24/severn - issue 9

www.svhs.org.uk

Annual Report p13-20

Garden Competition

Resultsp30-31

Gas Services

p12

p6-7

NewMobile Phone App

NEWS NewHomes

Annual Report

YourTenancy

GetOnline

Find out About

GardenCompetition

Repairs

ISSUE 9 |Autumn 2014

A lot has been going on since the last issue of the magazine!The big news to share with you

is you can now download the new Severn Vale Housing app! We’re really excited about this as with the app you can report a repair, report anti-social behaviour, pay your rent through AllPay, contact us, get involved in community activities – and so much more! Find out all the details on pages 6 and 7.

Another highlight of this issue is our annual report. This is in the middle of the magazine and it is our review of how we have done during the 12 months between April 2013 and March 2014. We also look at the things we have done so far since March 2014 and the things we are going to do in the next six months. Thank you so much to all the customers who have contributed to this report and told us what they would like to see included.

In this issue we’ve also included a handy round up of the different community activities we have been involved in over the last few months. Take a look at pages 22-24 and find out about the Community Day in Churchdown, the Big Picnic in Bishops Cleeve and the activities that we support at the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury.

You may remember from the last issue the garden competition that was running over the summer. The results are now in! Turn to pages 30 and 31 to see some of the amazing photos, plus find out who won each category and of course who won the award for Best in Show.

We hope you find this issue of 24/Severn interesting and enjoyable. Don’t forget, please do get in touch if you would like to get involved in any of our customer events or would like to contribute to the next issue of the magazine.

StephenStephen Bourne, Information and Communication Technology Manager

Tel: 01684 272727 Email: [email protected]

Welcome to 24/Severn

welcome

Tel: 01684 272727Email: [email protected] Web: www.svhs.org.uk Download our app from your app store

Shannon Way, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 8ND

Follow us:

www.facebook.com/severnvalehousing

@SVHousing

Get in touch8.30am – 5.00pm Monday to Thursday 8.30am – 4.30pm Friday

Report an emergency repair on 0800 783 4348.Pay your rent on the AllPay automated payment line on 0844 557 8321.

Opening times

Out of hoursIf you or anyone you know would like this publication translated into another language, in large type or audio format please contact us on 01684 272727.

Large print or audio version

P AY Y O U R R E N T O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k2

Win A £20 shopping voucher

Turn to the back cover and check out our competitions to win

some fantastic prizes, including a £20

shopping voucher.

r e p o r t a r e p a i r O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k 3

news roundup

Our Chief Executive, Tim Knight, is spending time each week with teams around the organisation in “back to the floor” days. So far he has spent time with our Grounds Maintenance team and our Caretakers. “I’ve had a really enjoyable time getting to see first-hand how much of a difference our teams

Reducing, re-using and recycling items can help cut the amount you spend on new products, but did you know that by recycling, you can also help reduce or avoid additional waste-removal charges.

This is because local councils will not:

• remove bulky items

• remove waste that is left by the side of bins

• remove waste which means the bin is too full for the lid to close

• empty contaminated bins (a ‘contaminated’ bin is where the wrong type of material has been put in it).

Recycle to save money

The Estate Management team are committed to providing high quality services in communal areas to ensure that our customers have a clean and safe environment to live in.

One area they cover is the removal of bulky items in communal areas by licensed waste carrier contractors, particularly around blocks of flats. There is a cost associated with the collection of these items and we have reviewed how we pass the costs on to customers. We now share the costs only amongst customers living in the blocks of flats where we have collected the rubbish from.

We have also reviewed the costs of the grounds maintenance service we offer in communal areas. The costs of this are now shared more fairly, reflecting the amount of work customers receive near their homes.

Changes affectingservice charges

make to customers’ lives every day,” Tim commented. “They have great enthusiasm for their work and have lots of good ideas about how we can make the service more efficient, something which we will be trying to do over the next few months as I settle in to my new role. I’m really looking forward to

Back to the floor

Contaminated bins and excess waste are collected by a contractor instead and the charges associated with this are charged back to the block where the waste was collected from.

spending more time with other teams around the organisation over the coming months to see the challenges they face daily, and to get their ideas on what they would like to see improved.”

news roundup

4 P AY Y O U R R E N T O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k

We have taken over the management of a Sheltered Housing scheme in Cheltenham which is owned by the Schoolmasters’ Benevolent Housing Association Ltd (the SBHA).

The scheme in Rushworth Close, Cheltenham includes 20 bungalows, 27 flats and 1 guest flat. The NASUWT, the National Association of Schoolmasters/ Union of Women Teachers, established

the SBHA as a registered charity in the 1960s. It built the Rushworth scheme in the 1970s to provide housing for retired teachers. While priority is given to applicants who are members of the NASUWT and those with a connection to the NASUWT, applications are welcomed from all people aged 60 and over.

People live independently and there is a Scheme Manager on hand. There is also

a communal lounge and recreation area so they can enjoy the company of other residents. We held a very successful welcome event there at the start of August, where we were able to get together with the people who live there and get to know them over a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Welcome to our new customers in Rushworth Close

Community Support from WaitroseThe 1st August 2014 was a day of note for those of us in Rushworth Close who enjoy the sunshine and use our patio whenever we can. The box containing the green tokens in the Cheltenham branch of Waitrose was emptied today and very soon we shall learn exactly how much money we are to receive in order to buy garden furniture. Many thanks to those of you who helped by putting your token in our box! Our very grateful thanks also go to Waitrose for all they have done for Rushworth Close, especially the staff there who have given up time to refurbish our

benches and table.

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Time to celebrate

Beko has issued a safety alert for certain Beko, Leisure and Flavel cookers manufactured by Beko before 2009 and with a separate oven and grill. If they aren’t used correctly they can pose a serious risk to your health as higher than expected levels of carbon monoxide can be produced.

The cookers that are affected are shown below. If you have one of them, follow

the product instruction manual and do not operate the grill with the grill door closed.

