’ll get For winter 2012 to 2013, you could get a £130 discount on your electricity bill.

The money isn’t paid to you, it’s a one-off discount on your electricity bill, usually between October and March. People using pre-pay or pay as you go electricity meters can also qualify for the discount.

If eligible, your electricity supplier can tell you how you’ll get the discount, for example, a voucher you can use to top up your meter.

Do I qualify?

You qualify for the discount if on 21 July 2012 your supplier was part of the scheme, your name (or your partner’s) was on the bill and you were either: • 80 or over and ge ng the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit • under 80 and only ge ng the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (you won’t qualify if you also get Saving Credit).

If eligible, you’ll get a le er telling you one of the following: • that you’ll get it automa cally • or you must apply for the discount by 13 March 2013 – the le er will tell you why and how.

Le ers are sent between September 2012 and January 2013. However, if your le er doesn’t arrive by February 2013 contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme Helpline 0845 603 9439, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

If you don’t qualify Some suppliers s ll offer the discount to vulnerable people (eg: those on a low income). Each supplier has their own rules about who else can get the discount.

Energy suppliers The following are part of the scheme: • Atlan c • Bri sh Gas • EDF Energy • E.ON • Equipower (Ebico) • Equigas (Ebico) • Manweb - see Sco shPower • M&S Energy • npower • Sainsbury’s Energy • Sco sh Gas - see Bri sh Gas • Sco sh Hydro • Sco shPower • Southern Electric • SSE • SWALEC • U lity Warehouse

Development Update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 29

More new homes for Denbighshire (le to right) Gareth Jarvis, Development Officer, Wales & West Housing, Menai Baugh, headteacher of Ysgol Henllan, and Claire Sumner, WWH Housing Officer, with pupils Jac Salusbury, 9 , Sophie Edwards, 9, and Sco Parry-Jones, 9 (front). The children named our 6 new proper es for affordable rent on Garn Road, Henllan, which we’ve built in partnership with Denbighshire County Council. The first residents moved in last month.

Affordable homes for Conwy Working in partnership with Conwy County Borough Council our £1.6m development Llys Bryniau will provide 12 high quality new homes – 8 three bedroom houses and 4 two bedroom houses.

Eco-friendly features include high efficiency gas boilers, PV and rain water buts and will meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and the build was part-funded by £900,000 Social Housing Grant from the Welsh Government.

Anne Hinchey, Chief Execu ve WWH, said: “This development is the result of proac ve partnership working between ourselves and Conwy County Borough Council, and we are delighted to be able to help address the need for good quality, affordable homes in this area. It will be a pleasure to welcome our new residents into these lovely new homes.”

Cllr Phil Edwards, Conwy Council’s Cabinet Member for Communi es, said: “Providing good quality, affordable housing for people who live in Conwy is a major priority for the Council. Llys Bryniau is an excellent example of what can be achieved when we work in real partnership to meet the housing needs of our residents. These homes will not only be affordable to rent but will also be affordable to run thanks to the superb energy efficiency features. I wish the new residents all the very best in their new homes and I look forward to con nue working with our partners to develop even more affordable homes in the future.”

30 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Money Ma ers

Be er bu Top ps on making your money go further for you From the 1st April 2013 changes to Council Tax Benefit will affect all residents who currently receive it. This means that some people will be paying £150 more than they currently pay every year. This, combined with the bedroom tax, will mean some residents could be £15 to £20 worse off per week. You can find more informa on about these changes in previous issues of In Touch and on the Residents Area of our website www.wwha.co.uk In this issue we are looking at how you can might save money with very li le effort to help make up these shor alls, hopefully without seeing too much change to your lifestyle, and to help you avoid falling into arrears.

If someone offered you £500 for a day’s work on a computer or telephone, would you take it?

Most of us wouldn’t hesitate in accep ng this offer. Yet many of us simply don’t even spend an hour or two looking at how we can make savings to help us make the most of our money.

