6. heartbeat spring 2013 issue 23

SPRING 2013

Cover picture: Midland Heart Women’s Group recently took part in arepairs workshop where they learned basic but valuable DIY skills tohelp them in the maintenance of their own homes. See page 14 for full story.

BEDROOM TAX: WILL THIS AFFECT YOU? SEE PAGE 10

Midland Heart20 Bath Row, Birmingham B15 1LZtel 0345 60 20 [email protected]

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From the editor...

Introducing the newHeartbeat Editorial BoardHaving taken many different formats in the past, weare thrilled to be able to introduce you to the newHeartbeat Editorial Board.

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

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

If you would like to get involved in the HeartbeatEditorial Team please contact Anikah Miller-Ryan on 07767 474 361 or email [email protected].

Natalie Hannam Heartbeat Editor

Nat

In this issue...Wellbeing

Employment & Skills

Update

Engage

Health & Safety

How we’re doing

Where you live

3 - 6

7 - 9

10 - 13

14 - 15

16 - 17

18 - 19

20 - 35

Welcome to the springedition of HeartbeatThis edition of Heartbeat has been a pleasure towork on and it was brilliant to meet with the neweditorial board and gain some important feedback about the magazine. It was great tosee their enthusiasm for future editions.

In this edition we have highlighted some keyinformation about the ‘Bedroom Tax’ that willbegin in April 2013. You should find some usefulcontacts here if you will be affected by this.

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

Lastly, the light-hearted stuff…don’t forget tonote down when the Midland Heart CustomerCarnivals will be coming to your area, and readall about what’s been happening in your localcommunity in the pages towards the back of the magazine.

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

Remember, if you have something to contribute you can get in touch with us byemailing [email protected].

Are you looking for FREEfamily fun, lots of prizes,games and some fantasticfood this summer?

The Midland Heart Customer Carnivals have becomebigger and better over the last three yearsand the good news is that there are coming

to somewhere near you again this summer 2013!

You may have heard about the Government changes toWelfare Reform, and because of the impact that this willhave on some of our customers this year’s carnivals willgive you the chance to meet with Midland Heart staff andother agencies to discuss any issues you are concernedabout.

First and foremost the carnivals are about fun, and togive you an idea, here is what some of our customershave said about previous years:

“All of the family look forward to the carnival each year.There are always lots to do for people of all ages; my personal favourite is the bungee run and the face painting. Best of all it is all completely free!”Kerry Warner, Stoke on Trent

“I work during the week so it is good for Midland Heartto put on the carnival each year on a Saturday, theyprovide another option for us to get involved and meetwith Midland Heart and other agencies”Albert Gibbons, Essington

Carnival dates asfollows:

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

Coventry Carnival,Broad HorizonsEnterprise Centre, 161 Broad Street, Foleshill, Coventry, CV6 5BN, Saturday 22nd June, 11am – 4pm

Leicester Carnival, The George Ward Centre, Church Lane, Barwell, Leicester LE9 8DG, Saturday 13th July, 11am – 4pm.

Staffordshire Carnival, EssingtonCommunity Centre, Hobknock Road,Essington, WV11 2RF, Saturday 22nd June, 11am – 4pm

Wolverhampton Carnival, Dunstall HillCommunity Centre, Dunstall Avenue, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, WV6 0HN,Saturday 13th July, 11am – 4pm.

For more information please [email protected] or telephone 07771 676 773

C a R a LviN

Customer Carnivals biggerand better in 2013!

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Food shopping is a big part of our monthlyoutgoings and the supermarket is wherethe bulk of our money is spent. Try toremember that supermarkets spend alot of money finding new ways of makingus spend more than we need to.

Have you ever wondered why your favourite song is playing as you walk around the aisles? Or why you cansmell freshly baked bread when you walk in the frontdoor but the bakery is at the back of the shop? Possiblynot, but you may feel as though you always spend morethan expected.

In this issue of Heartbeat we are giving you sometop tips to help you save money on your weeklyshop, and highlight some supermarket tricks thatyou’ll want to avoid.

Our top 10 tips for your next supermarket visit:

Don’t go to a big supermarket when you only need2 pints of milk You’ll just end up buying things you don’t need, as wellas wasting time and petrol.

Make a shopping listDig out a cookery book and plan a few meals, then onlybuy what you need.

Consider own-brand goodsYou can buy a tin of Asda own-brand baked beans for14p and a loaf bread at Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's forjust 19p, own brand is a much cheaper alternative.

Bags and packets – loose is cheaperBuying items like fruit or vegetables loose is almostalways cheaper than buying them in bags or packets.

Bin the ready meals Preparing your own food costs a lot less than ready meals.If you need some inspiration try visiting your local libraryto borrow some cook books.

Go Veggie!Not buying as much meat will save you lots.

Buy in BulkIt’s not always cheaper to buy in bulk if you end upthrowing loads of food away. However you can buy stapleslike rice, pasta, salt, sugar and flour as they work outcheaper, last for ages and you know you’ll always use them.

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

Real offers – reduced productsThese are the real bargains, find out when your localsupermarket reduces stock (this is usually later in theevenings or on Sundays). Freeze your bargains and thenyou won’t have to use them straight away.

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

Got more of your own savvy shopping tips?Share them with other Heartbeat readers by emailing them to [email protected]

All you need to know about:

SUPERMARKETS

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Macaroni Cheesewith Ham and SweetcornPrep: 15 mins. Cook: 15 mins. Serves: 4

What you need

300g Macaroni pasta120g Cream cheese 150ml Semi skimmed milk 75g Reduced fat grated cheddar cheese 198g Can no added salt or sugar sweetcorn, drained 75g Lean ham, cut into cube

How to make it

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

2. Drain the pasta and return to the pan, mix with the cheese mixture, sweetcorn and ham. Turn into a greased ovenproof dish and top with the remaining cheese.

