SUMMER 2013

YOUR LOCAL MAGAZINE FROM WELLINGBOROUGH HOMES

Helping people in crisis Residents of New Foodbank Helping

Wellingborough

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Inside this Issue Looking to Move

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s t n e m e e r g a y c n New tena Wellingborough Homes is currently reviewing our tenancy agreements to make sure they are up-to date, relevant and easier to understand.

04

Financial Help

04

New Foodbank

05

We will be sending out new draft tenancy agreements to all current tenants by August of this year. There will then be a period of consultation during which time we would welcome your views on the draft agreement. Details of how you can give us your views and opinions will be sent to you with the proposed tenancy agreements.

Support Wellingborough 06 Tenants’ Thumbs Up

08

Great Place to Work

10

Fresh Lease of Life

11

Community Windfall

12

Fly Tipping

13

Safety First

14

Community Involvement 15 What Do You Think?

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Getting to know

our local communities Recent research is helping us to understand our tenants better and plan improvements to our services. Support Wellingborough, a consortium that includes Wellingborough Homes and other local partners, commissioned research on the Hemmingwell estate.

Add us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ wellingboroughhomes Follow us on Twitter: @whomes_hr

It aimed to identify those in greatest need, establish the level of need for support services in future, and maintain and develop local community services providing ‘first level’ support. Findings will now be used to plan services and bid for more funding.

Another piece of research has been gathering the views of our younger tenants (aged 18-30) on our services. Many appreciated having a named Tenancy Support Officer but they also wanted access to more services, such as children’s activities, gardening and the handy person scheme. Forty per cent said they planned to move in the next few years but 65% of them rated Wellingborough Homes as their preferred landlord. We are now discussing these findings with our younger tenants to plan further service improvements.

You said, we did You said

We did

Last year we set up a Feedback Review Panel, a group of tenants who look at our processes for dealing with your concerns, suggestions, compliments or complaints.

We have taken on board their ideas and drafted new policies and procedures. They include:

They have since looked at our feedback policies and procedures, giving their view on how we can improve them. They wanted them quicker, more efficient and focused on results.

• Acknowledging the following stage (stage 3) complaints within three working days. Then within 15 working days a director will be in touch try to reach a resolution • Aiming to have concerns resolved and if no satisfactory conclusion within 48 hours is met, a review meeting will be held with a panel consisting of at • Acknowledging initial (stage 1) least one Board member, at least complaints within three working one tenant representative and days, then a manager contacting the director. you within another three working

• Acknowledging compliments within three working days • Acknowledging suggestions within three working days, followed by a manager responding to them within 20 working days

days to agree a plan to resolve the issue and a time scale for this to be completed • Acknowledging the next stage (stage 2) of a complaint within three working days, followed by the head of service investigating it within 10 working days

Welcome to John A chartered surveyor – and one time horror movie extra – has joined the Wellingborough Homes board.

John grew up in London but moved to Hertfordshire in his 20s. He now lives in Letchworth and has two grown-up daughters.

John Welch, who has nearly 30 years’ experience of the housing sector, is Chief Executive of Howard Cottage Housing Association based in Letchworth and a board member of Thrive Homes Housing Association in Hertfordshire.

In his spare time John is an avid music fan, reader, Barnet Football Club supporter and has written two short stories.

He previously worked for another housing association and three local authorities. John holds an MBA from the Open University, is a Chartered Building Surveyor and member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

To the best of his knowledge, John is also the only current housing association Chief Executive that has appeared as an extra in a horror movie – a friend roped him into playing a zombie in the 2010 film Devil’s Playground! As a member of the board, John will now play his part in shaping the future of Wellingborough

Homes and its services. He said: “I am delighted to have joined the board of such a vibrant and successful housing association. I hope my experience and knowledge will help us go from strength to strength.”

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move

New foodbank

Looking to

You will know from previous editions of ‘Well Informed’ that we have been working with our residents to help them deal with the impact of the government’s welfare benefit changes. Our Neighbourhood Services Team has been offering advice and support, helping people maximise their income, manage debt and make use of the range of services at the FISH Shop (Free impartial Support and Help). One of the main changes introduced from April has been the cut in housing benefit for people with a spare room. To try to help, we have been identifying under-occupied and over-

occupied homes – properties that are too big or too small for the household’s needs. This might give tenants the chance to swap homes, move to accommodation more suited to the size of their household and perhaps avoid a cut in their housing benefit. If you are under-occupying or over-occupying your home you may be contacted to see if you are interested in swapping your home. Council and housing association tenants across the country can also look for a home swap through the national HomeSwapper mutual exchange service.

for people in crisis

looking for a new home via this scheme. Within three days of applying to join, you can be searching for another home anywhere in the country.