Also arrange for a free safety inspection and modification by contacting Beko on 0800 917 2018. When you contact them, they will need you to tell them your model number and serial number - these can be found at the bottom front edge of the appliance.

Safety alert - Beko cookers

Beko Leisure Flavel

DCG8511WLPG CM10NRK DCGAP5LS

DCG8511PLW CM10NRC AP5LDWP

DG581LWP AL6NDW AP5LDW

CM101NRCP AP5LDSP

CM101NRKP Flavel Milano ML5NDS

We are delighted to announce that this magazine, 24/Severn, has been shortlisted in awards run by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. We are in the category of “Best External Publication” in the South of England and Channel Islands region and have our fingers crossed for November, when the winner will be announced!

After a short break, the computer deals offered through ‘Get Online @ Home’ are now back and they’ve got an offer running until 30th November – a FREE PC or a laptop for just £59 when you take out any new broadband deal. They will also work to get you the best broadband deal available.

For more information please visit www.getonlineathome.org/special-offer.aspx or call 0800 090 1297.

Get Online @ Home

news roundup

• If you have a carbon monoxide detector, check it at least once a week

• Make sure your furniture meets fire safety standards.

• Wood burners are not allowed in your home

Helping TO keep you and your family safe

Earlier this year we took part in a nationwide campaign to encourage customers to sign up to Direct Debit. Many customers like to pay by Direct Debit as it makes their life easier as their rent is paid on time, every time without them needing to do anything.

As part of the campaign we gave a charity donation to Age UK Gloucestershire for every customer who

signed up to pay by Direct Debit. The total amount donated was £43.50 and Christina Snell, Chief Executive from Age UK Gloucestershire, said: “We are delighted to receive this kind donation and are grateful to Severn Vale Housing and their customers for thinking of us. The money will be used to help improve the lives of vulnerable older people in Gloucestershire.”

Supporting Age UK Gloucestershire

Our offices will be closed from 1pm on Friday 5th December until 8.30am on Monday 8th December

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THE APP?

Using the app you can do the things you need to do, wherever you are and at a time that’s convenient for you. For example you can:

• Pay your rent through AllPay

• Report a repair, plus find out which repairs are your responsibility and which are ours

• Report anti-social behaviour

• Find out how to move home

• Get involved in community activities

• Have a say in how we work, such as how we deal with complaints

• Contact us by phone or email

• Visit our Facebook and Twitter pages

If you have a mobile phone or tablet, we’ve got some exciting news for you….You can now download the free Severn Vale Housing app from Google Play, the App Store and the Amazon Appstore! Just search for “Severn Vale Housing.”

Get online

There’s an app for that…

A real time saver

Darren Knight, our Customer Service Manager, explains: “I’m so excited about our new app as I think it’ll be a real time saver for customers and they’ll find it very convenient to use. Customers were involved in working with us as we developed the app, giving their feedback for example on what they would like to see included and how easy they found it to use. Overall the feedback was really positive and I think that the app will quickly prove popular with many customers.”


Watch our videoWatch our video to see what you can do on the app, just visit our You Tube

channel on www.youtube.com/SevernValeHousing

download it now and try it out!


Get online

Our app was developed by Nathan, who is completing a paid internship with us and putting his skills in graphic design and multimedia to good use. “It’s certainly been a busy few months, designing and developing the app, testing it with customers, then incorporating their suggestions and feedback to make it even better,” says Nathan. “When the app was finally ready, I was then involved in showing the team at Severn Vale Housing what it can do so they can show customers. I’ve also made a video that’s on our You Tube channel, which shows what it can do. Overall though, now that the app is ready and available to download, I can’t wait for customers to start using it!”

The brains behind our app!

If you want to pay your rent, our app will link you to the AllPay app or the AllPay website. AllPay is a payment service that allows you to pay your rent easily, wherever you are, at the touch of a button!

George from Bishops Cleeve has been using the AllPay app to pay his rent for several months now. “It’s so easy,” he

says. “I found it very straightforward to use. I used to pay by cheque and using the app is so much quicker –it saves me a lot of time.”

In the last 8 months, the AllPay app has proved popular - our customers have used it over 560 times! Why not try it for yourself?

Paying your rent

Kingsmead Quedgeley

Gloucester

We have been working with Persimmon Homes to build 21 new homes for general needs rent in Kingsmead in Quedgeley. They include: two 2-bed bungalows, ten 2-bed houses, five 3-bed houses and four 4-bed houses and they will be ready from October onwards.

Goose BayDrive, Kingsway

In the last issue of the magazine we reported on the homes we’re building in Kingsway. The houses are now ready and, as you can see in this photo, the flats on this site have also developed well since the summer.

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new homes

Development newsOur Development Team have been working with partners over the last few months to build new homes in Gloucestershire. Here is a round up of their recent work.

Yew Tree Road and Robinswood

Close,Brockworth

new homes


being built following a housing need survey which found that more affordable homes needed to be built locally.

We’re building 25 new homes in Yew Tree Road and Robinswood Close, Brockworth. We’re pleased to report that they have developed well since our last update in the previous issue of this magazine and customers will be moving in shortly.

Matson Lane

Gloucester

As you may have seen in the summer issue of 24/Severn, we are building eight new homes on the former site of the squash club at the Hallmark Hotel in Gloucester. They have been progressing quickly and have proved very popular with customers.

Raglan Way, Uley, Stroud We are building seven affordable homes in Uley, Stroud, on behalf of Gloucestershire Rural Housing Association (GRHA). They include: four 1-bed flats, two 2-bed houses and one 3-bed house. These homes are

The Rozzers, Bibury Here we have been working on behalf of Cirencester Housing Society to build 11 new affordable homes, including two 1-bed houses, five 2-bed houses and four 3-bed houses.

Kate Calladene heads up our Community Involvement team which ensures customers have a say in how we work. The team also supports communities to shape where they live, awards funding to groups that benefit our areas and works to improve life for all residents living there.