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

RECIPE

This is a very straight forward recipe and allof the ingredients can be bought in yourlocal supermarket, so you can feed a familyof 4 for around £4.50

Getting EnergySmart Together!Getting energy smart together is allabout improving the way we use energy.Whatever your reason for saving energy:the environment, or money, you will benefit from having smart energyhabits. There are many things you cando to use energy smartly such as;

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

Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping

Only charge your laptop and phone for as long as they need

Turn off the lights when you leave a room

Don’t leave your TV on standby

Only boil as much water as you need in your kettle

Change washers on taps promptly when they start to drip

When cooking, keep lids on saucepans

Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth

How to get the best deal?Energy supplier’s tariffs are often confusing. Theyhave standing charges and will generally have twotariffs which will usually cost low energy users morethan those who use a lot.

To make sure you arealways getting the bestdeal, shop around.The National Housing Federation has a websitewhich will give you an impartial comparison ofwhat’s available. You can find out more here;

www.myhomeenergyswitch.org.uk

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The award, given to us by the National Centre forDiversity, means as well as meeting their key standardswe have shown that we are serious about promotingequality, diversity and inclusion and that we are reallycommitted to improving how we meet the differentneeds of our customers and staff.

Equality and Diversity is right at the centre of our promiseto work with all of our communities and neighbourhoodsto provide places where people want to live as well asreceive our care and support services. We are committedto putting our customers’ needs at the centre of all of thedecisions we make.

Martina Honeyghan, who is the lead for the award atMidland Heart says “Equality, diversity and inclusion isvery important to us here at Midland Heart and we areworking really hard to make sure that it is at the heartof everything we do!”

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

We would like tothank all of those

who took partand told us whatyou thought of

equality anddiversity atMidlandHeart.

Midland Heart is an Investor in Diversity!

Will you be contacted by MEL?Midland Heart works with an independentresearch company, called MEL Research, to conduct customer satisfaction interviews overthe telephone.

Telephone interviews are short and last no morethan ten minutes. The aim of the survey is to gather specific feedback based on recent servicesreceived from Midland Heart.

You may be contacted if you have had a recentrepair carried out at your home, have received acommunal service such as cleaning or groundsmaintenance, or you have recently moved into aMidland Heart property.

We need your views in order to improve the serviceswe provide, so we would really appreciate it if youcould complete a telephone survey if MEL Researchcontacts you.

If it isn’t convenient to complete a survey at thetime of the call, the interviewer will arrange a moresuitable time to call you, and remember; allresponses to customer satisfaction surveys are confidential and used only to improve our services.

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

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The aims of our strategy include:-l To work with schools in our communities to develop

routes for pupils to enter the Housing and Care sectorl To support social enterprises that create employment

and skills opportunitiesl A target that by March 2016 at least 10% of our

staff are, or have been customers of Midland Heartl We will actively encourage and support customers to

set up their own businesses from homel To keep developing the Back on Track programme,

apprenticeships for young people

What kind of jobs?Vacancies at Midland

Heart typically includea variety of rolesacross our Care &Support services.These areas include: LearningDisabilities, MentalHealth, Older

Peoples Services,Homeless Services,Administrators andCall Centre Staff.

YOUR employmentand skills, OUR priority

To support our customers in gaining employment andbuilding new skills Midland Heart has a number of existing and new opportunities that are available to you:

l Employment and Skills days – Come along on Thursday 11 April, 10 - 4pmand hear about what it is like to work for Midland Heart, receive guidance on how to apply for Midland Heart jobs, and sign up for additional offers of support, for more information call Amy Walden on 0845 850 1020 ext 5624

l Midland Heart job application guidance and support – interested in hearing more about Midland Heart jobs or in receiving guidance in applying? Book an appointment in one of these sessions:–

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

396 Foleshill Road, Coventry, Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm, call 02476 680 110

We are looking to develop similar offers in Leicester,Wolverhampton and Stoke.

l Attend a Workshop - a weekly session giving advice and support, targeting Midland Heart customers in the Snow Hill area of Birmingham, Wednesday nights 5pm - 7pm, The Snow Hill, 86 Old Snow Hill,For more information contact Manjit Sehmar on0845 850 1020 ext 6101.

This year Midland Heart has made theemployment and skills of customers acorporate priority. This is particularlyimportant at the moment with changesto welfare reform and is reflected in our Building Prospects strategy.

Employment & Skills

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

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

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

“It really helps to understand the issues from the customers

point of view”

Emma said: “It really helps to understand the issues

from the customers point of view in my role, and as

I am a customer myself I can appreciate the

frustrations and issues customers face, and offer

sympathetic advice.” Emma speaks highly of thetraining she has received since starting her career at Midland Heart and feels well supported by hermanager.

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

During this session our in house training team will also be on handto support you with any of your additional training needs. Theycan provide training and guidance on Assertiveness, CustomerService, Effective Letter Writing, Handling Complaints, TimeManagement and much, much more. Contact Amy Waldenon 0845 850 1020 ext 5624

Check out www.midlandheart.org.uk/jobsandcareers

SARAH has been a customer of MidlandHeart for 20 years and has worked as aSupport Worker within the MentalHealth Team for the last 5 years. Sarah said: “I come from a care and social background

and really wanted to use the skills I had gained. I

saw an open day advertised in the local newspaper

and applied. Since working for Midland Heart I

have received support and training to carry out my

role, my manager is very supportive and supports

any additional training I want to attend. “Midland Heart allowed me to fit my shifts in around my home life”One of the reasons I love working for Midland

Heart is how accommodating they have been.

When I commenced employment with Midland

Heart I had a young child, and Midland Heart

allowed me to fit my shifts in around my home life.

They have also supported colleagues of mine that

have started their career, this shows it isn’t about

what experience you have but if you possess the

right attitude – the skills can be taught and experience gained.”

