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Healthy livingInside: cooking classes, funding for revamping your vegetable or flower beds and 1,000 trees being planted in Slough. We’re on a health kick this new year.
Spring 2015
SUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTON
P.6Our new scrutiny panel is made up of tenants and leaseholders. They will make sure that any decisions made by our board reflect residents’ priorities.
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It may be well in to the New Year, but we’re trying hard not to give up our healthy resolutions just yet! And we might be able to help you keep yours too, with incentives in the form of healthy cooking classes and funding to revamp your plant and vegetable beds. You can also hear about London Plus Credit Union, who we’ve partnered up with to help you save, and the top tips we’ve learnt from our Green Energy Competition.
P.13Your household appliances may be costing you more money than they need to. Read some money saving tips here.
P.8Free water butts and compost to help get your garden ready for spring.
P.5We’ve listened to what our Sutton residents have told us about living in the area. We’re now working hard on a number of projects that will improve the community.
P.10Our healthy cooking classes are a great way to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. Read more to find out how to cook good quality food without breaking the bank.
P.9In December over 1,000 trees were planted in Slough by our staff and volunteer residents. Find out why.
WELCOME TO OURSPACE! W
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www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
OUR COMM
UNITY
CHAMPIONING SLOUGHCommunity Champions are TVH residents in Slough who work alongside our Community Access O�cer, Rudi Nicholls, to deliver projects in their local area. Champions are given the freedom to be creative with the projects they run. These can range from community fun days, to vegetable patches and anything they feel will help improve the local area.
In October, a few Champions worked together to deliver a Halloween event. 69 adults and children got the chance to get to know each other. The kids played a number of Halloween themed activities such as ‘Pass the Cauldron’ and a ‘Wrap the Mummy’ competition. They also had their faces painted to really look the part!
The end of November saw a vegetable patch and planting session take place on Hoylake Close. The event was run by
Community Champion James Graham. Its aim was to show residents how growing their own vegetables can not only lead to a healthier lifestyle but can also save them money. James and the other residents were shown how to plant raspberries, onions, rhubarb, broccoli and other vegetables by an advisor from Just Ask, our grounds services contractor. James was pleased with how the event went and told us, “I’m excited to see the stu� I planted grow, and to give the harvest to the residents. The perception of Thames Valley at Hoylake Close is changing for the better”.
The weekend before Christmas saw Rudi organise a team building event for the Champions at a bowling alley in Slough. This was the first time that they had met each other in a social setting and gave them the opportunity to share
contact details and discuss projects they have planned for the future. Rudi was able to present the Champions with their branded polo shirts and business cards. These items will help them to promote their projects to locals.
After the networking was over, the bowling took place. Community Champion and Resident Involvement volunteer, Khalisah Fenton came in first place and took the trophy home!
Keep a look out for a number of exciting projects and their website coming soon in 2015, and contact [email protected] for more info.more info.
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4 Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine4 Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine
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4 Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine4
As you’ll probably know, last year we launched MyTVH, our new online customer services that allow you to do a lot more online with TVH than you ever could before. From checking and paying your rent, to reporting and tracking repairs, there’s a lot the system can o�er you, and even more we plan on introducing in the future.
In recent weeks we’ve been making some improvements based on your feedback. You told us that sometimes tracking the progress of repairs was confusing. Occasionally, orders that hadn’t been completed were showing as ‘cancelled’. The
reasons behind this are to do with how orders are logged with our repairs system. It might be the repair you request is actually going to be carried out by someone other than our main repairs contractor Axis, such as a managing agent or a cleaning company. This doesn’t mean the order is cancelled, but it’s logged in a di�erent way.
We’ve changed the terminology for these orders so it’s more obvious what’s happening and there’s transparency over how your repair is being dealt with. In the future, we’ll also be introducing visible Q&A’s for repairs, so you can have even
more detail about their progress.
In December, we launched our new online payments, allowing you to pay your rent securely and more easily than ever before. In the first two weeks of December alone, we received more online rent payments than we had in the rest of 2014 combined. Which obviously means you like the service!