The first step is to take control of your finances. Knowing what you are spending is vital to ge ng to grips with your finances. Write down your budget, be honest and make sure you take account of all the li le things that

Benefits Changes | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 31

dge ng you purchase (lo ery ckets, your lunch at work, your favourite magazine, etc) as they all add up!

You can find detailed budget forms at www.moneysavingexpert.co.uk, www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk or contact us for a hard copy.

(regular spending, rent, etc.). In the table on page 32 are some money saving ideas taken from residents when they have looked at their biggest areas of spending.

£ Winner £ £ Once you have completed your budget look at your main outgoings

By following all of these ps could save you thousands of pounds per year but even achieving one or two could give your income a boost of £10 per week – which equals to a cool £500 per year.

Direct Debit

Win £100 by paying your rent by Direct Debit.

Ms Sheila Pierce of Llys Bryn Eglwys, Mold, was the lucky winner of £100 for our last quarterly Direct Debit draw.

To qualify for an entry in the draw all you need to do is pay your rent by Direct Debit. It is as easy as that and it is so easy

to set up. The next draw will be made in early April.

Please contact your Housing Officer who will help with any queries you may have or call our Customer Service Centre on 0800 052 2526.

32 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Money Ma ers

Cu ng your costs What to do

Typical saving

Weekly supermarket trip. Avoid spending more than you need on your weekly shop. Plan your meals, make a shopping list and buy own brands.

This can mean substan al savings on your weekly shop.

£5-10 per week - £250-£500 per year saved

Review your TV package. Do you really need or the TV channels you have or the broadband speed you currently pay for? Have you been paying the bills without thought for years? One call to your supplier could save you up to 50% of your bill every month, saving you hundreds of pounds per year.

£30 per month - £360 per year

Contract mobile. Are you currently using the 500 minutes and 1000 texts you pay for every month. If not, talk to your supplier about lowering your tariff or, if at the end of your contract, shop around or, even be er, maybe use pay as you go.

£20 per month - £240 per year

High cost loans. Currently using doorstep lenders or paying for items like your washing machine or fridge on a weekly basis? Paying for loans or products like this costs hundreds of pounds more.

Contact your local Credit Union or Moneyline Cymru to ask about more favourable rates.

£200 per year on a £500 loan

Give up or cut down on smoking. Apart from the health benefits for you and your family, smoking a packet each day costs on average £50 per week.

Even switching to tobacco could save you £30 per week.

£30 per week - £1500 per year

Contact your energy suppliers and switch if they won’t give you a be er deal. O en your exis ng supplier will have a cheaper tariff available.

£3-£5 per week - £150 per year

Doing the above could save you upwards of £50 per week – that’s £2,500 per year!

Money Ma ers | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 33

You can read more about these ideas, and discover even more money-saving sugges ons, on the website www.moneysavingexpert.co.uk.

You can register for a free weekly email from the site, packed full of helpful sugges ons. Did you know that there are over 7 million people currently receiving these emails?

Between them they’re saving millions of pounds per year with very li le effort.

Na onal Debtline 0808 808 4000 www.na onaldebtline.co.uk

Now you’re on the way to saving a bundle it’s me think about what you’re going to do with the excess income.

Do you have any other top ps for budge ng?

As temp ng as it may be to go out and treat yourself straight away, think about what you could do with the money if you saved it every month.

Doing so may mean you don’t need to borrow money for Christmas or take a holiday – your local credit union or your bank can give you informa on about its savings accounts.

But what about if you’ve completed the budget sheet and found that your debts are on top of you? Don’t despair.

Now is the me to take control of your situa on and seek advice about repaying your debts in an affordable manner. There is no need to pay a company for this advice as several offer it for free, including the following:

Stepchange 0800 138 1111 – freephone including from mobiles. www.stepchange.org Call or visit your local Ci zens Advice Bureau 08444 77 20 20.