Putting customer views at the heart of Severn Vale Housing

A large part of Kate’s role is about making sure our customers have the chance to influence the way we do things. She says, “We do this by offering lots of opportunities for customers to share their ideas and work with our decision makers to improve the services we offer. No matter how much or how little time you have to give, there will always be a way to get involved that suits you, whether it’s being on the Editorial Panel that produces this magazine, completing a customer survey or attending a focus group.”

This year there have been a number of customer focus groups to gather ideas about

how we can improve digital services such as our website. We have also worked with customers to develop a new mobile phone app (see pages 6-7).

“I am always delighted to see these kinds of customer-led changes made,” adds Kate, “as they have a real, tangible effect on people’s daily lives.”

Developing our communities

In helping develop our local communities, the team works with different partners in Gloucestershire to support community events and activities.

“Each year we offer a Community Impact Fund of £10,000,” explains Kate. This gives local groups, which benefit our customers, the opportunity to apply for funding.

“We also run projects that give community members the power to help each other. For example, working with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust on our garden mentors project, we link up customers who may be struggling

to maintain their garden with a volunteer to help them. Also, our internet cafe, situated in Priors Park in Tewkesbury, offers the use of computers and internet for free for all the community, not just our customers. It’s open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.”

An award-winning team

Kate comments, “I’m really proud of my team and the work they do. It’s not always easy to decide which projects to work on as we cover so many areas, but it has been wonderful to hear praise from the groups we have supported and to see our efforts recognised in the awards that we have won.”

“My goals over the next year are to hear the voices of more customers, to make sure we really value every comment and to embrace new ways of gathering these thoughts such as online forums and text messaging. I also want to see our community work focussed in areas where we know we can make a difference and to find more ways to measure the impact we have made.”

Kate Calladene: Community Involvement Manager

Meet the team


meet the team

“Customer-led changes have a real,

tangible effect on people’s daily lives.”

MONEY MATTERS

Looking after your belongingsDid you know it’s your responsibility to get contents insurance for your furniture, home decoration and possessions to protect you and your family against theft, fire, vandalism, burst pipes and other household risks?

There is a wide range of insurance providers and it is always worth getting a number of quotes to make sure the cover and price are right for you.

One option you may like to consider is “My Home Contents Insurance” from the National Housing Federation. This is available for all tenants and residents living in social or affordable housing. They offer flexible payment options and affordable premiums starting at as little as £1.85 per fortnight, or £1.24 for over 60s. Since we’ve been promoting this deal, over 70 of our customers have signed up!

If you would like us to arrange for My Home to call you to talk through the policy and answer any questions you may have, please let us know on 01684 272727 or [email protected]

Alternatively, if you prefer to contact My Home directly, please call 0845 337 2463 or 01628 586189, or visit www.thistlemyhome.co.uk

Are you worried about rent arrears?We understand that there are many reasons why people may fall behind on their rent payments. If you have missed payments, we will contact you to talk about it as we’re here to help and want to work with you to try to sort out your money problems.

If you get into rent arrears and can’t pay the full amount you owe straight away, we’ll make an affordable and realistic repayment plan with you so that you can repay your arrears over time, providing you disclose your financial income and expenditure. We’ll also offer advice on benefits and budgeting and/or refer you to other agencies such as Citizens’ Advice or Shelter.

Persistent rent arrears can have serious consequences including legal action and even losing your home, so if you are worried about missed payments, please contact our Income Management team as soon as possible on 01684 272722 so we can help you.

We would consider your account to be in arrears if we have not received your payment by the Sunday of the week it is due; payments are expected in advance. Direct Debit is the easiest and most convenient way to pay - and it means you won’t forget to make any payments. To set up Direct Debit payments, please call our Contact Centre on 01684 272727.

If you are struggling to pay your rent or are worried about rent arrears, please contact our Income Management team as soon as possible on 01684 272722.


Remember, Severn Vale Housing insure the building (excluding any fixtures and fittings) so you don’t need to get building insurance.

12

NEED TO KNOW

We are required by law to ensure that all gas, oil and solid fuel appliances are inspected annually.

This service and safety check:

• will give you reassurance that your appliance is working safely

• will save you money on heating and hot water bills as a well serviced appliance will work more efficiently

• will safeguard your system against expensive and inconvenient breakdowns

• will extend the useful life of your boiler.

All our engineers are Gas Safe registered and those engineers who work on oil appliances are Oftec approved too. When you receive a letter from us saying that your gas service is due, please call as soon as possible so we can arrange an appointment date and time that is convenient for you. Also, if you ever think it has been over a year since your last service please contact us on 01684 272727 or [email protected]

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Gas Leaks• If you suspect a gas leak, immediately switch off the gas supply at the meter. • Extinguish all sources of ignition (cigarettes, naked flames and mobile phones) and

do not use electrical appliances or switches. • If necessary ventilate the building by opening doors and windows and ensure that

access is available to the building. • Call the freephone 24/7 National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.• Then call us on 01684 272727 or, if out of hours, 0800 783 4348.

We’ve been looking at how we can become more efficient at servicing gas appliances. We are trialling “block bookings” where we visit people who live near each other, such as in a retirement scheme or a block of flats, and carry out a gas service for each of them in the same day. This saves us time and fuel as we only need to visit once. It also means that with less time taken up with travelling from one home to another, we can complete more services in a day.

It is important that this service is carried out annually and this is part of your tenancy agreement. You must allow us access to your property to carry out these checks. We can take legal action to gain access if necessary.

On the day• If you have a pre-pay gas meter, please

ensure there is enough credit on it for the engineer to complete the service.

• Please make sure our engineer has clear access to the boiler, meter and appliances.

• All our engineers carry identification, so you know who you are letting into your home.

The engineer who carries out the service will leave you with a Gas Safety Record sheet, this will confirm he or she has serviced the appliance, whether it is safe to use and whether any further work is needed.

Gas Services

Annual Report


Annual Report 2013/14

Welcome to our Annual Report 2013/14 where we review how we did and what we achieved in our journey in the 12

months between April 2013 and March 2014.

