intouch spring 2013

intouch ISSUE 74 | SPRING 2013 | FREE

The magazine for residents of Wales & West Housing

In this issue...

Le ngs update

Is a lodger the answer?

Emergency Alarm Annual Report 2012/13

Photo comp – win £100

Once in a while every company needs to take a long hard look at itself and think about how well it is doing and what would make things be er.

We talk to people every day and know how diffi cult it is to fi nd somewhere to live which is why we want to grow and provide more homes for local people. We also know that we can make a diff erence to our residents in how we run Wales & West Housing. We’ve taken that long hard look at ourselves, at all the things we do, and want to tell you what we found. With In Touch you will also have received your copy of ‘Ge ng it right...’

Please take a few minutes to read this and then give us your feedback. If you do, and if you give us your contact details, you’ll be entered into our prize draw.

It’s so easy. Either:

reply to the text we have sent you if we have a current mobile number for you

reply online at our website www.wwha.co.uk. Or go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/Ge ngItRight2013

or call freephone 0800 052 2526 and ask for ‘Ge ng It Right’ customer survey

Three lucky residents drawn at random from everyone who feeds back to us will each win Argos vouchers worth £100.

But don’t delay – please note that surveys received a er June 30 will not be entered into our prize draw.

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etails,

Ge�ng it right...

Self Assessment Supplement

Wales & West Housing | May 2013

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

Editor’s Le er Contents

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

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

Follow us on twi er @wwha

Contact UsWales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, Tremorfa, Cardiff CF24 2UD. Telephone: 0800 052 2526 | Text: 07788 310420 Email: [email protected] | Website: www.wwha.co.ukYou can also contact members of staff direct by their email. For example, [email protected]

Welcome to the Spring 2013 edi on of In Touch – the magazine especially for residents of Wales & West Housing.

Having enough money to pay the bills, eat and keep a roof over our heads can be a real worry for many people today.

If this sounds familiar, have a look at our Money Ma ers sec on (p16 to 18) which, as usual, has plenty of places to go for help and advice.

Another op on, if you are short of cash, might be to take in a lodger (p12 to 14).

We look at the pros and cons, as well as provide a ‘how to’ guide, if you decide this is for you. And thank you to everyone who took the me to tell us what they think of what we plan to do with the way we let our homes (p6 to 8).

Finally, you can’t fail to be inspired by two very diff erent ‘people’ stories: Freda, who has given up smoking and saved so much money she’s been able to buy herself a new car (p19), and Libby, who has got her fi rst ‘proper’ job with us (p32) - and is loving every moment of it!

Keep in touch!

WWH News & Info 4Money Ma ers 16Healthy Living 19FoodBanks update 20Planned Maintenance 22Health and Safety 24Emergency Alarm Annual Report 26Neighbourhoods that work 29Development update 31Work.skills.experience 32Quarterly Report 35Equality and Diversity 40Residents Par cipa on 42Making A Diff erence Awards 45Awards Round Up 47Charity update 49Your News & Views 51Going Green 52Birthdays and Anniversaries 53Photo compe on 55

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

Big rent arrears? Not talking to us? This could be your last chance to save your tenancyIn our last edi on we ran an ar cle on our rent collec on service. In it we explained that it is really important to us that we do all we can to help you pay your rent and manage your money eff ec vely.

We also explained that we don’t want to evict people - but may have to do so as a very last resort. This will happen if you do not talk to us in order for us to agree a way for you to pay back the money you owe us, your rent arrears.

However as an organisa on that prides itself on being fair, we want to give any resident facing evic on one last chance to resolve things before we will take legal ac on to recover their home. Therefore as part of our Rental Collec on Service we have introduced our very own Rent Panels.

A Rent Panel Hearing is basically a last chance discussion where a resident is

asked to a end a mee ng with their Housing Offi cer, a Housing Manager and / or the Head of Housing. The aim of the panel is to reach a sustainable payment plan for the resident to prevent the repossession of a resident’s home. Where necessary we will also have a Money Advice offi cer either present or on hand to give budge ng advice and assistance.

Judges across the country have welcomed our approach which demonstrates to them that we really have tried everything to engage with our residents to avoid having to go down the legal route to take away their home.

• During 2012 we held 62 Rent Panels

• 54 residents a ended, are keeping to an agreement and are s ll in their homes

• 18 residents either did not a end or did not keep to an agreement and have now lost their homes.

Rent Panels explained

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

Our agenda has been, and con nues to be, dominated by welfare reform and in par cular the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’ which came into eff ect on April 1st.

Working effi ciently with local authori es throughout Wales we have been able to iden fy more than 800 WWH households across Wales which will be aff ected by the change.

Our staff have contacted all aff ected residents to talk through the changes, discuss the poten al impact on household budgets and to work with them to fi nd aff ordable solu ons.

To date, the vast majority of our residents have told us that they intend to stay in their exis ng homes although many may struggle to make up the shor all in their housing benefi t.

In recogni on that many of our residents will need more help to sustain their tenancies, we have also invested heavily in providing ongoing support through the crea on of seven en rely new Tenancy Support Offi cer posts.

Star ng work with us now and based across Wales – four (Natalie Davies, Amanda Collins, Stuart Lock and Sharon Jones) in the South, one (Donna Steven) in Mid Wales and two (William Brook and Jen Bailey) covering our proper es in North Wales – they will work with residents to help them deal with the impact of all forthcoming welfare reforms, including the introduc on of Universal Credit, giving them the knowledge, choices, strength and hope to weather the forthcoming storm.

Of course, one knock-on eff ect of the bedroom tax is that we are now seeing some of our larger proper es – especially three bedroom family homes – becoming available. Again we are working closely with all our local authority partners, and other agencies to make sure that the right people in housing need are able to access these aff ordable homes.

Welfare Reformweathering the storm

Natalie Davies and Amanda Collins, two of our seven new Tenancy Support Offi cers, enjoy a tea break in our Cardiff offi ce


Changing our approach

to le ngsIn the last edi on of In Touch we told you about our plans to change the way we let proper es. You may remember that although our overall policy was staying the same we were planning to change the size of house or fl at we would off er to a family so that it fi ts in with the new ‘bedroom tax’ rules.

We asked for your views and for the opinion of a number of other individuals and organisa ons we work with. In all we had 41 responses: 21 were in favour of the proposals, 5 did not agree and the remaining 15 were unsure or did not express a view. We took account of everyone’s comments and have made some amendments to our proposals.

So how will the changes will aff ect you?We are proposing to let our proper es in line with the bedroom tax rules so you may be aff ected if you want to transfer from your current WWH home to a diff erent one. The new approach applies to all residents of working age whether you are in receipt of housing benefi t or not. Residents in receipt of pension credit are not aff ected by this change.

The table opposite summarises the main changes. You can see if you are a single parent with access to a child/ children you

are only en tled to a one bedroom fl at/ house so you will not be able to apply for a transfer to larger accommoda on. If you are a family with two children under the age of ten and are already living in a two bedroom house you will not be able to apply to move to a larger house.There are some excep ons to the table and these have been introduced as a result of the consulta on we carried out. We are willing to under-occupy in the following circumstances:

• Where we have diffi culty in fi nding families large enough to fully occupy a house;• Where there is an urgent housing need such as the need to provide or receive support or where there is a risk of violence and there are no proper es of a suitable size;• For households with a high level of housing need due to medical or other physical/mental disability where their housing needs cannot reasonably be met by a smaller property.


PROPERTY to be REGISTEREDStudio/ 1bed fl at/ house

1bed fl at/house

2 bed fl at, maisone e or house



HOUSEHOLD TYPE (EXISTING)Single person

Childless couple

Couple or single parent with 1 childSingle parent with access to a child

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

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

HOUSEHOLD TYPE (PROPOSED)Single person

Childless coupleSingle parent with access to a child/ children

Couple or single parent with 1 childCouple or single parent with 2 children under 10Couple or single parent with 2 children of the same sex under 16

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

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


In all these cases we will carry out an aff ordability check to make sure you can aff ord to pay the rent and cover any deduc ons made as a result of bedroom tax. You will also have to provide us with some proof of your urgent need to move.

