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Home Owners’ Newsletter Winter 2016
Office closing times over Christmas and New YearOur offices close on Friday, 23rd December and reopen on Tuesday, 3rd January. During this time our contractors will only provide emergency repairs. Emergencies include total electricity loss and major leaks. In these instances our contractors will ‘make safe’ and may be able to do a full repair provided extensive works are not needed. If additional works need to be approved we cannot do this until we reopen on 3rd January.
If you have an emergency repair please phone 020 7613 8080, where a recorded message will direct you to the contractor providing emergency cover.
Please note that we will not be able to reply to any text messages or emails over the closure period.
What’s inside...
Residents’ Forum
Events in your area
Secret history of our streets
Kids’ quiz
Follow us on Twitter at @NewlonHT
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Please do not change communal locksWe ask all residents not to change any communal door locks as it is vital that we are able to access communal areas to carry out health and safety inspections and deal with repairs.
If a communal door lock is faulty or doesn’t comply with fire risk regulations then we will arrange for it to be changed and supply all residents with the required key.
This applies even if you only share the communal area with one other neighbour.
The Residents’ Forum is a group of residents who meet every few months to look at Newlon’s work and monitor performance. At the last Forum a number of topics were discussed:
l Graham Watts, the Community Services Manager, gave a presentation about his team and what they are currently doing. Their performance is looking positive, as the team are ahead of their targets.
l The Forum were asked for ideas about what Community Services could do in the future. A good suggestion was Graham’s team help “join the dots” for residents by letting them know about other services where they live.
l The Housing Services Director, Bill Henderson, discussed resident satisfaction. Where there is dissatisfaction the causes have been looked into and actions proposed for improvements, including more guidance for staff where needed.
l Bill also spoke about recent performance. There are many positives. However he accepted areas such as dealing with complaints are not as good as they could be. We are taking action to improve in these areas.
l Two Forum members are going to the Residents’ Network Annual Conference in December with the Resident Involvement team. They will give us their feedback at a future meeting.
l The Forum agreed to improvements in the rewards scheme for the Chair of the Scrutiny Panel and the member who leads on scrutiny topics at meetings, to recognise additional responsibilities they have taken on.
l There was feedback to Forum members from Sarah Ebanja, Chair of Newlon’s Board. She was impressed with the work they were doing and told them their suggestions were being listened to and acted upon.
Residents’ ForumMartin Hughes, Chair, writes:
We want your viewsThe Residents’ Forum has an important role as they work with Newlon on behalf of residents to help improve services.
But we also want to hear the views of all our residents – including you. You can provide your comments in the “My Newlon” section of our website. Just go to www.newlon.org.uk/newlon.
Any relevant comments posted online will be discussed at the Forum.
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Rules for parcels – Ashburton and Hale VillageOur concierge offices at Ashburton Triangle and Hale Village are able to sign and hold parcels on behalf of residents who live there. However please note the following:
l Parcels are accepted at residents’ own risk.
l Parcels must be collected within 24 hours of delivery due to storage space.
l This is a complimentary service and is left to the discretion of the concierge whether to accept parcels.
l The concierge are not able to accept large items such as furniture, bookcases and mattresses.
l Please make the concierge aware if they have to sign for high value items.
Bulk rubbish: save on your billsRecently we have noticed a large amount of bulky waste, such as furniture and kitchen appliances, left on our estates.
Across all schemes this is costing us about £12,000 per month to remove. These costs are charged to residents through their service charges. To minimise this cost please dispose of bulk rubbish properly, by taking them to a local collection point or contacting your local council for removal. We have CCTV on many of our estates to identify those responsible for this problem.
If you dump rubbish yourself we will take action as you are costing your neighbours money. You could also lose your home.
If you know of a neighbour disposing of rubbish incorrectly then please let us know, in confidence, at [email protected].
Lucky Newlon resident rides away her prizeAt the Hale Village Summer Festival in July a lucky Newlon resident won a bike. Residents were asked to submit energy saving tips, which were then put into a prize draw.
The winner was Antoinette of Vickers Court. Meanwhile Joyce from De Havilland Court won a draw for a £200 gift voucher for completing the customer satisfaction survey in July.
