New Faces and New Opportunities
Community Learning Programme 2014 - Customers
have their say!
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| Christine Cartwright, Community Involvement Officer and SARH customer Steve Breeze |
We gave you the chance to tell us what you think about our
Community Learning Programme and what learning opportunities you’d like to see
in the 2014 programme.
Over 20 of you took part in the survey and were entered into
the prize draw to win £50 high street shopping vouchers. Pictured is SARH
customer, Steve Breeze, who was the lucky winner!
Many of you said you were happy with the wide variety
that we offer and you’d like to see more of the same in the future. All
feedback about courses and venues is extremely valuable to us and we take all
comments into account. Courses that
people are particularly keen to see in 2014 are cooking, computer skills and
sign language.
General
feedback comments:
“The Community Learning
Programme is a fabulous idea to get people involved in the community and meeting
new people from all walks of life as well as learn new skills”
“All of the
tutors are excellent, and take into consideration each and every person who
goes on these courses”
“I always enjoy
going through the learning programme to see what courses SARH are offering”
The 2013 programme can be viewed here. The 2014 programme will be available early in
the new year.
So What?
It is important that customers have a real chance to shape
the services we offer and this includes the Community Learning Programme.
Feedback and suggestions help us to develop the programme and ensure we keep
offering courses that you, the community, want.
Pre Tenancy Workshops for the Youth Job Club
At the Community Resource Centre on Greyfriars Stafford a Job Club is held for young people with additional needs. At one of our meetings a number of the young people talked about gaining more independence and having a flat of their own. It was from this discussion that we decided to run a series of Pre Tenancy Workshops for them. We have done our first session on registering on the Choice Based Lettings system and how to bid on properties. This created a lot of interest and some really good questions. Later this month we will be covering money matters with Liz Pilley from the Money Management Team.
So What?
It is important to ensure that our customers of the future are well prepared to face the responsibilities of living independently.
We WON!
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| Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal MBE DL and Anna McLauchlan receiving their award. Photo Jean-Pierre Magloire Inspiring Photography 2013 |
As regular readers will know our partners Chase Against Crimes of Hate
(CACH) were shortlisted for a National Diversity Award.
We are thrilled to announce that on Friday 20th
September CACH won the Community
Organisation Award for the work they do promoting tolerance and
supporting victims of hate crime and discrimination. One of our very own Community Involvement Officers is currently seconded to the role of Coordinator for CACH so it feels like a double win!
The star studded event was sponsored by the likes of
Microsoft, The Cooperative, BSkyB and many more big names. Brian Dowling (from Celebrity Big Brother)
and Cerrie Burnell (from CBeebies) were the hosts for the evening. For more information see their website.
The award ceremony will be shown on television on Friday
8th November on the Community Channel available on:
Freeview 87, Freesat 651, Sky 539 and Virgin 233
So What?
This award highlights the value of quality
partnerships. When all involved are
working towards the same goal there is a real opportunity to make a difference
and improve the lives of those living in our community.
Special celebration marks first growing season at Meadow
Road Allotments
A celebration event brought local residents together to share the
glorious gardening and vibrant
veg nurtured in the first growing season at the
Meadow Road Community Allotments.
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| Various activities taking place at the first year celebration of the Meadow Road Allotments. |
Over 40 people attended the event which included a fun scarecrow making
workshop and a woodwork session where staff from B&Q helped people make
wooden magazine racks.
Residents had a chance to show of some of their home grown produce in a
vegetable competition. Among the winning entries were a Turkish turban pumpkin,
a heart-shaped potato and a number of very large courgettes with certificates
awarded by the Mayor of Stafford Borough, Councillor Angela Loughran. B&Q
donated £100 in vouchers as a prize for winners.
All six veggie baskets entered were donated to the charity House of Bread, which offers home-cooked meals for homeless and vulnerable people in
Stafford and the surrounding area. Allotment holders also prepared a buffet for
everyone including homemade quiche and cakes.