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ARE YOU INTERESTED INWORKING IN A CARE ANDSUPPORT ENVIRONMENT?Pathways is the internal recruitment bank forMidland Heart that manages a temporary staffbank. They are always looking for enthusiasticpeople from a Care and Support background whoare interested in working within the following areas:

lOlder people's serviceslYoung people's serviceslHomeless services

Pathways offers individuals the opportunity to workfor a leading housing association, flexible hours, competitive rates of pay and the potential for temporaryassignments/shifts to become permanent employment.

Midland Heart operates all over the Midlands. To find out more about the roles available in your area or for further details, please call the Pathways Recruitment Team on 0121 654 6694/0121 666 5363 or email [email protected]

l Learning disabilitieslMental health services lMultiple needs

Gain Work experience

through Midland HeartBy teaming up with a number of partner

organisations we are offering Midland Heart

customers, aged 16 and over a variety of work

experience opportunities. This can be for just

one day, a week through to a few days a week

over a longer period, so why not talk to us

about your areas of interest?

We currently have regular opportunities with

our voids and maintenance contractors, MEARS,

around general maintenance, electrics,

plumbing, gas, administration, IT, and logistics.

For more information or to get involved,

contact Eric Payton on 07901 515 072 or

email [email protected]

We have reviewed our policy on customers runningbusinesses from their homes, and the new policy is togrant permission to run a business from home so longas it does not breach any normal tenancy conditions.

Midland Heart is keen to support our customers to run abusiness from their home, to become their ‘own boss’, inorder to develop an enterprising spirit and ethos withinour local communities.

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

For more information, or to find out more contact John Webbe on 0845 850 1020 ext 5601,email: [email protected] or tweet John @liveworkmheart to gain a ‘requestform’ to run a business from your home

Have you ever consideredworking from home?

Interested inVolunteering?l Would you like to gain new skills and experience?l Would you like to help others?l Would you like to enhance your CV?l Would you like to share your skills with our customers?

To see our current volunteering opportunitiesand for further details, please visitwww.midlandheart.org.uk/jobs-and-careers/volunteering, for enquiries please call Katiya Nunes on 07876 475854 or [email protected].

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What is under occupation?It is when you live in a home that the government considers to be larger than you need for your householdsize. From April 2013, you will only be able to claimHousing Benefit for the number of bedrooms that thegovernment says you need. If you have one extra bedroom than you need, you will have to pay 14% of the weekly rent yourself or 25% if you have 2 ormore extra bedrooms.

Who will be affected?All housing benefit claimants who have at least onespare bedroom and are between 16 and 61 and halfyears old in April 2013. This includes:l People who only get a small amount of housing

benefit; for example, if you are workingl Even people who are sick or disabled

How many rooms am I allowed?The government has a set of rules to assess how manybedrooms each household needs and they allow onebedroom for the following:l Every adult / couple. This means a couple are

expected to need one bedroom and two adults who are not a couple to need two bedrooms.

l Any other adult aged 16 or over l Any two children of the same sex who are aged

under 16 l Any two children regardless of sex who are aged

10 or under l Any other child aged under 16 l A non-resident carer is allowed where they provide

overnight care to a person with a disability

Exceptions will NOT be made for the following:l Separated parents who share the care of their

children and have a spare room for when they visit

Bedroom tax: will this affect you?From 1 April 2013, the government is making some bigchanges to the housing benefit system. This could affectyou if you are of working age (younger than 61 and halfyears old in April 2013) and have more bedrooms than thegovernment says you need.

l Couples who use their “spare” bedroom when recovering from an illness or operation

l Foster children (as they are not counted as part of the household for benefits purposes)

l Parents whose children visit them l Families with disabled childrenl Disabled people including people living in adapted

or specially designed properties

How much will I lose?If you have one extra bedroom than you need, you areunder occupying and your housing benefit will bereduced by 14% of the total weekly rent. If you havetwo extra bedrooms, it will be reduced by 25% of thetotal weekly rent. This means you will have to pay anamount towards your rent or you will fall into arrears.For example, if your rent is £100 per week and all ofyour rent is covered by Housing Benefit, if you haveone extra bedroom you will have to pay £14 per week,if you have two extra bedrooms you will have to pay£25.

What should I do if my housing benefit isreduced?You will still be responsible for paying your rent; youwill need to fund the difference between the housingbenefit you receive and the rent on the home you livein. This will also affect you if you don’t receive fullhousing benefit for example, if your rent is £100 perweek but you only get £50 housing benefit – if youhave one extra room, your housing benefit will reduceto £36 per week or to £25 per week if you have two ormore extra rooms.

Update

www.midlandheart.org.uk/welfarereform

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Some usefull examples

Continued on next page...

Where should I get advice?l If you think you won’t be able to afford the extra

amount and want to move to a smaller home, you can do this by registering with Homes Direct, our choice based lettings website that advertises properties available at Midland Heart and other housing associations. For more information visit www.homesdirect.co.uk

l You can talk to our experienced money advice team (below) who will be able to provide you with more information and support on 0345 60 20 540

Other places to get support and advice:l If you’re worried about paying your rent, talk to

your rent officer who will be able to helpl Get in touch with the Citizens Advice Bureau,

www.citizensadvice.org.ukl Department of Work and Pensions

If you would like more informationwhy not search for Midland Hearton YouTube and watch our Timeto Act video about the WelfareReforms?

Case Study

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

Downsizing was the answer forAnnette. Annette, of Coventry,lived in a three bedroom housebut found it difficult to affordthe rent and the bills.

“I have two children aged 11 andone of 21 who has left home. Imade the decision to downsize toa two bedroom apartment to cutcosts and it has been absolutelybrilliant. It has taken so muchstress away. I did have concernsabout moving but the plusses outweighed the minuses and I amso pleased that I made the deci-sion as I was having sleeplessnights before – I can actuallysleep well now!”

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It’s incrediblyimportant thatour propertiesare maintainedby our contractors,dependingon the typeof work thismight be on

a regular basis or as andwhen required depending on the seasonality.

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

Ensuring quality whilst maintainingvalue for money has always been akey priority for us. We work with thevery best at affordable rates, passingany cost savings on to our customers.

