Intouch winter 2013 2014

Health & Safety | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 17

intouch ISSUE 77 | WINTER 2013-2014 | FREE

The magazine for residents of Wales & West Housing

In this issue...

Residents welcome a new center Save on your shopping Bedroom tax and disabled adaptations Cheaper fuel bills

Helping tenants across Wales to swap homes using Facebook

Like our Facebook page

1 2

Post your property

Join a group

3

4

Find a swap!

www.houseswapwales.co.uk facebook.com/houseswapwales

Sponsored by

News and General Information | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 03

Editor’s

Letter

Welcome to the Winter edition of InTouch 2013 - 2014 which we hope is packed full of useful and interesting information for you. As usual we have tried hard to bring you a mix of news about Wales & West Housing itself, resident news, and top tips and advice on a range of issues from a range of guest contributors. There are too many to mention them all, so here is just a selection.

• Changes to the benefits system still continue to worry many people and in this edition we discuss the Bedroom Tax and the impact it has on disabled residents with adapted properties.

• Crime and Disorder Reduction Officer and Tactical Crime Adviser Michael Shears advises us on how to keep our valuables safe.

• WWH Sustainability Officer Owen Jones takes a look at how you may be able to save money on your fuel bills by switching your energy supplier.

• And Lowri Griffiths, of Stroke Association Wales, explains what to do when a stroke threatens to strike.

• Still on the subject of strokes, if you or your family have been affected by a stroke, please support Housing Officer Andy Pritchard who is training hard for this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon. Andy will be running on behalf of WWH and all the money he raises will go to Stroke Association Wales – so please give whatever you can spare.

Finally please don’t forget that you can read all the articles in this In Touch, and in past editions, at any time on our website www.wwha.co.uk Keep intouch

Contents WWH News & Info Development update Healthy Living Stroke Awareness Month Going Green Neighbourhoods that work Money Matters Quarterly Report Equality and Diversity Resident Participation Planned Maintainance A day in the life of...

Competition Charity Update News and Views Birthdays and Anniversaries

4 10 13 14 15 18 20 23 29 32 34 36 38 39 40 42

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

Follow us on twitter @wwha

Other languages and formats If you would like a copy of this edition 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.

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 You can also contact members of staff direct by their email.

For example, joe.bloggs@wwha.co.uk

04 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | WWH News

Don’t just take our

word for it...

Did you know that Wales & West Housing has been recognised as one of the top 50 social housing providers in the UK? According to an innovative new ranking system and judged by senior figures in the housing sector the Top 50 Landlords List recognises excellence in the social housing sector across the UK. Ranked at 42 Wales & West Housing is the top Welsh housing provider to make the list and is described as ‘a significant force in Welsh housing.’

Powys County Council, which is working in partnership with WWH on three new build projects across the county which will result in more than 70 affordable new homes, is the only other Welsh housing provider to make the list, ranking at no 50.

The Top 50 Landlords List is a new joint initiative between 24Housing magazine and the Housing Quality Network.

And more good news…

Wales & West Housing has retained its top Best Companies 3 Star accreditation and has been named for the fourth year running as one of The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to work for.

A spokesman for the Sunday Time Best Companies said: “This achievement demonstrates extraordinary levels of engagement within your organisation.”

In 2013 Wales & West Housing was recognised by the Sunday Times judges as the top not-for-profit organisation in Wales, and was ranked at 7th in the UK overall.

Overall rankings for 2014 will be revealed in The Sunday Times on March 16th.

WWH News | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 05

Bedroom tax and

disabled adaptations

We are concerned about the impact the bedroom tax is having on all our residents who are affected by it and are working hard to help and advise where we can. We know that 779 WWH households have been affected by the bedroom tax.

One group of residents in particular who have been very hard hit by the bedroom tax officially known as the ‘spare room subsidy’ are those who live in properties which have been substantially adapted to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. We know that 74 Wales & West Housing households are made up of disabled people living in properties which we have specficially adapted to meet their needs.

Resident Judith Parker who lives in a WWH adapted property in Cardiff with daughter Emma, 21, and son Luke, 17, has been helping WWH with our research.

One of the ‘solutions’ which the UK Government has proposed for people affected by the bedroom tax is to move, or ‘downsize’, to a smaller property – ie: one with the ‘correct’ number of bedrooms according to their needs. But if you live in a specially adapted property because of a disability, finding another one which has the same type of adaptations is virtually impossible.

So we have undertaken our own research into the impact that the bedroom tax has had on this group of residents – disabled residents living in specifically adapted properties - and the results are shocking.

Our research has found that:

06 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | WWH News • If all our disabled residents who require significantly adapted properties are forced to move we estimate £575k of public money will have been wasted in adapting their properties in the first instance.

• If other smaller properties were available, we estimate a further £600,000 would need to be spent adapting these to meet our residents’ needs.

• We estimate that the cost to the public purse of WWH’s 74 disabled households having to move would be well over £1m.

• We estimate around 3,500 socially renting households are similarly affected in Wales, and the total cost of the removal of the spare room subsidy for disabled people in these adapted properties would be £40m (£25m in adaptations to existing properties, and £15m to alterations needed to adapt new smaller homes, in the unlikely event of such properties becoming available).

We have written to politicians, charities, faith leaders and the media to alert them to our findings and to ask them to consider campaigning for the spare room subsidy to be reinstated for disabled people living in specially adapted properties, to avoid this grotesque waste of public money, not to mention the fear and insecurity faced by disabled people who are now unable to afford to live in their own homes.

On Thursday February 6th our report was covered extensively across BBC Wales and ITV Wales TV and radio as well as Radio Cymru. And several newspapers and magazines have also run our campaign including The Western Mail, The Daily Post and Inside Housing.

We are delighted to say that on Friday, February 7th, as a result of our report, Housing Minister Carl Sargeant made a renewed call on the UK Government to drop the removal of the spare room subsidy from disabled people living in specially adapted houses, and has announced a further £1.3m in funding for local councils to make Discretionary Housing Payments.

Finally huge thanks to Judith, Luke and Emma Parker from Cardiff, and Jo from Wrexham, our brave residents who agreed to be case studies for the media. By agreeing to be interviewed they are helping to tell the real story of the human cost this pernicious policy is having on disabled people living in specially adapted homes who are deemed to be ‘under occupying’ them due to the ‘bedroom tax’.

Judith, Luke, Emma and Jo, we could not have achieved what we have achieved so far without you.

WWH News | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 07

WWH Board supports the Trussell Trust across Wales The Board of Wales & West Housing has donated £5,000 to the Trussell Trust, the organisation behind foodbanks across Wales.

Representatives of the Trussell Trust and supporters of Merthyr Cynon Foodbank met WWH Chief Executive Anne Hinchey at Ty Pontrhun retirement scheme in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, to receive the cheque on December 19th.

“Wales & West Housing is pleased to be able to support such a worthy cause,” said Anne Hinchey. “We are only too aware of intense financial difficulties that many families and individuals are now facing, as well as the added pressures of Christmas.

We want to help make a difference to families across Wales and I hope our contribution will go some way towards helping.”