We hope that in this report you will see the significant improvements we have made in our journey over the year from April 2013 to March 2014 and how we have continued to

expand the positive impact of our services on the communities around us.

We know that we are not at the end of our journey yet. On these pages we also want to show you what we are doing now and are going to do during the next six months

as we move forward.

If you would like to read a more detailed report on our performance over the year, please visit our website www.svhs.org.uk/vfm and down-

load our Value for Money report. Alternatively please contact us on 01684 272727 or

[email protected] and we will send you a copy.


Customer Service How did we do on our journey during the year between April 2013 and March 2014?

Where are we now and where are we going next?

One area we are focusing on in 2014/15 is our online service. For example, we have just launched our new app for mobiles and tablets.

We are also working on improving the section on our website where you can log in to your Severn Vale Housing account. One benefit of this is that you’ll be able to log in and book an appointment time with our Repairs team, without needing to call us to book a time slot.

42,292calls were answered by

the contact centreCompared to 41,868

calls the previous year

85%of calls were

connected to our team within 10

secondsCompared to 83% the previous year

of 1075 respondentswere satisfied with the overall service provided by Severn

Vale Housing Compared to 93% the

previous year

94%

142

formal complaints

were made Compared to 171 the

previous year

Annual Report

Shared ownership is a form of home ownership that combines renting with buying. We’re going to review our shared ownership process in 2014/15, to make it as efficient and hassle free as possible for both sellers and buyers. We will also continue to focus on getting empty homes ready for new tenants as soon as possible.


Lettings


349properties were

allocated. 312 of them were allocated through

Gloucestershire Homeseeker

10.7days was the average time

between one customer moving out of a property and the next moving in

Compared to 13.9 days the previous year

properties were accepted at first offer. Compared to 73% the previous year

88%

By introducing accompanied viewings

we managed to achieve this increase in the number of homes accepted at first offer and therefore reduce

the time properties are empty

customers moved to a home with

fewer bedrooms following the

introduction of the “bedroom tax”

22

How did we do on our journey during the year between April 2013 and March 2014?

Annual Report


In 2014/15 we’re introducing new ways of working to improve communication with customers. We’re also investing in ongoing training on Anti-Social Behaviour for our Anti-Social Behaviour team and our Customer Service team.


88%of 139 respondents

were satisfied with how anti-social behaviour cases were dealt with Compared to 84% the previous year

0evictions

Compared to 1 the

previous year

Noise was the most common anti-social

behaviour we dealt withThis is the same as

last year

anti-social behaviour cases were dealt with.

Compared to 220 the previous year

230

4

Injunctions/Court undertakings

Compared to 8 the previous year

Anti-Social Behaviour How did we do on our journey during the year between April 2013 and March 2014?


Rent Payments


We will continue to prepare for Welfare Reform during 2014/15 and will continue to review our processes and payment methods and our approach to rent collection.

Also we’ll start to use mobile devices so when our Officers are out of the office and with customers, they can provide a more efficient service and answer queries more quickly and easily.

60,000+daily visits were made to customers, to check on

them

350+independent living

plans were completed with our customers to

ensure the right level of support is in place for

each customer

We introduced a new Retirement Service

Standard developed by and with our residents

in the retirement schemes28,712

alarm calls were received at the control centre from customers with the Helpline alarm

service installedCompared to 21,296 the

previous year


In August this year we took over the management of Rushworth Close, a Sheltered Housing scheme in Cheltenham. We’re looking forward to working with them in 2014/15. During 2014/15 we’re also looking at how we can provide services to elderly people in the local community, to help them remain independent in their own home for longer

275customers switched to pay by Direct Debit. We

introduced a better Direct Debit service allowing Direct Debit to be paid any day with

any frequency

We helped more

tenants to reduce their

arrearsHow did we do on our journey during the year between April 2013 and March 2014?

Elderly ServicesHow did we do on our journey during the year between April 2013 and March 2014?

Annual Report


The work we carried out to improve and adapt customers’ homes included:

minor adaptations

re-wiresbathrooms kitchens heating systems

Responsive Repairs

12,972repairs were carried out.

Compared to 12,817 the previous year

80% of repairs in 2013/14 were fixed first time


In 2014/15 we will be re-starting a programme of painting the outside of homes every five years, to help maintain their appearance and increase pride in neighbourhoods.

of 899 respondents

were satisfied with our repairs

and maintenance service.

Compared to 97% the

previous year

95%


We are looking at how we can become more efficient by organising the jobs our Repairs team does according to their location, to reduce the time the team spends travelling between jobs.


Planned MaintenanceHow did we do on our journey during the year between April 2013 and March 2014?

Development


In 2014/15 we plan to develop 64 new homes and we will make best use of our land and properties and our access to funding to enable us to do this. We will also continue to develop homes on behalf of other Registered Providers – Wyedean Housing Association, Cirencester Housing Society and Gloucestershire Rural Housing Association.

Community Involvement


We have recognised that the amount of customer engagement in formal consultation activities and groups slipped a little in 2013/14. This year we have therefore been reviewing our involvement opportunities, creating more modern and varied ways for you to influence key decisions at Severn Vale Housing. We have also been working to help more customers get online and improve our digital services. We’ve also been supporting local community members to help each other such as through our “Garden Mentors” scheme.

83new homes

Compared to 23 the previous

year

248customers were

involved with customer groups

Compared to 277 the

previous year

12services were changed or improved following customer

involvementCompared to

18 the previous year

ways for customers to get involvedCompared to 19 the previous

year

17




£51.3ksaved through new

contracts for lift servicing, asbestos surveying and

asbestos removal

£18.8mAnnual Turnover

Compared to £17.5m the previous year

Money


We’re continuing to focus on achieving value for money across the organisation, particularly in areas such as Responsive Repairs and Estate Management.

We will also investigate the opportunities available to expand our commercial activity during the year, developing further services using the core skills we have in maintaining properties and other housing services.