When asked, our customers told us they wanted local contractorsproviding local services, so our contractors are now made up oflocal businesses, small socialenterprises, family run businessesand larger national organisations.

“l wanted to get involved as a customer inspector as l havepride in the area where l live”

Midland Heart customers are making sure that the newservices on offer are of the highest quality by signing upas customer ‘inspectors’. They are inspecting the work tomake sure it is to a high standard. James Brennan, a Customer Inspector explained: “l wanted to get involvedas a customer inspector as l have pride in the area wherel live and in keeping my own estate clean and tidy. Ifeel I could make a difference and ensure the servicesbeing delivered to customers is of a high standard”

We’re very excited to about these changes to the waywe provide your environmental services and we will continue to work with you to improve our standards andoverall customer satisfaction levels.

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

Exciting changes to yourEnvironmental Services!

If you have any questions about the way your services are provided or wish to provide feedbackplease don’t hesitate to contact us either by phone on 0345 60 20 540 or email us on [email protected]

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

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Midland Heart Women’s Grouprecently took part in a repairs workshop where they learned basic butvaluable DIY skills to aid them in themaintenance of their own homes.

This has proved to be a real success and the womeninvolved have learned some very valuable skills includingfixing a leaking or blocked sink and replacing bathroomor kitchen tiles.

Everyone showed a real passion and enthusiasm tolearn new skills and had no reservations about gettingtheir hands dirty.

The group works with Midland Heart customers to findout how they can gain experience and learn new skillsby getting involved in Midland Heart activities.

Customer Involvement Officer, Zaheda Vaid said: “Withthe groups willingness and Midland Heart’s resourcesit is amazing what can be achieved. There is a realpassion for learning new skills within the group and itwas great to see everyone getting involved.”

To find out more about the group, futureevents and how you can get involved,please contact our Customer InvolvementOfficer Zaheda Vaid on 07733 283474 oremail [email protected]

Can you fix it? The Midland Heart Women’s Group can!

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

Time commitment - low

If you’re short on time, but would like to see somechanges in your area then there are a range of waysyou can get involved such as community events includingcarnivals; focus groups and mystery shopping activities.Do you want to stay in the comfort of your own home?If so, you can take part in surveys and we can visit youfrom time to time to get your thoughts and feedbackon the services we provide.

Time commitment - medium

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

Time commitment - high

Have you got more time to spare? Join our Heartbeateditorial board and contribute regular articles or becomea member of one of our five ‘Service ImprovementGroups’ which look at various areas of our work.

There are lots of opportunities foryou to get involved in 2013 so ifyou are interested in finding outmore please contact our CustomerInvolvement Manager, Mary-JaneGunn on 0121 654 6724 or email

[email protected].

Get Involved withMidland HeartLast year was a very successful year for theEngage team and saw around 2,500 of you takingpart in a wide range of activities, gaining newskills through various training courses, and generally having fun at our customer carnivals.

What the Customers say:

It is my first time

at one of these meetings

and I have learned so much

that I can take away,

thank you Midland Heart Amina

It’s so nice to see Midland Heart being sensitive to the needs of womenAnonymous

I found this DIY

session very interesting and

would love to attend more

workshops to learn about

maintaining the home

Norma Dixon-Mulgrave

The DIY workshop

was great, I really

enjoyed the tiling and

have learned a lot

M Emanuel

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I have found today most useful and interesting; it has given me the confidence to do DIY in my own homePat

The facts aboutsmoke alarms

One of the easiestways for you to

keep yourself,your familyand your

home safe isto make sure you

have working smokealarms fitted throughout

your property, one alarm only costs £5and it could save your life!

Get it, install it, and test it

Did you know?l You’re more than twice as likely to die in a fire if

you don’t have a working smoke alarml 18 people die each year because the battery in their

smoke alarm was flat or missingl Over half of home fires are caused by cooking

accidentsl Three fires a day are started by candlesl Every three days someone dies from a fire caused by

a cigarettel Faulty electrics cause around 7000 house fires

across the country every year

Get it: Choosing your smoke alarml They are available from most high street

supermarkets, electrical shops, and DIY storesl Look out for one of these symbols which shows the

alarm is approved and safe

Install it: Fitting your smoke alarml Smoke alarms should be fitted on every level of your

propertyl Don’t put alarms in or near kitchens or bathrooms

where smoke or steam could set them off by accidentl The ideal position is on the ceiling, in the middle of

a room or on the hallway and landing, so you can hear the alarm throughout your home

l If it is difficult for you to fit your alarm yourself contact your local fire and rescue service for help. They may be able to install it for you.

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

Change them every year. Never remove theml Never take the batteries out of your alarm if it goes

off by mistakel A lot of people forget to test the batteries, so longer

life batteries are better

Strobe light and vibratingpad alarms areavailable for those who are deaf or hard ofhearing. Contact the Royal NationalInstitute for Deaf People Information Lineon 0808 808 0123 for more information.

l Did you know that the fire service can conduct a free home fire safety check? More info at http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/hfsc

l When you change your clocks check your smoke alarm battery at the same time so that you know you are checking it regularly

Health and Safety

Fire Safety:

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This scene is all toofamiliar of what canhappen in the UKevery day. An estimated quarter of a million illegalgas jobs are carriedout every year by

incompetent people like Tyrone who do not have theskills or qualifications to work safely with gas.

The silent killer in Corrie

In the right hands gas is perfectly safe, but in the handsof an unregistered gas fitter it can kill. Dangerous gaswork can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbonmonoxide poisoning.

If you suspect you are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning get fresh airimmediately and see your GP or hospital. If you think there is immediate danger, call the Gas Emergency Helpline on 0800 111 999.

We only use Gas Safe registered engineers for all gaswork carried out in your home - it's the law and willkeep you safe. It is very important that you keep theappointments we send you or that you call to re-arrangea date that suits you.

If you have any concerns or would liketo talk to someone about this

futher please contact us on 0345 60 20 540.