L-R: Karen Lewis, WWH Scheme Manager, Cleide Correia, Tony Graham and Anne Hinchey

Tony Graham, manager from Trussell Trust Wales, said, “I would like to add our grateful thanks to Wales & West Housing for their generous donation which will allow us to enhance the vital work our foodbanks do across Wales. As people in Wales find their circumstances becoming more difficult the Trussell Trust welcomes our partnership with Wales & West Housing and their recognition of the challenges that many people across our country are facing.”

WWH has been working closely with the Trussell Trust and foodbanks across Wales for the past year, operating foodbank collection points in many of our retirement schemes across Wales, as well as in our offices in Cardiff and Flint.

Across Wales WWH staff and residents have donated more than 640kg of food to foodbanks in Flintshire, Wrexham, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend as well as Merthyr Cynon in the past 12 months.

Cleide Correia, Project Manager of Merthyr Cynon Foodbank and a Wales & West Housing resident herself, said “Hunger is a community problem so we seek to bring the community together to help and solve things.

A simple parcel of food makes a big difference.”

08 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | WWH News

Cambria help pupils

step up a gear Cambria Maintenance Services helped drive pupils into top gear by sponsoring their outfits for a Formula 1 competition challenge.

Pupils at Whitford Primary School in Flintshire have been working in teams to come up with the best design for a Formula 1 car as part of the STEM Cymru Engineering Education Scheme Wales.

The F1 in Schools Challenge is a competition for pupils to design and build C02 powered model racing cars using CAD skills. The best team at Whitford Primary School will compete against other schools at a regional final in Llandudno on 24 March.

Nigel Parry, Head of Cambria North, with Fiona Roberts, teacher, and pupils from Whitford Primary

Lauin said: “Metal’s too heavy which is why we’re using wood. We press a button and the cars will go 80mph down a track!”

Nigel Parry met Megan High, 10, Megan Edwards, 9, Jessica Owen, 10 and Iauin Hughes, 10 to discuss their plans and agreed to provide the school team with boiler suits, caps, pens and mints.

Mrs Fiona Roberts, teacher, said: “We’re so pleased with Cambria’s offer.

The winning team will have a stand at Llandudno and they will present a portfolio of their work. It’s a great project for the school.

Jessica said: “We’ve designed a car on the computer. It will be wooden and we’ll fill a gas canister and release it to see which car goes the fastest.”

Nigel Parry, Head of Cambria North, said: “I’m delighted to help the school. I’m looking forward to seeing the winning car designed and tested.”

WWH News | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 09

Wales & West Housing

Resident Satisfaction Survey 2014 Our Resident Satisfaction Survey (RSS) will be dropping through some of your letterboxes within the next few weeks.

Our RSS now takes place annually, with a third of households (approximately 2,700 households) being surveyed each year rather than all households every 3 years.

You will only receive a survey once in a 3 year period. We want your feedback to be current and a survey each year ensures that we are in a better position to react to the things that matter to you.

Why do we carry out the RSS? Well simply because your views and thoughts are extremely important to us. We take this survey very seriously.

It’s your chance to tell us what you think about our services and how you think we are doing. Are we delivering what matters to you? What can we do to improve?

We’re also interested in your thoughts on the areas of the business we plan to work on and want you to tell us what other things you would like to see us do.

The survey will be carried out by our chosen consultants ARP Research who will assure any comments you make will be kept confidential.

As a thank you, all completed and returned surveys will automatically be entered into a free prize draw where 15 minutes of your time could win you Argos

vouchers worth £100 (1st prize), £75 (2nd prize) and £50 (3rd prize).

Please return your completed survey in the freepost envelope provided.

Christmas E-card Competition We received many entries for our competition in the last edition of the In Touch, but the winner with her snowy scene of Bute Park in Cardiff was Sue Dickinson.

Congratulations Sue.

“I am amazed and delighted. I wasn’t expecting such a fab prize - it came at the right time and it’s made my Christmas” said Sue.

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

Residents welcome

new centre Residents have welcomed their new state-of-the-art community resource centre in Hightown, which opened its doors just before Christmas.

line dancing, bingo, a lunch & social club, youth club, welsh club, ladies’ health club, a Polish family group, capoeira, zumba and playgroups.

The centre, which replaces the old community centre on Brynycabanau Road, is part of a massive £15m ground-breaking affordable housing development in Hightown, Wrexham.

Facilities available are:

The development is Wales & West Housing’s largest construction project for many years and will help meet the social housing need. There are 147 good quality, energy efficient affordable homes across two sites on Kingsmills Road and neighbouring Rivulet Road, bringing an estimated boost of £50m to the local economy as well as providing training and work opportunities for local people.

WWH has been working in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council and with funding from the Welsh Government.

The community centre is at the heart of the Wrexham community, offering classes and rooms at affordable prices for individuals, families and local businesses to enjoy. Classes and activities include

• A large activity hall (with sprung dance floor) • A meeting room that can be divided into two to allow separate activities to take place at the same time • Kitchen (use included in hire at no extra cost) Prices are very affordable and those who use the centre regularly will be offered a discount. Wrexham Savers users also receive 10% discount. To book, simply ring 0300 123 2070.

Part of WWH’s new 147 affordable housing development in Hightown, Wrexham

Development Update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 11

Where we are developing on site, or about to go on site:

The new Hightown Community Resource Centre

A facebook page has been created at www.facebook.com/hightowncrc which has proved popular with centre users and provides up-to-date information on what’s happening there.

A website page has also been created at www.wwha.co.uk, which lists prices, a timetable and information about the different rooms that can be hired.

An official celebratory weekend is taking place on Saturday 15 February from 12 noon until 4pm, which starts with a ‘cake-off’ for the best decorated cake.

There are £50 High Street vouchers to be won! Please visit Facebook for more information.

South Wales • New Road, Bridgend • Elm Street, Cardiff • Maesgwyn, Bridgend • Quakers Yard, Merthyr Tydfil • Townmill Road, Vale of Glamorgan • Builth Wells Hospital, Powys North Wales • • • • • • •

Severnside, Powys Rivulet Road, Wrexham Kingsmills Road, Wrexham Maelor Place, Ruabon, Wrexham Glan Y Don, Flintshire Slaters Yard, Abergele, Conwy Flint House, Flintshire

Ongoing development works at Kingsmills Road, Hightown, Wrexham Left: The Polish community in Hightown celebrate Christmas at the new HCRC

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

Latest chapter in life of

iconic building Huw Lewis, Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, officially opened Vulcan Court for us on Friday, January 24th.

Vulcan Court offers 15 high quality new affordable homes which WWH has developed within Merthyr Tydfil’s iconic Vulcan House, a Grade II listed building off Brecon Road.

The former brewery, iron foundry and centre of Chartist activity in the 19th century had fallen into dereliction until WWH redeveloped the site in partnership with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.

“Wales & West Housing has taken a dilapidated building – one of Merthyr Tydfil’s historical gems – and brought it back to life to provide 15 much-needed homes,” said Huw Lewis, AM and Minister for Education.

“What a completely different site this is today! In two short years, this site has seen a radical transformation from an eyesore to a building of which the community can be rightly proud.