In other circumstances, including these, we will allow under-occupa on without an aff ordability check:

• Households with an unborn child which means they will be eligible for an extra bedroom or where the ages of the children mean they will be eligible for an extra bedroom within two years ;• Where the oldest member of an resident’s household will be in receipt of pension credit within two years and therefore exempt from the ‘bedroom tax’.

If you are already on our transfer list then you may have already received a telephone call from our Housing Op ons Team to discuss your transfer applica on. If you have not heard from us already then we will be in touch soon.

If you are thinking of applying for a transfer then please speak to your Housing Offi cer or telephone our Housing Op ons Team on 0800 052 2526. They will be able to advise you on the situa on in your area and in rela on to your personal circumstances.

Please note – we are members of Common Wai ng Lists in Cardiff , Merthyr Tydfi l, Rhondda Cynon Taf and the Vale of Glamorgan, so diff erent rules may apply.

Direct Debit WinnerMiss A Burgess, of Llwyn Alun, Hope, Flintshire is the lucky winner of £100 for our last quarterly Direct Debit draw and will be receiving her cheque from us very soon.

To qualify for an entry in the draw all you need to do is pay your rent by Direct

Debit. It is as easy as that and it is so easy to set up.

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

££ £Win £100 by paying your rent by Direct Debit

Adver sement | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 09

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10 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Adver sement

Shared Equity OpportunityBrython Drive

We now have 3 lovely NEW homes for sale at just 70% of the market price.Ordinarily these 2 bedroom houses would cost £119,000, but we have them on the market for just £83,300 under our Shared Equity Scheme.

Are you looking to buy your own home?

Go to www.wwha.co.uk or call freephone 0800 052 2526 and

Please Quote 01/ /0 13


Shayne gives evidence to ParliamentShayne Hembrow, WWH Deputy Chief Execu ve and Commercial Director, joined other senior fi gures from social housing in Wales to give evidence to parliament about the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’.

Shayne reported to the Welsh Aff airs Select Commi ee on April 16 and explained that there are not enough one-bedroom proper es for people to downsize to avoid being hit by the ‘bedroom tax’.

He was joined by Nick Benne , Chief Execu ve of Community Housing Cymru, Duncan Forbes, Chief Execu ve of Bron Afon Community Housing Associa on, and, Antonia Forbes, Chief Execu ve of Cynon Taff Housing Associa on, who also gave evidence to the Commi ee.

The day before Welsh Government Housing Minister Carl Sargeant had also

given evidence to the Commi ee, which is chaired by MP David Davies.

A fourth evidence session took place on Tuesday 14 May at 9.30am in the Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, where Lord Freud, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, gave his evidence to the Commi ee. This session was also televised.

The Commi ee is now considering all the evidence it has received. If you would like to fi nd out more go to h p://www.parliament.uk/welshcom Then click on the tab labelled ‘The impact of changes to housing benefi t in Wales.’

There you can read in full the evidence given by all witnesses to the Commi ee, and watch videos of Shayne and his colleagues speaking to Parliament.

If you have a spare room, or rooms, in your home you might want to consider taking in a lodger.This could be especially helpful if you are fi nding it more diffi cult to make ends meet due to changes to the benefi ts system.

Here we take a look at what this means, the pros and the cons and how to go about it, if you decide taking in a lodger is for you.

The ‘Pros’ of taking in a lodger • You will earn extra income• The fi rst £20 of weekly income you gain from taking in a lodger will not aff ect your benefi ts. • You can earn up to £4,250 a year in rent before you have to pay any income tax.• And as this annual rent of £4,250 is “tax free” it also won’t aff ect the amount that you receive in Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit either.• Company / friendship• Security – someone else at home• Addi onal skills in your household

The ‘Cons’ of taking in a lodger • You will have to be happy about sharing your home with a stranger• A rela ve or close friend living with you and living as a member of your household would normally be treated as a ‘non-dependant’ in benefi t terms and their income would aff ect your Housing Benefi t.• If you receive more than £20 a week in rent, the addi onal cash is likely to aff ect your benefi ts. However you are s ll likely to be be er off . Your housing offi cer, local authority or housing advice organisa on will be able tell you exactly what impact this extra cash will have on your benefi ts, if any.• Things can go wrong if you are not clear from the outset what is acceptable to you in your home, and what is not. If things do go wrong, and you are not able to talk things through calmly and quickly to resolve any problems, you could fi nd your home becomes a place of stress and tension, rather than your refuge from the world.


Taking in a lodgerthe pros and cons


Thought it all through and want to go ahead? Here is our step by step guide to ren ng out a room1. Talk to us, your landlordYou must involve us in your decision to take in a lodger as we will be able to advise you if this is possible under your tenancy agreement with us. Call freephone 0800 052 2526 and speak to our Housing Op ons Team, or speak to your Housing Offi cer at the earliest possible opportunity. They can – and will – help you to make an informed decision about whether taking in a lodger is right for you.

2. Get your home rent readyMake sure your home and the room you want to rent out is safe, fi re proof and that you have general safety sorted. Also speak to your benefi t provider to check if the extra cash will aff ect your benefi t en tlement, and if so how.

It may also be worth speaking to your local Ci zens Advice Bureau.

3. So how much can I charge?The answer is, of course, ‘it depends’. Several factors will aff ect what your room is worth. Loca on, the type of property, the decora on, fi xtures and fi ngs – all of these will aff ect what you can charge. The current UK average for a double room, including some bills, is around £90 per week. Try visi ng

www.spareroom.co.uk and have a look what other people nearby are charging. Just pop your postcode or area into the search box on the homepage and click ‘search now.’ Or you could check what other people are charging in your area on sites like gumtree.com, or in the rooms to let sec on of your local paper.

4. Adver seTry pu ng a no ce in your local shop or go online and adver se it for free through one of the many websites available. If you live close to a college or university you might want to register with them your interest in le ng a room.

5. Find someone that’s right for youLe ng someone live in your home is a big step, so it pays to be prepared. Take your me to talk to the people viewing your property to make sure they are a good fi t for your home. It is also good to lay down your simple ground rules early, so you both know what to expect.

6. Get wri en referencesAsk your new lodger if they can provide references from an employer or previous landlord. It’s best to get these in wri ng, and a phone call to double check with their referee won’t do any harm either. This can give you extra peace of mind that the agreement you are entering into is likely to be alright.


7. Have a wri en agreement Have a wri en agreement between you and your lodger. This is important - for both of you and will be what you refer to should things go wrong. Your wri en agreement should include:

• rent amount and payment details• which rooms/facili es your lodger is en tled to use• services you agree to provide• any share of household bills• how long un l the payment amount is reviewed• house rules• no ce period.

If you fi nd this all a bit daun ng, don’t worry. There are several good guides to lodger agreements available through bookshops, sta oners or online. Or call our Housing Op ons Team who will be able to send you a copy.

Simple ps to help you stay safe• Always have a trusted friend with you when you interview prospec ve lodgers • Keep your valuables locked away during the interview • Make sure you use the interview as an opportunity to ask about anything that concerns you

For more informa on see www.gov.uk/government/publica ons/le ng-rooms-in-your-home-a-guide-for-resident-landlords

see mentroomses


To thank residents for comple ng and returning the survey, each household was entered in a prize draw and the lucky winners were:

1st prize of £100 Argos vouchers went to Mr Phil Jones in Llay, Wrexham. He told us, “What a lovely surprise! Thank you very much Wales & West. The fi rst thing I’ve won in 70 years!”

Rhian Marsh Housing Offi cer presen ng Phil with his prize.