Coronation Street's Fiz Brown, played by JennieMcAlpine, has been overcome by deadly carbonmonoxide fumes, caused from a faulty gas boilerworked on illegally by her pal Tyrone Dobbs.

Gas Emergency Helpline0800 111 999

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

You can't see it, smell it or taste it, but carbonmonoxide poisoning can kill quickly without warning.

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Complaints performance:

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

The average for other social housing providers is 63%

Repairs performance:

Percentage of repairs completed during the first visitfrom our contractor:


The percentage of customers very or fairly satisfiedwith the repairs and maintenance service:


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

Customer Service Centre performance:

The total number of calls we answered:

The total number of calls we answered within 20 seconds:

Nov2012

97.33%


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

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

Dec201250%

Nov2012

51.16%

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

Dec2012

90.13.%Nov

201286.33%

Dec2012

76.07%

Dec201296.1%

How we’re doingEvery month we ask more than 1,000customers what they think about ourrepairs, new lettings, environmentaland complaints services.

Nov2012

75.89%

Dec2012

74.31%

Nov2012

80.39%

How we are doing

Overall satisfaction:

Customers who are fairly or very satisfied withMidland Heart’s overall service:

Dec201284.4%

Nov201281%

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

Dec2012

86.75%

Nov201283.3%


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

Customer Involvement performance:

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

u Customer InvolvementYOU SAID: you would like more trainingand to get involved

WE DID: we improved our programme oftraining and developed the Midland HeartCustomer College so that we have a greatrange of training to support customers intheir involvement.

YOU SAID: youwould like moresocial activitiesthat bringneighbourstogether

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

You said...we did

YOU SAID: that gas operatives were notalways showing you their identificationbefore entering your home

WE DID: we have reiterated to our gas partners at monthly meetings the importanceof showing identification before entering yourhome.

Gas Teamu

YOU SAID: when interviewed by MELResearch some of you said that you werenot satisfied with the service that youreceive. You said that our policies and procedures deliver the right results if theyare followed.

WE DID: we have implemented a case management process, that managers areable to carry out checks against, to ensurethat your case is being progressed in a timelymanner.

Tenancy Standardsu

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Two local community projects in Lozells and East Handsworthhave received a much neededfinancial boost with the firstshare of the £100,000Keepmoat Community Fund.

B I R M I N G H A M B I R M I N G H A M B I R M I N G H A M

The funding was shared out between ten charitable andcommunity groups to fund local projects and activities thathave been identified as a priority by the Lozells and EastHandsworth Environmental and Housing Forum (LEHEHF).

Here is a snapshot of the Beware Cyclists campaignand Livingstone Road Community Allotment, thetwo groups that have benefited from the generousKeepmoat donation and support from Midland Heart.

BEWARE CYCLISTScampaign launched

Aston Vision are planing a BEWARE CYCLISTS campaign in the Birchfield area to make both

pedestrians and cyclists aware of the dangers of cycling on pavements. This isespecially dangerous to older people andmothers with small children.

We are hoping to hold workshops in our local schoolswhere notice designs will be made, shots of ‘sillycyclists’ will be made into a video together with other

suitable publicity material to help educate our childrenand adults to the dangers of careless cycling.

So if you are willing to help with this campaign wewould be very pleased to hear from you. Help

us to raise awareness of this issue; help usmake Birchfield the safest cycling part of

the city.

For more information contactus at Aston Vision: [email protected] orfor more information visit

www.astonvision.co.uk.

Lozells community initiatives awarded Keepmoat £’s

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

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

BRAG is working in partnership with Edible Eastside, asocial enterprise based in Digbeth and other local agencies to advocate for the health and social benefitsof green spaces. As well as our regular sessions on theplot we are delivering a series of skills workshops andactivities to involve new local groups,

If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch on 07528 575344 or email [email protected]

Handsworth Healthand Wellbeing GroupThis is a fledgling group of local residents interested in their ownhealth but particularly that of fellowHandsworth residents. We are lookingfor other folk to join in, and to help usplan and deliver future activities.

After carrying out some research about a varietyof health issues we participated in group discussions about what health and wellbeingmight mean for us and our communities. As individuals and as a community group we aretrying to improve health in Handsworth andamong other things we have provided free weeklycycling sessions for beginners in Handsworth Park.

If you are interested inbecoming involved pleasedo get in touch with Kathyon 07507 570 914.21


Livingstone Road Community Allotment

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

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

Moria Borland, West Bromwich - took part in theBagnall Street, Community Fun Day in September 2012

Farhan Ahmed, Sparkbrook - got involved with his localWalkabout & Estate Inspection in October 2012

Elaine Sams, Aston - attended her local ResidentMeeting in November 2012

Shirin Rajabian, Northfield -attended the Santo Grotto Event in her neighbourhood in December 2012

22

Health Exchange offers free healthinformation and one-to-one supportservices at its Health Information Shopin Finch Road Primary Care Centre.

Health Supporters help local people toaccess information via a touch-screenkiosk linked to Health Exchange’s website.

Health hub at theheart of a community


PrizeDraw

They check people’s blood pressureand help them understand if theirbody weight is healthy for their size;they are able to sign-post to otherHealth Exchange services which helpwith everything from healthy eatingand weight management, to beingmore active, sensible drinking, how tostop smoking and support people toself-manage long term health conditions.

They have run several healthevents and action days withlocal community and faithgroups and police.Health Exchange is nowencouraging MidlandHeart customers andstaff to get in touch withtheir ideas for local healthevents.

People living in Lozells and East Handsworth are improving theirhealth and wellbeing – thanks to the partnership work ofMidland Heart’s regeneration team and Health Exchange.

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

Birmingham Carnival,The Light House, 100 Alma Way,

Aston, B19 2LN,

Saturday 6th July, 11am-4pm

See you there!

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

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

Carl Larter, Midland Heart’s Director of Development andNew Business commented: “This exciting scheme is one ofa number of developments which will help Midland Heartto deliver 2120 affordable new homes to our customersby 2015.”