The prizes were awarded by Veolia, the company which designed the energy centre at Hale Village and supports the hot water and heating needs.
Improving services: estate inspection and handyperson service As part of our new service model launched in 2014 we set up an estate inspection service.
Estate Inspectors visit all our stock, including street properties, on a regular basis. They carry out health and safety checks, test equipment and report any communal repairs issues in real time using mobile technology.
In order to improve the service further, earlier this year we created a dedicated handyperson team. When Estate Inspectors log communal repairs issues they come directly to the handyperson team, who then follow-up and complete any non-emergency communal repairs.
This combination of teams working together and using smart reporting technology is helping to ensure estate repairs are completed more quickly and cost effectively.
In September 249 communal repairs jobs were reported to the handyperson service and the team completed 94% within target times. The main area of work has been electrical, particularly carrying out repairs to communal lighting. This ensures homes are safer and more secure.
We are confident this new approach is starting to make a real difference as the number of enquiries about communal repairs has reduced and residents’ overall satisfaction about where they live has increased.
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Recommendations from the Scrutiny PanelThe Scrutiny Panel is a group of residents who look in detail at our services and make suggestions to improve them.
They met in September to look at customer contact. This includes how quickly we answer calls and the number of complaints we successfully resolve.
The Panel felt performance was fairly good. However they came up with some recommendations. Here are the ones we agreed on:
l To ask residents who request a call back from us on what the best number to do is.
l When residents are in a queue to be answered we tell them what position they are in.
l When our website portal is developed residents may choose different communication preferences for different household members.
You can see the Panel’s recommendations in full and our responses at www.newlon.org.uk/residents/getting-involved/residents-scrutiny-panel.
The Panel also elected their first chair, Tony Gibney from Coppermill Heights. Congratulations to Tony.
Join Queensland Road Neighbourhood WatchThe Queensland Road Neighbourhood Watch was started by a few Newlon residents with the aim of bringing neighbours together to create a strong, friendly, active community to try and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.
Their vision is a caring community, focused on trust and respect in which people are safe from crime and enjoy good quality of life. It is about making sure that no one has to feel afraid, vulnerable or isolated in the place where they live. It is also an opportunity to meet like-minded neighbours
If you are a resident of Queensland Road and are interested in joining please contact them at [email protected].
Meet Liz, Scrutiny Panel memberLiz is a Newlon employee and resident. She joined the Scrutiny Panel last December.
“I got involved in the Scrutiny Panel for various reasons. I wanted to join a group that empowered residents to influence Newlon’s decisions, get new skills to build my confidence, gain experience sitting on a panel and make new friends.
I have been a Newlon resident for over twelve years, living in the same lovely property, and worked for Newlon for the last four. If you would have said to me the day I signed my tenancy that a few years down the line I would be working here – and that my landlord would also be my employer – I would have laughed. But it is possible to have both.
I am grateful for the services that Newlon offers to help residents get back into work. If it wasn’t for this opportunity I don’t think I would be in a position to develop myself.
Being on the panel is a great experience. I can voice my opinions, get a better understanding of the issues that concern residents and try to make Newlon’s services better by learning from our mistakes and listening to residents’ feedback. It is a fantastic opportunity for a resident.
I want Newlon’s services to be shaped the best they can and bring real change. It is really satisfying to be part of the group that helps make this happen.”
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Events in your area
Christmas Tales at ChickenshedWhen? Various dates until 29th Dec
Where? Chickenshed Theatre, N14 Cost? £8
Christmas Tales is a fun and festive show from the creative team behind the popular Tales from the Shed. It’s a full-on family ‘Talesomime’ (a pantomime starring all the favourite Tales characters) and it’s going to be high energy, interactive and entertaining. Shows take place on a variety of dates and times. Go to the website to book tickets.
www.chickenshed.org.uk/christmas-tales-chickenshed
Christmas Fayre with Crafty FoxWhen? Until 23rd Dec
Where? Museum of London Docklands, E14
Cost? £7 (includes gift)
Get into the Christmas spirit at the Museum of London Docklands. Experience the Sailortown gallery, transformed with festive decorations and the sound of Victorian carols being sung in the distance. Find Santa in his grotto and receive a festive gift. Photographs available at an additional cost.