Volunteers from the financial cooperative have just started giving advice two days a week at the FISH Shop (Free Impartial Support and Help) and the aim is to increase this to five days a week over the next few months. The Credit Union – owned and run by its members – is a costeffective alternative to banks, offering savings and budgeting

Wellingborough Homes offers specialist language support for our Polish tenants. Two of our Tenancy Support Officers (TSOs) are originally from Poland and offer a translation service to our residents.

It is open to tenants with assured or protected (not starter) tenancies, who have no more than £100 rent arrears.

Magdalena Murawa and Agnes Wawrzkiewicz regularly assist both long-term and short-term tenants with their language needs.

If you are interested in moving or finding a mutual exchange, contact Wellingborough Homes Customer Service Centre on 01933 234450 or email [email protected]

Magdalena started working with us in March 2012 and Agnes joined us in November 2012, both initially as administrators. Magdalena said: “Our translation service just grew naturally out of the work we do as TSOs.

Currently, there are 332 Wellingborough Homes tenants

Financial help is at hand As we all feel the financial squeeze, help is at hand in the shape of Northamptonshire Credit Union.

accounts plus affordable loans where appropriate. You pay £3 to become a member and open an account, but Wellingborough Homes is offering to pay this joining fee for its tenants. Mike Oakley, Manager of Northamptonshire Credit Union, said: “We offer people help and advice with budgeting, saving and money management, with the emphasis on the bigger picture. “To save with us, you have to pay in at least £1 a week or £5 a month. A lot of people may say

Breaking down the language barrier

they can’t afford to do that and want to take out hefty bank loans instead. But the fact is that, if you can’t afford to save, you can’t afford a loan because the interest on most loans is so high. “We will give small loans where appropriate but only as part of an overall budgeting and money management plan. This is because we are not here to rip people off – we want to help people and be part of the solution, not the problem.”

Wellingborough and District Foodbank was launched this spring to help people in crisis. The service provides free emergency parcels of basic food items – such as cereal, pasta and tinned meals – plus some toiletries. To be eligible for a food parcel, you need to be referred for help by an agency such as a GP, charity, support service or advice centre. You will then be given a voucher which you can exchange for a food parcel at The Daylight Centre, in the High Street, Wellingborough. Centre manager Paula Mason said: “People may require a food parcel for various reasons, such as losing their job, delayed benefit payments or a relationship breakdown.

“The aim of the foodbank is to provide people with food and other essential items when they most need it and until the time it takes for them to receive the right support.” Food for the emergency parcels is donated by individuals, churches, temples, mosques, local groups, the public and supermarkets. * To qualify for a food parcel, the referring agency needs to know you and your situation, and you need to ask for support and be in genuine need of such help.

“If Polish tenants struggle to understand English, we can translate and help them sort out whatever issues they have. “That may be to do with the terms and conditions of their tenancy, reporting repairs or housing benefit claims. We can also signpost them to other agencies if they need other types of support.”

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Delos Delos Community, set up in 1981, offers a range of community and residential services for people with learning disabilities across Northamptonshire. It aims to support clients to achieve their full potential, play an active role in their community and live as independently as possible.

‘We are excited about working with Support Wellingborough. We have expertise in supporting people with learning disabilities but other Support Wellingborough partners have their skills and expertise - its great to share these so we can provide the best support for people living in Wellingborough.’ Find out more at www.delos.org.uk

Delos’ community services include:

for all life throws at you people experiencing domestic abuse, homeless people and members of black and minority ethnic communities.

What we do

Wellingborough Homes and a number of other local organisations joined together to launch a new service, Support Wellingborough, in April. By working together, we can offer a wide range of support services for vulnerable people to cater for their varying needs. As a consortium of housing, care and support organisations, we share our skills and work with you to help prevent your problems getting worse, whatever they are. You only need to call one telephone number – and tell your story once – to get all the help and support you need.

Who we help The service helps anyone in need of help, including families, young people at risk, older people, people with disabilities or mental health needs, teenage parents, people with drug or alcohol problems,

Our range of services includes intensive support at times of crisis, housing-related support, financial advice, health and well-being advice, practical help with gardening or DIY and help for people returning home from hospital. The idea behind our work is to catch people’s problems early and prevent the need for more intensive care and health services further down the line. We will work with customers to give support for as long as they need, whether a day or over six months.