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

Sue Calder, new resident at Crompton Road said: “I am sopleased to have moved in to Crompton Road as myselfand my family were previously living in a two bed flat.This is the first time in two years that I’ve had my ownbedroom and the change in the children is unbelievable.”

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

Nechells family homes complete

Throughout December Santa andhis Christmas Grotto visited customers living around Birminghamto spread a little Christmas cheer! The Grotto offered the chance to visit Santa, andhave a photo taken with him which was then madeinto a Christmas card, enjoy some light refreshments,and activities like card making and face painting.

The Santa bus was enjoyed by over 100 customers in Handsworth, Small Heath, Yardley, Sparkhill,Newtown, Lozells, Bartley Green, Northfield,Smethwick, Winson Green, Highgate, Aston andBordesley Green.

Our thanks goes to Birmingham City Councilwho kindly let us use the Beyond Midnight Busto bring Santa to your local neighbourhoods.

Christmas Grottoscomes to Birmingham

23


24

Customers at Rowan close, Bromsgrove, feltthat their communal areas were constantlybeing used to dump unused items and for flytipping. So Customer Involvement Officer,Judith Rowe decided to get everyone out tohave a good old tidy up.

Gardening contractors, Pinnacle, came along and providedlitter pickers, black bags, brooms, soil and bedding plantsfor hanging baskets and flower pots and the team workedtogether to fill a skip to overflowing.

We used the BeyondMidnight Bus to support uson the day; a new venturemanaged by BirminghamCity Council, aiming toget young people off the

streets at night and offerthem guidance and sup-port.

Everyone had a bit of funand appreciated the

time and effort being put into their patch. One customer said: “We always

see these things in the newsletter happening everywhereelse it’s nice to see we can be included too.”

Tidy up time atRowan Close!


Midland Heart customer,Margaret Bannon lives besidethe Wash Brook in BordesleyGreen which suffers from manypollution issues.

She has become very passionate about improving thewater quality of Birmingham’s rivers and streams forthe benefit of people who live next to them, to helpwildlife and increase biodiversity.

Margaret now works for a company called CSVEnvironment and is trying to raise awareness aboutwater pollution issues with a project called “SparklingWaters”. The project, which is funded by theEnvironment Agency has been running for severalmonths in Sparkbrook, Sparkhill and Balsall Heath anda pilot project has now started around the Wash Brookin Bordesley Green, Alum Rock and Washwood Heath.

Many rivers in England that were once badly pollutedhave now been improved and support plants, insects,fish, birds and mammals. Even the otter is making acomeback. Our inner city brooks and rivers will becomewildlife havens in time, but only if we start to takeaction now!

If you would like any more informationabout water pollution issues or you wouldlike to volunteer for a CSV EnvironmentAction Day then please contact me, MargaretBannon on telephone 0121 753 6300 oremail [email protected].

Sparkling Watersa community engagement project


Customers at a brand new £17 million WestBromwich service joined together with thelocal community to enjoy a free eventthemed the ‘Best of the Black Country’.

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

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

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

Customer Involvement OfficersMartin Hall - Inner BirminghamJudith Rowe - South BirminghamViolet Williams - North BirminghamZaheda Vaid - West Birmingham Outer

Housing Team LeadersMichael Wood - Inner BirminghamChristopher Luke - South BirminghamPete Sandilands - North Birmingham Valerie Hamilton - West Birmingham Outer

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

Watch out for the eco bus!

Bagnall, best of Black Country eventThe estate also includesthe James Bagnall Foyerwhich provides supportedaccommodation for 34young homeless people.

Toni Watton, Projects Leader for Midland Heart said: “Theevent was fantastic, it brought lots of different peopletogether and provided everyone with an opportunity to findout about other Midland Heart services and have some fun.

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

25

26


During residents meetingsViolet has been signpostingyoung people to local openspaces where ball gamesare allowed and has inviteda number of different localorganisations to work withthem.

Now working in Partnershipwith Continental Star FCand City United Ltd theseyoung people have regularFootball training sessions,and were recently invited

to go on an educational trip with City United Ltd toManchester United Football Club & Manchester NewFootball Museum.

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

If you would like further details on how toget involved with local sports teams contactCustomer Involvement Officer, VioletWilliams on 07771 764593 or get in touchwith your local leisure centre.

All for the loveof the game!

Project: NewtownAspireCustomers living at Crocodile Works,Newtown are working with professionalartists from a community group calledSECTA to develop a single piece of artwork which will be installed on buildinghoardings located in Alma Way, Newtown.

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

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

We are really looking forwardto seeing the final artwork!

Midland Heart staff Beth Doddand Violet Williams have beenbusy working with young peoplefrom Barnesville Close and the surrounding estate, in responseto some anti-social behaviourissues involving noise levels andball games.

For the second time in a year, housing associationsMidland Heart, Whitefriars Housing, and Orbit Heart ofEngland have worked with West Midlands Fire Service,Coventry City Council Entry to Employment Team, OpenDoor Employment Programme, The Cook and Eat WellProgramme, the Youth Offending Service and WestMidlands Police, to create an opportunity for youngstersto forge more positive futures for themselves.

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

Midland Heart’s maintenance sub contractors inCoventry, A&D Carpentry & MS Contractors offeredjobs to 2 participants and 18 year old Midland Heartcustomer Alex Thomson was offered an apprenticeshipwith Whitefriars.

The participants tookpart in various activities, includingphysical exercises, CVwriting and interviewskills, team building,healthy cooking and

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

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

“I’m delighted that they have all now secured either work or

education opportunities.”

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

“The young people who completed the course deservecredit. They did enormously well to meet the variouschallenges which we presented them with, and I’mdelighted that they have all now secured either work oreducation opportunities.”

If you are interested in becoming involvedin the next Coventry Boot Camp call ElaineShirley on 07770 585346.

