Meadow Road Community Allotments – 12 Months On!

12 months on from the grand opening of the Meadow Road Community Allotments there has been huge success in improving the general health and wellbeing of local residents.  The Meadow Road Allotments were opened in March 2013 and the project has created a great sense of community, as well as tackling issues of anti-social behaviour and fly tipping.

There are 10 plots on the allotment and all of these are currently in use.  This year the allotment holders are creating a wild meadow and an orchard where they will be growing a variety of fruit on the site throughout the year, the local children will also be planting and growing walking stick cabbages.

Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) are working in partnership with Stafford Borough Council to hold a series of events over summer to bring the community together and celebrate the 2014 growing season.  Our spring event was held on Wednesday 28^th May from 1pm, where B&Q held a workshop to make and take home your very own garden trough. Watch this space as projects develop.

Following the success of the Meadow Road Allotment project, SARH's Community Involvement Team (CIT) are currently searching the borough for unused green open spaces that could be transformed into new allotment sites.

If you want to know more please contact the Community Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.

So What?

The Meadow Road Community Allotment has given local residents the opportunity to spend time outside, increase levels of physical activity, develop knowledge, meet new people and learn new skills.   The site has provided great opportunities for people of all ages and increased community cohesion!

More for your Money:

The site provides a community focal point and through their ownership has minimised fly tipping. graffiti, nuisance complaints and anti-social behaviour.  Allotments sites such as Meadow Road provide local communities with a cheap source of fruit and vegetables therefore leading to healthier diets and improved quality of life e.g. surplus fruit and vegetables were given to the local schools.

  

DVD Safety Project

The Interact Arts group and some of SARH Independent Living Customers are reaching the end of the SARH Youtube channel by the end of July.  Those who have taken part will be given the opportunity to train to deliver workshops based on the DVD to other schemes and groups.

project to produce an advice DVD on an issue important to them.  In the end they decided to have a dual topic after they had come up with so many good ideas.  The topics are Safety in the Homes and Isolation.  The filming starts in the next few weeks and the finished article will be on the SARH Youtube Channel.

If you want to know more please contact the Community Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.

So What?

Empowering customers to tackle issues important to them and come up with advice to offer to the wider community giving them a sense of achievement.   

More for your Money:

Accidents in the home and isolation can not only lead to expensive medical treatment and personal distress.  This simple advice can minimise these issues.

Share and Share Alike

On Tuesday 20 May Christy, our Community Involvement Worker, visited Cheshire Peaks and Plains Housing Trust in Macclesfield to find out what they do to engage with the community.   

“I spent the day with the Community Engagement Team and attended various meetings to see how they get communities involved and how they help.

It was interesting to find out what projects they are working on and sharing ideas of what we could do in the future.   They loved our Community Learning Programme so who knows – they might start their own next year!

So What?

Sharing ideas and finding out what other Housing Associations do within the community is a great way to come up with new ideas and projects we could carry out at SARH whilst also showing best practice.
More for your Money:

Visiting other organisations provides a hands on approach to learning. best practice and information sharing. Often more valuable than expensive conference places.

Happy 1^st Birthday!

We have another birthday coming up soon – that of the Highfields Community Tool Bank!  Open since April we have seen a huge increase in its use from last year – more than doubling in just the 2 months we have been open in 2014!

If you live in Highfields why not pop in and see if there is anything that can help you beautify your garden this summer?  We are open Mondays and Wednesdays 10am-12noon and Fridays 2-4pm at 72a Lilleshall Way ST17 9FD.  All you need to do is come along and join the membership scheme, (bring with your proof of your identification and your current address), and don’t forget to bring £1 to hire the equipment!

Below is an illustration of our most commonly hired tools…. Currently the lawnmowers are racing out front followed closely by the strimmers whilst the small hand tools trailing behind at the back!  The smaller tools are ideal for those with window boxes and pots – can you brighten any patches of patio with a plant or two?

So What?

The Tool Bank has helped improve the gardens of Highfields by providing the community with an affordable way to take care of them.  It has bought neighbours together who offer to maintain one-another’s gardens and we now have our fingers crossed for some of our members who have entered the SARH Annual Garden Competition!

More for your Money:

After the initial purchase of equipment the Tool Bank started to earn its own money to keep it going – the charge that is made to its members when they hire equipment goes straight back to the Tool Bank – paying for repairs and maintenance.There is also the benefit of the community minimising housing management costs of unsightly gardens.

Prince's Trust 

Once again the Prince's Trust has carried out some wonderful work with us spending a week in the company of our residents at Lichfield Court Independent Living Scheme.  The week revolved around intergenerational work, getting the young team working and playing alongside our customers running events such as games days.

Poppy seeds were planted as part of the Royal British Legion Armed Forces Day which this year, and for the next 4 years, will commemorate 100 years since World War I.  This was a particularly poignant occasion as it is sadly the last Prince's Trust Team to be based in Stafford.

So What?
For 5 years SARH and the Prince's Trust have had an excellent partnership which has seen many customers and many young people benefit - from landscaping gardens to karaoke and quiz nights.  We are sorry to see them go but the work they have carried out will not be forgotten.
More for your Money:

Helping young people gain skills for life helps the community as a whole by making our young people more employable and prepared for a positive life playing a part in their community.





Community Learning Courses May 2014

On Friday 9 May we ran a course at the Dixon Community Centre which allowed attendees to create a personalised keepsake book. Everyone really enjoyed making a scrap book of their memories and sharing their photos and stories with the group. Thank you to Peter Dutton from Whitebeam Holistic for running another fantastic course.

We also ran 2 other courses this month – Introduction to Microsoft Power Point and a Level 2 Award in Healthier Food and Special Diets. Everyone really enjoyed these courses as it gave them the opportunity to expand their knowledge base and gain confidence and new skills.

If you want to know more about our free Community Learning Programme courses please contact the Community Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.

So What?

By running these courses we are allowing customers to improve skills and gain confidence – for free!

More for your Money:

All of the courses we run are free of charge to all members of the community and offer people the chance to socialise whilst building confidence and learning / developing new skills.The courses are hosted in community venues which are either free or low cost as SARH understand the social investment value of what we are achieving with community based projects and activities.

COMING SOON!

If you want any more information about any of the events that have already happened or that are coming up in the future please do not hesitate to contact us on:

cp@sarh.co.uk or call us on

0800 111 4554