Where we spent money

£0.934mEstates services and

management

£2.511mRoutine maintenance

£5.299mInterest costs

£5.500mHead office management

£1.836mMajor repairs

£0.671mOperating surplus for the year

£2.009mHousing depreciation and

disposal

£0.059mArrears/repairs write offs


Annual Report



Coffee, cake and a good cause

Another customer who held a fundraising coffee morning on 26th September was Vera from Shipway Court, one of our retirement schemes in Bishops Cleeve. Lots of people turned up and together they raised £337.20! Vera said “I’m so pleased with how much we’ve collected as Macmillan Cancer Support is such a good cause. They help thousands of people every year with healthcare services, information, financial help plus practical and emotional support.”

A big well done to four groups of customers who have raised an impressive £874.10 for Macmillan Cancer Support over the last few weeks by taking part in the charity’s World Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 26th September. Find out below how they did it.

Customers at Lanes Court, one of our retirement schemes in Tewkesbury, got together in September for a coffee morning and cake sale and raised £135.68 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Scheme Manager Jane commented, “Chris, one of our customers at Lanes Court, bakes absolutely wonderful cakes and so, together with my son, I took a selection into the Severn Vale Housing office in Tewkesbury to sell to staff. We were all delighted to be able to raise money for the charity as they support so many people whose lives have been affected by cancer.”

You may remember seeing in the last issue of the magazine that one of our customers, Laura, was going to take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan Cancer Support. She held a very successful coffee morning, selling coffee and cake and raising £73.30! She said; “Macmillan Cancer Support are helping a family member of mine who has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. I really wanted to take part in their World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and thank Macmillan Cancer Support for the help they have given my family.”

Making a difference

Customers at Atherton Close, our retirement scheme in Shurdington, also took part in the day and raised £327.92. Scheme Manager Sharon explained, “We’re so happy to support the charity as they do such a lot to help patients and also everyone around them – their carers, their families and their communities.”

The Take Part department at The Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury applied recently to our Community Impact Fund as they wanted to help pay for young people to join in their theatre and dance activities.

HELPING LOCAL YOUNG PEOPLEBy participating in theatre and dance activities, young people can gain confidence, make friends, learn new skills, build trust and learn to communicate more effectively.

The £675 funding that we awarded them recently will be used to pay half the cost of six places in these sessions, helping young people to take part regardless of their background or circumstances.

Take Part


community

Tewkesbury has an excellent band of volunteer workers; unfortunately they are a rare species, seemingly in decline. Existing volunteers are becoming overstretched as often they are actively supporting three or four charities or local causes. In an attempt to reverse this trend, the volunteers at Bookworm in Tewkesbury are launching ‘Tewkesbury Volunteers.’ Bookworm is situated in the High Street and is open six days a week.

Something for everyone “We understand that coming forward to volunteer can be a daunting prospect and that everyone has existing commitments to work around.” says Karen. “We hope that anyone who would like to help the community will feel able to pop in for a chat with our volunteers to discover what there is available. I’m sure we have something for everyone!”

You may remember reading in the January 2014 edition of this magazine about Anne, a customer at one of our retirement schemes in Tewkesbury, who introduced us to the Tewkesbury Mosaics Group. The group meets every week in the upper floor of the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury. Their purpose is to help people with medical problems through arts based activity, centred on the craft of mosaics. In addition they help elderly users within a group-based, social activity which helps overcome loneliness and isolation.

Support from our Community Impact FundThe group is open to anyone in the Tewkesbury community, or with the ability to travel to Tewkesbury. They welcome our customers, as well as

Supporting the Tewkesbury Mosaics Group

Karen Brennan clearing the ivy at the Back of Avon (Tewkesbury in Bloom)

Pat Seymour arranging transport for the following week (Bookworm Tewkesbury Transport)

Tewkesbury Volunteers

people referred by any community

based health organisation.

In May 2014 the group successfully

applied to our Community Impact

Fund, receiving £1,000 to help towards the cost of a professional tutor to teach the group on a more frequent basis.

Get involved!If you would like to know more about the group or let them know you’re interested, please contact the Roses Theatre on 01684 295074 or get in touch with us on 01684 272726 or [email protected]

Tewkesbury Volunteers, c/o Bookworm, 150 High Street Tewkesbury, GL20 5JP

Tel: 01684 438385

Email: [email protected]

Please contact Karen

community

The GL3 Community Hub is a small local charity in Churchdown, which offers a wealth of educational, social and leisure opportunities for people of all ages.

On 29th July the GL3 Hub held a Community Day aimed at bringing together people from across the Churchdown/ Innsworth area, introducing them to the Hub and to other local services on offer.

Getting onlineOn the day, Kate, our Community Involvement Manager and Leah, one of

our Receptionists, went along to help customers who wanted support with using online services or gaining computer skills.

During the event Kate and Leah helped residents in the area register with Gloucestershire Homeseeker, the housing register for the county. While they were doing this they also asked customers for their ideas on how this service may be improved.

Green Square, who provide housing support in Gloucestershire, were also at the Community Day. Kate referred some customers to Green Square as they would

be able to offer them extra support with their applications to Gloucestershire Homeseeker.

Improving computer skillsKate and Leah helped people looking to learn basic computer skills by registering them on a website called Learn My Way, www.learnmyway.com. It’s free to register with Learn My Way. You can go at your own pace and watch step-by-step videos which teach computer skills, from using a mouse to internet safety and much more. Overall, it was a very successful day!

Getting involved in Churchdown


24

We carried out a survey which indicated that in Bishops Cleeve, 59% of our customers have no form of internet access, whether at home or elsewhere.

So, on 12th July our Community Team had a stand at the Bishops Cleeve Big Picnic to show people what internet facilities we have and how easy it could be for them to get online. We took along the Gloucestershire mobile library bus so we could demonstrate the ‘Computer Buddies’ programme. We spoke to 16 families about how we can help people get online. A few people even signed up for the library services too!