“I’d particularly like to thank Wales & West Housing for their unstinting commitment, not just to housing as you might expect, but to our wider communities. A project

Vulcan Court, showing the blue plaque commemorating chartist Matthew John.

L-R: Huw Lewis, Kathy Smart, WWH Chair, resident Pauline Protheroe and Brenan Toomey, Leader MTCBC

like Vulcan Court is no easy task and lesser organisations might well have run fast and far rather than commit the time and resources to seeing this through.

“With almost 500 families currently requiring two-bedroom accommodation here in Merthyr Tydfil – many as a direct result of the UK Government’s hated ‘bedroom tax’ – the redevelopment of Vulcan House is a very welcome addition to the community.”

Completed in 2013, the £2.2m development included a 10 week long archaeological dig, involving children from Cyfarthfa Junior School. Key partners included contractor Wates Living Space, Cadw, and Glamorgan and Gwent Archaeological Trust.

Celebrated Merthyr Tydfil Chartist Matthew John died in Vulcan House in 1888 and his great grandson Lyndon Harris was also an honoured guest at Friday’s official opening.

“I have been very pleased at the initiative shown by WWH in embracing the local community. Merthyr Tydfil owes much to you for your restoration of this Grade II listed building,” he said.

Healthy Living | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 13

London Marathon training update Housing Officer Andrew Pritchard is aiming to run the London Marathon 2014 in aid of Stroke Association Wales. Here’s an update on his progress so far: “I am now into week 12 of my training and am running 16 miles. I have been very happy with my training to this point but found it very difficult to train over Christmas. I managed the occasional run, but struggled to motivate myself and indulged in the chocolates. I knew I had to get back into training so started back on 30th December and since then I have been running 5 days a week. It has been hard to go for a run in the terrible weather we have had and I am tending to go when my son has gone to bed, so I am leaving at 8 pm and not getting home until 9:30 pm, having a shower and then off to bed and then the same the next day. It is the hardest thing I have ever done and far more challenging than I thought it would be. My body is aching but I’ve only got another 3 months of training left.

Some days I felt like leaving it but when I think of the great cause I am doing it for and the personal goal I have set myself it refocuses me. The support from my family, friends and colleagues has really pushed me on. The training is so much harder than training for a half marathon.

I am currently running around 40 miles per week and on last week’s calculations I burnt around 6,000 calories so I am constantly hungry. I actually enjoy my long Sunday run as I have been lucky with the weather when I have been out for two and a half hours and it’s at a slower pace than the shorter ones. One thing that isn’t good is the ice baths at the end of the longer runs.

I am really looking forward to the event now as it is going to be a family trip with so many of my family and friends coming to London to cheer me on. This support will really help me get to the finishing line” If you would like to support Andrew and make a donation to The Stroke Association you can either send in a cheque made out to Wales & West Housing, which then gets added into the staff charity account until the hand over or you can contact your Scheme Manager.

You can also donate by going to: http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for Andrew Pritchard, which will bring up his donation site.

14 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Stroke Awareness Month

Join the Stroke Association for Action on Stroke month May 2014 is Action on Stroke Month and the theme is “TIA – not just a funny turn”, writes Lowri Griffiths from Stroke Association Wales.

Each year, over 50,000 people in the UK have a transient ischaemic attack (TIA- sometimes known as a mini stroke).

Action on Stroke Month is now in its third year. Each year gets bigger and better and much more successful. All the money and awareness we raise means we are better able to support the vital services and stroke research we carry out for stroke survivors and their carers.

Across Wales in May, we will be raising awareness of stroke and TIA

TIA

What you should know A TIA happens when your brain’s blood supply is interrupted for a very brief time. The symptoms are very similar to a stroke and can include weakness on one side of your body, loss of sight and slurred speech, but they are temporary – lasting a few minutes

and are looking to get as many people involved as possible.

We are organising sponsored walks, community fairs, pop up shops and all sorts of other fundraising activities.

We would love for more people to get involved and hold their own events – from coffee mornings and bake days to bike rides and sky dives – it all helps to raise awareness of stroke!

If you would like to get involved with Action on Stroke month by holding an event please contact us on 02920 524400 and ask for an Action Pack.

If you are able to access a computer, please visit our website: stroke.org. uk/strokemonth where you will find more information and can sign up for our monthly update.

or hours and then disappearing completely within 24 hours.

A TIA is a sign that this part of your brain is not getting enough blood and that you may be at risk of a more serious stroke in the future. Never ignore signs of a TIA – get medical help straight away.

Going Green | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 15

Make a cold room cosy or replace your

tired old carpets at minimal expense We are working with Greenstream Flooring, a one-stop shop for the fitting, cleaning and supply of new and reclaimed carpet tiles and other flooring, all for community benefit.

Good quality reclaimed carpet tiles can look and feel as good as brand new fitted carpets and are available to our residents at a fraction of the cost.

A ‘Grade A’ (good as new) reclaimed carpet tile from Greenstream costs as little as a third of the price of a brand new carpet tile and is available to WWH residents at a further discount of 20%.

For more information, check out the advert on the back cover of this edition of In Touch, call Gareth Kitchen on 02920 414039 or speak to your housing officer.

Samples are available to view: • on Greenstream’s website www.findcarpettiles.co.uk • in person at our offices in Flint and Cardiff, • at Greenstream’s headquarters - Unit 3 Rheola Industrial Estate, Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF39 0AD and • at Crest Cooperative Ltd, Brierley House, Ferry Farm Road, Llandudno Junction, Conwy, LL31 9SF.

You may have seen us refer to Universal Credit in these pages in the last couple of issues. It is the Government’s new benefit system Congratulations to Caerau Pottersinto from that combines multiple benefits Cardiff who were shortlisted for a one monthly payment. prestigious Keep Wales Tidy It was originally that a Community Foodannounced Growing award. national roll out of UC would begin The group have busy growing in October 2013been but this has been theirback owndue fruittoand vegetables put it being such a on big the scheme Cardiff and have have since also project.

The in Government announced that inhanging Octoberbaskets, 2013 there planted attractive will beofa which roll outthey of UC in six areas. many have now donated One of these is Shotton in Flintshire to nearby schools. so some residents will potentially Resident Participation Strategy Officer be affected by this in the next few Claire Hammond award months.

However,said: the “The roll out is very is Wales-wide and not just for social limited at this stage so only single landlords butare allmaking environmental groups people who a new claim so this is a big achievement for them!” for Jobseekers Allowance are likely to be affected, with no announcement Debbie Phillips attended the awards as ndcouple and/or yet of when people in a ceremony on January 2 with her son with children willabe included.

Adam, 17, who’s key member of the gardening group.

Whilst for the vast majority of Adam is hoping residents UC willthat not the skills and affect them in the experience future, he gainsit immediate asworth a member ofthat the is noting group will stand there are severalhim in good stead when elements of UC that he leaves school and people will have to looks forfor: regular prepare employment.