Who we are Consortium members aim to work closely with local communities to improve the lives of Wellingborough people. The partners are Wellingborough Homes, Catch 22, Delos, Mayday Trust, Gharana/Housing 21, Women’s Aid, Wellingborough MIND, Together, Wellingborough African Caribbean Association, Pravasi Mandal, Daylight Centre Fellowship, Home Start, Community Housing Network,

Family Hostels, Hope Centre, Shires Community, Sofa Wise, Heartlands Mediation, Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Law Service.

- Community connecting – providing support to enable greater involvement in community life, increased social confidence and expanded social networks - Supported accommodation – core support, sleep-in cover and additional one-to-one support hours, provided by a dedicated team - Domiciliary support – person-centred, outcomefocused personal care and support for people in their own homes

Dave Willis, Chief Executive of Wellingborough Homes, said:

- Befriending – enabling individuals to build friendships, improve skills, increase confidence and have fun in their community

“Times are tough at the moment and many people need that little extra help and support, so Support Wellingborough is here for them.

- Supported volunteering – matching individuals to volunteering opportunities

Pratima Dattani, Head of Support Wellingborough, said: “The idea is that we all pull together, pooling our skills and knowledge to create a tailormade package of support for each individual. Through this innovative coordinated approach, we aim to improve the quality of life of people and communities across Wellingborough.” You can contact Support Wellingborough on 01933 234452. For more information, visit www.supportwellingborough.org

- Housing and community support – helping people to manage day-to-day tasks involved with running a home, with community access points across Wellingborough and Northamptonshire, includes tenancy support, life skills, community connecting, volunteering/ befriending, benefits and debt management In addition, Delos runs community and social events, drop-in sessions and a community coffee shop. Most services are for adults, but some cater for anyone over the age of 14. Delos also runs five small residential homes offering 24-hour care in Wellingborough. They provide short or long term support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs. Linzi Payge, Services Manager at Delos, said: “We are excited about working with Support Wellingborough. We have expertise in supporting people with learning disabilities but other Support Wellingborough partners have their skills and expertise - its great to share these so we can provide the best support for people living in Wellingborough. “By linking with the other Support Wellingborough partners, we can signpost our clients to other agencies which can provide additional types of support and advice they may need.”

Wellingborough MIND Wellingborough MIND, launched in 1978, runs a variety of projects to support people with mental health issues. Projects are run in the local community and from its centre in Havelock Street. These include one-to-one counselling, art and craft sessions, a programme to build people’s employment skills, a social and peer support group, relaxation sessions and health and well-being activities. Wellingborough MIND has five paid staff and 38 volunteer counsellors. It supports up to 40 people with long-term mental health problems and runs over 1,000 free counselling sessions a year for members of the community. Nigel Mansfield, Chief Executive of Wellingborough MIND, said: “Our counselling service is very personcentred, so we are here for people for as long as they need us. “We support people with the full spectrum of needs from people needing some emotional support to cope with a time of stress in their everyday life, through to people with long-term personality disorders. “Being part of Support Wellingborough is brilliant because it makes it easier for us to access the kind of support we don’t have the skills to provide. “By linking together, organisations can make sure people can get all their various needs addressed. It is working really well and has been very beneficial to the people who come through our door.” Find out more at www.wellingboroughmind.org.uk

We will be looking at providing information about other organisations which are part of the Support Wellingborough in future editions of Well Informed.

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Thumbs-up

s t n a n e t r u o from

Other key findings include:

85% 88%

would recommend Wellingborough Homes to their family or friends.

were satisfied with the support we give on managing their finances.

78%

act upon them, while 12% were dissatisfied.

92%

find our staff helpful, with just 4% saying they were unhelpful.

87% SAID WE TREAT THEM FAIRLY. said their last query with us was answered within a reasonable time.

90% rate us as good at keeping

them informed, with 60% rating us very good and only 3% rating us poorly.

Almost nine out of ten Wellingborough Homes tenants are happy with the service we provide, according to a recent independent survey. The Tenant Satisfaction Survey concluded that 87% of tenants are satisfied with the overall service they receive, with more than half (52%) very satisfied. These results show a significant improvement on our last survey in 2009 when 82% said they were satisfied with our service.

However, 6% of tenants who took part in the survey said they were dissatisfied with our service.

very satisfied. 81% are satisfied that their rent provides value for money, with 47% very satisfied.

The survey saw 609 tenants complete postal or telephone interviews in which they were asked their views on a range of issues, including satisfaction with their home and neighbourhood, as well as the advice and support they receive.