Calls at 5p per minute from a BT landline, mobile costs vary. www.ci zensadvice.org.uk

Call or email Sarah Manners, PR & Marke ng Manager on sarah. manners@wwha.co.uk or freephone 0800 052 2526.

You’ll receive a £10 Argos voucher for every p published.

34 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resident Sa sfac on Survey

Resident Sa sfac on Survey In October and November 2012 we ran our annual resident sa sfac on survey using an independent company named ARP Research, writes Corporate Data Analyst Gavin Jones.

This survey is your chance to tell us what you think of our services and give us your views and feedback on a wide range of services. This survey is very important to us because we use it to iden fy the ac ons we should take to be er meet the needs of our residents based on what ma ers to you.

We carry out a Resident Sa sfac on Survey every year and on each occasion we send ques onnaires to one third of our residents, selected in such a way as to be representa ve of the resident popula on as a whole. So if your household did not receive a ques onnaire this year or in 2011, you will definitely get one in 2013.

This year we received 774 completed ques onnaires, which was 29% of those we sent out (approx. 2,700).

This ar cle tells you some of the main results from the survey. Many of the ques ons asked respondents to give us a score out of ten, which when combined together gave us an average score for each. All of the other ques ons gave us percentage scores out of 100.

The following pages will explain some of the main results from the survey and we will be using the detailed results for each scheme to target improvements in our services at a local level.

Gavin Jones

Resident Sa sfac on Survey | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 35 Overall sa sfac on We are pleased to see that the overall sa sfac on level with the service our residents have received is s ll very good - 88% of you said that you were sa sfied while only 7% were dissa sfied. This score is higher than it was in our last survey in 2011 (86%).

Our sa sfac on rate is once again a li le higher than the average for other housing providers against whom we compare ourselves.

Your home The boundaries around your homes received a good score of 7.38 out of 10 which shows some improvement, although some of you men oned there is s ll work needed in this area.

Many of you are happy with the cost of running your home (scoring 7.29 average) which is a significant improvement on last year. Scores for your hea ng system were similar to 2011 although some of you s ll would like your systems updated, or for draughts to be dealt with.

36 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resident Sa sfac on Survey Your neighbourhood The neighbourhood in which you live will always affect how happy you are in your home. While we can’t improve things on our own it is s ll important for us to know what you think about your local area so we can do whatever we can to improve it.

Most of you like the area where you live (8.41 average score) with good neighbours, peaceful environment and access to local ameni es cited as the three main reasons you like living where you are.

However, around 1 in 10 of you said that problems with neighbours are the main reason why you dislike where you live.

Around a quarter of you had experienced an -social behaviour in the last year, with most repor ng the ASB to us (62%). We got an average score of 5.32 out 10 for how we handled the ASB with people having considerably different experiences – 23% gave us only 1 out of 10, but 18% s ll marked us at 10 out of 10.

Repairs and maintenance Around a half of you had a repair in the last year with this group scoring the overall service provided 7.13 out of 10. The main aspects of the repairs service that ma ers most to you are that the problem stays fixed and that we keep you informed throughout the process, including le ng you know when the repair will take place.

Contact with us The scores for the standard of customer service when making contact with us are generally good, so it was especially pleasing to see a significant improvement across the ra ngs on this topic. In par cular, more than half of you (52%) have given us a perfect score of 10 for the helpfulness of the staff (average overall score 8.65).

Resident Sa sfac on Survey | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 37 Communica on and informa on We were pleased to see that the vast majority of you thought we were good at keeping you informed about the things that aect you (83%), which is be er than last year and consistent with the scores other housing associa ons get.

When you ask for informa on around 2 in 3 of you get what you need (65%), and more than half of you get it on me (54%). The preferred method of receiving informa on from us was clearly paper documents through the post, with 81% of you indica ng this method. An increasing number of you would prefer us to use e-mail as a way of receiving informa on (20%, up from 13%) now that more of you can access the internet from a home computer or mobile phone.