2nd prize of £75 Argos vouchers went to Jackie Desmond from Canton, Cardiff . “I am so happy, I never win anything, I am going to buy a Vax carpet cleaner. Thank you so much,” she said.

Claire Jones, Housing Offi cer with winner Jackie Desmond

And 3rd prize of £50 Argos vouchers went to Miss R Jones in Mold. Congratula ons to all our winners and many thanks to everyone who took the me to complete our survey.

In October and November 2012 we ran our annual resident sa sfac on survey which went out to one third of our residents asking them for their views on a wide range of services. We brought you the results of this in the last edi on of In Touch.

Residents Sa sfac on Survey - winners!

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

Don’t be. Help is at hand. First try www.yourbenefi tsarechanging.co.uk. Run by Community Housing Cymru this site also off ers plenty of useful informa on to help you nego ate the changes to the welfare benefi ts system. There are links to this site from our own website www.wwha.co.uk.And don’t worry if you are not online. Call 0300 303 1073, or text ‘change’ to 80018 and an adviser will call you back.

Or you could try Turn2us. Turn2Us is a charity which helps people access the money availableto them – through welfare benefi ts, grants and other help.

They have recently produced a great website highligh ng all of the changes to the benefi t system. Go to www.benefi tsawareness.org.uk

You can also link to this site from our own website at www.wwha.co.uk where there is more informa on about managing your money in the residents sec on.

And don’t forget that you can talk to your housing offi cer about your fi nances and any worries you may have at any me.

Worried about benefi ts changes?

Money Ma ers | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 17

Having focused on the bedroom tax in previous issues of InTouch this me we are looking at a benefi t change that hasn’t had as much coverage. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefi t you can claim if you need help with increased costs due to a disability. You may be en tled to it if you need help looking a er yourself or you struggle to walk.

From June 2013 in Wales, the Government is no longer accep ng new claims for DLA if you are aged between 16 and 64, but is instead replacing it with a new benefi t called Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

This new benefi t assessment will focus on how your disability aff ects your day to day life and how it impacts on your ability to carry out various tasks. Most people will be asked to a end a face to face consulta on with a health professional prior to any award being made.

If you are currently claiming DLA the roll out of PIP will happen in various stages depending on your award:

• From October 2013, if you are already claiming DLA and you reach the end of your current award or report a change in your care or mobility needs you will be invited to claim PIP.

• If you have a child who receives DLA and they turn 16 during or a er October 2013 they will also be invited to claim PIP.

• For anyone else who receives DLA and has an indefi nite award (you have not been told that you need to renew your DLA claim) you will not be aff ected by this change un l October 2015.

If you’re online you can fi nd out more informa on at www.gov.uk/pip

Disability Living Allowance - update

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

Money Advice Service

From fi nancial advice to cope with life changing events like having a baby or re ring through to general ps about managing your money, the Money Advice Service has informa on useful to everyone.

The site also has advice about Universal Credit, the Government’s new benefi t system that is due to be rolled out na onally at the end of 2013. Though most people will not be aff ected by this change in the immediate future there are some aspects of it that would be worth preparing for now:

Get onlineThe new system will require people to claim their benefi t online. Whilst accessing the internet can seem daun ng many libraries run sessions to introduce people to it and show them the many benefi ts of using the internet in your day to day life. Or call Communi es 2.0 on

0845 474 8282 who may be able to tell you about suitable courses near you.

Open a bank accountUniversal Credit will combine all the benefi ts you receive into one monthly lump sum which will need to be paid into an account. The Money Advice service has lots of advice around opening a bank account, summarising the accounts available and the process of opening one. You can fi nd out more by going to www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk, calling them on 0300 500 5000 or booking a face to face appointment by calling 0300 330 0520.

The Money Advice Service is an independent service, set up by thegovernment to help people make the most of their money. They give free, unbiased money advice to everyone across the UK – online, over the phone and face to face.

Healthy Living | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 19

Freda smoked her fi rst cigare e when she was 14 years old. “Nine out of eleven members of my family smoked. It made us feel cool to look grown up and everyone did it then.

“At 32 years of age I had my fi rst heart a ack and even a er three more a acks and three strokes I s ll couldn’t stop, I was really hooked,” she admi ed.

“Over the years I’ve tried hypnotherapy, patches and even electronic cigare es, but nothing worked for me un l I got ‘the’ wakeup call – I was told by my doctor that I had to give up smoking or else I would lose both my legs within twelve months. Even then I went home and had a cigare e!

“But then it suddenly struck home and I stopped smoking on the spot. That was on the 28th December 2012, a date that is ingrained in my memory.

“My husband David, is a smoker, but has cut down drama cally since I’ve given up and goes outside to smoke; I think he will also eventually give up in me. We came back to Wales from living in Sussex in

“Nothing could stop me from smoking 30 cigare es a day and up to 12 packets a week” said Freda Watkins, WWH resident and proud ex-smoker.

Save moneyand save your life...It’s never too late to give up smoking

1999 and enjoy our WWH fl at in Danymynydd in the Garw Valley, people are so very friendly. All our furnishings in the fl at had to be thrown, from the curtains to the carpets because I could s ll smell cigare e smoke. Besides having a newly decorated fl at I have treated myself to a new bright new red Mitsubishi Colt car from all the money I’ve saved. It’s great.

“Now at 62 years of age my health is slowly improving, I walk further without ring and the benefi ts are s ll kicking in. My family are so very proud of me. I found it helped to keep posi ve and to tell myself I could do it and not to let this thing beat me.

“If this message mo vates just one person to stop smoking then I’ll be very happy and it will all be worthwhile.”

Do you want to quit? For more informa on, help and to request an NHC Quit Kit go to: www.smokefree.nhs.uk or call Smokefree on 0800 0224 332

20 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Foodbanks update

Suppor ng

foodbanks across Wales

Four out of fi ve teachers also reported that some of their pupils come to school hungry.

With the household food bills rising, these fi gures also look set to increase.

We support The Trussell Trust, a charity that runs foodbanks in local communi es. To do this we have set up food bank collec on points at:

• Head Offi ce, Cardiff • Flint Offi ce• Wilfred Brook House, Cardiff • Hanover Court, Barry• Ty Pontrhun, Merthyr Tydfi l• Cwrt Anghorfa in Pyle• and in April 2013 at Tŷ Gwaunfarren, Merthyr Tydfi l

Since we started doing this last December fi ve foodbanks across Wales have received dona ons from our collec on points. With the agreement of Trussell Trust we also used some of the donated food to provide food boxes to three families in crisis who were living in our proper es in Cardiff .

A recent report* states that the poorest households in Britain spent almost a quarter of their income on food in 2012.

“When shopping, staff and residents taking part put an extra item or two in their shopping basket and it is amazing how quickly this can add up” said Anne Hinchey. “The generosity of our staff and residents towards others in crisis is inspira onal.”

Typically, a list of food need by foodbanks will include staple items such as UHT/dried milk, nned veg/ fruit / meat / fi sh and soups, cereals, tea bags/coff ee, rice/pasta, pasta sauces. Each foodbank has a list of food they are short of depending on dona ons received.

Merthyr Cynon foodbank has also started recycling old clothes, shoes and handbags to raise addi onal funds. “When asked, all of our re rement schemes in Merthyr Tydfi l have agreed to be collec on points for these unwanted items, which is fantas c,” said Alison Chaplin, Community Development Par cipa on Offi cer. *Report released in March 2013 by Kellogg’s

Foodbanks update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 21

WWH staff Karen Lewis, Phil Howell with Cleida Correia from Merthyr Cynon foodbank collec ng a dona on from Tŷ Pontrhun. Pictured below is another food co-op recently opened at Cwrt Pentwmpath in Llay, Wrexham.

Cwrt Pentwmpath residents Sue and Dilys sor ng dona ons for their new foodbank.

redundancy, delayed benefi t, family breakup or an unexpected bill.