Of the 233 residents in our sheltered housing for older and vulnerable people, more than nine out of ten were happy with all aspects of the service.

Over four fifths (84%) were happy with the quality of their home, with almost half (49%)

The survey was carried out to the national standards for social housing satisfaction surveys, contained in the HouseMark STAR (Survey of Tenants and Residents) framework.

were satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live, with 50% very satisfied, but 10% were dissatisfied.

71% believe we listen to their views and

were satisfied with repairs and maintenance on their home, with 50% very satisfied.

90%

82%

Your neighbourhood Everyone who took part in the survey was also asked about 14 possible neighbourhood issues, including problems around antisocial behaviour, traffic and litter. The major issue was with car parking, which was said to be a problem by 46% of the tenants taking part. The only other areas mentioned by more than 20% of respondents

85% say it is easy to get hold of the right person at Wellingborough Homes, but 10% said it was difficult.

were problems with rubbish – reported by 37% – and dog fouling – mentioned by 31%.

our customers. We do this in lots of different ways and the STAR survey is just one of them.

Our teams are now analysing the survey’s findings to look at what do well, what we can do better and how to improve our services to you.

“We are pleased that most of the results show we are moving in the right direction but we know we can always do better, and we will use the results of this survey to help us achieve this.”

Dave Willis, Chief Executive of Wellingborough Homes, said: “For us to improve as a business, it is critical that we get feedback from

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A great place to work

We always welcome feedback from our tenants and we were delighted to receive this moving letter of thanks from one of our tenants:

Wellingborough Homes is a great place to work and one of the best bosses in the UK, according to a national league table. We were rated 84th best notfor profit organisation in the prestigious Sunday Times’ ‘Top 100 Best Companies To Work For’ list this year. The rankings are worked out by looking at employers’ policies and procedures and the views of their staff. Nearly 80% of our 117 employees completed the survey, rating us particularly highly for the learning and development opportunities we offer. Debbie Reynolds, Director of Organisational Development at

Dear Well

ingborou

Wellingborough Homes, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be on the Sunday Times list. “It’s great to get this feedback from our staff but we aim to constantly improve, looking at what we do well and what we can do better.

“We are very much involved in our community and that makes for a high level of job satisfaction. We try to create a friendly, family working environment, so look out for the job vacancies we advertise on our website so you can come and join us.”

Committed to learning Wellingborough Homes has been recognised for its commitment to offering education and training opportunities to the borough’s residents. Our Training Academy was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). It won the accolade after being nominated by the Neighbourhood Learning Team at Northamptonshire County Council.

A FRESH LEASE OF LIFE

The award recognised our wide range of courses and our work to develop the academy further so we reach more of our residents. Mo Baker, Head of Customer and Support Services, said: “Congratulations to our team for pulling all the courses together and offering such a variety of subjects, that pull in not only our tenants but other residents of Wellingborough. “The Training Academy is growing and, with the help of a recent Lottery grant, we are

taking courses out of the Tenant Resource Centre so that there will also be classes held in community centres and supported living schemes across the borough.”

gh Home

s When I firs t got involv ed with W I had a stro ellingborou ke, then ha gh Homes d depression pensioner, I was quite for many y just sat wa introverte ears. I rare tching TV d as ly went ou most of th One day a t e a ti n m d , e as I’m a . lady knock ed on my inspection door and a to make s sked if I w ure our re At first I s ould take nts were b aid no and part in a m eing used that I did n ock and I wen a s they were ot got out t. supposed very often to be. but the lad A few wee y persuad ed me ks later I w as contacte some of t d again an heir ideas d asked if as they w they thou I would giv a n te d to know ght we wa e my opin what tena n te d. Since th they do. ion on nts wante en I have b d and not een involv what ed with so When the many thin y started t gs that heir trainin and have g courses, now been I was one on almost machine a of the firs all of them nd take ph t to take t . I can now otographs hem up and the th use a com – all of wh ings I did k puter and ich I had v now had a a sewing ery little k ll been forg nowledge Although o t te n of before after havin I still have memory a g my strok am nowhe nd back p e . re near th roblems a e person I I not only nd am reg used to be do volunta istered dis . Now I am ry work fo abled, I communit out nearly r Wellingb y, and I am e v o e ro ry ugh Home day and a member s but also of Finedon I am no lo fo r C t h o e Asian m munity Ce nger the s ntre. ad person been disco I was. I ha vered and ve no end am happy could be – of differen and much and it’s all t talents t more confi thanks to hat have dent than Wellingbo I ever ima rough Hom gined I es.