This meant that around 4 out of 5 you feel we give you enough informa on to be able to judge us as a landlord.

Resident involvement Around 2 out of 3 of you were sa sfied that we listen to your views and act accordingly; however 19% of you were dissa sfied. As the overall sa sfac on ra ng for this area of work has fallen slightly since 2011 this will be an area we will monitor and endeavour to improve on over the coming year.

We would like to thank all of you who took the me to take part in the survey. Whilst the results are encouraging, the comments you have made on how we can improve are the most important aspect of this survey. We will now use what you have told us to further develop our services.

38 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Work.skills.experience

Growing Ambi ons

with Morgan Cole solicitors We are delighted to be joining forces with Morgan Cole solicitors again this year to provide two ambi ous young people with the opportunity of joining this na onal law firm for a week of work experience at their city centre offices in Cardiff.

Morgan Cole launched the scheme last year which is aimed at 15 to 16 year olds who may not ever have considered law as a career.

This is an exci ng opportunity which will provide two young WWH residents the chance to experience real situa ons in a law firm. Staff at Morgan Cole, from senior partners to recently qualified junior staff, will dedicate their me to making the experience a very valuable one.

Who can apply?

If you will be either 15 or 16 years old in July 2013 and living in one of our proper es you can apply.

When will it happen?

The week-long work experience will take place during July 2013.

Are there any costs involved?

We want to encourage as many young people as we can to apply. We will look to support travel costs and your schools will be able to help with work placement arrangements.

Interested? Then go online to our website wwha.co.uk to download an entry form. Fill it in to tell us a li le bit about yourself and why you think you should have the opportunity of taking part. If you don’t have access to a home computer speak to your schools Career Advisor who will be happy to help you.

Or ring us on freephone 0800 052 2526, or text on 07788 310420, and ask us to post you an applica on form. The closing date for applica ons is 31st May 2013, so you’ve plenty of me to get your form in.

Good luck!

We’ll be working with Morgan Cole to select the successful applicants in June and will be contac ng them individually.

Look out for the summer edi on of In Touch to find out who they are.

Work.skills.experience | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 39

Crea ng more local opportuni es,

targe ng local residents We have created a further two new posts as a result of our development in Hightown.

A part of this development involves the demoli on of the old Hightown Community Centre and the building of a modern, fit for purpose community resource centre.

Helping to oversee the plans for this is a Steering Group made up of WWH, Wrexham Council, Communi es First, local councillors and residents. We are always looking for new members to join.

You don’t need formal qualifica ons nevertheless you may have skills you don’t recognise that would be useful.

All you need is a genuine desire to improve your neighbourhood. You could also benefit from gaining experience and new skills to enhance your work chances.

This Steering Group meets on the last Thursday of every month and we have created a new post to help support this group. The new role of Community Liaison Officer is supported under the Jobs Growth Wales ‘Go Wales’ scheme, a Welsh Government ini a ve targeted at all 16-24yr old graduates currently not in work or educa on. The new centre is due to open in the summer of 2013 and the post is funded for 6 months. The successful applicant will start work at the

And keep an eye on our community blog www.hightownflats.com

end of January 2013. We were keen for local young people to apply and adver sed the role on our website, put up posters, posted flyers and texted residents about this job. Remember to keep an eye on our website because this is where we adver se all our job vacancies.

Crea ng opportuni es is crea ng jobs Very soon we’ll be adver sing a second role of Employment & Training Support Officer to work with our contractor partner Anwyl Construc on for six months – to help us iden fy other areas where jobs and opportuni es could be created. So if you are, or if you know of, a 16 to 24 year old graduate who might be interested please check out our website for details of the post and how to apply.

40 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Healthy Living

Swap fags for This year No Smoking Day is on Wednesday 13th March 2013.