Caerau Potters Keep Wales Tidy Awards

£ £ ££

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

Cheaper fuel bills

Many people can make savings by changing their energy supplier(s) - but some of us never do. Those who have never changed could save hundreds of pounds. But the opposite is also true! Those who change fairly regularly make little or no savings. www.moneysavingexpert.com/ Changing energy suppliers is really cheapenergyclub – The ‘cheap energy straightforward. There are many useful comparison services that will do club’ will email you whenever a new energy tariff comes onto the market most of the work for you, but you will that could save you money. It basically need some information first, such as: takes the effort out and makes sure • Address and postcode; you are ALWAYS made aware if there • Your current gas and electric are better deals out there. provider(s) and your current www.moneysupermarket.com – is tariff(s); a different independent service but • How much energy you use – your won’t email you in the future as the annual statement will give you cheap energy club will when better all this information in one handy deals become available. document or sometimes you will If you have no internet access then see it on your bills. www.energyhelpline.com also has a • If you have a prepayment meter freephone number - 0800 074 0745 then the amount of money spent – which will compare the market for each week / month will do as an you. This is one of the few services estimate. that can be contacted over the phone.

When you have this information you should contact an independent tariff comparison service like any of the three listed here.

££

Going Green | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 17

When you have contacted your comparison service and you’ve found the best tariff available, the service will then offer to manage the switch for you. Click or say yes and you’re nearly there.

Within a couple of weeks you will be asked for a closing meter reading, and your existing energy company might write to you with a better offer to try to tempt you to stay. But the point is you’ve already found the best deal on the market and you’re switching to it so don’t be tempted!

Note:

Residents with energy debt: Those on key/card/pre-payment meters must be allowed to switch, provided their debt is below £500. If you are on a standard credit meter and are in debt, then you should speak with your energy supplier. There are no hard and fast rules for credit meter customers, though your supplier should be reasonable. If you arrange a debt repayment plan, it may let you switch.

Make sure you can afford the debt repayment plan in addition to your ongoing energy use!

Get your gas boiler

serviced and you

could WIN £250

Lucky Winner, Ms Jackson, Pentre with her prizes. “I’ve never won anything before and can’t quite believe it” Winner, Kellie Bowen from Prestatyn with Jane Duckers, Property Services Assistant.

“I’m chuffed to bits about winning £250! I’m really happy with the annual service of my boiler; I don’t have to worry about it.

I’m going to spend the money on a new bed” Your annual inspection of your gas boiler is possibly the most important maintenance aspect of your home plus you could be a WINNER. All you need to qualify is to have your boiler serviced on your first appointment or give us at least 48 hours’ notice to postpone the visit.

18| www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Neighbourhoods that Work

The Crime Prevention Blog My name is Michael Shears and I am a Crime Reduction Tactical Advisor for South Wales Police and I wanted to give you some tips that will hopefully reduce the likelyhood of you becoming a victim of crime.

We are so lucky to live in Wales and with crime still dropping we, together with all the other agencies we work closely with, are determined to keep it that way.

Immobilise helps Police identify the owners of lost and stolen property thousands of times each day to help in the return of the item and the catching of the person/s responsible.

Register your stuff now and property mark it You can register your stuff for free on www.immobilise.com

Also use U.V. (Ultra Violet) pens to mark those items. They are available from stationary shops and online or ask your local Neighbourhood Officer about property marking.

Mark items with your house number and post code.

If you are going to be moving shortly then write something that can identify the item as uniquely yours.

Neighbourhoods that Work | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 19

At home:

Contacting the Police:

Don’t keep large amounts of cash at home and don’t leave passports, or any identification documents easily visible.

If you are very organised - unlike myself - hide the folder in a place that would be difficult to find, but don’t forget to tell a trusted friend or family member just in case you are taken ill.

In an emergency, always ring 999. For those things less urgent, ring 101 (the non emergency number). Also get to know your local Neighbourhood Officer.

They hold meetings in your area and if there is anything that is concerning you, have a chat with them, they are here to help.

Don’t leave any tools, e.g. spades in your garden, they can be used by an uninvited guest to gain entry. If your home is going to be empty in the evening, leave a couple of lights on and a radio or TV on.

Looking after yourself: Although the risk of being a victim of violent crime is very low, by taking some suitable safety precautions, you can reduce the opportunities, and therefore the risk, of becoming a victim.

There is a lot of great information on this website, from walking the dog to walking alone.

There are downloadable fact sheets for all types of situations.

Suzy Lamplugh Trust www.suzylamplugh.org

Hwyl Fawr

www.dyfed-powys.police.uk www.gwent.police.uk www.north-wales.police.uk www.south-wales.police.uk Michael Shears Heddlu De Cymru: South Wales Police 02920 338 414 michael.shears@south-wales.pnn. police.uk

20 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Money Matters

‘Save on shopping’ “One area of personal finance where most of us can probably make relatively easy savings is through our weekly food shopping” says Donna Steven, Tenancy Support Officer.

1. Plan your menu for at least two weeks in advance, work in meals where you use similar ingredients in each meal so that there is no waste.

How much do you usually spend on your weekly shop? Are your cupboards full of duplicate items and you find yourself regularly emptying the fridge and throwing away unused out-of-date food?

2. Put together a shopping list and stick to it. Keep another list on your fridge door of what you use so that you replace only when you need to and don’t end up with a cupboard full of duplicate products.

According to The Waste and Resources Action Programme the average UK household throws away the equivalent of six meals every week, yet thousands of other people are relying on foodbanks simply to survive.

I was recently challenged to put together a varied and healthy menu for a week on only £25.00 and though it wasn’t easy I managed it. This article focuses on how to make the most of every penny.

3. Please don’t be tempted by buy-one-get-one free promotions unless you plan on ‘doubling up’ and freezing extra portions.

4. If you have limited time to cook then go for larger meals and freeze the surplus so you have spare meals in the freezer for those evenings where there isn’t time to prepare a meal.

Money Matters | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 21

Donna Steven Tenancy Support Officer 5. Using fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch is cheaper than buying ready meals.

6. Buying frozen meat is cheaper than fresh and you can take out exactly the right number of portions for defrosting and cooking.

7. Keep an eye out for half price offers on the larger joints of meat and freeze them for when you need them.

8. Shop towards the end of the day when you can pick up all the bargains on fresh food that can be frozen.

There really is no reason why food should go to waste because it hasn’t been used up in time, only buying what you need when you need it should find you really cutting down on wastage.

Any variety of vegetables can be thrown into a soup along with leftover meats from a roast dinner. Left-over cooked veg can be mashed together

and frozen and made into ‘bubble and squeak’ at a later date. If you find you are often throwing bread away, keep it in the freezer and only take out a few slices that you need each time, or turn slightly stale bread into breadcrumbs and freeze ready for treacle tart or stuffing.

Brand switching is the biggest way to save money, using the supermarkets ‘own brand’ products or value ranges.

Try the cheaper options and if you and your family can’t tell any difference why pay more than you need to?

Finally, many people are beginning to grow their own vegetables which is a great idea and even small areas can manage a couple of grow bags with potatoes or tomatoes and herbs.

Using your local butcher or market for meat and vegetables will cut down on waste and cost and getting the cheaper cuts of meat to put into stews and pies will help your money stretch further.