Jean Ison

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Community windfall We have supported the following five organisations with community grants this year. • The Community Law Service, which offers welfare benefits and debt advice at the FISH Shop. • Heartlands Mediation, which offers mediation services to Wellingborough Homes. • Nene Valley Citizens Advice Bureau has been given a grant for The Bridge accommodation project it runs to help homeless single people and families in Wellingborough • Wellingborough Women’s Aid Provide, a safe, non threatening environment for

women and children suffering domestic abuse and violence, floating support for those who leave refuge or want to remain in their own home, a 24hr helpline service and drop in sessions at the FISH Shop (Free impartial Support and Help) • Furniture recycling charity Sofa Wise Wellingborough grant helps keep the service running. It provides good quality furnishings at affordable prices to individuals and families on low incomes. Elly Simms, Community Manager at Wellingborough Homes,

said: “As part of our promises at stock transfer, we pledged to create a pot of money to give grants to community projects for five years. “We have kept that five-year promise but we have now agreed to continue funding schemes that benefit our communities into the future.” “These five organisations do invaluable work to support the residents of this borough, and we are delighted to award these grants to them this year,” she added.

Sprucing up our estates and villages We are continuing to spend a lot of money over the coming year to smarten up all parts of the borough and make Wellingborough a more pleasant place in which to live. Our 4 area team leaders have been joining our Neighbourhood Manager Julie Flinn to carry out walkabouts around our estates and villages. They are identifying issues in each area and, with our involved customers and the local community, drawing up an action plan to address problems and spruce up areas. Work may involve cutting back trees, repairing paving slabs, planting up areas, removing graffiti and general tidying up.

Julie said ‘By having these walkabouts, we are bringing different views and approaches to identify areas for improvement. We would very much welcome residents views and if any residents want us to organise a walkabout in their area or to simply bring any particular areas to my attention then please contact me on 01933 231366.”

Tough action on fly tipping Wellingborough Homes and the Borough Council of Wellingborough are taking tough action to tackle fly tipping in our communities. Our caretaking team, who clear any fly tipped rubbish, recently had specialist training from the council’s environmental team to learn about how to preserve and retrieve evidence from such waste. By working with the council, the aim is to ensure more people who fly tip are prosecuted for the offence.

Signs are being put up around our estates to remind people that it is illegal to dump rubbish in this way, the council will prosecute offenders and they can face a fine or prison. • If you see anyone dumping rubbish illegally, contact the Borough Council of Wellingborough on 01933 229777 or, if it is on land owned by Wellingborough Homes, our Customer Service Centre on 01933 234450.

STOP PRESS

The tenant from the Queensway Estate who was responsible for this fly tipping was prosecuted and fined £75. Please make sure that you are not fined - dispose of your rubbish responsib ly!

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cape route rather t out, so plan your es ave a short time to ge • You will only h is a fire than wait until there ed e normal one is block er way out in case th lan and knows • Think of anoth scape p erstands the e ne in your house und • Ensure everyo

what to do ructions at all times e routes clear of obst window keys • Keep the escap where the door and e in the house knows • Ensure that everyon are kept

If fire strikes

night t it, often during the when you least expec • Fire can strike t investigate. Shout you are asleep, don’ ever assume alarm goes off while quickly as possible. N • If your smoke , and get them out as to wake everyone up e alarm open is a fals that it they are warm do not back of the hand. If ith the doors w her side • Check closed ere is a fire on the ot ear to because this means th smoke, get down as n ill. If there is a lot of n also k mes ca cleaner • Smoke and fu where the air will be sible the floor as possible out as quickly as pos lm and get everyone eep ca rush, k • Do not pick up valuables ut until the Fire • Do not stop to ay be safer to stay p e with a is blocked by fire it m safe’ room (if possibl • If your escape r everyone into one ‘ ws to block any Service arrives. Gathe owels, sheets or pillo t the open se the door and use t ne). Clo all for help and wait a telepho e. Go to a window, c gaps to stop the smok window to be rescued rvice – dial 999 • Call the Fire Se

Fire safety is the theme of a new leaflet we have produced to give guidance to all tenants. The ‘Fire Safety in Your Home’ leaflet offers tips on how to prevent a fire and what to do if one breaks out in your property (this replaces the information in the tenant handbook).