This is a na onal event that takes place every year to support people who want to quit smoking and also raises the awareness of the health risks associated with smoking.

Do you smoke? And do you want to give up? Here’s your chance to start planning for success now.

Research has shown that many people successfully use No Smoking Day as a target to quit smoking. This year the Bri sh Heart Founda on (BHF) is running a campaign for No Smoking Day called ‘Swap Fags for Swag’ as research by the BHF has found that the cost of smoking is a big factor in making the decision to stop smoking.

To find out more about No Smoking Day and ‘Swap Fags for Swag’ campaign visit; www.nosmokingday.org.uk By giving up smoking you will: • save lots of money • be less likely to risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancers such as lung cancer

• enjoy a smoke free home and car • not risk pu ng friends and family at risk from your second-hand smoke.

Stop Smoking Wales offers free, friendly, local NHS support that really works.

Did you know that you will be 4 mes more likely to quit for good by using a support programme like Stop Smoking Wales?

Stop Smoking Wales will help you to plan and prepare for your quit date, provide ongoing help and advice and, most importantly,with support from Stop Smoking Wales you won’t give up on giving up.

So what’s stopping you? Call Stop Smoking Wales for free support in your area on 0800 085 2219 We want to know your ‘Swap fags for Swag’ stories. If you’re giving up and are willing to share your experiences with us, please email sarah.manners@wwha. co.uk or call her on 0800 052 2526. You’ll receive a £10 Argos voucher for every story published.

Healthy Living | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 41

swag!

Extra care and demen a care scheme in Mold Our £9.3m extra care and demen a care complex in Mold is progressing well and due for comple on this summer.

The scheme, which we are developing in partnership with Flintshire County Council, will provide state of the art supported accommoda on to help older people in Flintshire with care and support needs to live independently for as long as they possibly can. The 61 apartment complex will include 15 apartments specially designed for people with demen a, plus an addi onal two, two bedroom bungalows. Care staff will be available 24 hours a day to deliver care in emergencies or in response to individual care plans. The apartments will be made available for rent, or to purchase, by Wales & West Housing for those people who meet the eligibility criteria.

To find out more and to express an interest: call freephone 0800 052 2526 Minicom 0800 052 2505 write to: Extra Care Housing, Customer Service Centre, Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Tremorfa, Cardiff CF24 2UD email: contactus@wwha.co.uk www.wwha.co.uk

42 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Healthy Living

Pregnancy and This is the 5th in our series of ar cles which explain the Equality Act 2010 - in the last 4 edi ons we’ve looked at age, disability, gender reassignment and marriage and civil partnership, writes Claire Bryant, Policy and Diversity Officer.

There are nine ‘protected characteris cs’ within the Act and the aim of these ar cles is to break down the legal bit into something that’s easy to understand for everyone.

So what are the nine protected characteris cs again?

Age, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orienta on, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex, ethnicity, and religion or belief. In this ar cle we are looking at pregnancy and maternity.

Pregnancy and maternity are a fundamental fact of life, and as such it makes perfect sense for the Equality Act to offer protec on to the 350,000 women who work whilst pregnant each year in the UK. Having a baby is usually a very exci ng me for any couple, but according to advice and campaigning group Maternity Ac on, around 30,000 women each year lose their jobs because of pregnancy discrimina on.

Research found that roughly half of all pregnant women in the workforce experienced some form of pregnancy related discrimina on. To fight this type of discrimina on is one of the reasons why the Equality Act 2010 exists.

It is unlawful to reject an applicant for a job, or to deny an exis ng employee opportuni es for training, transfer, promo on or other work-related benefits, because of pregnancy or maternity, unless health and safety regula ons would be infringed by ac ng otherwise. In work-related situa ons, a woman also has addi onal protec on covering both her pregnancy and a period a er the birth. (Maternity refers to the period of 26 weeks a er the birth, which reflects the period of a woman’s ordinary maternity leave en tlement in an employment situa on). A woman who is breas eeding is also protected from unfavourable treatment in the provision of services, so employers will need to consider a woman’s need to breas eed during work and places like libraries,

Healthy Living | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 43

maternity restaurants etc will not be allowed to ask a woman to leave because she is feeding her baby.