If you would like to support your local foodbank and would like a list for your area, or if you would just to know more about the work of foodbanks please ring us on freephone 0800 052

foodbanks provide a minimum of 3 days emergency support and food boxes to local people in crisis.

2526 and ask for Herman, Vy or Alison, our community development project offi cers, who will be happy to help you.

Or you can go to h p://www.trusselltrust.org

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

Here is our current planned maintenance schedule. Call us on freephone 0800 052 2526 if you would like to know more.

Planned maintenanceSpring Summer 2013KitchensOngoing at Twyncarmel, Merthyr Tydfi lClos Meithrin, PrestatynChristchurch Court, Llandrindod Wells

BathroomsHeol y Fynnon, BreconCwrt Tarrell, BreconSpinney Close, Cardiff Clos y Waun, BridgendTeilos Drive, BridgendCricklewood Close, BridgendLlys Colwyn, Old ColwynLon Odyn, FlintAlbert Place, Connahs QuayFishermans Wharf, Connahs QuayColeford Drive, Cardiff Clos y Betws, Cardiff Clos Tregare, Cardiff Clos y Gornant, Cardiff Clos yr Onnen, Cardiff Clos y Berllan, Cardiff

Fuel SwitchYew Tree Court, Cardiff St Catherine’s Court, CaerphillyClos yr Ardd, Cardiff

Window and DoorsHammond Way, Cardiff Graham Close, Cardiff Salmon Close, Cardiff A ield Close, Cardiff Tyn Twll Lane, Holywell (front & rear doors only)Pen Lon, Wrexham (front & rear doors only)Lon Odyn, Flint (front and rear doors only)Barracksfi eld, Wrexham (roofl ine only)

Planned maintenance feature | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 23

Mrs June Watkins who lives in Ely, Cardiff , told us she was amazed when she had a replacement kitchen. Not only did she have a choice of worktops, cabinets, fl ooring and les, Cambria Maintenance workers happily put up shelving and a light fi ng for her, over and above their work plan.

“I’ve never met a nicer bunch of guys”

“My kitchen is so much larger and I’ve got loads more cupboard and drawer space,” she said. “The Cambria workmen came in on a Monday, and the same workmen worked straight through un l they fi nished four and a half days later. It’s so much be er than diff erent workers coming and going all the me. “They cleaned up a er themselves every day and when they had fi nished I thought I might have to wipe around, but I didn’t have to do anything it was spotless. They arrived between 7.30am and 8am every morning and really put in a full day’s work. They went that extra mile to make sure I was happy with everything.

“I was impressed with their honesty, reliability and trusted them to be in my home alone. I o en le them to it. I can’t praise them enough, and prefer Cambria any me. I can’t say anything nega ve about them at all. They were lovely hard working boys.

“I was a chef working in a very busy environment in Cardiff , but have had to stop because of my health, but I just love cooking and have my kitchen just so. They also replaced all the old electricity sockets and added some extra as well. My kitchen is now easier to clean and is a joy to cook in. I love it.”

24 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Health and Safety

If you have a gas boiler and you live in one of our proper es we need to service your boiler every year. Sounds excessive? It isn’t.

Gas boilers, your safety our responsibilityIn fact, as your landlord we have a legal obliga on to ensure that the gas boiler in your home is serviced every year, writes Commercial Manager Mike Wellock.

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

Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas given off when fuels including gasare burnt and if your hea ng appliances are not working correctly, the fl ue isblocked or the room is not ven lated correctly, then carbon monoxide canbuild up quickly and suff ocate those inside.

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

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

A boiler service is quick and clean so please help us to ensure that you andyour family do not become a sta s c. It’s easy to arrange. Our contractor PH

Jones will contact you when your boiler needs a service, and all you have to do isagree a me which is convenient for you for them to have access to your home.Once the visit has taken place you will not only know that your home is safe,but you will also be placed in our draw for one of two £250 prizes to be wonevery three months.

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

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

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

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

Health and Safety | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 25

Get your gas boiler serviced and

you could win £250

Mrs June Wells of Edwardsfi eld, Newtown, receiving her cheque for £250, fl owers and bubbly from Paul Carter, Area Opera ons Manager (Wales) P H Jones and Annerley Brown, WWH Asset Management Offi cer. Mrs Wells was thrilled to have won our prize draw as she had never won anything before.

Mrs Frances Jones of Llys Hebron, Rhondda was over the moon and excited to win her prizes. “I’m pu ng the prize money to good use by trea ng my granddaughter who will be 18 years old this month as well as enjoying a family get together” said Frances.

YOU could also be a WINNER, all you need to qualify is to have your boiler serviced on your FIRST appointment or give us at least 48 hours’ no ce to postpone the visit.

26 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Emergency Alarm Annual Report

Emergency AlarmAnnual Report 2012

Welcome! Here are some facts so you can see how we performed in 2012, including our achievements and survey results.

In 2012 we answered 93,305 calls - on average 250 calls answered each day.

1,408 were emergency calls where we sent out the emergency services or some other form of help.

We made 53,004 calls to check you were OK.

We increased our customer base to 4,050 units.

How we performedThe performance standard set by the Telecare Services

service, for the percentage of life threatening calls to be answered within 60 seconds is 98.5%.

In fact we answered 99.6% of all calls within 60 seconds

The TSA standard for the percentage of life threatening calls to be answered within 3 minutes is 99%.

We answered 100% of all calls within 3 minutes

This means that in both cases we performed above and beyond the standards set by the TSA.

Emergency Alarm Annual Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 27

If you have a dispersedalarm unit we asked you to score us out of 10, and if you didn’t give us 10 we asked you what we could do to improve. The 280 people who returned a survey – thank you all - gave

was 9.5 out of 10.

If we called out a third party as a result of your call you will have been asked to complete

responded to this survey – thank you too!

service. We’re really pleased with

further improvements on last year’s already good results.

Happy with the speed of response

96%The operator was helpful

98.7%

The operator assisted with your problem

98%

The operator was professional

99.5%

the emergency alarm control room

96.3% Do you consider the Emergency Alarm service to be value for money?

98.1%

Survey results 2012

Highlights 2012March 2012 - we were ranked 8th in the Sunday Times Best Companies Best Public/Third Sector

April 2012 - we won a contract for emergency alarm monitoring for Newydd Housing

Vale of Glamorgan and Aberdare.

April 2012 - we were inspected by the TSA Auditors using their new and more demanding code of

September 2012 - Jackie Edwards, CSC Manager,

the Welsh Emergency Alarm control rooms on the Telecare Services

December 2012 - we won a contract for out of hours repairs and

for Bron Afon Community Housing for their residents and

and smoke alarms in their sheltered housing schemes.

28 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Emergency Alarm Annual Report

ComplaintsConnect24 received no

during 2012 - however, there were 28 day-to-day complaints which were

all resolved amicably with the complainants

There were no major

incident complaints so we didn’t have to review our procedures or change the way we work.

Feedback we received from you during 2012 included:

“I was very grateful for the operator to stay with me

Major

We are constantly reviewing our emergency alarm monitoring performance so during 2013/14 we will be asking members of Only

with this if they use the service.

If you would like to be included and are not a member of ORA then please contact Jayne Orchard.

If you have any queries or comments about this report, please contact me, Jayne Orchard, on freephone

0800 052 2526

Neighbourhoods that work | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 29

Our new approach to ‘nuisance’So far we have rolled out our new approach to areas of Cardiff , Powys and Bridgend and we’re con nuing to include more areas so this soon becomes our adopted approach for all areas and proper es we own and manage.

In this ar cle we’re focussing on the feedback from residents who have experienced their complaints being dealt in this new way. We believe that your views are the best test to prove if we’re ge ng it right.

We’ve also spoken to Group 500 residents (now Only Residents Aloud, see page 42) who have agreed to be contacted and give us their views.