Youngsters gainjob opportunities

COVENTRY COVENTRY COVENTRY COVENTRY

27

Last November Foleshill library andMidland Heart delivered their thirdfamily fun day, this time with a festival celebration theme, attractingover 200 families.

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

In addition children and adultsenjoyed a wide range ofactivities, including: zumba,meditation for beginners, art& crafts and story time foryounger children, who weretreated to a special visit byLady Godiva!

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

If you would like to find out thedates for the next event call Elaineon 07770 585346.

Foleshill familyfun day

Ten year old AnnJesuthasan from St Elizabeth'sSchool in Edgwick,Foleshill, Coventryis the first youngperson to win theJunior Wardensprize - sponsoredby Midland Heart -

for identifying and reporting litter anddog fouling in the neighbourhood.

OUR JUNIOR WARDEN


The Local Authority Wardens workingin partnership with Midland Heartmeet with children from school years5 and 6 every month to talk abouthow they can help to improve theenvironment by not dropping litter,reporting fly tipping and ensuring thatdog mess is cleared.

28

Ann Jesuthasan is pictured receiving £5.00 voucher

from Neighbourhood Warden, Tom Carter.

In the next two yearswe are investing£16.6m into creating124 new high qualityhomes for Coventry.

One of the latest developments is ClayLane in Coventry. Building contractorGalifordTry has delivered the £1.1mdevelopment on behalf of MidlandHeart, which has seen a former ex-Serviceman’s club site transformedinto 20 brand new quality homes comprising of nine three bedroomhouses and five two bedroom houses,plus six two bedroom apartments.

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

Anne Davis, Coventry – took part in the DisabilityReference Group in September

Keira Russell, Coventry - attended local community tenant groups and activities in October

Aisha Bhayat, Coventry - attended local community tenant groups and activities in November

Miss Davies, Coventry - took part in a walkabout consultation on new lift being fitted in December

PrizeDraw


Carl Larter, Director ofAssets for Midland Heartsaid: “This excitingscheme is one of anumber of developmentswhich will help Midland

Heart to deliver a total of 2120 affordable new homes across thewhole of the east and west midlandsby 2015.”

The housing scheme, which is due to becompleted in March this year, is righton the doorstep of the £2.6mUpper Stoke Health CentreProject which will see abrand new health carecentre, managed by theCoventry Care Partnership.

Clay Lane means more newquality homes for Coventry

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

Customer Involvement Officer Gail Gavan Housing Team Leader Anita Kapadia

Coventry Carnival,Broad Horizons Enterprise Centre,

161 Broad Street, Foleshill, Coventry, CV6 5BN

Saturday 22nd June, 11am-4pm

See you there!

29

E A S T M I D L A N D S E A S T M I D L A N D S E A S T

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

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

Customer Involvement TeamLeader and Officer for the EastMidlands, Cameron Whyld said:

“The Centre and the kids fromthe toddler’s play group areover the moon with the new

play area. We hope thatthe new play area willbe used and enjoyed bythe large number of

Midland Heart customersliving close by the George WardCentre, as well as the local community as a whole.”

Barwell Play area

30

The George Ward Centre is a thriving community centre inBarwell, Leicestershire and is at the heart of the local community.

Sam is a customer whobegan attending localmeetings for people living in his block of flatsin Leicester City Centre,out of curiosity morethan a desire to scrutinisewhat Midland Heart do.

Initially wary of the idea of engaging with his landlord and not confident about the idea of goingto meetings generally, he was not very keen to getinvolved. Now, just three short years later, Sam is along standing member of the Customer Panel, theFinance Service Improvement Group and one of ourmost active Customer & Communities Committeemembers.

Sam’s confidence has soared, through familiaritywith being outside his comfort zone, boosted bytraining provided by the Customer Involvementteam. Sam has recently become a full time volunteerfor the Citizens Advice Bureau - something that hewould not have considered doing prior to gettinginvolved.

We’d really like to congratulate Sam onhis new role with Leicester CitizensAdvice Bureau. His desire to help and

advise others is what motivates him toget involved with scrutinising what we do and weknow that he’ll bring the same passion and skills tohis work with the CAB in Leicester.

Congratulations Sam!

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

Customer Involvement Officer Cameron Whyld Housing Team Leader Leo Daniels

PrizeDraw

East Midlands Carnival,The George Ward Centre, Church Lane,

Barwell, Leicester LE9 8DG


See you there!

E A S T M I D L A N D S E A S T M I D L A N D S E A S T

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

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

Pamela Ball, Atherstone – got involved during the Cooks Close door knock inSeptember 2012

Sam Raddie, Leicester – attended the October meetingof his Customer Panel

Valerie Davies, West End,Leicester – attended and chaired the Monday AllsortsResidents Group in November2012

Wolstan Henry, Leicester –engaged with his housing officer during one of thedoorstep surgeries in his building in December

31

BARWELL: Housing surgeries are now beingheld at the George Ward Centre, ChurchLane, Barwell on the third Thursday of themonth, 1pm-3pm, and are proving really popular.

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

LEICESTER WEST END: We have joined up with Leicester City Council and LeicestershirePolice in holding a housing and policing surgery. The surgery is held at the St AndrewsTenants and Residents Association buildingon Walnut Street on the first Wednesdayof the month, 10am-12pm.

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

Watch this space for more details.

Housing Surgeries

32

S T A F F O R D S H I R E S T A F F O R D S H I R E

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

Burslem is a great town. It has great people, a thrivingcreative scene, an amazing heritage and so muchpotential. But sometimes it doesn't get the recognitionit deserves. The Beauty in Burslem photography project was all about encouraging people to fall in love with their town centre again

If you would like to see more visit: www.beautyinburslem.co.uk orwww.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-in-Burslem

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

Customer Involvement Officer Gareth Hopkins Housing Team Leader Sue Caley

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

Beauty inBurslem

Support for young people in Stoke-on- Trent

Young people inStoke-on-Trentaged 16-19years old, not ineducation,employment ortraining havebeen given anopportunity todevelop skillsand knowledge

that will support them with their futureplans, by participating in the BurslemYouth Routes project.