Employment protec on for fathers It is also unlawful to treat a father unfavourably for reasons associated with his partner’s pregnancy – for example if

he is disciplined forexpressing health and safety concerns about his pregnant wife’s treatment in the same workplace, or if he is dismissed for taking me off in an emergency to look a er his new baby.

In the next edi on we will be looking at race.

Suppor ng Wales’ mature workforce Our Board has donated £5,000 to charity Prime Cymru. This will go towards helping people aged 50 and over to capitalize on their skills and experience.

Since it was founded in 2001 by the Prince of Wales, Prime Cymru has helped over 2,700 people back into jobs, supported over 6,000 people looking for work a year, and has 300 dedicated front line mentors who deliver face-to-face advice and support.

“I am delighted to accept this generous dona on from Wales & West Housing towards the ac vi es of Prime Cymru,” said David Pugh, Chief Execu ve. “In Wales we have in excess of 200,000 people between the ages of 50 and state pension age who are economically inac ve and facing older age poverty in re rement.

Pictured: Chief Execu ve Anne Hinchey presents the cheque to David Pugh, Chief Execu ve of Prime Cymru, and Hayley Ridge-Evans, Director of Opera ons

“This dona on will enable us to con nue to develop and deliver innova ve dedicated support to assist individuals to change their lives by becoming economically ac ve, enabling them to provide for their own futures and contribute to the communi es in which they live.”

For more informa on go to: www.prime-cymru.co.uk

44 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Neighbourhoods that work

Neighbourhoods

that work In the last In Touch we told you that we’re changing how we deal with complaints about nuisance. This ar cle is our second in a series to tell you what we’re doing, how and why, writes Bridget Garrod, Neighbourhood Ini a ves Manager.

In the last edi on we explained: • how we had listened to you to understand what ma ers to you when you make a complaint of someone causing nuisance to you or others • that we’re pilo ng a new approach based on what ma ers to you and understanding our role in helping you.

To find out if we are ge ng it right by mee ng your needs we are asking you about your experience of how we have handled your nuisance complaints.

We’ve been busy contac ng residents who live in the pilot areas of Caerau, Cardiff and areas of Powys, who have made a complaint of nuisance to find out how sa sfied they are with our new approach.

We are asking those residents ques ons based on what they tell us ma ers to them. If we get this right we know then that we are on the right track to designing an approach that works.

Across Wales we have seen a reduc on in the number of residents repor ng complaints of nuisance. We hope this means that there is less nuisance behaviour. Since we started trialling our new approach in June 2012 we have recorded 47 complaints in our pilot areas. We have tried to contact everyone where we have taken ac on, and have so far spoken to 20 of the 37 complainants to find out their views of how we responded to their complaint.

You want:

“to speak to the right person” We seem to be ge ng this right, however four people said we hadn’t in their case. Someone commented ‘It took my daughter to get the Housing Officer out’ yet another person said we were ‘easy to get hold of.’ By the Housing Officer taking the call directly residents are able to speak to the person who will deal with their complaint.

Neighbourhoods that work | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 45 You want:

You want:

“to receive a speedy response”

“us to stop the nuisance happening again”

We seem to be ge ng this right. Of the 20 surveys just three people made nega ve comments. For example, one remark was: ‘Yes, for this complaint.

But the parking issue took him a bit longer.’

In some cases the nuisance had stopped but overall residents were clear who to contact if the nuisance started again.

When we asked the ques on ‘do you think it (the nuisance) is resolved’? The majority of residents said it had been but there appears to be an underlying concern that the nuisance will happen again or start again.