YOUR ONLINE SERVICES ARE DEVELOPING
Since we launched MyTVH, the number of working days it takes to process the repairs you log has dropped from
6 to 0.4
25% of payments made online instead of by phone in first month
If you’re feeling left out and haven’t signed up for MyTVH yet but would like to, visit www.tvha.co.uk/mytvh to find out how.
RICHMONDRICHMOND
SUTTON
TWICKENHAMTWICKENHAM
BRENTFORDBRENTFORD
BRIXTONBRIXTON
SHEPHERD’S BUSHSHEPHERD’S BUSHLAMBETHLAMBETHLAMBETH
POPLARPOPLAR
BELVEDEREBELVEDERE
FELTHAMFELTHAM
WALTON-ON-THAMESWALTON-ON-THAMESWALTON-ON-THAMESWALTON-ON-THAMES
SURBITONSURBITONSURBITON SUTTONSUTTONSUTTONSUTTON
HOUNSLOWHOUNSLOWHEATHROW AIRPORTHEATHROW AIRPORT
STAINES-UPON-THAMESSTAINES-UPON-THAMESSTAINES-UPON-THAMESSTAINES-UPON-THAMES
WINDSORWINDSORWINDSOR
SLOUGHSLOUGHMAIDENHEAD
5www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
OUR COMM
UNITY
COMMUNITY PLANNING
The Community Plan Initiative was designed to tackle the issues you are having in your estates, through the collaboration between the Community Investment O�cer and the Housing O�cers. We are focusing on the three areas over a 3 year period of changes: Sutton, Wycombe and Richmond. This time we’re focussing on Sutton and the improvements planned for residents in the area.
SUTTONWhat’s the problem?Residents highlighted a number of issues, including fly tipping, CCTV problems, anti-social behaviour, and generally
found that the area they live in is not very interesting. They suggested running youth projects, health and fitness clubs, and herb growing to improve general wellbeing within the community. With this in mind, some projects are already being planned.
How are we solving it?Foam Football is scheduled to start this spring in hopes to reduce the nuisance and damage caused by normal footballs. In addition to that, it will provide 7- 21 year olds with a supervised environment to play sports safely. We are also looking into the possibility of starting a youth club in the local youth centre.
Good Rubbish Day is planned to help residents deal with littering as well as any of their own unwanted clutter. Residents will work to reduce fly tipping, and participate in furniture exchanges to get rid of unwanted items that are in good condition. An online group is also being adopted to give residents real-time response to their problems. Finally, a play Area at Thames Avenue is currently being planned.
For more information, contact Barry Malki, Community Investment Manager on [email protected] or 020 8607 3880
SOLUTIONS
Foam Football
Good Rubbish Day
Herb Growing
6
OUR
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ICES
We’ve now recruited eight residents to join our new Scrutiny Panel – you might have read about it in the last edition of OurSpace. The panel is made up of tenants and leaseholders. It will scrutinise our performance based on resident feedback, value for money and performance data as well as working closely with our board of directors.
We had over 80 people interested, received 28 completed applications and interviewed 20
applicants. There was a huge breadth of skills and backgrounds and as well as the 8 selected for the panel, we’ll also have a number of ‘reserve’ spaces – so that if anyone drops out we’ll be able to quickly replace them.
The main purpose of the new scrutiny panel is to have a direct input into reports and recommendations before they go to the board. This will ensure that decisions about housing that the board make directly reflect residents’ priorities.
TVH will be supporting the panel throughout the first year as they find their feet. There will also be training so the group understand a bit more about social housing, how TVH works and how to work with the data to write reports.
All of this means the work we do to manage our homes will be scrutinised by the very people that use the service – you.
There’ll be more from the Scrutiny Panel in OurSpace as they get stuck in to their work.
EVALUATING OUR PERFORMANCE
Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine
In December we had another great unconference thanks to all our involved residents.
What’s an involved resident?
We have lots of residents that participate in groups. Such as the Resident Inspectors, Auditors and panel members. We call these residents “involved residents”.