Throughout the five day programme, organised byMidland Heart, participants were invited to meetlocal employers, discuss training and volunteeringopportunities and gain a referral to partners toassist with the development of their CV, andessential interview skills.

A total of 31 young people benefitted from taking part in the Youth Routes programme andhave each been introduced to apprenticeshipopportunities in the area.

Simon Hilson who participated in Burslem YouthRoutes programme said: “I really want to start myown business and I have ideas but need help,everyone organising the programme has beengreat and really helped to point me in the rightdirection.”

Jackie Grant, Regeneration Officer for MidlandHeart said: “We worked with Hanley YMCA and anumber of other agencies to make this projectwork and I would like to thank each of them fortheir input, I hope to be able to do this againsometime in 2013”

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

These events were once again successfulin attracting customers of all ages toattend, many of which we do not

Customer Group Christmas Events

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

Stephen Maskery,Lichfield - took part in his local Customer Panel in September 2012

Donna Wakelin,Burntwood – attended her Local Residents Meeting inOctober 2012

John Floyd, Lichfield – attended his Local Residents Meeting inNovember 2012

Jayne Davies, Burntwood –attended a local CommunityEvent in December 2012

PrizeDraw

S T A F F O R D S H I R E S T A F F O R D S H I R E

Burslem and Middleportsuccessful funding bid

Burslem and MiddleportLocal Forum won a bid fromthe Design Council CABE forthe design your neighbour-hood grants programme.

Design Council CABE received almost100 applications from across Englandand the forum was one of only 11 tobe awarded the £9,500 funding.

The Forum and Urban Vision haveused the funding to organise, projectmanage and to host the Middleport‘Winter Design Festival’ 22nd & 23rdMarch 2013, where they broughttogether the community, local businesses and decision makers tolook at community-led developmentopportunities for the Middleport area.

This project was chosen because itdemonstrated both the need forgood design in the local area, as wellas a good level of community support, in order to drive positivechange.

If you would like to getinvolved with the localforum please contactJackie Grant,Regeneration Officerfor Midland Heart on07766781648, or tokeep up to date follow@visitmiddleport on twitter.

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

Jayne Davies from Jervis Court said: “It is amazing how much difference abit of food, some small presents and achirpy Santa can have on the localcommunity. Half the block of customersattended which is really positive.Taking your children to see Santa at ashopping centre can often be quiteexpensive, so it is really good that wewere able to put these events on.”

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

Staffordshire Carnival,Essington Community Centre,

Hobknock Road, Essington, WV11 2RF

Saturday 22nd June, 11am-4pm

See you there!

33

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

New affordable Housing inWolverhamptonWork is well underway on a new Midland Heartdevelopment near East Park in Wolverhampton.

Whitmore ReansYouth panel – Penaltyshoot out 2012!Members of the community engagement teambased at the Wolverhampton office have beenworking with a local youth group ‘PositiveVibrations’ to develop a youth action plan inthe Whitmore Reans area of Wolverhampton.

A penalty shoot out event was organised by‘Positive Vibrations’ for local young people living inthe Whitmore Reans area to offer an opportunityto meet and develop good relationships withMidland Heart staff.

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

Over 40 young people got involved in the penaltyshoot out and the night was a great success. Theevening ended with two local young people: Kishonand Cameron being crowned Winner and Runner-up of the penalty shoot out.

Anikah Miller-Ryan, Customer Involvement Officersaid: “The event was a good opportunity for meto meet our younger Midland Heart customersand residents who live in the Whitmore Reansarea. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and wasvery impressed by the enthusiasm shown byeveryone involved in the event!”

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

The apartments have an open plan kitchen/lounge area,modern fitted kitchen and bathroom with good size bedrooms.

l One/two bedroom apartmentl Modern fitted bathrooml Open plan kitchen/lounge areal Landscaped areasl Parking space

For further information contact Joan Gooden atMidland Heart at [email protected] call 0845 850 1020 ext 6152.

2034

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

Customer Involvement Officer Anikah Miller-RyanText/call on 07767 474 361.Housing Team Leader Dawn Finnan

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

Craig Duncombe, Walsall - attended & participated in the Tamworth Close Family Fun day in August 2012

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

Lyn Burkett, Wolverhampton – took part in Peer Review Training in November 2012

Eve Bradley, Stourbridge – took part in the Smallshire way Christmas Party in December 2012

PrizeDraw

Wolverhampton and Black Country Carnival,Dunstall Hill Community Centre,

Dunstall Avenue, Whitmore Reans,Wolverhampton, WV6 0HN


See you there!

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

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

Joan Gooden, Regeneration ProjectOfficer, working with partners in theDudley area recruited six young people between the ages of 16-19 years of age who are not in employment, education or trainingon a programme that will providethem with employability skills andhopefully a brighter future.

Joan said: “We are hoping thatthe young people on the coursewill leave with the confidenceto start a more focussed jobsearch, these six individuals in particular had a good idea aboutwhat they wanted to do in the future.We are very thankful to St ThomasCommunity Network who supported usin developing the programme”.

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

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

All of the young people on the programme went on a two week work placement in areas where theywere interested in finding permanentwork.

For more information or to get involved please contact: Joan Gooden, Mobile: 0779 8572 358 or email [email protected].

Jessica Morgan (16yrs) and Michael Hutchinson (18 yrs)

35

If you would like help to access or understand any of our information call us on0345 60 20 540 or email us at [email protected]

Cert no. SGS-COC-003585

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

Our expert money adviceteam offer free, unbiasedand confidential adviceand information aboutany debt or benefit problem you may have.We help you by:

l Making sure you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled

l Advising you on how to deal with financial problems and helping you to negotiate with the people you owe money to

l Offering ongoing help and support.

Call 0345 60 20 540and ask to speak to a Money Advisor

Money worries? Don’t knowwhere to turn for help?

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6. heartbeat spring 2013 issue 23

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