Big Picnic in Bishops Cleeve

community

P AY Y O U R R E N T O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k

Every year TPAS (the Tenant Participation Advisory Service) hosts a conference attended by tenants and staff from housing organisations across the country. The aim of the conference is to share ideas and achievements in relation to customer involvement activity. This year we took along three of our involved customers, giving them an opportunity to pick up new ideas and inspiration.

Our Community Involvement Manager, Kate Calladene, accompanied the customers this year and said, “We especially enjoyed hearing about Derwent Living’s Digital

Inclusion programme, E-Involvement, which recently won a TPAS award. Since the conference we have been to visit Derwent Living to see how they work in practice and their approach has helped us to shape the new mobile app we’ve been creating.”

New Severn Vale Housing Chief Executive Tim Knight also attended the conference, including a workshop focused on Social Enterprises. These are businesses set up to tackle social problems and improve the communities surrounding them. Any profits are then poured back into the business or into projects that help to achieve their

social mission. The TPAS conference is a great tool for considering how we might support social enterprises in our areas.

One of the involved customers who attended this year, Rosemary Clark said the conference was very educational and added, “If anybody else gets the opportunity to go next year, I would highly recommend it”. Debbie Midwinter, an involved customer and also a Board member, went to the conference too and said, “It was a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people who want to be involved.”

TPAS Conference 2014


helping others

“I decided to sign up to the bone

marrow donation register”

the peripheral blood stem cell donation was chosen as the better option for the patient’s type of blood cancer.

“The date was booked and in the days leading up to it, I had a series of injections to stimulate the production of stem cells.

The day itself“On the day itself, I was connected up to a machine called a cell separator and it took the stem cells from my blood through a vein in one of my arms and then returned the blood to me through a vein in my other arm. It took several hours but I was conscious throughout the procedure and the time passed pretty quickly as the staff at the hospital looked after me so well.

“My donated stem cells were then taken away to be given to the recipient that night. I had the week off work to recover and I felt very supported throughout by everyone at Severn Vale Housing.”How you can sign up

to the bone marrow donation register

In England, there are two bone marrow registers, which work closely together:

• The British Bone Marrow Registry, which is part of the NHS

• The Anthony Nolan Trust register

You can apply to join the British Bone Marrow Registry when you donate blood.

Who needs a bone marrow donation?

Donated bone marrow cells help treat and often cure many life threatening conditions including:

• Bone marrow failure• Leukaemia – cancer of the white blood

cells• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – cancer of

the lymphatic system• Certain genetic blood and immune

system disorders such as sickle cell anaemia

Source: www.nhs.uk

“I wrote a card for the hospital to pass on to the recipient but was not allowed to be given details of who this person was as there is a two year confidentiality period. I had a letter back a few weeks later but the hospitals involved had removed any personal information due to the requirement for confidentiality. However I did find out that the recipient was a man who lived in Germany with his family and that he liked playing sport. About six months later he sent

a letter to let me know he was able to return to work part time.

“A couple of months ago, it was wonderful to receive a letter from him and hear that he was back at work full time and playing sport again. Now we’re two years on from the donation, we are in the process of exchanging details, I was delighted he asked for this.

“I would love to meet him one day.”

Two years on

I’ve saved the life of someone I’ve never met.Helen Lovell, our Senior Financial Assistant, donated bone marrow two years ago to save the life of a stranger. Here she tells us her inspiring story.

“I have always been a regular blood donor, but one day about 12 years ago I was giving blood and I read a leaflet about bone marrow donation. I decided to sign up to the bone marrow donation register as I wanted to help someone if I could.

“It wasn’t till ten years later that I received a letter from the NHS bone marrow centre in Bristol, asking me for a blood sample as they thought I could be a possible match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant. I gave my sample and soon afterwards they contacted me again as it turned out I was a perfect match for someone. I had a health check and was cleared to go ahead.

Two Options“I was given two options for giving my bone marrow, one uses a syringe to take bone marrow from your hip bones and is performed under general anaesthetic. The other is a peripheral blood stem cell donation, not under general anaesthetic. The two options were discussed and

Your tenancy


Moving out

Keeping PetsUnless you are living in a flat with a communal entrance, you are allowed to keep up to two small domestic animals such as dogs and cats, subject to several conditions and restrictions:

• It is your responsibility to keep your pet(s) under proper control at all times and not allow them to cause a nuisance, this includes noise and fouling

• You must keep your property clean and your pets must not cause damage

• If you have more than two pets, or you wish to have more than two pets, you

must ask for our permission in writing first, this may require us to carry out a property inspection and any other breaches of tenancy will be considered before permission is given.

If you live in a flat, and you have direct access to the outside (not just into the communal area) you may keep up to two pets, as above.

If you live in a flat with a communal entrance, you are not allowed to keep dogs or cats, or any other pet except for small caged animals or a small fish tank with our permission.

This page gives the answers to some of the questions we get asked frequently.

Help us to maintain your homeOccasionally we, or other authorised companies such as water or electricity firms, need to visit your property to carry out inspections, servicing and maintenance work. We would ask that you allow us access to carry out any necessary work so that we can ensure that your home is well maintained and safe for you to live in.

For further information on any of these topics, please refer to your tenancy agreement or contact us on 01684 272727 or [email protected]

If you wish to leave your property, you should give four weeks’ notice in writing to the Lettings team.

Before returning the keys there are certain conditions that should be met. If you don’t meet the conditions, we may pass on to you any costs we incur, for example if we need to remove items you have left or to replace keys you have lost.

These are some of our main requirements, but a complete list is given well in advance to anyone whose tenancy is coming to an end. It is also available on request from our Lettings team on 01684 272719 or [email protected]

1

You should make sure the property is clean and that all furniture and carpets are removed. If you have a garage, garden or shed, you must check that they are cleared. You must not leave anything in communal areas either.

You must make sure that you leave the property in good condition. If you have made unauthorised alterations to your property, you may be asked to put these back to standard as per your original letting, for example light fittings or partition walls.