So What?
The event was an opportunity to bring
the community together to showcase the wonderful work, achievements and
vegetables that have been grown in the first growing season. As well as create
community cohesion the project has improved health and wellbeing for many
people and created a safer, greener environment.
Radio GAGA
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| Mr Reay and SARH Customer Board Member Jane Cannell |
On the afternoons of the 9th and 12th
September the Community Involvement Team ran two events to promote the
Community Resource Centre at Greyfriars to our customers. Over six hundred invitations were hand
delivered to our customers living in the town centre area through to the North
End of Stafford. At the events we showcased the work
done at the Job Search sessions held on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am to
12pm. Also a display of work by the
Craft Club (Tuesday 10am to 12pm); which is the longest running group at the
centre. There was also information on
the ESOL group which meets each Thursday.
A book of photographs was available to show the range of events we hold
to celebrate Easter, Halloween, Christmas as well as any other excuse for a
celebration! Everyone who attended had
the chance to enter a prize draw to win a Bush Digital Radio; this was won by
Mr Reay who was presented with his prize by SARH Customer Board Member, Jane
Cannell.
So What?
This was a great reminder to new and long term customers as to what services are on offer at the CRC.
It is also an excellent opportunity to look back over the year and see
what the Centre has achieved in empowering members of the local community.
Successful 1st
season for the Tool Bank
The Highfields Community Tool Bank has seen a successful
first season of hiring lawn mowers
, strimmers and spades to the local Highfields
community. It has been great to see so
many people hire tools to improve their own gardens but even more wonderful
seeing how many people helped out their neighbours as well!
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| Tool Bank Members Eileen and Chris with the bulbs donated by Greenfingers. |
Earlier this month we had a massive give away of bulbs
that were donated to us by Greenfingers who
manage the maintenance of SARH’s green areas. We will also be using some of
these bulbs to brighten up other areas of the Borough in partnership with youth
and community groups.
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| Some of the tools available |
In future we hope to set up other, similar, low cost tool
hire schemes. If you have any ideas about what areas would really benefit from
this scheme please get in touch!
The Tool Bank is now closed for winter but you can still
hire autumn and winter maintenance tools from us, such as rakes and
wheelbarrows, by contacting the Community Involvement Team.
If you have any questions about this scheme please get in
touch with the Community Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.
So What?
The Tool Bank gives residents of Highfields the opportunity
to take pride in the appearance of their gardens by loaning equipment at an
affordable price. It is also helping to
build community spirit with members helping out their less able neighbours.
New Community
Involvement Manager
A former policeman with 30 years’ experience of working
with communities in the West
Midlands is the new Neighbourhoods Manager at
Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH).
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| Andy Crowson Neighbourhood Manager |
Andy Crowson, 49, a married father-of-one, from
Lichfield, will head up SARH’s Neighbourhood Team which includes the Community
Involvement Team and aims to improve the lives of customers across Stafford
Borough.
“This is an exciting new challenge and one that I am
really passionate about. The main aim
for me is to build on SARH’s great efforts to better the quality of life for
SARH customers and building communities where they can thrive and prosper,”
said Andy Crowson.
Andy has previously worked in several community roles for
West Midlands Police in inner-city Birmingham, including most recently as a
detective inspector.
He also sat on the Community Safety Panel within the
Government funded New Deal for Communities (NDC) regeneration programme in the
Aston area of Birmingham.
“Working in areas such as Handsworth, Aston and Alum Rock
was hugely rewarding and I hope to bring my positive experiences in these
neighbourhoods to my new role,” said Andy.
***COMING SOON***
Each month we work in partnership with the National Careers
Service to deliver a training session looking at a specific skills required
when job hunting. Octobers’ theme is
interview skills, the last hurdle to a job.
If you want any information about any of the events that have already happened of that are coming up in the future please do not hesitate to contact us on
0800 111 4554
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