19 residents came, along with directors, Chief Executive Geeta Nanda, the Chair of the Board and other sta� who helped to facilitate the lively discussion groups. In all there were six groups. Discussions covered:
• Reporting repairs
• Nuisance neighbours
• Online Customer Services
• Leasehold issues
• Tenancy issues
• Provision for the elderly
Some of the recommendations included
• Checking fire doors aren’t too sti�
• Better communication about communal areas and items left in them
• Better use of mobile technology – especially for Housing O�cers
• Ability to upload photos through MyTVH - especially useful when reporting repairs
• Reporting Antisocial behaviour on MyTVH
There were lots more, and the team will be will be working through all of them over the next few months. Some of them we’ll need to investigate more to see if they are viable, some of them we might not be able to do because things like cost or legislation and others we’ll use to improve our services.
7www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
OUR SERVICES
RESIDENT “UNCONFERENCE” FEEDBACK
What’s an Unconference?
Well, it’s where there is no
set agenda, presentations
or workshops – people
decide on the day what
they want to talk about.
Everyone who attends
can suggest something
they’d like to discuss and
interested people join that
discussion group . We than
record what the group
talked about and what
recommendations they
made - simple!
The event is the best way to get direct feedback from you – and we’ll be reporting back on what we’ve achieved from last year’s Unconference before we start to plan this year’s unconference.
For more information you can contact Eleanor Morgan, Resident Feedback O�cer, 020 8607 0763, [email protected]
Not much in life is free – but with one of our free water butts you can harvest as much rain water as you want.
Yes that right – we’re giving away 10 FREE water butts – and we’ll even fit it for you. Just think of all that lovely rain water you’ll be able to use for cleaning the car; – for free, watering the plants, filling the paddling pool.
Flu� up your flower beds
If you’re a keen gardener you’ll be busy planning on what to plant next – but to get the best crops, or best flowers your plants will need the best start. A good load of compost will certainly help them on their way – and here’s where we can help. If you’d like to re-vitalise your plot with some fresh compost let us know. We’ll arrange for
some compost for your community garden. Sadly we can’t supply private gardens as supplies are limited.
OUR
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FREE STUFF FOR YOUR GARDEN
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For your free water butt or for help refreshing your plant beds, contact Eleanor Morgan, Resident Feedback O�cer, 020 8607 0763, [email protected]
Mutual Exchanges are when two or more tenants swap homes. Last year we talked to you in Our Space about them. The scheme is becoming increasingly popular and whilst there are many benefits to swapping homes, it’s important to consider the potential pitfalls before you start to think about beginning the process. We’re still finding lots of you are getting started but are unable to complete it for a
number of reasons.
To be eligible for Mutual Exchange you need to meet the criteria in terms of a�ordability and size of property you wish to move into, whilst also having no arrears on your account.
If you are moving into a TVH property we will continue to carry out necessary repairs, but this may not be the case for properties not run by TVH.
You are exchanging tenancies as well as properties. Read the tenancy agreement thoroughly and make sure you are satisfied before signing anything. Once you’ve signed you are committed to the contract.
WHEN MUTUAL EXCHANGES GO WRONG
Any questions? Contact our Moves team on 0300 456 2929
Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine
9www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace 9www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
OUR NEWS
99
In December, a group of TVH sta� and resident volunteers got together at Hoylake Close in Slough to plant over 1000 trees in two days.
There are good reasons for taking on such a project in the area. Surrounded by three motorways and directly beneath the Heathrow flightpath, Slough has some of the worst air pollution statistics in the country (resulting in 6.84% of deaths locally, compared to the 5.38% national average).
The newly created woodland comprises of a variety of native species, including around 300 silver birch trees, which recent studies have shown can significantly improve air quality in the surrounding area. This swathe of woodland was planted in a strip creating a barrier between the Hoylake Close Estate and the nearby M4, which should help with noise pollution too..