2You should return your keys to our office by midday on the date your tenancy is due to end. This includes all keys, so as well as keys to your home, don’t forget keys for garages or sheds. If you were given one or more communal entrance fobs at the start of your tenancy you must also hand them all back.

3

r e p o r t a r e p a i r O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k 27r e p o r t a r e p a i r O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k 27r e p o r t a r e p a i r O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k 27

Repairs

Keeping your home warm

Some storage heaters have automatic controls which adjust the amount of heat stored overnight depending on the temperature of the room. However if yours do not, planning is important as you need to know what the weather and temperature will be the next day so you can adjust the settings manually.

A leaflet produced by the Severn Wye Energy Agency about storage heaters offers advice to help you use storage heaters more efficiently. You can download it from our website at www.svhs.org.uk/storageheaters If you would prefer a paper copy, please call us on 01684 272727 and we can send you one.

Some of our customers use storage heaters to heat their homes. Here we look at how to get the most out of storage heaters and how to use them as efficiently as possible.

What is a storage heater? A storage heater is an electric heater that accumulates heat overnight and releases it slowly during the following day. You can tell the difference between a storage heater and a radiator as storage heaters don’t have pipework going to them but radiators do.

Planning is important

Storage heaters should last for 30 years before needing to be replaced. When they are due for renewal we will contact you. We replace storage heaters with gas central heating where possible; in other cases, such as when customers are not on mains gas, we will install another form of electric heating.

We do not service storage heaters but they can become less efficient over time, so if you feel that yours are not working as efficiently as they could be, please contact us on 01684 272727 or [email protected] and one of our engineers can visit you to check them for you.

Maintaining storage heaters

What is Economy 7?Economy 7 is an electricity tariff which is best suited to you if you have storage heaters. It gives you a different price for electricity used at different times and it is cheaper to use electricity at night (when the storage heaters are accumulating heat) than during the day. With an Economy 7 tariff you get seven hours of cheaper electricity at night.

If you are on the Economy 7 tariff, you might also like to run other appliances such as your washing machine overnight to take advantage of the cheaper electricity.

Your electricity supplier may also offer Economy 10, which gives ten hours of cheaper electricity.

How to check if you are on Economy 7 If you are on Economy 7, you will see two different rates on your electricity bill, one for the cheaper tariff overnight and

one for the daytime tariff. You could also check your meter or call your electricity supplier if you are unsure.

2828P ay y o u r r e n t O N l i n e w w w. s v h s . o r g . u k28

Starting to recoverWithin a week of him coming home, we were visited by a lovely Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse, she went through his medication and told us we would be invited to attend cardiac rehabilitation therapy once he was over the initial hurdle of six weeks. As St Paul’s Medical Centre in Cheltenham is closest to us we chose to attend there.

When the invitation came we rang to let them know we would like to attend – this is necessary as they need to know the number of people who will be attending each session. For the next six weeks we went along – spouses/partners are welcome to sit in on the talks but may not participate in the exercises. Cardiac Rehab has a rolling programme of six talks, so it doesn’t matter when you attend, you will still get all six sessions – we started with the talk in week three and finished on the talk in week two. The staff asked us to let them know if we are unable to attend a session as space is limited.

What’s coveredEach person is given a blue handbook where the different talks are listed with an explanation of what is covered, for example week one is “Coronary Artery Disease and Risk Factors.” Each session lasts about two hours with a talk at the beginning, followed by about 55 minutes of exercise (15 minutes warming up, 30 minutes of gentle movement exercises, ending with a 10 minute cool down). Then a break for tea/coffee; water is available at all times should you need it. The session ends with another talk so for week one, “Coronary Artery Disease” would open the session and “Risk Factors” would end it.

There are three staff on duty - two cardiac nurses and one physiotherapist

These Nurses helped put our lives together again

who takes the exercise session, and everyone is monitored with a continual check on their pulse (heart) speed and blood pressure. Any questions are welcome and over the period we become more relaxed with each other, able to share experiences and laughs. Friendly and informal overall but the whole six weeks are handled in a professional manner. We would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is eligible.

Follow up At the end of the six weeks, before leaving each person is given a referral form and a paper from the British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation, listing places around Gloucestershire where similar exercises can be continued, at a nominal charge, because these are not part of the NHS Cardiac Rehabilitation programme.

The instructors are all trained personnel. Those attending may start with heart problems but could continue due to other problems with joints, for example their knees. There too spouses/partners and friends are welcome to join in. It is friendly, informal and a great opportunity to improve your health and strength and

meet other people. We joined a group on Thursday afternoons and are looking forward to being back with them in the coming weeks.

find out about

Recently my husband had a heart attack which necessitated him going to hospital to have two stents fitted. Subsequently our lives have changed enormously as he slowly recovers – some days are so much better than others, but he does get tired very quickly so spends most afternoons having a sleep for an hour or two.

Is she? Isn’t she? If you took another look at the photo below to see if the lady in it is Dame Judi Dench, you won’t have been the only one. “I’m always being mistaken for her. When I’m out and about so many people look twice, thinking they have seen someone famous,” says Vera Taylor from Shipway Court, one of our retirement schemes in Bishops Cleeve.

Seeing double

customer achievements


Looking at Jon Harvey’s garden, it’s easy to see why he won a gold award from the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Jon lives in a Severn Vale Housing home in Tewkesbury and although his garden is average size, it’s filled with life. The huge variety of plants and flowers attracts lots of wildlife, from hedgehogs to woodpeckers, from moths to tortoiseshell butterflies and from starlings to bees. There’s a small pond too, which is home to newts, frogs and a couple of toads.

Jon has even found space to grow some fruits and vegetables, “This year I have grown tomatoes, sweetcorn, runner beans, herbs and grapes,” he explains.Jon clearly knows his stuff – he studied horticulture at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire and gained a certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society. But with a busy job he doesn’t get as much time as he’d like in his garden. “Some weeks I only spend a couple of hours in the garden, but I would love to be able to spend much longer out here,” he says.