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands
Ready Steady Colour’s Christmas Feast!When? Until 23rd Dec
Where? Discover Children’s Story Centre, E15 Cost? £9
An interactive music, art and storytelling experience for all the family. Step into a pop-up restaurant, order your black and white ‘Christmas dinner’ and get colouring. Decorate your plate with glittery salt and pepper or red paint cranberry sauce, while the restaurant’s colourful waiting staff entertain you with their unique blend of storytelling, comedy and music. Advance booking essential.
www.discover.org.uk
The Islington Christmas MarketWhen? Until 24th Dec
Where? Angel Shopping Centre, N1 Cost? Free
Open from 10am until 6pm daily until Christmas Eve, the Angel Shopping Centre is hosting the Islington Christmas Market. With plenty of unique gift ideas straight from the market’s twinkling wooden cabins, from a variety of quality boutique traders, changing on a weekly basis.
http://islingtonchristmasmarket.com
Family Day: Festival of LightsWhen? 18th Dec
Where? Keats House, NW3
Cost? Free
Hear wintry folktales from around the world with storyteller Olivia Armstrong at Keats House this Christmas holiday. You can also help light up the darkening nights by making a tea light holder using recycled materials, which also make a great festive gift.
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/keats-house
Camden Christmas MarketWhen? 15th Dec & 22nd Dec
Where? Camden High Street, NW1
Cost? Free
Sleigh your shopping list at the Camden Christmas Market. Every Thursday their alternative festive experience will take on a different theme. Shop outside-of-the-box, take a picture at their selfie tree, and afterwards get cosy in the toasty North Star Bar, with a steaming mug of mulled wine and some live music.
www.camdenmarket.com
Robinson CrusoeWhen? Until 17th Dec
Where? Bernie Grant Arts Centre, N15
Cost? £40 family / £18 adult / £15 child
Written by Daniel O’Brien, with original music by Annemarie Lewis Thomas and directed by the inventive Howard Samuels. With all the traditional panto elements that you know and love, this brand new show is guaranteed to bring a bit of sunshine into your lives this Christmas season. Fun for all the family.
http://berniegrantcentre.co.uk
Candle Making, Cake & Cocktails to Warm Your CocklesWhen? 21st Dec
Where? The Coal House, N16
Cost? £25
Quaff mulled wine, spicy cider and winter cocktails whilst learning to cast your own handmade festive scented candle. As the creations set, you can enjoy a selection of homemade cakes and a live music performance. Price includes all materials, a personal candle souvenir, entertainment, a hot cocktail drink and cake selection
www.woodberrywetlands.org.uk/events
Farewell to ChristmasWhen? 6th Jan 2016
Where? The Geffrye Museum, E2
Cost? Free
Wrap up warm and go to the gardens of the Geffrye Museum in Hackney for their tradition of burning the holly and ivy. There is also carol singing, epiphany stories and a taste of mulled wine and Twelfth Night cake. The event is free to attend.
www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/whatson
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Volunteer to help someoneOutward, our care and support partner, are looking for volunteers to spend a few hours a week with someone in Hackney to help them feel less lonely. Whether it’s on the phone, going for a walk, or over a cup of tea, your time will mean something to someone in need of support.
You will receive full training and support so you don’t need any formal qualifications or experience, just enthusiasm.
Interested? Please email [email protected] or call 020 7275 9829.
Find answers in the Knowledge Base Many queries from residents and prospective residents come through to our Service Centre every day. However, you don’t have to call the Service Centre when you have a query, because we have put the most commonly asked questions we receive onto our ‘Knowledge Base’. Just go to www.newlon.org.uk/knowledge-base.
You said we didA few months ago our Readers’ Panel helped us by reviewing our new service charge commonly asked questions leaflet. They took considerable time giving us detailed feedback. We made some changes based on what they said. We rephrased some of the answers so they were clearer, grouped questions together to improve the layout and made other minor amendments.
You can find the frequently asked questions leaflet at www.newlon.org.uk/residents/service-charges.
Need an event space? If you are interested in renting a hall for an event then we have great spaces to hire in Islington and Tower Hamlets. Prices start from £25 per hour, with discounts for Newlon residents.
Find out more by emailing [email protected] or calling 020 7033 4605.