You want:

“for us to do the right thing for you in your circumstances”

Our role:

We appear to be ge ng this right. No nega ve comments were received.

Officers are using their knowledge and skills to understand how the nuisance is affec ng the person making the complaint and taking the appropriate ac on.

“to be clear what we can do to resolve the issue or what we can do to make it more bearable”

You want:

So what’s next?

“to be kept informed of your complaint as it is inves gated”

We’re extending the pilot to include further areas of Cardiff.

And we’ll con nue to try to contact every resident involved to find out what they thought of the service we provided.

We s ll need to work at this and understand how we can do it be er.

People are aware we have taken some form of ac on but generally appear to want a follow up conversa on to confirm what has been done.

You want:

“to feel, and be, safe in your home and where you live” Overall people do feel safe and mostly comments made related to a previous history of incidents.

We seem to be ge ng this right. Overall comments and scores out of 10 tell us this.

Look out for a further update in the next edi ons of In Touch.

If you would like to find out more about our redesign work and how we are using residents comments to shape the new service please contact me, Bridget Garrod on bridget.garrod@wwha.co.uk.

46 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Your News & Views

and the winner is…

The winner of our 2012 WWH e-Christmas card photo compe on was Jayne Orchard, Customer Services Officer at WWH’s Head Office.

A very big thank you to all those who entered. We had some super entries including those from: Jayne Styles, Connahs Quay Zena Bundell, Bridgend Sian Evans, Chirk Ann Roberts, Llandrindod Wells Freda Watkins, Bridgend M Arthurs, Bridgend Jane Morris, Prestatyn Graham White, Prestatyn Yveline Hands, Scheme Manager, Prestatyn Maria Mulford, Scheme Manager, Williamstown

Jayne’s beau ful image of frost-covered berries sparkling in the sun was used by WWH staff for our electronic Christmas card, along with a verse wri en by Gill Sanger, Financial Manager (Accoun ng).

Because we saved money by not buying tradi onal cards, we donated £250 to Help for Heroes instead.

If you enjoy taking photos please see the inside back cover of this magazine for more informa on about our regular new photo compe on. You could win £100 worth of Argos vouchers in the process.

Your News & Views | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 47

Maes Hyfryd pupils enjoy plan ng at Ystad Goffa, Flint

Cheerful Prestatyn Brownies start the Christmas fes vi es

Nant Y Môr Christmas Party kicked-off with carol singing with the 2nd and 5th Prestatyn Brownies accompanied by organist Anthony Worrall. Residents and staff enjoyed a fabulous buffet with a 3 ered cupcake tower as centrepiece, before dancing the night away to piped music.

Children from Maes Hyfryd School, special needs school in Flint are enjoying a garden project at the Ystad Goffa re rement scheme in Flint.

The children sent a lovely handmade Christmas card thanking residents for suppor ng them with their community project. “It is wonderful example of intergenera onal working. We have worked together on a project in the past, and I hope we never lose this special link between us both,” said Alison Moody, Scheme Manager.

48 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Your News & Views

Residents at Cae Mawr

Limebourne Court

celebra ons

in Cardiff in Bloom

early Christmas On the 6th December twelve residents aged from 50 – 90 from Cae Mawr re rement scheme a ended a Christmas lunch at the Queens Hotel Llandudno. One of their residents, Mr M Pickwick, kindly donated the transport to and from the venue.

This is the second successful social event at Cae Mawr in recent weeks, with many residents also enjoying a pre-Christmas community get-together jointly organised by the Cae Mawr staff, Tudno Palace Community Group and Cartrefi Conwy.

hard to beat Cardiff in Bloom has been running for over 25 years and has been extremely popular for all types of gardens and in 2012 Limebourne Court, Whitchurch, Cardiff won 1st in the ‘Best Street, Inner City, Neighbourhood Watch Area’ category. This re rement scheme has also over the past fi een years consecu vely won either first place or second place.