We wanted to be er understand if what we have interpreted as your expecta ons of us when you make a complaint are how we have designed our new approach – based on what ma ers to you.

The feedback was really encouraging that we have understood what ma ers. We learnt from speaking to

ORA members that most of them had experienced neighbour nuisance and that they had been le feeling frustrated at needing to ‘prove everything’.

They also did not like the fact every me they wanted to report neighbour issues they had to spend a long me explaining the problem to the Customer Service Centre, for the problem only to be passed to the Housing Offi cer who they would have to explain it to all over again.

So how are we doing so far?You want: ‘to speak to the right person’

41 (85%) people thought that they had spoken to the right person and 15% (7) felt they hadn’t. Of those 7 people who felt they hadn’t they gave the reasons for this as: the housing offi cer was on holiday, one person found it diffi cult to get through to the housing offi cer, one person wanted to speak to the housing manager.

Welcome to our third update in a series to tell you how we are progressing with our new approach to dealing with your complaints of nuisance based on what we understand to be important to you.

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

You want: ‘to receive a speedy response’

39 (81%) people felt they had received a speedy response but 9 (19%) felt they hadn’t. Interes ngly all 9 people had complained of noise nuisance so we looked at their complaints to understand the reasons why this par cular complaint meant we hadn’t responded as quickly as they would have liked. We found that it was the result of wai ng for the council’s noise pollu on teams to prove or disprove that the noise was happening at the mes and levels being complained

about. This is an issue that we will be looking to resolve by working with council teams to speed up the response to noise complaints.

You want: ‘to be kept informed of your complaint as it is inves gated’

34 (70%) people felt they had been kept informed and 14 (30%) felt they hadn’t. This is something we need to improve. From what we are learning everyone is diff erent and some people would like much more contact with their housing offi cer. We need to fi nd the right balance from the start of addressing a complaint of how best to keep complainants informed and how o en we can reasonably do this.

You want – ‘to feel safe and be safe in your home and where you live’

Most people 34 (70%) stated they did feel safe but 14 (30%) said they didn’t. We’re looking at this result to see where those people live who said they did not feel safe. It may be that they feel this way as a result of experiencing nuisance or it could be down to perhaps something we can do, such as improving ligh ng or improving communal door entrysystems.

You want: ‘us to stop the nuisance happening again’

Because we have contacted people to do our survey at diff erent stages of the process in some cases their complaint may have stopped or be ongoing. This is because if we aren’t ge ng things right we want to know about it at the me so we can do something there and then. So we have broken down the responses to the ques on ‘has the problem been resolved?’ to ‘open cases’ where the issue is s ll ongoing and ‘closed cases’ when no ac on is currently being taken. Of the ‘open cases’ 38% of people felt their case had been resolved and 62% felt it hadn’t been. As would be expected when we asked the same ques on of people where their complaint was at an end the percentage of those who felt their complaint had been resolved rose to 85%. Again it appears that noise nuisance complaints prove the hardest to resolve par cularly in blocks of fl ats.

Neighbourhoods that work | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 31

We are currently working on projects to trial minimising noise impact and will monitor the eff ect these have.

Our role: ‘to be clear what we can do to resolve the issue or what we can do to make it more bearable’

Feedback to this ques on tends to be comments rather than ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. People tended to feel that we were trying our best and understood why we could not solve their problem

if this was the case. There was also an understanding of the need for other agencies to work with offi cers to resolve problems.

If you would like to fi nd out more about our redesign work and how we are using residents comments to shape the new service please contact me, Bridget Garrod on [email protected] or look out for the next update in the next edi on of In Touch.

We are delighted to be able to tell you that we have been granted a substan al amount of addi onal funds by the Welsh Government to help us build more much needed aff ordable homes across Wales. Last autumn we said that we were on course build 800 new homes within fi ve years. Thanks to this new investment we are now on track to deliver 1,000 new homes in the next four years.

One of the latest schemes we are now working on is in Greenfi eld, Flintshire, where we have been granted planning permission to build 58 new homes. Contractor Anwyl Construc on has

Development updatestarted work on this £7.8m development and the homes should be completed in the autumn of 2014.

Elsewhere in Flintshire, our new extra care / demen a care scheme, Llys Jasmine, is nearing comple on with the fi rst residents due to move in this autumn. There is s ll me to apply though, as applicants are being assessed on need, and not on a fi rst-come-fi rst-served basis. Call our Housing Op ons Team for more informa on.

Finally, to fi nd out more about all our new developments please see our website www.wwha.co.uk

32 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | work. skills. experience

‘My parents are so proud of me!’

Libby started with us this February thanks to a partnership with careers organisa on, Go Wales, a Welsh Government and European Union funded ini a ve to support young people carve their career paths.

Libby said: “I couldn’t believe it when I got the job, my parents are so proud of me! It’s really hard to fi nd work at the moment. Most employers are asking for work experience from young people that they just haven’t got. It’s a vicious circle. I would recommend every young

person to persevere though and to keep checking out websites such as gowales.co.uk.”

Libby is working with the community in Wrexham to fi nd out what they would like to see at their new Community Resource Centre, which is due to replace the old community centre this summer. The new centre is part of our £17m regenera on of the area, which will also provide 147 aff ordable homes by winter 2014.

A warm welcome to one of the newer addi ons to the Wales & West Housing family goes to Libby Price, our new Community Liaison Offi cer for Hightown in Wrexham.

work. skills. experience | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 33

Libby has already enjoyed success with an Easter event which she organised proving popular among locals, despite severe snowy condi ons. The Hightown Easter Bonanza won widespread praise from dozens of community members who a ended (see picture below), council staff and Wrexham’s local paper, The Leader.

“My highlight so far has defi nitely been the Easter event,” she said. “I couldn’t believe that so many people turned up during a blizzard! Even the newspaper photographer couldn’t quite believe it!“I defi nitely want to stay working in the housing sector. I did my degree in social

inclusion and am passionate about equality. WWH are great employers too!”

If you are from Wrexham and would like to have your say on what you would most like to see at the new Community Resource Centre, have any comments about the development, or would like to keep up to date with the latest Hightown and Caia Park news, please visit www.hightownfl ats.com

34 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | work. skills. experience

Suppor ng appren ceships

Appren ceship Week – held in March - highlighted the talents and skills of appren ces, to encourage young people and employers to think about how an appren ceship could benefi t them.

To show her support Sandy Mewies, Assembly Member for Delyn, spent the day with appren ces on the construc on site of WWH’s Llys Jasmine extra care / demen a care complex in Mold.

Sandy said: “I really enjoyed experiencing fi rst-hand what an appren ceship involves. Appren ceships play a crucial role in providing las ng and successful careers in industries such as construc on, with appren ces bringing many benefi ts to employers.”

Corby Atherton and Nathan Pla two of the appren ces at Llys Jasmine in Mold with AM Sandy Mewies

Meanwhile AM Aled Roberts met with a group of construc on appren ces on site at our development in Hightown, Wrexham, to learn about their training and try his hand at a few of their daily tasks.

Aled said: “It’s never been more important to support and encourage more young people and employers to par cipate in and develop appren ceships.”

Organised by CITB-Construc onSkills, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Train-ing Board for Construc on, in partner-ship with Anwyl Construc on and Wales & West Housing, the events were just two of several events which took place around Wales celebra ng the achievements and skills of appren ces.

AMs Sandy Mewies and Aled Roberts experienced what it’s like to be a construc on appren ce for the day during recent visits to our construc on sites at Mold, in Flintshire, and Hightown in Wrexham.

Quarterly Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 35

What ma ers to you?

Regular readers of In Touch will already be aware we have previously focused on Le ngs, Rents and Repairs, and, in a separate ar cle about communi es that work.

However we would like to know if there are any other areas you like to know about for us to focus on in the future. Have you got a par cular interest in an area of our work? Just let us know and we will happily tell you about it!