This has been produced to tie in with our work to review our fire safety policy, which outlines procedures relating to our offices and homes, included supported housing. It details certain ‘dos and don’ts’ to prevent the risk of fire, including the need to keep communal areas clutter-free. We have also clarified arrangements for storing mobility scooters, which have become increasingly popular, to keep you and your neighbours safe.

Whenever Whenever it i it iss possible use possible use a thermostat TTES a thermostat controlled ONE FLATS OR MAIS deep deep fat frye fat fryerr to help avoi to help avoid d a fire. Neve a fire. Neverr cook with o

il or fat if you have been

drinking drinking alcoh alcohol. ol.

If If your oil or f your oilLiving or fat at pan catche pan catchess fire – do no fire – do nott move the pan. If it is safe rted to do so, turn turn off the h off the: heat/power eat/power th maisonette or Suppo then en place a dam place a damp p tea towel or fire blanket over the advice If you live in a flat, extra pan pan to smoth to smother er the flames the flames.. Never throw Never throw water onto t please follow this water he fire. Leave the pan Accommodation to to cool down cool down for 30 minut for 30 minutes.

Make sure th Make at smoking materials are ne never ver left left burning unattended. Make sure that they they are are properly stubbed out in a suitable ashtra ashtrayy before before leaving the room and disposed of safely safely before before going to bed. Never smoke in bed or in a an n armchair wh armchair when en feeling dro feeling drowsy. wsy. This is especially important when you or or any member any memberss of your fam of your family ily are are under the influence of alcohol or medica medication. tion.

Fire safety with electricity

Use the right fuse: A fuse is a safety devi device ce designed t designed to o stop overhe stop overheating ating in in faulty appliances. If the wrong fuse is fitt fitted ed and a fault and a fault develops this develops this may result es. If you can If you cannot may result not control the fire yourself, leave the in fire. room, room, close t close the he door and t door and telephone elephone the the Fire Service b Fire in your flat y dialling 999. If fire breaks out Use adaptors safely: If an adaptor is used en close the door with too man with too manyy appliances c e is straight away, th appliances connected the fir onnected where to it, the sock et and the main wiring circu e flat • Leave the room circuit it in the house in the house may be overl may be overloaded Candles are special… So take special oaded em to leave. Close th which in turn get th leads to a fire flat and care starting. n your • Tell everyone i you Electric blanket safety: Every year 20 pe For many peo For many people entrance door behind ple of all ages, candles are at the centre people ople die and 2 die and 250 50 are injured are injured in Britain in Britain gings because of electric blanket fires. Never of birthdays, of birthdays, family family occasions and the home itself. collect personal belon leave an elect leave an electric ric blanket sw blanket switched • Do not stop to itched on on while you are in bed unless it is marked ‘ However, However, can candles, dles, as with any naked flame, can be ‘suitable suitable for al for alll night use’. C o put the fire out night use’. Check heck the the blanket, flex and plug regularly for damag aa cause of fire cause of fire in the home, • Do not stay behind t in e and if in dou particularly where there and if in doubt bt do not use do not use. Always . Always follow the manufacturers instructions. are are children a – do not use children around. round. • If there is a lift exit vailable General electrical safety: Switch off and ises by the nearest a Great care sh Great care should ould be taken when using candles. lives unplug applia unplug appliances of eds nces which ar • Leave the prem which are hundr e not not many e left on when not in use. designed to b Follow this sim Follow this simple ple advice: the home claim For example, example, TVs, TVs, washing way from the building washing machines, machines, Each year fires in tumble dryers etc. It will also save you m • Wait outside a money. oney. • Always place candles out o candles out off the reach of children and rvice – dial 999 pets ng • Call the Fire Se Never run ele electrical ctrical cables • buildi cables under Never leave a candle burnin under carpets er part of the carpets. Nev candle burning . Never er g unattended of a fire in anoth repair or re-join cables with cables with insulating tap it starts insulating tape. Always If you see or hear e. Always • Keep candles the flat where a fire in away from ha away from hair replace the en ontain ir or clothing tire cable. cable. designed to c door is kept shut • The building is • Always place sure the flat entrance candles uprig candles upright Leave all electrical repairs a ht in suitable holders, repairs and in in your flat and en nd alterations alterations to a wet to which cannot • Therefore rema fire door place fall over easi over th the easily ly or transmit qualified elec benea electricians tricians heat at from start entering your fl • Always make sure that can • Should smoke that candles dles are put out properly, m edge towel along the botto especially before going to b going to bed ed y the Fire Service ou are told to leave b • Only leave if y

Please read this

leaflet carefully

– do not use • If there is a lift and await further o remain in your flat y doubt - it is safer t • If you are in an ire Service instruction from the F dial 999 rvice – Fire Se • Call the