An award winning garden

A RoseOf a beautiful white

Such a rose of pure delightIt brings comfort of the heart With a message to impart

Now blossomed out in flowerThe rose seems to grow by the hour

Will be inspired in partWith the hope in every heart

Just across the path from meLovely the roses I seePerfume rises in the air

Amongst the petals that settle thereColours – a rainbow hue

All in the garden to welcome you.

On this page we are celebrating the experiences and achievements of some of our customers.

If you have an experience or achievement you would like to share, let us know on 01684 272727 or [email protected] and we may feature you in a future issue of 24/Severn.

Competition winnerBorn in 1934, Vera is the same age as Dame Judi. Having been particularly aware of the likeness since the age of about 50, Vera even won the lookalike competition in the magazine Take a Break in 2012 and again in 2013.

“I have the DVDs of the films Dame Judi has been in and never tire of watching her, her facial expressions are wonderful! I have a signed photo of her too, which is very precious to me.”

Published authorAway from her life as a lookalike, Vera enjoys gardening and socialising. You may also have seen her already in this issue of

the magazine as she held a coffee morning at Shipway Court in September to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Vera has even written and published an autobiography called “Better Late Than Never.” It tells her story from when she worked in service as a housemaid in a large residential hall in Shropshire to her life in Gloucestershire after she moved here in her twenties.

To see more of Jon’s garden, like his Facebook page at Jon Harvey-Gardens or follow him on Twitter at @Gardens_By_Jon

Dane Judi

DenchThank you to Mrs Booth from Tewkesbury who sent us this

beautiful poem.

VeraTaylor

Garden competition

Well done to everyone who entered our 2014 garden competition! The judges were taken aback at the quality of all the entries and commented on how impressed they were at the creativity of so many customers. They liked for example how customers had used space or colour, or how they attracted a wide variety of wildlife to their garden. The competition was open to all customers as we wanted to recognise customers who look after their garden and to encourage others to try their hand at gardening and discover their own green fingers.

This year we also invited entries from any Primary School in the Tewkesbury Borough area. We wanted to give children the opportunity to gain valuable skills whilst enjoying the fresh air. We also hoped they might gain a passion for gardening which they could share with their family and friends. In addition, we hoped that if they could carry the skills they learned into adulthood, the wider community could benefit as they would have the skills to maintain their gardens, leading to more attractive neighbourhoods.

Garden competitionresults

Best in Show Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy

Primary School gardens • Winner - Bishops Cleeve Primary

Academy• Runner up – Tewkesbury C of E

Primary School

Primary School Garden entries had to be linked to the World War One centenary celebrations, so they were challenged to produce their version of a Modern Victory Garden. Catherine Davies, our Community Development Officer and competition organiser, said “The children at Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy came up with lots of ways they could ‘help the war effort’ by growing food on a budget and ‘Digging for Victory.’”

Wildlife friendly • Winner - Carol Dooley• Runner up - Kenneth & Barbara Crew

Our judge Jo Worthy Jones praised Carol’s garden: “Carol’s garden attracts a huge variety of wildlife, from bees to butterflies and from hedgehogs to birds. Carol has been helped by Helen Carver, a volunteer in our Garden Mentor programme and the results of all their efforts are obvious in this fantastic garden!”

Small spaces• Winner - Carol Dooley• Runner up - This year saw a joint

runner up for Small Spaces, they are: Doreen Crump and John Grimmel

Carol and Helen had a second reason to celebrate as Carol’s garden was also the winner of the Small Spaces category. Another of our judges, Ann Wolstencroft, explained: “I have to say that Carol’s garden really opened my eyes to what is possible from a low maintenance garden with regards to both planting and wildlife.”

Your garden• Winner - Kenneth & Barbara Crew• Runner up – Christine Sykes

The winners of the Your Garden category had created a haven that wowed the judges, with stunning flowers, ornaments and water features. Speaking about Kenneth and Barbara Crew’s winning garden, Jo Worthy-Jones described how their garden is: ”split into sections, with something different in each section. Overall it has an excellent range of plants in borders as well as in containers.”

Communal areas • Winner - Spring Gardens in

Tewkesbury, one of our retirement schemes

• Runner up - Langley Close in Winchcombe, one of our retirement schemes

Ann Wolstencroft said, “I loved the range of plants at Spring Gardens and having different types of jasmine next to the seating area is ideal. They have lots of mature shrubs and plants as well as some bedding plants, which made the garden feel established.”

Category Winners


Photos of all the winning gardens can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/severnvalehousing

Garden competition

JUDGES

• Sue Gobbin - one of last year’s competition winners

• Jo Worthy-Jones - Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

• Ann Wolstencroft - one of our Directors

COMPETITION ORGANISER

• Catherine Davies - our Community Development Officer

OUR TEAm

Study the two pictures shown. There are 10 differences between the top and bottom image. Can you spot them all?

Circle the changes on the bottom image and send to: 24/Severn competition, Severn Vale Housing, Tewkesbury, GL20 8ND by 21 November 2014 for a chance to win the hamper. If you live on one of our retirement schemes, look out for the brightly coloured entry boxes in your communal areas.

Or email your answers to [email protected] and you will be entered into the prize draw.

Summer edition

WINNERsWell done to June from Tewkesbury who correctly completed the word search in the last issue, winning a £20 shopping voucher.

Well done to Adele from Churchdown who correctly found all the differences in the spot the difference, winning a delicious hamper.

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone number:

Win a Hamper

competition time

Send your entry by 21 November 2014 to: 24/Severn competition, Severn Vale Housing, Shannon Way, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury, GL20 8NDOr email your answers to [email protected] and you will be entered into the prize draw.

Win a £20 shopping voucherThis word-wheel contains a nine letter word that relates to a special day that’s coming up this autumn. Find this nine-letter word to be in with a chance of winning the voucher. Best of luck!

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone number:

S

F

O

I

R

K

E

R

W

Answer:

24/severn - issue 9

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