22 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Money Matters

Coping with the impact

of welfare reform

With Christmas over and a new year in front of us our Tenancy Support Officers (TSO’s) continue to help residents cope with the impact of welfare reform.

They are assisting residents who are struggling to afford the shortfall caused by the bedroom tax and benefit cap or who have been affected by changes to their disability benefit.

Residents who have worked with the TSOs have not only been happy with the advice and assistance they have been given but have also seen an improvement in their finances due to the money gained or saved.

On average residents have seen their finances improve by ÂŁ780 per year.

This has been through accessing

schemes such as the warm home discount, applying for grants for household goods, applying for help with water bills, assisting residents to negotiate with their creditors and applying for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). They have also advised residents on making the best use of their money, getting the best deal whatever they are spending their money on and making it go as far as possible.

With more and more people becoming affected by changes to the benefits system we are keen to make sure residents get the help and advice that they may need. If you would like any information regarding anything mentioned in the article please do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

TSOs Mandy Collins and Natalie Davies

Quarterly Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 23

What matters

to you?

Here’s the latest edition of our regular feature on performance across all areas of service delivery at Wales & West Housing. We update our performance information every three months, so we hope this will be as useful and relevant as possible for you.

We are always interested in hearing what else you would like to know - are there are any other areas you would like to know about for us to focus on in

the future? Have you got a particular interest in an area of our work? Just let us know and we will happily tell you about it!

So, how well are we doing across all areas of the business?

(All information relates to January - December 2013)

2398 Number of rented accounts in arrears

Rent

16 Evictions

We continue to support our residents with the challenges faced due to Welfare Reform.

The number of tenancies affected by the bedroom tax continues to decrease month on month with advice and assistance provided to those looking to find a more suitable property.

The majority of under occupying households continue to pay the shortfall in their rent whilst those who are struggling are provided with face to face support by our Tenancy Support Officers. The service offered by our Tenancy Support Officers has been very well received by these residents, making a big difference to their lives whilst taking into account their wishes and the difficulties they face.

24 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Quarterly Report

99.5% (35 remaining properties where a gas service is required)

9.3/

10

Resident satisfaction

Gas Safety Compliance

64%

Repairs

Repairs completed in one visit

95.9% 14

Average number of days to complete a repair

Repairs that stayed fixed

Cambria Maintenance Services is now an all Wales service that continues to maintain high levels of resident satisfaction, with ongoing strong performance in time taken to complete jobs and repairs staying fixed.

Gas Servicing remains an important area for us to focus and it is very pleasing to see that 99.5% of properties are compliant. We will continue to pursue access for the remaining 35 properties where a gas service is due.

123,522 Emergency Alarm

5 Seconds average answering time

284,499

Total number of calls answered

Customer Service Centre / Emergency Alarm

160,977 Telephones

97.1% Number of calls answered within 30 seconds

Quarterly Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 25

194

1364/1503

Boiler renewals to YTD (plus a further 138 units installed under the gas switch programme)

Resident satisfaction

9.1/

Planned Maintenance

10

91% completed so far

Bathrooms completed

354/369 96% completed so far

Kitchens

At the close of 2013 a total of 354 kitchens and 1364 bathrooms were renewed at schemes across Wales. The number of completed bathrooms and kitchens was slightly below that which was planned, this is a reflection of the nature of the works encountered, particularly in relation to bathrooms. The window and door replacement programme continued through the year but some changes to the plan were needed to suit the changing circumstances on specific schemes.

Two very large schemes were started during 2013, one being the multi-storey complex at West Lee in Cardiff where new windows have been installed along with fire doors as required, concrete repairs, redecoration, new door access systems and other general upgrade works. The other scheme is at Caerau Court where properties are undergoing external wall insulation works along with new windows and other works to improve the thermal performance of the buildings and providing more comfortable and energy efficient homes.

During 2013 we continued to remove the old electrical storage radiators from homes and replaced this form of heating with new gas fuelled systems to 138 homes. This work continues into 2014.

26 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Quarterly Report Retirement

321

120

517

Flats

224

New properties

104

838

Lettings and building properties

General needs

Lettings

9.2/

Houses

10

New Resident satisfaction

Of the 224 new houses that that we acquired, 216 are newly built and 8 houses are through our mortgage rescue scheme where we helped people with financial difficulties to be able to remain in their own homes.

We will continue to keep you up to date with our progress on the large number of properties we are building across Wales.

Once again Customer satisfaction from New Residents remains strong and we continue to learn from what residents are telling us. As always, we rely on you giving us feedback so that we can improve on delivering our services to you.

Neighbourhoods that work We recently undertook a review into the way we delivered our ASB service.

In order that we got things right, we listened to our residents in an attempt to understand what mattered to them.

We discovered that they wanted:

• • • •

To speak to the right person A speedy response To be kept informed Us to do the right thing for them in their circumstances • To feel safe and be safe in their homes and where they live • The problem stopped and not for it to re-occur

Quarterly report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 27

100%

Said they spoke to the right person

88%

Resident Satisfaction

85%

Said they were kept informed

73%

9.2/10

Said they felt safe

85%

Said they got a speedy response

84%

Said they were made aware of what WWH could and could not do to resolve matters

79% Said the problem had stopped

88%

Said they thought they played as big a part as they could in resolving the issue

Said WWH did the right thing for them

We now have a better understanding of how we need to deliver the service.

We also learned that it was important to work with our residents to help them to find long term solutions, and where we are unable to take action ourselves, how we could help the residents to manage situations to a more tolerable level.

Where appropriate, we will work with our partners who may be better equipped to deal with specific issues such as noise nuisance and criminal activity.

Our aim is to create safe, secure neighbourhoods and where possible we will exhaust all the preventative measures available to us, before resorting to enforcement action.

We now conduct satisfaction surveys throughout the investigation of cases and we have seen a sharp rise in satisfaction since the new system has been adopted.

During October 2013 we began working in this new way across all areas in which we operate. The feedback we have been getting from residents is very encouraging and is reflected in the figures shown.

28 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Quarterly report

So what do you think about our Performance and any aspects of our service?

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 time.

Feedback can be given in a variety of ways– online via our website, email, letter, 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 question, tell us something, make a suggestion, pay a compliment or make a complaint.

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

Thank you!

Aura’s new life- thanks to Sandy When Sandy Thomas went on holiday to Albufeira, Portugal in 2103 who could have foreseen that her life would be totally changed when she arrived back at her flat in Oak Court WWH retirement scheme in Penarth?

Walking around Albufeira she found a stray dog at a bus stop near her hotel. She was running with fleas and a bag of bones and, unbeknown to Sandy, was in the first stage of heartworm - a parasitic roundworm spread from a mosquito bite which can be fatal.

Sandy was drawn to this bundle of bones because of its loving nature and started to feed her whenever they met. The holiday was coming to an end, but Sandy just couldn’t leave the dog to suffer so she began to think of ways to bring her home.

A family member contacted S.O.S. - a local animal charity helping abandoned animals in the Algarve to find new and happy homes. Sandy was determined to give this young dog, just 18 months old, a happy home back in South Wales.