Remember

Smoke Alarm According to According to the National F the National Fire ire Protection Protection Association, Association, almost almost two-t two-thirds hirds of home of home fire deaths re fire deaths resulted sulted from from fires in prope fires in properties rties without without working smok working smokee alarms. alarms. A working sm A working smoke oke alarm sig alarm significantly nificantly incr increases eases your your chances of su chances of surviving rviving a dead a deadly ly home fire. home fire. The smoke al The smoke alarm arm fitted in y fitted in your our home has home has been hard been hard wired into the wired into the home’s elect home’s electrical rical system system with with a backup a backup battery. You battery. You will need will need to test the ba to test the battery ttery every m every month onth and we w and we will ill service the service the fire alarm on fire alarm once ce a year a year when we carr when we carryy out your an out your annual nual gas safet gas safetyy check. check.

all

lear of nies should be kept c s, corridors and balco omestic waste. Communal staircase i.e prams, bicycles, d combustible material,

In general housing flats, a scooter should be stored inside your own flat unless you have special permission to store it in a communal area following an assessment by your Tenancy Support Officer.

CONTACT US FOR FURTHER HELP If you need further advice about fire safety, you can contact us by: Urdu Visiting our website: www.wellingboroughh omes.org 01933234450 ‫ہ‬‫ﮯ را‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫وس‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫رے‬‫ ﮨ‬ ‫ﮟ‬‫ﮯ ﮨ‬‫ﮨ‬  ‫ہ‬  ‫ہ‬ Telephone: 01933 ‫ﭩ‬ ‫گ‬ ‫ہ‬   ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ) ‫ﮟ‬ 234450 ‫ل‬ ‫ﮟ‬ ‫د‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫رٹ‬  ‫ر‬‫ں ﮨ‬‫ﮩ‬ ، ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮨ‬ Urdu  ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫د‬  ‫پ‬   Email us at: customer.services@wh .(Morrisons ‫ﮯ‬‫ﮯ ا‬ omes.org 01933234450

URDU

e Planning your escap

Cooking acco Cooking accounts unts for aroun for around d one third of one third of all house fire all house firess in Britain. The in Britain. The most commo most common n type of fire type of fire involves deep involves deep fat frying. Cooking fat frying. Co oking oil is an oil is an ideal fuel for ideal fuel for a fire and if left left unattend unattended ed whilst hea whilst heating ting up, will c up, will catch atch fire in a few few minutes. minutes.

BENGALI

FIRE

No smoke without fire… Over a third of fatal househ household old fires atten fires attended ded by the by the Fire Service each year resu result lt from carele from careless ss use of use of smoking mate smoking materials; rials; cigarette cigarettes, s, pipes and c pipes and cigars. igars.

POLISH

ESCAPING FROM

ESCAPING FROM

YOUR HOME

GUJARATI

SAFETY FIRST

TO PREVENT A FIRE STARTING IN Safe frying prevents dying…

‫ہ‬‫ﮯ را‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫وس‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫رے‬‫ ﮨ‬ ‫ﮟ‬‫ﮨ‬ Bengali ‫ﮯ‬‫ﮨ‬  ‫ہ‬  ‫ہ‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫گ‬ ‫ہ‬  Urdu ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ) ‫ﮟ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ﮟ‬ ‫ﮯ د‬ ‫رٹ‬   ‫ر‬‫ں ﮨ‬‫ﮩ‬ ، ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ ﮨ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫د‬  ‫پ‬   Urdu        01933234450 ‫ہ‬‫ﮯ را‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫وس‬   01933 234450   .(Morrisons ‫ﮯ‬‫ﮯ ا‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫رے‬‫ ﮨ‬ ‫ﮟ‬‫ﮯ ﮨ‬‫ﮨ‬  ‫ہ‬  ‫ہ‬     ) ‫ﮟ‬      ‫ﭩ‬ ‫گ‬ ‫ہ‬   ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ Bengali  (Morrisons ‫ﮟ‬ ‫ﮯ د‬ ‫رٹ‬ ‫ر‬‫ﮨ‬    ‫ل‬ 01933234450    ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ ﮨ‬) । ‫ﭩ‬ ‫وس‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫رے‬‫ ﮨ‬‫ں‬‫ﮩ‬ ، ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ہ‬‫را‬  ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬  ‫د‬  ‫پ‬   ‫ﮟ‬‫ﮯ ﮨ‬‫ﮨ‬  ‫ہ‬  ‫ہ‬ ‫ﭩ‬ ‫گ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ) ‫ﮟ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ﮟ‬ ‫ﮯ د‬ ‫رٹ‬ ‫ہ‬   .(Morrisons ‫ﮯ‬‫ا‬  ‫ر‬‫ں ﮨ‬‫ﮩ‬ ، ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ ﮨ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬ ‫ﮯ‬      ‫د‬  ‫پ‬       01933 234450      Bengali    .(Morrisons ‫ﮯ‬       (Morrisons Polish  )   ‫ﮯ‬‫ا‬     ।  Bengali          01933 234450                (Morrisons  )  Jeśli chcesz  przeczytać    ulotkę  o bezpieczeństwie            01933 przeciwpożarowym   । Polish 234450   w języku polskim,  prosimy   kontakt   o  z Centrum  Obsługi   Klienta pod   numerem  01933  234450 (Morrisonslubz biuremb )  Thompson      Court (koło supermarketu  । Morrisonsa).