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

So how well are we doing across all areas of the business? (All informa on relates to January - March 2013)

Rent2274Number of Rented Accounts in Arrears

% of accounts where an agreed payment plan

is in place

69.5%

With all the changes in Welfare Reform this con nues to be a very challenging me for residents and staff are working hard to help and support them with their rent payments. So it is great to see that nearly 70 % of residents are maintaining payments to reduce their arrears.

We have employed Tenancy Support Offi cers to give extra help to residents to prepare them for the changes in bedroom tax and Universal Credit that residents face in the coming months.

Evic ons

1(32% of Tenancies)

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

Repairs

66%

97.1%

99.34%Repairs

completed in one visit

Repairs that stayed fi xed

16Average number of days

to complete a repair

Resident sa sfac on

Gas Safety Compliance

47 remaining proper es where a gas service

is required

9.3 10

/

Cambria Maintenance Services has expanded and from 1st January 2013 provides a maintenance service to residents in North Wales as well as South and Mid Wales. We are pleased that our sa sfac on levels have remained high and we will con nue to learn from feedback. We have done a lot of work on gas servicing to ensure that we gain access to residents’ proper es, we have now completed 99.34% of all servicing and this will con nue to be an important area of focus for us.


Planned Maintenance

Kitchens completed

Bathrooms completed

Boiler renewals

41

21% completed so far

17% completed so far

246/1503

77/369

Resident sa sfac on

9.2 10

/

The 2013 planned maintenance programme is underway and we are pleased with our progress in delivering new kitchens and bathrooms. Part of our normal programme is the fi ng of new windows during the middle 6 months of the year, when we expect the weather to be be er. Our programme started this April and you will see the fi rst set of sta cs cs rela ng to window fi ng in the next edi on of Quarterly Report.

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

Le ngs and building proper es

179Le ngs

104General needs

Resident sa sfac on

9.3 10

/

Of the 20 new houses that that we acquired, 16 are newly built and 4 houses are through our mortgage rescue scheme where we helped people with fi nancial diffi cul es to be able to remain in their own homes.

We have a large number of schemes that are currently being built across so expect to see these fi gures grow!

Resident sa sfac on remains strong and we con nue to learn from what residents are telling us. We were par cularly pleased that a number of residents were very happy with the fi nancial support advice they received.

75Re rement20

New proper es

Of the 16 new build - 12 are social

rent and 4 are Intermediate.

4Flats

16Houses

CSC/Emergency

Alarm

97%69,120 Number of calls answered

within 30 secs

Total number of calls answered

55 seconds average

answering me

38,143

Telephones

30,977

Emergency Alarm


The number of cases we have dealt with in 2013 has reduced considerably since 2012 and the way and speed in which we have dealt with them has improved. Our average me to inves gate an -social behaviour (ASB) cases has reduced to 18 days and this has

happened because we have reviewed how we handle cases and have tried to make it much simpler and easier for residents to report cases. We con nue to work in partnership with a range of agencies tasked with dealing with ASB and carry out joint work with local authori es and police.

So what do you think about our performance and any aspects of our service? If you have any comments or feedback on anything we have told you please let us know. You can contact us about this or any other issue at any me. Feedback can be given in a variety of ways – online via our website, email, le er, phone, by text, or, in person to a member of staff or at our offi ces.

• We are always happy to hear from you whether you want to ask a ques on, tell us something, make a sugges on, pay a compliment or make a complaint. • This feedback helps us to make decisions about our future plans and improvements to our services. Thank you!

Neigbourhoodsthat work

110212

18Average number of days

to inves gate - ASB

An -social behaviour (serious, including

criminal)Incidents

reported to us

30Cases in the new trial system Resident sa sfac on

7.5 10

/

72Estate management

issues aff ec ng tenancies

Average number of days to inves gate - estate management

12

40 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Equality and diversity

raceThis is the 6th in a series of ar cles which explain the Equality Act 2010 – in the last 5 edi ons we looked at age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity writes Claire Bryant, Equality and Diversity Offi cer.

Equality and diversity | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 41

There are 9 ‘protected characteris cs’ within the Act and the aim of these ar cles is to break down the legal bit into something that’s easy to understand for everyone.

What are the 9 protected characteris cs again?Age, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orienta on, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex, ethnicity, and religion or belief. In this ar cle we are looking at race.

Britain is a far more diverse society than it was a genera on ago. Nearly 1 in 6 people in Britain is from an ethnic minority. Nearly 1 in 10 Bri sh children is growing up in a mixed race household.

In the high-visibility worlds of government, entertainment and sport, there are signs of progress: there are more than four mes as many black and ethnic minority MPs in Parliament as there were in 1993. An increasing number of directors on the FTSE 100 list are from an ethnic minority and we have seen a signifi cant increase in young people se ng up business. Black and Asian actors regularly take leading roles in prime- me TV series.

A tudes are changing – the 2010 report ‘How fair is Britain?’ report says that people are increasingly at ease with the idea of working with and for

people of a diff erent ethnic background to their own. Research carried out for the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the 10th anniversary of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report found that 70% of those who surveyed would be relaxed if their son or daughter chose to marry someone of a diff erent race or religion. The 2008/09 Ci zenship Survey reported that 81% of adults in England and Wales had meaningful interac ons at least once a month with someone from a diff erent ethnic or religious background.

However, its safe to say its not all posi ve. Black men and women in their early twen es are twice as likely to be not in employment, educa on or training as white people. Black and Asian defendants are s ll more likely to go to jail than their white counterparts when convicted of similar crimes – and they serve longer sentences.

The latest stage in the UK’s progress towards equality is the Equality Act 2010. It states it is unlawful for a person to discriminate on racial grounds against another person. The Act defi nes racial grounds as including race, colour, na onality or ethnic or na onal origins.

In the next edi on we will be looking at religion and belief.

42 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Residents’ Par cipa on

Introducing Only Residents Aloud

What do I do?I give my views on lots of things such as:

• How good I think WWH are at telling us what they’re doing• How good I think WWH are at asking and listening to our views and using them to improve services• New services / new ways of doing things that WWH are thinking of doing• WWH’s website www.wwha.co.uk• In Touch residents’ magazine• New documents that will be sent to residents

Why do I do it?I like it that Wales & West Housing actually listen to what I have to say and use my views to make services be er for all residents.

It’s a good way to fi nd out more about what WWH do.

Every me I take part I get entered into an annual prize draw - just for taking part!It’s so easy!

How do I give my views?I prefer to use Wales & West Housing’s website but you can also give your views by post or phonecall. I’m sent an email and a text to let me know that there’s a survey online. We have two weeks to respond so I can complete it when it suits me. I go onto WWH’s website then I sit with a cup of coff ee, read the informa on and fi ll in the survey on my computer. It usually only takes about 20 minutes.

Hi I’m Jane (opposite) and I’m a member of Only Residents Aloud (ORA). No it’s not a choir! It’s a way of sharing our ideas and feedback with Wales & West Housing (WWH). It used to be called Group 500 but it’s been given a new name, chosen by residents, that we think suits it be er.

te it when I go onto bsite then cup of d the n and fi ll ey on er. It

y takes

Only ResidentsALOUD

Residents’ Par cipa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 43

Who are we?We are group of up to 18 WWH residents from across Wales, who help Wales & West to monitor resident par cipa on. We meet every six weeks to check that resident’s views are always taken into account, whatever the service. This means that we speak to lots of diff erent WWH staff and hear about lots of WWH’s services at our mee ngs. We alternate our mee ngs between south and north Wales.

What have we been up to so far this year?We’ve worked with TPAS Cymru to look at our skills and iden fy training to help us to do our roles be er, including monitoring and evalua on training. We’ve already been on training to learn about encouraging young people to par cipate and environmental projects.