A volunteer from the charity took Aura to the vet for a complete health check as well as neutering and immunisation against rabies.

“She arrived in November after travelling by road for more than two days. But I don’t regret it as Aura has brought such happiness and unconditional love into my life again; she is my 7th rescue dog. We go to Cosmeston lakes where she loves it, meeting other dogs and running like the wind. She is worth all the money I spent on bringing her here. She’s still rather thin, but her days of living on the streets and fighting for scraps of food are now forgotten. I love her to bits” says Sandy.

Equality & Diversity | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 29

Sexual

rientati n This is the final article explaining the Equality Act 2010, writes Claire Bryant.

Real progress has been made towards LGB people in terms of equality in recent years. Here is a quick timeline of the history of gay rights in the UK:

Within the Act there are 9 ‘protected characteristics’ - Age, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex, ethnicity, and religion or belief.

We have covered all of these characteristics in previous editions and in this final article we are looking at sexual orientation.

1895 - the trial of Oscar Wilde, sentenced to 2 years hard labour in prison

Sexual orientation is a person’s sexual attraction towards: persons of the same sex (ie, a gay man or a lesbian); persons of the opposite sex (ie, the person is heterosexual) persons of either sex (ie, the person is bisexual) Stonewall, the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) charity say between 5-7% of the population are LGB. However, there is no concrete data on the number of LGB in the UK as no national census has ever asked people to define their sexuality.

1954 - Appointment of the

Wolfenden Committee to consider the law relating to homosexual offences.

1961 - Release of the film Victim, the most important British film on a gay theme pleading for tolerance.

1967- Sexual Offences Act came into force in England and Wales and decriminalised acts between two men 1970 - First UK gay demonstration in

Highbury Fields in Islington. Lesbians invaded the platform of the Women’s Liberation Conference in Skegness, demanding recognition.

- Terrence Higgins Trust launched, named after the first gay man thought to have died with AIDS in the UK - South Wales miners joined the Pride march to thank lesbians and gay men who supported them during the coalminers strike.

30 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Equality & Diversity

1987 - The UK Government delivered

a leaflet on AIDS, with the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard phone number, to every household. The switchboard phonelines overloaded with the response.

1988 - Section 28, preventing the

‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities, came into force with backing from Local Government Minister Michael Howard. 10,000 protested in London and 15,000 in Manchester.

- House of Commons voted to reduce gay male age of consent to 18.

- Inland Revenue published new guidelines recognising same-sex partners in pension schemes.

1999 - House of Lords ruled same sex partners should be treated as family and have rights to succeed a tenancy.

Metropolitan police launch initiative against hate crimes and homophobic crime. Government lifts ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the armed forces.

discriminate against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in the workplace.

2004 - Civil Partnership Act passed,

giving same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as married heterosexual couples. First civil partnerships take place in Northern Ireland in December 2005. Government amends the Equality Bill, including making it illegal to discriminate against lesbians and gay men in the provision of goods and services – from NHS care through to hotels and restaurants.

2010 – successful passing of the Equality Act 2010, including the extension of the single public Equality Duty to cover LGB people. The General Election saw more openly lesbian and gay MPs being elected to the House of Commons than ever before.

2011 - The Home Office tops

sex couples applying for adoption.

Stonewall’s 2011 list of gay-friendly employers. Civil partners Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy were successful in their case against B&B owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull. Hall and Preddy were refused a double room at the B&B on the basis of their sexual orientation

2003 - Repeal of Section 28.

2014 - same-sex marriage will come

2002 - Equal rights granted to same Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations became law, making it illegal to

into effect in England and Wales in mid-2014.

Equality & Diversity| intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 31

Despite all this fantastic progression in gay rights however, it is still all too common for incidents of homophobic bullying and hate crime to take place - too many LGB people face prejudice based on sexual orientation at every stage in their lives.

Charities like Stonewall have worked hard over recent decades to remove barriers that LGB people can face and to advance their opportunities in all areas of life, including family, work and schools.

There is still much more work to do but here at WWH we aim to treat everyone fairly and with respect.

I hope the articles have been of interest to readers!

Claire Bryant Policy and Diversity Officer

WIN You could win

£100

just by paying your rent by Direct Debit Simply pay your rent by Direct Debit and you instantly qualify for the draw. It’s very easy to set up, please contact either your Housing Officer or call our Customer Service Centre on 0800 052 2526.

The winner for the last quarter is Kate Grimster from Connah’s Quay.

She said “When I heard I’d won, it felt really good. Direct debit is a good idea because it just goes out without you having to worry about it. I shall spend my prize on my four daughters – Emily, Lucy, Lily and Frankie.”

32 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Resident Participation

Board and Resident Participation Steering Group members with Claire Hammond at the Conference

TPAS Conference 2013

Eight members of our RPSG (Resident Participation Steering Group) and Board attended the TPAS Cymru (the Tenant Participation Advisory Service) annual conference at the Holland House Hotel, Cardiff, in November to learn more about resident participation (using your views to improve our services).

The conference brings together social housing residents from across Wales to discuss resident participation and learn from each other. The residents attended workshops on issues such as how the bedroom tax could affect participation, how we could use your views when we build new housing and how resident participation works in England.

RPSG member Sian said “It was excellent, well organised and the workshops were varied and very

informative with something for everyone. I came away with lots of tips to share with fellow residents and Tenants’ Associations. The whole two days were a great experience. We also had time to share the WWH stand and meet fellow members.”

Our RPSG helps us plan and make sure we use your views to improve our services. We still need more members, particularly from south Wales as we currently have more members from the north. Meetings are held every six weeks (north and south Wales alternately) and you will have the opportunity to attend training and conferences like the TPAS conference.

Please get in touch with our Resident Participation Strategy Officer, Claire Hammond, if you’d like to find out more claire.hammond@wwha.co.uk or ring 07766 832692.

Resident Participation | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 33

Would you like to Make It Happen

in your community?

Last year 11 groups of WWH residents received Make It Happen grants to help them with a range of community activities at their schemes or estates.

Oak Court Gardening Club, Penarth, received a Make It Happen grant for some amazing convertible benches/ tables as part of their gardening project. The benches are made by Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind and are a great space saver as they can be used as a picnic table but fold back into a garden bench.

Make It Happen is our small grant of up to £500. You don’t have to be a formal residents’ group to apply – just some enthusiastic neighbours with a good idea!

If you have an idea to bring your community together, we can help speak to your Scheme Manager, Housing Officer or me (contact details below) about the Make It Happen grant.

As well as the grant itself we can also help you: • find out what activities residents are interested in where you live.

• get training to help you do your new activity, such as First Aid or Level 2 Food Hygiene certificates so you can safely prepare food for a lunch club.

• start off new gardening projects for growing fruit and veg with our Environment grant, like Oak Court (left).

• learn how to use computers - we can help bring in tutors to teach you at your scheme or estate.