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The secret history of our streetsWe provide nearly 8,000 homes, ranging from new build high-rise developments to 18th century street properties. Many have fascinating histories. Sometimes this can be sensed from the name of a development, sometimes it is more obscure. Here we continue our regular feature exploring some of them.
During WW1 the hospital began to care for large numbers of widowed pregnant women. They soon decided to also admit women whose husbands were serving in the forces. After the war all mothers, married or not, were admitted. By the 1930s the annual births had risen to 2,000, far more than the 600 the hospital had been built for.
Eventually the hospital required extensive modernisation and all maternity services moved to the newly opened Homerton Hospital in 1986.
Newlon acquired the site and, working in partnership with Hackney Council and the local health authority, demolished the original buildings and replaced them with the award-winning Mothers’ Square development. It was opened by Prince Charles in 1990.
Find out more online on the ‘Lost hospitals of London’ website, www.ezitis.myzen.co.uk, used as a reference for this article.
If you have an interesting story about the history of your development let us know at [email protected].
Mothers’ SquareMothers’ Square is a development in Clapton of nearly 100 Shared Ownership and social rent homes and a supported housing scheme for older people centred around a distinctive crescent shaped layout.
What you may not know is it stands on the site of the Mothers’ Hospital, originally built by the Salvation Army before the NHS provided universal healthcare for all. It was a rescue and maternity home for poor young women, many of whom were pregnant but unmarried. At the time this carried great social stigma and maternity hospitals only admitted married women.
It was first built in 1889 on Mare Street in Hackney, but by the early 20th century a 2.75 acre site was bought in Lower Clapton Road to build a new hospital to cope with increasing demand. The foundation stone was laid in July 1912 by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, who returned the following year to officially open the Mothers’ Hospital. It had 48 beds, with plans to increase this to 100 when enough money could be raised. The initial scheme cost £26,000.
The hospital’s frontage was unusual. It consisted of six semi-detached houses linked together by two distinctive arches, giving access to the ward buildings behind, erected in the gardens of the houses. The houses were offices, reception rooms and nurses’ quarters and, along with the arches, still stand today.
The wards were housed in four single-storey buildings, which lay on a north-south axis to benefit from sunshine during the day. These bungalows were connected by a colonnade to the entrance building. In fine weather the open colonnades allowed mothers to sit in the sunshine and nurse their babies. The labour room was equipped with modern conveniences including a steriliser and hot and cold water laid on over large basins.
All the Sisters and the Matron were officers in the Salvation Army and wore a buff-coloured uniform dress, with an apron and handkerchief cap.
Kids’ Quiz!Below are 6 words which are all to do with Christmas. See if you can unscramble them.
1) LISHEG
2) LABUEB
3) LANBLOWS
4) LITSEN
5) REPSNETS
6) REKSRACC
Please email your answers to [email protected], with the words Kids’ Quiz in the title, along with your name, age and full address. Or post them to Newlon Kids’ Quiz, Newlon House, 4 Daneland Walk, Hale Village, N17 9FE.
You can only enter the quiz if you are aged 11 or under. Answers must be received by 22nd January 2017.
All correct entries will go into a draw, and one lucky winner will get a £20 voucher for a high street or online store of their choice.
Newlon House, 4 Daneland Walk, Hale Village, London, N17 9FE Telephone: 020 7613 8080
Email (general enquiries): [email protected] Email (repairs): [email protected]
www.newlon.org.uk
Newlon Housing Trust is a charitable Housing Association
If you have difficulty reading this newsletter, require a different format or need help with translation, please contact us on 020 7613 8091 or email [email protected].
Keep communal areas clearPlease do not leave items in communal areas, such as halls, stairwells and corridors, as these pose a risk in the event of a fire. This includes bicycles and prams. Any items removed by our contractors will require a fee to get them returned. This is for your own safety.
Write for your newsletterDo you have an idea for an article for this newsletter? We welcome articles from residents of all ages. If we publish it we will send you £20 in vouchers of your choice! Send your article idea to [email protected], or post it to Kieran Hurley, Newlon Housing Trust, 4 Daneland Walk, Hale Village, London, N17 9FE.
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Winner!Congratulations to Zahir from Hackney who won the
Autumn quiz and who will receive a voucher soon.