Polish Jeśli chcesz przeczytać ulotkę o bezpieczeństwie przeciwpożarowym w języku polskim, prosimy o kontakt z Centrum Obsługi Klienta pod Polish numerem 01933 234450 lub z biuremb Thompson Court (koło supermarketu Morrisonsa). Gujarati Jeśli chcesz przeczytać ulotkę o bezpieczeństwie przeciwpożarowym w języku polskim, prosimy o kontakt z Centrum Obsługi Klienta

pod numerem 01933 234450 lub z biuremb chcesz Jeśli  o bezpieczeństwie przeczytać Thompson Court (koło Morrisonsa).  ulotkę   supermarketu  przeciwpożarowym języku  ִ  w   o  polskim, kontakt z Centrum ִ  prosimy   Obsługi Klienta pod numerem 01933 Gujarati  234450 lub z biuremb Thompson     (koło supermarketu Morrisonsa).  01933234450        Court        ִ               ִ    Gujarati ִ         01933234450        Gujarati            ִ            ִ    ִ            01933234450        ִ         ִ                ִ  01933234450               ִ      

• Charging must not be done there, unless we make arrangements for this to be allowed.

In sheltered housing, a scooter should be kept in the scooter store or, if there is no space, within your own flat. It can only be kept in a communal area if we have granted permission.

Thompson Court fire We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to our tenants by the fire that broke out in our Thompson Court offices on the evening of Tuesday, 30th April. A dishwasher in the kitchen had caught fire, badly damaging the kitchen and causing smoke damage to the rest of the building. Firefighters were called to the building at 6.50pm. As a result of the damage, our telephone lines were down for half a day and reception was closed for a day. But staff rallied together to get services back to normal.

All staff moved into our Sheep Street office and set up a temporary call centre there while work was carried out to clean up and repair the damage at Thompson Court – around twoand-a-half weeks. As a result of our teams’ sterling efforts, our telephone lines were back up and running the following day – by Wednesday lunch-time – and our reception area at

Thompson Court re-opened on Thursday morning. Mo Baker, Head of Customer and Support Services, said: “We want to apologise for the disruption caused by this fire but our staff rose to the challenge and ensured phones were back on the next day, which was a brilliant achievement.”

If stored in a communal area: • Scooters must not block the way through • All flammable parts and substances (including oxygen canisters) must be removed

n O s ’ t a Wh

SATURDAY 6TH JULY

Party in the Park, land Park. 10am-4pm, Croy games, music, food Carnival floats, stalls, ages. and activities for all

SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER

m, Fun Day, 8am-4pompson Court. Tithe Barn and Th ent, dance, music, A host of entertainm ities. and other fun activ es m ga , ns tio ra st demon

Making a Difference Customer Involvement

Customer Involvement is essential in shaping the excellent services that our customers want. There are many ways you can become involved and make a positive contribution.

To find out how you can get involved call 01933 231392 or email [email protected]

Community

involvement update The new Youth Group we have set up for our younger residents is up and running. Members have met five times and are currently working on their float for Wellingborough Carnival on 6th July. They will also be helping out during our Fun Day on 14th September. They are urging other young people to join them. The group is open to 13-18-year-olds who live in our homes. Our Tenant Advisory Panel (TAP) is also going from strength

to strength and is seeking more members. Anyone interested in joining the Youth Group, TAP or any of our other residents’ groups across Wellingborough is urged to contact our Community Involvement Team on 01933 231392 or email community. [email protected]

Tenants Working Together

Page 16 | Well Informed | Summer 2013

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