If you’d like to know more about any of the help or activities mentioned here please call me, Claire Hammond, Resident Participation Strategy Officer, on 0800 052 2526 or email

claire.hammond@wwha.co.uk Oak Court Gardening Group members Sandy Thomas, Paul Clarke and Dave Brigham relaxing on the new benches

Claire Hammond Resident Participation Strategy Officer

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

We have

met WHQS

Regular readers of In Touch will be aware that we have invested just over £45m in making sure that all our properties comply with the requirements of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS). Much of our planned maintenance spend over the last 5-6 years has been dictated by this focus.

During the last 5 years we have replaced: • 3,302 Kitchens replaced • 4,177 Bathrooms replaced • 1,805 Heating Systems replaced (either through fuel switch or traditional replacement) • 2,298 Properties had the Windows replaced

How do we determine where to work?

We have been and are still carrying out stock condition surveys where we check the condition of all the major components in your property and use this to build a programme of when we replace. With a large number of properties spread all over Wales it can

sometimes be a challenge to make sure we get to the schemes that we want to as quickly as we’d like and that you would like us to. Sometimes we have chosen to complete schemes early because of other works; for example bringing kitchens forward to coincide with fuel switching work. This helps us make best use of resources and means less disruption for you.

Where next The focus of our planned programme will be on maintaining our compliance with WHQS. However in the meantime we are also considering how our investment strategy will look for the next few years.

In order to maintain compliance though, the works identified in Q1 are: Kitchens Victory Court, Mold Bathrooms Church Road, Cardiff Hillfort Close, Cardiff

Planned Maintenance | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 35 Windows/Doors and Roofline Lavender Court, Shotton Queens Court, Newtown Doors Only Chorley Close, Cardiff

Monkton Close, Cardiff Tatem Drive, Cardiff Fuel Switch Dan Y Mynydd, Blaengarw Hope Court, Cardiff

“I love my wet room” Sian Hope, 58, who lives in Wrexham, was so pleased with the work done on her bathroom by Cambria Maintenance Services, that she sent them a special thank you card.

Sian suffers from Chondromalacia patellae, which is damage to the cartilage at the back of the kneecap and she also has arthritis in her hips, which made it difficult for her climb into her bath.

“The shape of the bathroom used to be L-shaped, which made it even more awkward for me to climb over the side of the bath to have a shower,” says Sian.

“Thanks to social services who assessed me and agreed I needed a wet room, Wales & West Housing managed to get a grant to adapt my bathroom.”

Cambria knocked down a wall so that the toilet was no longer separate from the bathroom and took out the bath, replacing it with a shower and small doors to make access easier. The sink and toilet were also replaced.

“Although it took a week to do, it was well worth it,” says Sian. “The lads at

Cambria were good – they explained everything to me as they went along.

They had a young apprentice with them, called Tom. He worked like a Trojan.

I’m really happy with the quality of the work and love my wet room. I wanted to thank them so I sent a card.”

Nigel Parry, Head of Cambria North, said: “We’re delighted that Sian is happy with her new bathroom. It’s good to give the team positive feedback, especially the apprentices, as they all take pride in their work.”

36 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | A Day In The Life Of …

A day in the life of …

a housing officer Cath Marland, 41, has been a Housing Officer at Wales & West Housing for 10 years. Cath’s patch is Connah’s Quay, Shotton, Queensferry and Mancot, North Wales. Here she describes her role:

A Day In The Life Of … | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 37 “There’s no such thing as a typical day for a housing officer. That’s what I like about the role – it’s varied, nothing’s ever the same.

“Today, Monday, I tend to spend in the Flint office, focusing on rent accounts looking at residents’ records and arranging appointments for the week.

I also plan any sign-ups for residents to move into a property towards the end of the week. Voids (empty homes) ring alarm bells to us as we want to fill them as quickly as we can. I need to find someone for an empty property in Connah’s Quay this week.

“Once I know who I need to visit, I can plan my routes. This week, I’m meeting a lady who wants to downsize, because of the Spare Room Subsidy (Bedroom Tax). She’s in a 3 bed home so is being charged 25% of the rent due as she only needs one bedroom. I’m working with Will Brooks, our Tenancy Support Officer, to see how we can help her and advise her to use House Swap Wales.

“We made sure that the Bedroom Tax was understood by residents before it was implemented. I’m helping one resident to see if she is eligible for Discretionary Housing Payment. She is struggling to pay her rent and her water bills. I’ve arranged to meet her with Will to see how we can help support her.

“It’s not all about rent. We’re also there to help residents deal with anti-social behaviour. I’m quite lucky with my patch – only recently a neighbour rang our call centre to complain about a noisy resident. I was going to contact the neighbour to investigate further, but there was no need, as they had received an apology, so the problem was sorted out.

“In very serious cases, a housing officer would have to work with residents to help them collect evidence, to prepare witness statements and attend court, if necessary.

“I also attend the MARACs (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) in Flintshire on domestic abuse. We try to support a victim to help them feel safer in their home or look for alternative solutions.

“Housing officers work with applicants before they move into a home to resolve any issues – it’s made a big difference to residents’ lives.

“On Friday I’ll do a site audit with Asset Management Officer Dave Hughes at Cwrt Leighton, looking at any rubbish that needs clearing, guttering, green moss, and the condition of the estate in general.

Then I’m going to hand over a £100 cheque to a direct debit prize draw winner, Kate Grimster, for paying regularly. That’s a great way to end the week.”

38 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Reader competition

Spring

Competition Spring is just around the corner and we have 3 prizes on offer. All you have to do is to send in your money saving gardening tips to win one of a selection of indoor gardening items.

First prize is a 7 Tray Self Watering Propagator with a selection of Herb three zinc pots on matching tray, and a Houseplant Kit which has a selection of wooden handled stainless steel garden tools with a hand sprayer all in a canvas and nylon carry case. seeds which sits comfortably on a windowsill and includes seven mini propagators. The plants draw the water naturally from the capillary matting in the bottom tray.

There are also two runner-up prizes of a Windowsill Herb kit which includes rosemary, sage and thyme seeds in

Please send in your money saving gardening tips either on a postcard to: Keri Jones, Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Pengam Road, Tremorfa, Cardiff.

CF24 2UD or email keri.jones@wwha.co.uk before 7 April 2014.

Good Luck!

Charity Update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 39

Charity Update Christmas is a time of giving and WWH staff, residents, friends and families have been very generous to our various charities giving: • Children in Need £837.66 with WWH match funding the amount collected • Operation Christmas Child £125.75 with WWH match funding plus filling 102 boxes with toys, clothing and lovely goodies for the children in war torn countries.

• Breast Cancer Campaign – Wear it Pink £122.06

Oldwell Court residents with Roy Preece, Asset Management Officer and Sandy Houdmont

The WWH charity team have also held various raffles as well as beauty product sales, dress down collections and staff salary contributions. Residents from various WWH retirement schemes across Wales are always holding collections and events and their unfailing generosity never ceases to amaze us.

Donations to our staff charity, Stroke Association Wales, currently stand at almost £18,000. We won’t have an accurate total until the end of December 2014 when another staff charity will be nominated.