The trees were supplied by the Woodland Trust and have been planted on land belonging to
Eton College. The land is managed by Slough Borough Council using a dowry from the college, which will go to ensuring that the survival rate of the woodland stays above 80%. So they’ll be there for a long time to come!
1000 TREES IN SLOUGH
Thank you to the residents of Hoylake Close who came out to help plant on what were a freezing couple of December days. Check out the pictures to see the di�erence they made!
9www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
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Healthy Cooking Classes have been running in local areas for TVH residents since November last year. The programme focuses on teaching you how to make the most of the food you cook, in order to keep as many of the nutritional benefits as possible. The classes are taught by professional nutritionists, who specialise in helping you live a healthy lifestyle cheaply and e�ectively. In the class you’re guided through cooking a family meal, the recipe depending on the theme of each lesson.
The feedback we’ve had for the classes so far has been really positive. Here’s what some residents had to say:
“I had no idea that I lost all the nutrients and vitamins from vegetables the way I have been cooking at home”There is little point in buying good food if the way we cook it strips it of all the nutrients it contains. In the past courses, residents learned how to cook food without stripping it from all the nutrients and without using any fat or oil.
“3 courses for under £4 is amazing”Good food doesn’t always have to be expensive. The nutritionists will give tips about where to shop, and how to shop.
“Learning to cook without oil and butter is something I’ll now be doing at home”
Participants have reportedly implemented the changes into their every day life. They cook healthier and cheaper and without using fat.
Eating good quality, healthy food might be appealing to all of us, but without knowing how to do it can be a very daunting endeavour. Things are much simpler, though, and the lessons have already helped many people realise how simple it actually is to cook healthy food. People have already started signing up for the next session in March.
HEALTHY COOKING ISN’T BORING!
OUR
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“I had no idea that I lost all the nutrients
and vitamins from vegetables the way I have been cooking
at home”
“Learning to cook without oil and
butter is something I’ll
now be doing at home”
“3 courses for under £4 is amazing”
Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine
If you are a local resident of TVH and you want to participate, call David Walker on 0208 607 3890 or email [email protected]
11www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
Thames Valley Housing Association
FREEPOST TK1763
52 London Road
Twickenham
Middx, TW1 3BR
Thames Valley Housing Association
FREEPOST TK1763
52 London Road
Twickenham
Middx, TW1 3BR
Thames Valley Housing Association
Thames Valley Housing Association
FREEPOST TK1763
52 London Road
Twickenham
Middx, TW1 3BRMiddx, TW1 3BR
Foodbanks...Foodbanks have recei
ved a lot of attention in the national pres
s recently, as the
number of people using them continues to rise. Christmas and New Year can place
increased pressure on residents who are struggling to
make ends meet.
We’ve worked in
partnership with
foodbanks for a number
of years and regularly
signpost our most
vulnerable residents to
take advantage of their
services. Two foodbanks
we regularly work with
are the Trussell Trust run
sites in Farnborough and
Farnham. Before
Christmas, sta� at TVH
filled up two cars worth of
donations to support the
sites during the busy
festive period. The
demand for food is not
just crucial to users of
foodbanks, but the
centres themselves are
reliant on donations to
continue their work.
Over 900,000 people
received three days
worth of emergency food
from Trussell Trust in
2014; a 163% increase
from the previous year.
Alison Ibrahim, Tenancy
Support O�cer at TVH,
said,
“Having their benefits
reduced or delayed,
being made redundant
and becoming single
with children, are all
reasons why we often
have to send our
residents to foodbanks”.
“Foodbanks don’t just
provide food, sta� also
take time to chat with
clients and advise them
about an array of
beneficial services. We
can now refer residents
who are experiencing
these di�culties to a
local foodbank, and in
most cases issue food
vouchers too”.
OUR NEWS
www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace 11
If you’re in need of
support, get in touch
with your housing
o�cer (details on the
“Contact us” page of
our website.) We have
partnerships with
foodbanks in all the
areas we work.
1212
OUR
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Need a loan but don’t want to go to Wonga or Provident?