We’re currently looking at how WWH provide training for residents who

par cipate, how residents can give our views in the ways we want to, local par cipa on (Area Improvement Plans) and the Make It Happen grant (see page 44).

We also now look at how much WWH have spent on par cipa on and what they plan to spend for the next quarter.

New membersWe’d like to give a big welcome to our new members – Jan Sco from Cardiff , Freda Watkins from Blaengarw and Jeff Bunce from Bridgend.

We’re s ll looking for members in the Cardiff area. As lots of our current members are over 50 we’d like to encourage people aged under 50 to apply so we can hear your views too.

Meet your Resident Par cipa on Steering Group (RPSG)

To join Only Residents Aloud or our RPSG contact:

Claire Hammond, Resident Par cipa on Strategy Offi cer at [email protected] or phone 0800 025 2526. To be a member of ORA you don’t have to be the tenancy holder and more than one person per household can join.

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Jane Styles

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44 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Residents’ Par cipa on

Summer’s comingWant to try something new?

Our Make It Happen grants are small grants of up to £500 to help residents get together at your scheme or estate and you don’t have be part of a group to apply. We can fund equipment for ac vi es you might want to try. Here are some ac vi es that residents have already used the grant for:

• cooking equipment to start a weekly Lunch club • tools and materials to make cards or jewellery to sell and raise funds for more ac vi es• facepaints and play equipment to put on a Funday for all the family• a Wii-fi t console and controllers to do zumba and games that get you moving• a bingo machine to hold fun bingo nights where you could win a prize

We have lots of ways that we can help you to get together with your neighbours and try something new.

We can also help if you need training to help you do your new ac vity such as food hygiene training so you can safely prepare food at a lunch club.

We can give you money to start off new gardening projects for growing fruit and veg through our Environment grant and Make It Happen grant.

If you’re interested in learning about computers we can help bring in tutors with laptop computers to teach you at your scheme or estate.

If you’d like to know more about any of help or ac vi es men oned here please contact Claire Hammond, Resident Par cipa on Strategy Offi cer, at [email protected] or call 0800 052 2526

Glenys Vandervolk and Jimmy Barnes plan ng peas in St Mellons Community Garden, Cardiff

Making A Diff erence Awards | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 45

Who’s Your Hero?Maybe they tend a beau ful garden, or perhaps they grow fruit and veg –or have started growing their own on an allotment?

Or maybe they have overcome big problems to get back into work? Or entered college to gain new qualifi ca ons? Whatever their story – we want to hear it.

Who do you know who makes a real diff erence to your neighbourhood? Someone who goes the extra mile to help friends and neighbours? Perhaps they have started a youth or community group?

On Friday October 11th we will be holding our sixth annual Making A Diff erence Awards.

Now fi rmly established as a highlight of Wales & West Housing’s year, the awards celebrate the great eff orts of all ourunsung heroes and heroines – as well as being a great night out.

46 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Making A Diff erence Awards

All shortlisted nominees – and the people who nominated them – will enjoy a top-notch three course dinner and entertainment in the Mercure Holland House Hotel, Newport Road, Cardiff .

You can see more for yourself on YouTube – search for Wales & West Housing Associa on’s Making A Diff erence Awards, where you can see short videos of previous years’ ceremonies.

The categories again this year are:

Good Neighbour, Fresh Start, Eco Champion, Green Fingers (Older Persons), Green Fingers (Younger Persons), Community Project and David Taylor Local Hero.

It’s free to enter – you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So if you’d like a copy of the nomina on form either go to our website www.wwha.co.uk where you can download a copy, or call Sharon or Keri on 0800 052 2526 any me and we’ll be happy to send you a form, and help you with any ques ons you may have about the awards. The closing date for nomina ons will be Friday 30th August 2013.

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Awards round-upThey are as follows:

TPAS Cymru Par cipa on Awards 2013Congratula ons to our greenfi ngered gardeners, aka ‘Eco Warriors’ from our re rement scheme Western Court in Bridgend, pictured below, who won the Improving the Environment Award.

Money Advice Offi ce Les Cooper received a huge round of applause for achieving third place in the Inspira onal Colleague Award. Les, pictured below right, who was based at our Flint offi ce in North Wales, sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. An ac ve member of the North Wales Financial Capability Forum, Les was enormously infl uen al and respected in the sector and had a hugely posi ve impact on the lives of all those with whom he came into contact.

CIH Housing Heroes AwardsScheme Manager Helen Jones, above, from Llandudno, Conwy, has been shortlisted in the intensely compe ve Inspira onal Colleague category in these UK-wide awards. The winners will be revealed at a red carpet gala evening in London on June 24th – good luck to you Helen, and well done for making it so far in these pres gious awards.

At the me of going to print we have a number of staff and residents either having won, or having been shortlisted for major awards.

48 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Doing the right thing

HR Excellence AwardsAnne Hinchey, Chief Execu ve, has been shortlisted for the Most People Focussed CEO Award in the Charity/ Not-for-Profi t sector. This is the third consecu ve year that Anne has been shortlisted for this award and once again she is the only CEO from a Wales-based fi rm on this shortlist, which has been derived from Sunday Times Best Companies 2013 results.

Best Companies 2013We were delighted to improve yet again on our Best Companies (Not-for-Profi t) ranking, placed 7th in the UK this year, a gain of one place from our ranking last year. This means we have maintained our

posi on as top ranked not-for-profi t company in Wales, and also retained the coveted Best Companies three stars ra ng.

Sydney Hall Court in Cinnamon Trust’s Top 5 Most Pet-Friendly Re rement Accommoda on in UKSydney Hall Court, Connah’s Quay, is leading the sector again with inclusion in the Cinnamon Trust’s Top 5 Most Pet Friendly Re rement Schemes in the UK. Well done to Scheme Manager Rob Holmes, all residents and, of course, their very happy pets for helping the scheme to retain this coveted posi on.

“The trust recently gave Sydney Hall Court a dona on of £250 which will enable us to provide a safe dog walking area at the scheme” said Rob. We now look forward to welcoming Cinnamon Trust’s fi lm crew onto the scheme over the summer – watch this space!

Beryl Haslam with Cheeky the cocka el

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And juuuuuump!

More than £10,000 raised for Stroke Associa on CymruWales & West Housing’s crack sky dive team Verity Kimpton, Di Barnes and Anne Hinchey successfully jumped for Stroke Associa on Cymru - raising over £10,000 in the process.

The trio leapt from 13,000 feet over Swansea Airfi eld in brilliant sunshine on April 6 and have described the jump as “terrifying” but “brilliant.”

So far the three have raised £10,034 for Stroke Associa on Cymru and are hoping to raise even more.

Ana Palazon, Director Cymru Stroke Associa on Wales said: “What an achievement! We are thrilled and delighted with the bravery of those who jumped from such a great height to support the Stroke Associa on - it certainly is not for the faint hearted. To have raised £10,000 for us from a single event is phenomenal. We are extremely grateful for those who made the jump

and to those who contributed so generously as part of their fundraising eff orts.”

Verity has fi rst-hand experience of the devasta ng eff ects of stroke, as her mum Julie suff ered a stroke at the age of 45.

Now aged 60 Julie has thankfully made a great recovery, and Verity says she - quite literally - jumped at the chance to fundraise for Stroke Associa on Cymru, without whose support she is convinced Julie would not be as well as she is today.

“Never in my life did I think I’d do a skydive and my heart has only just stopped pounding,” said Verity. “But I am so proud of us all - it was absolutely brilliant.”

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

£26,500.00 Help for Heroes cheque handover In February the WWH charity team travelled from Cardiff to Tedworth House in Wiltshire, home of Help for Heroes, Charity to hand over a cheque for £26,500.00.

This was the incredible sum raised by WWH’s charity team during the past two years.

Tedworth House is a fl agship recovery centre. Its purpose is to inspire the wounded, injured and sick servicemen and veterans where they can return to for life me support.