Updates from other WWH schemes At Oldwell Court in Cardiff residents collected £170 for Children in Need with a pyjama party lunch of bangers and mash and raffles. In the bunny outfit is our own Roy Preece, Asset Management Officer with residents and scheme manager Sandy Houdmont.

Residents at Cwrt Anghorfa in Pyle, Bridgend got together to hold a fete, raising a whopping £900. The Motor Neuron Disease charity benefited from £500 from their collection with the remainder going into their Social Group fund.

Wilfred Brook House in Cardiff was also full of fun with residents organising a pyjama party and fun day as well as a fancy dress Halloween Party which raised £153.09 for Children in Need.

40 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News & Views

Spring Chicken Club Oak Meadow Court

enjoying their residents Grand Christmas Dinner Christmas Draw Pictured below are Spring Chicken Club members from Oldwell Court, Cardiff, enjoying their Christmas Dinner at Nine Giants, Thornhill. They had a fab time and would like to thank VEST for providing the transport.

Voluntary Emergency Service Transport provides door to door transport for residents in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan who have restricted mobility. Tel 02920 490 335

A BIG thank you to

Ole Constantine Ole Constantine from Ystad Goffa in Flint worked hard to secure a winter celebration grant and received £150 from Age Cymru towards their residents’ Christmas lunch. Scheme Manager Alison Moody would like to express her thanks to Ole for his support. “He’s always willing to go that extra mile for the scheme as well as volunteering with the digital inclusion project at Nant Y Mor Extra Care Scheme in Prestatyn” said Alison.

Residents at Oak Meadow Court, in St Mellons, Cardiff, have a very active social life with Bingo nights, coffee mornings and craft classes as well as going out for lunches and social evenings like ‘The War Years’ ‘Ladies Day at Oak Meadow’ at Ascot time.

The ages of the residents range from 60+ to 90+ and they like living life to the full.

The eighty nine prizes in their Christmas Draw were bought using all the money collected during the year and the lucky winners were overjoyed with their prizes.

Cllr A. Wood, Mayor of

Abergele visited Ty Gwynn

Jones, Abergele

On the 21st January residents enjoyed a cheese and wine evening with Cllr Wood, Mayor of Abergele. He thoroughly enjoyed himself - so much so that he asked for a list of their social activities, so he could diarise the dates.

News & Views | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 41

Ever wondered where your rubbish goes and how recycling gets sorted? Or what will happen if you don’t recycle?

This is what the residents of Constantine Court in the Rhondda were wondering so their Scheme Manager, Maria Mulford arranged for them to attend the Amgen-Cymru Visitor Centre and Landfill site at Bryn Pica, Llwydcoed, Aberdare to find out first-hand the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

During their visit they discovered lots of recycling secrets, visited a working landfill site, saw how waste gasses are turned into energy and how recycled items can be used to create some great new things.

Danymynydd residents enjoying their Christmas lunch

Giant Spider for Halloween Party Resident Jean Wathen runs the coffee club at Oldwell Court and arranged a Halloween party for the residents. As well as frightening the residents with her spiders she managed to sell 25 books of raffle tickets in support of VEST transport.

Visits are free for RCT residents. To book your visit call 01685 372904 or email enquiries@amgen-cymru.com

Jean Wathen with the giant spider

Residents at Pendyrys House Cardiff enjoy their Christmas Lunch

On Christmas morning residents held a coffee morning, with mulled wine and nibbles before they left for The Conway in Pontcanna for the best Christmas lunch party ever (pictured left). A jolly good time was had by all.

42 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays and Anniversaries Happy 25th Anniversary

Maes Y Ffynnon

Residents at WWH retirement scheme Maes Y Ffynnon,Crickhowell, celebrated their 25th Anniversary on 25th October by holding a grand party in their communal lounge (pictured below). WWH donated £100 to help the party go with a swing.

The impressive buffet with a special anniversary cake was organised by scheme managers, Lyn Margrett and Rob Llewellyn with entertainment provided by a local artiste. Donated raffle prizes also raised money for the residents’ social fund.

“I like living here, it’s a nice building, nice location, good community spirit, it’s safe and secure and all the staff are great” says 84 year old Mr John Powell, resident of twenty years at the scheme.

92 year old Mrs Jean Colman said “I moved to Maes Y Ffynnon to be closer to my family, it’s a great place to live where I can live independently with assistance from family and staff.”

Happy Birthday Vida at 103

Vida Price, from Ystad Goffa Court in Flint enjoyed her 103rd birthday with mixed feelings as the next day she was moving to a nearby residential home.

Vida is pictured here with friends from the church she attended.

Margaret Thomas (left of Ida) and her husband Chris have been a tremendous support to Vida and to the scheme.

Margaret, who formerly volunteered at the luncheon club, cooked a fantastic Christmas lunch for residents this year. “We wish Vida all the best in her new home; she will be sadly missed by everyone” said Alison Moody, Scheme Manager.

Happy 70th Birthday to Mrs Wendy Richards of Danymynydd, Bridgend, who celebrated her 70th birthday on 13th January .

Congratulations

also to Mrs Lena Charles of Danymynydd on the birth of her great, great, great granddaughter, the 5th generation of lovely girls.

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Making a difference in Powys Wales & West Housing is working hard in Powys to build more good quality, affordable homes to meet local needs.

On all our developments we use local labour, local expertise and locally sourced materials wherever possible.

We are currently working in partnership with Powys County Council on plans for a new extra care scheme in Newtown and at the heart of our proposals is a commitment to supporting the local economy through the creation of jobs, work and training opportunities. This is our approach to all our new build programmes throughout the county and indeed throughout Wales.

‘I love my new home –

it’s lush!’

Sophie, 22, and her daughter Isabella, 2, (pictured above with Housing Officer Wendy Fryzer) moved into their new Wales & West Housing home in Plough Court, Brecon, in October 2013.

“I love it – it’s just lush having my own space finally,” says Sophie, currently a full time mum and aspiring art therapist.

“And it was so easy to get a property with Wales & West. I made sure I checked the Wales & West Housing website every day and as soon as I saw the list for this area was open, that was it, I was straight on the phone to them.

“The lady in the Housing Options Team was lovely and I think I was only on the phone to her for about ten minutes, giving her my details, and it was sorted. I was on the Wales & West Housing list. Then when I heard that a property at Plough Court was available, I jumped at it.

“It’s lovely here, really quiet, great for kids, I’ve made friends really quickly and within walking distance of all the shops, local schools, the doctor, everything.

“Wales & West have been brilliant and I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for somewhere affordable to live in Powys.”

Pictured above and to the left is Plough Court, in Brecon, one of our more recent developments, all apartments and houses for affordable rent. Completed in December 2011 Plough Court has provided 26 much needed new affordable homes on a former brownfield site and the eco-friendly properties are all energy efficient making them cheaper to heat and light.

All our waiting lists are open – for more information go to

www.wwha.co.uk

We currently have limited availability of a range of properties across the county so if you, or someone you know, is looking for a high quality, affordable home in Powys, talk to us today.

If you are in housing need, please contact our Housing Options Team:

Freephone 0800 052 2526 contactus@wwha.co.uk www.wwha.co.uk Twitter @wwha

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