We’ve joined up with London Plus Credit Union to provide you with a chance to open up a savings account with them FOR FREE! (Normally there is a small administration fee). If you join, you’ll benefit from the other banking services they provide. This can include small loans at a�ordable interest rates, unlike lenders like Wonga or Provident whose interest rates can double the amount you pay back.
Credit Unions are responsible lenders, run as co-operatives for their member (you, the saver). For people who are unable to get a high street bank account, they are an alternative. Some people join them as an ethical alternative to high street banks.
WANT TO SAVE BUT CAN’T GET A HIGH STREET BANK ACCOUNT?
MARY’S STORY: ‘’London Plus has been a Godsend’’ When Mary took out a £1,000 loan with Provident, she was never told that she would end up paying back nearly double that amount.
Mary and her partner are unemployed. Together they are bringing up Mary’s five children from her previous relationship. Their only income is the benefits they receive. With five children to feed and buy clothes for, Mary ran up several debts to credit cards and catalogues.
She went to Provident as she was struggling financially and took out a loan with them. Mary says she didn’t really understand the process and Provident didn’t clearly explain the interest rate on the loan. Mary only realised how high it was when she went to pay back the £1000 loan and found out she had to pay
£1,800 back. Mary said, “It nearly killed me to repay it”.
One day a friend told her about Credit Unions. Mary said, “I wasn’t sure at first as I’d never really heard of Credit Unions, but when I came to the London Plus o�ce, the sta� were really friendly and made everything simple.” “London Plus credit Union has been a Godsend to me, as I would not have been able to buy the things for my home that I really need or take the kids on holiday. They make sure you can a�ord any loans you take out, and you can save with them at the same time. The money I have saved by borrowing from them instead of Provident, I have been able to use on my kids. They always need something. It never seems to stop”
Join London Plus Credit Union
For more information and to join London Plus Credit Union, go to www.londonpluscus.co.uk and click on ‘Join now’ in the top, right-hand corner.
Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine
13www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
Our Go Green energy saving competition is now if full swing. The year long competition will see 15 households battle it out to see which one can save the most energy over the year. The winning household will win a AAA rated appliance of their choice up to the value of £500.
Each household has been given an energy monitor to help them see where and when they use the most energy. What do you think are the most energy hungry appliances we have in our households?
• Tumble dryers – they use over 2.5kw an hour. An average user would be spending nearly £8 a month (or around £96 a year). If you can dry larger, heavier things like towels, sheets and jeans outside on a washing line or clothes airer then finish them o� in the tumble dryer. You could cut your costs in half.
• Kettles. At 3kw they’re pretty hungry beasts – so only fill them as much as you need. Filling a kettle right up when you only need a cuppa could cost you an extra £2 a month or £24 a year
• Washing machines. Not the biggest user at 1kw. Most modern detergents are designed to wash at 30 degrees, so you don’t need to wash your clothes at higher temperatures. Also only doing a full load – lots of machine have half load buttons – but it uses almost as much energy to do a half load as it does to do a full load – you could save over £25 a year
We’ll have more energy saving updates over the year thanks to our Go Green guys. Watch this space.
OUR
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GO GREEN COMP – TOP TIPS
13www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
How did one resident save £800 in a year?She changed energy suppliers that’s how.
And you’ll be amazed about how easy it is. It’s like insuring your car – most of us check price comparison sites– well think of energy suppliers like car insurers and check every year that you’re on the best deal. A five minute search on a site will bring up the best deal for you, even if you’re on a key meter you can change suppliers. You’ll need a copy of your last bill or annual statement to help fill in the form. It takes five weeks(you get a two week period to change your mind) and the new energy supplier does all the work for you. All you’ll have to do
is cancel any direct debits to your old
supplier and give them a final reading.
Use one of these accredited sites
to find the best deal for you
Energyhelpline.com MoneySupermarket.com SimplySwitch.com TheEnergyShop.com uSwitch.com UKPower.co.uk
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WHITE
VINEGAR
Two natural ingredients that can replace your house cleaning products.