Nant Y Môr residents support both chari esResident Marguerite Kinsella of Nant Y Môr Extra Care Scheme in Prestatyn with help from her daughter Jenny organised a Jubilee fundraising day last year which raised a total of £376.46. This grand amount was then split equally between Help for Heroes and St Ken gern Hospice. The delayed presenta on was on the 1st April 2013 owing to Mrs Kinsella’s ill health. “Congratula ons on this magnifi cent achievement to all Nant Y Môr residents and hear elt thanks to Marguerite.” said Yveline Hands, Extra Care Scheme Manager, Nant Y Môr.

WWH staff enter the 10th St Davids Day Run in Cardiff Among the 2000 runners in Bute Park in Cardiff on 3rd March WWH members of staff , Roy Preece, Suzanne Round and Glyn Smith ran the 5k run together with Sean Gough and his teenage twins, pictured above, Rochelle and Fearghas who ran the 10k run. The race was organised by the Bri sh Military Forces to raise money for Cancer Research and other elected chari es. Between the group they raised £338 for Stroke Associa on Cymru.

Marguerite and daughter Jenny with presenta on cheques.

Your News and Views | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 51

Your stories from around Wales

Goodbye get-together for Roz and PeterSylvester Court residents held a fairwell party early in December for residents Roz and Peter Whi aker who were leaving for Cumbria to be closer to their family. There was a wonderful turn out to thank them for their work with residents as well as Communi es First and the Barracksfi eld “Men in Sheds” - a project to encourage more men to develop an interest in gardening. “They both made a big diff erence to the lives of many residents living at Sylvester Court and will be sorely missed” said Dianne Hughes, Scheme Manager.

Daily Post ‘Mum of the Year’ WinnerMrs Chris ne Williams from Ty Gwynn Jones was named ‘North Wales Mum in a Million’ by The Daily Post for Mothers Day, having

been nominated by her daughter, Anwen, who wanted to show everyone just how brave and special her Mum is. Chris is a wonderful Mum and Grandma to her 3 grandchildren, Ellis, Finnlay and Isaac who certainly keep her on her toes!

Foot tapping entertainment at Nant Y MôrResidents tapped their feet and clapped their hands to the sounds of “Strings & Things”, a bluegrass band who entertained for over an hour. A whip round raised £65 for Hope House Charity at Colwyn Bay.

Lena Charles receives recogni on at 95 years of age. A er being nominated by Yvonne Humphreys, Scheme Manager at Danymynydd in the Garw Valley, Lena Charles was awarded the Lord Mayor Award for her charity work throughout the Valleys over the years. She a ended the ceremony on the 15th March with her daughter.

52 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Residents Par cipa on

Going green with our environment fund

Qualifying for fi nancial support is simple:

• Get together with your friends and neighbours• Come up with a eco-related way to improve your neighbourhood• Agree to work as a team• Apply to WWH for funds

One such project which our Environment Fund is suppor ng is the recently established St Mellons Community Garden in Cardiff .

The team behind this community garden is now looking for more residents to get involved and develop this green space.

Other good examples of Enviroment Fund projects include Caerau Po ers at Caerau Court Road, Cardiff and Buxton Court Community Garden in Rhyl.

In Bridgend, residents of Western Court con nue to develop their growing spaces having added to their two raised beds by incorpora ng a further part of the grounds to plant fruit bushes.

At Glan Yr Afon, near Maesteg, residents con nue to develop their growing spaces and have just purchased more topsoil.

Meanwhile at Oak Court Re rement scheme in Penarth, residents are just star ng their own gardening club and will be developing some of the land around the scheme as a growing space.

All the above projects are always seeking volunteers to help out so if you live near any of these above schemes don’t hesitate to pop over and join in. Finally, if you have any ideas around improving your neighbourhood or green spaces in your community please contact Owen Jones the Environment & Sustainability Offi cer, [email protected]. Please note that unfortunately our environment fund cannot support applica ons by individuals at this me.

Did you know that WWH has a pot of money available for residents to develop environment and garden projects?

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Happy Birthday Nan Joan Woods 90th birthday

Mrs Annie (Nan) Law celebrated her 100th birthday at Llys Hafren Re rement scheme, Newtown, Powys, with a party hosted by friends and family on the 9th February.

Rela ves, friends, and neighbours gathered on Thursday 21st March in the communal lounge at Sydney Hall Court, Connah’s Quay, to celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the schemes newest residents, Joan Woods.

Her daughter and son organised a party and buff et which many of her rela ves and neighbours a ended. Originally from Liverpool, Joan moved into the scheme in October 2012 to be nearer Linda and Carlo, her daughter and son-in-law. Joan is a very keen reader, and is proud grandmother to fi ve, and also great grandmother to fi ve with a sixth great grandchild due later this year. Scheme Manager Rob Holmes said, “It was great for Joan to be able to celebrate her birthday in this way with a big get together.”

Joan, who served in the Land Army during WW2 added that she, “Wants to thank everyone from the bo om of my heart for making my birthday the best ever and very memorable.”

There has been plenty to enjoy at Ty Pontrhun, in Troedyrhiw, Merthyr Tydfi l with four birthday celebra ons during March:

Mr Clayton Jones was 80 years old on March 23rd

Double birthdays for Alec Anderson, 90 years old, and, Michael Rees, 60, on March 27th

Pauline Orchard, 72 years old on the 29th March

Happy birthday to you all!

Darrell Smith, Asset Management Offi cer, Rhian Marsh, Housing Offi cer, Nan and Amy Parry Scheme Manager, Llys Hafren on nans birthday.

Joan taking a stab at her 90th birthday cake!

Four big birthdays

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

Frank & Flo Munn’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary at Byron Court, Vale of GlamorganA er sending le ers to each other for over three years Frank fi nally sent a wedding proposal le er when he was in the RAF in Egypt. Frank says he had sent her the money to buy a ring and the jeweller gave her ‘strange looks’ when she turned up on her own! He arrived home on the 21st Feb 1953 and the wedding took place on the 28th February by special license. These love birds say that at the last count they have lived at 29 diff erent addresses. The describe each move as ‘an adventure with new friends and wonderful memories’. Happy Anniversary Frank and Flo.

Happy Birthday LenaLena Charles celebrated her 95th birthday is style at Danymynydd, Bridgend, on the 23rd March.

Lena cu ng her birthday cake and her card from her family Gill & Gareth.

Winner of Photo Compe onThe winner of the Winter edi on photo compe on for the theme of ‘Friendship’ was Mrs Lindsey Harrison, of The Paddock, Mancot, Deeside, Flintshire, who is pictured receiving a framed copy of the winning shot and her Argos vouchers from Craig Atherton, Housing Offi cer.

Photo Compe on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 55

Get snapping and you could win £100 of Argos

Wales, of all ages.

Send in your entries either by email (JPEG format please) to: [email protected] with the theme ‘Living and working with Wales & West Housing’, your name, age, address and phone number. Or you can send your prints to Keri Jones, Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam,

. Please remember to enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like your prints to be returned to you.

The deadline for entries is 31st July 2013 and

Anne Hinchey, and Chair of the Board, Kathy Smart, will select the winner who will receive £100 Argos vouchers, as well as a framed copy of their shot.

The winning shot will be

of In Touch.

purposes.

For this edition’s photograph competition we are looking for photographs that reflect living and working with Wales & West Housing.

Send us your photos for your chance to win!

Kindly supported by

In

Take action on stroke and help us raise funds by organising a ‘Sip for Stroke’ event.

Invite your friends, family, neighbours or work colleagues and organise anything

so be creative!

on 029 2052 4417 or email [email protected]

Registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No 211015) and in Scotland (SC037789).Also registered in Northern Ireland (XT33805) Isle of Man (No 945) and Jersey (NPO 369).

stroke.org.uk

intouch spring 2013

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