“Limebourne is hard to beat, to be honest, with the impact they create when you come around the corner and see all the gardens. It’s not just the gardens but also all the containers and hanging baskets. They do so much and do it be er each year” said Ruth Mumford, Cardiff In Bloom Co-ordinator.

Photograph by kind permission of Cardiff in Bloom L-R Resident Mrs Carol Bayley, Mrs Helen Smith Judge Cardiff in Bloom, Mrs Georgia Mills, resident, Mrs Pat Lewis, from Cardiff in Bloom presen ng Marilyn Berry Scheme Manager with her winning trophy, resident Mr Anthony Constan ne in the background with resident Ms Sheila Small on the right.

Your News & Views | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 49

Cwrt Pentwmpath

“Many thanks to the chef and the wonderful staff for looking a er us so well” said Scheme Manager Sandy Houdmont.

Cwrt Pentwmpath re rement scheme in Llay, Wrexham celebrated their Christmas Get Together on 12th December. All WWH residents together with local friends and family joined in their fun, with entertainment from Steve Tempo who sang and played the guitar. They also enjoyed a day trip to Birmingham’s German Market.

Also on the 13th December students from St Teilo’s High School made a buffet for the residents of Oldwell Court to enjoy, music was also provided and everyone had a lovely me. The students have been a great help over the last few weeks and we would like to say what a credit they are to the school.

residents celebrate with their friends and neighbours

A big thank you also goes to the students tutor Sandra Roderick for all her help.

Christmas Dinner celebra on at Western Court

The residents at Western Court re rement scheme in Bridgend enjoyed their celebra ons and all paid for by their Gardening Fund.

Residents at Cwrt Pentwmpath celebrate their friends and neighbours.

Full House for the Spring Chicken Club’s Christmas

The Spring Chicken Club from Oldwell Court, Cardiff enjoyed a 3 course Christmas dinner at the Nine Giants, Thornhill, Cardiff on the 17th December.

A beau ful meal and a few glasses of wine set the fes ve feeling aglow.

The residents at Western Court re rement scheme in Bridgend

50 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Birthdays and Anniversaries 3rd December with a gathering of friends in the communal lounge. She is a keen Bingo player and loves to join in with the social events. Her family visits regularly and she loves to see them. Happy birthday, Gwladys!

Vida celebrates her Front row L – R - Liz Hughes, Day Centre Manager Powys CC, Alec James, Carl Flowers Powys CC. Also at the back is Rob Llewellyn, Scheme Manager with residents and service users.

Happy 100th Birthday Alec Alec James, resident at Maes y Ffynnon re rement scheme at Crickhowell, celebrated in style on Monday, November 26th, at the Manor Hotel along with four genera ons of his family. On the Sunday a party was also held at the scheme with over 70 friends, staff, carers and residents.

Alec is a father of four, grandfather of four and great grandfather of six. He grew up with four sisters; the eldest also celebrated her 100th birthday, and has lived in the Crickhowell area for the last 77 years.

102nd birthday!

Vida Price celebrated her 102nd Birthday on the 19th December at Ystad Goffa in Flint. She was surrounded by friends from her church and the re rement scheme. They all provided a variety of cakes as well as a wonderful birthday cake. They all sang Happy Birthday and Vida made a li le speech. Tears and laughter could be heard throughout the scheme. “She is a wonderful lady and it is a privilege to have her at the scheme.

When I call her daily and ask her how she is doing, she always responds by saying “I’m ge ng on with it” said Alison Moody, Scheme Manager.

Gwladys, ex Land Army Girl

Jean 83 years young

Gwladys Parry, resident at Ystad Goffa re rement scheme in Flint celebrated her birthday on the

Pictured is Jean Connolly celebra ng her birthday party at Western Court, Bridgend on the 20th December.

Many happy returns, Jean.

is 90 years young

Photo compe

on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 51