A number of di�erent, specialised products are often required to keep a house clean, that are often expensive and not always good for you. Try using a combination of baking soda (ie bicarbonate of soda) and white vinegar instead.
You can use this to:
Remove scaleTo remove the scale from your kettle, quarter fill it with plain white vinegar and leave it for an hour. Then, top up with water and bring to the boil. Finally, pour the water out and rinse the kettle well, because vinegar does not go with tea! You can do the same for your co�ee maker. Vinegar can be used in the bathroom too, to descale taps, shower heads and glass!
Remove odoursNobody wants a smelly house. You can use baking soda to remove almost all of those nasty odours. Place a little plate of baking soda in your fridge to keep it smelling fresh. You can put some baking soda in your ashtrays to remove the smell of smoke and stale cigarettes.You can soak plastic containers in warm water and baking soda to remove persistent smells from that odour absorbent plastic. The longer you let them soak the better.
Remove stains Soak your tea stained spoons and cups in water, add baking soda, and leave them overnight.
Clean surfacesYou can give glass windows and surfaces a glorious shine with a bit of vinegar. You can also polish a number of di�erent metals by using vinegar or
baking soda. Polish copper, brass, and silver with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, but make sure you don’t use abrasive tools and scratch the surface of the metal.
SCRUBBING UP WELL
14
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Did you know: Natural ingredients are not as potent as their toxic counterparts. We can expect that it will take vast amounts of vinegar and baking soda to remove scale or grease that has been building up for years.
The idea here is to maintain a level of hygiene by using these natural ingredients regularly, and overtime manage to lose dependence on stronger chemical compounds. This way house maintenance becomes greener, cheaper, and healthier.
Thames Valley Housing Residents’ Magazine
15www.tvha.co.uk/ourspace
OUR FUN
Let’s add some life into this wintery scene. Fill the image with colour - try using di�erent materials instead of paint or crayons, such as pencil shavings, glitter, fabric, thread, cotton wool, tin foil, cinnamon, stickers, magazine clippings… anything! Send it back to us at OurSpace, Thames Valley Housing, FREEPOST TK1763, 52 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3BR. We’ll look at every entry and send the best one £20 of Early Learning Centre vouchers.
SPRING IT UP!
GENERAL ENQUIRIES For general enquiries, including reporting repairs, please call:
☎ 0300 456 2929
Opening hours - 8 am – 6 pm, Monday to Friday
; info@ tvha.co.uk
; www.tvha.co.uk
EMERGENCY OUT OF HOURS REPAIRS Dial the 0300 number, option 1, to be connected to the emergency out of hours repairs service. If you cannot get through, please use:
☎ 020 3597 2094
BUYING A HOME
☎ 0845 35 12345
Opening hours - 9 am – 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday
TVH WELFARE & BENEFITS HELPLINE
☎ 0800 542 5862 or 020 8607 0577 from a mobile
WRITING TO US?Use our FREEPOST address (no stamp needed)
VISITING US?Thames Valley Housing Premier House 52 London Road Twickenham TW1 3RP
0300 456 2929
.0300 456 2929
0300 456 2929
Print Management & Creative Services by:
21:12 Print Management & Creative Services Sky Light City Tower, 50 Basinghall Street London, EC2V 5DE
T. +44 (0)20 3757 6700E. [email protected]
Got a question or story for OurSpace?
Contact the Editorial Panel at [email protected] or call 020 8607 3878
CONTACTS
If you would like any TVH information translated into another language, in large print or audio versions, please contact us on 0300 456 2929.
Si vous souhaitez recevoir une quelconque information de TVH dans une autre langue, veuillez nous contacter au 0300 456 2929.
Jeżeli chcieliby Państwo otrzymać dowolne informacje TVH w innym języku, prosimy o kontakt pod numerem telefonu: 0300 456 2929.
Haddii aad jeceshahay in luqad kale lagugu turjumo macluumaadka Thames Valley Housing (TVH), fadlan nagala soo xiriir 0300 456 2929.
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