Customer Inspectors scoop National Award
Stafford and Rural Homes’ Community Involvement Team are
proud to announce that their Customer Inspectors have won a National Award in
Excellence in Inspection and Mystery Shopping.
The Customer
Inspectors Project was set up by the Community Involvement Team in
2008 and since then have developed and changed to meet the needs of the
business and its customers. The
Customers, who volunteer their time to the project, are specially trained to
inspect the services offered to customers and have completed many different
types of inspection from the Repairs System to Estate Walkabouts.
Earlier this year the team nominated the CIs for a Customer Scrutiny and Inspection Award.
Anna McLauchlan who set up and manages the Customer
Inspectors Project says
“Nominating them for the award was a great way of showing
the Customer Inspectors just how much we appreciate their hard work and
commitment. Some of them have been involved since day one of the project and
are always keen to share their knowledge and experience with the newer members
of the group. They are a great bunch of
customers who really care about what they do and I am so pleased that their
work has been acknowledged at such a high level.”
 |
| Karen Armitage with SARH Customer Inspectors |
If you are interested in learning more about the Customer
Inspectors and their projects or want to get involved please contact the Community
Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.
So What?
It is excellent for this team
of committed customers to be acknowledged nationally for their hard work and
quality inspections. Their work impacts
on the lives of all SARH customers by improving the services provided to them.
More for your
Money:
By customers giving their time freely to help SARH
improve services we are getting real feedback on what matters to customers and
suggestions of ways to improve services at minimal cost which reflects customer needs and expectations.
Halloween Spooky Special
 |
| First prize winners Felicity and Louie |
On Thursday 30 October we held a Halloween Spooky Special
course as part of our Community Learning Programme. 13 Children had a fun
filled morning at Stafford Children’s Centre taking part in a number of
different activities. Activities included; making a scary trick or treat bag,
decorating bonfire cakes, making ice cream cone witches hats and Halloween
crafts. Children also had fun competing for first prize in an apple and
marshmallow bobbing competition.
Overall the children, parents and staff had a great 2 hours.
The Community Involvement Team received great feedback for their efforts and we
would like to say a big thank you to Kate Broad from SARH Finance Department for helping us
make this event a success.
So What?
By running free courses like
these we are offering parents and children the opportunity to get out of the
house in the holidays and spend some time together, meet new friends and have fun at low cost.
More for your
Money:
This event was organised and ran by the Community
Involvement Team. This meant that we didn't have to pay any tutor costs and the
room at the Stafford Children’s Centre was free. The room hire cost was waived as there is an understanding that the event provided added value and meaningful community engagement.
Throughout
spring/summer 2014 SARH have been working with Stafford
Borough Council (SBC) to
develop new allotment sites across the Borough - keep on checking the Blog to find out more as these existing projects develop. We have been scouring
Stafford and rural areas in search of unused, derelict plots of land. Based on
the real success of the Meadow Road Community Allotment Project we intend to develop at least 3 more allotment
sites, to be launched in 2015.
The sites we have identified for development are at Priory Road, Stone;
Exeter Street, Silkmore and Adamthwaite Drive, Blythe Bridge.
 |
| Above - Laura with The Mayor of Stone Below - A successful drop-in session |
During the last few months we have carried out door-to-door engagement. Feedback evidenced that a significant
number of households are interested in getting involved in the proposed
projects. Following such a positive
response we held a series of drop-in sessions in October. Local residents and community groups were
invited to come along to find out what the plans may look like, how they can
get involved, the benefits of an allotment and see a case study of the Meadow
Road Project. We were pleased to welcome a number of community members to the
drop-in sessions who expressed and registered their interest in getting
involved.
If you want to find
out more about this project please contact the Community Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.
So
What?
By developing more allotment projects within Stafford
Borough we are able to encourage communities to make sustainable, positive
lifestyle changes. Evidence has shown that having an allotment leads to
healthier diets, improved fitness, mental well-being and community cohesion
More
for your Money:
Allotment sites
provide local communities with a cheap source of fruit and vegetables and contribute
to improved quality of life. From a business perspective, these locations allow SARH to turn over underused areas of land to local community members, which helps reduce fly tipping and other anti-social behaviour at the same time enabling positive change into these communities.
Fire Service Event!
On Wednesday 1st
October the Community Involvement and Neighbourhood Services team took part in a Community Well-being Day
organised by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. The event was held in Stone Market Square and
fire service were focusing on preventative work, as well as providing chip pan
fire demonstrations. Various partners
attended the event to promote Community Well-being. The event gave SARH an opportunity to get out
and about in the community and engage with local residents on a variety subject
areas including; money advice, health and well-being and digital inclusion.
So
What?
Events such as the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Community Well-being Day allow partners to work effectively together. By
attending events SARH are able to come out to customers and give useful advice
and information and encourage community responsibility.
More for your
Money:
By working in partnership with other organisations and
offering free advice, SARH ensure that information and services are accessible
to our communities and key measure are delivered to a wide audience from a variety of agencies for a combined low cost.
Two afternoons of
Digital fun
On Wednesday 12th November and Thursday 13th
November we held afternoons of digital fun with the Barclays Digital Eagles (as
seen on TV). Sam Leggett from the
Stafford branch of Barclays and his colleagues, joined SARH Community
Involvement Team at Tithe Barn Court, Stafford on Wednesday and Lotus Court,
Stone on the Thursday. Both these
Independent Living Schemes were keen to get involved. As part of the Stafford and Rural Homes “I’m Online” campaign we partnered with Barclays Digital Eagles with the aim of
providing two informal sessions to introduce customers to the benefits of
having access to the internet. Some of
our customers already have access but found the sessions helpful, answering
queries as well as picking up leaflets on Skype, how to stay safe online and
other related topics. There was also a
chance to use an iPad - it was clear that some of the customers would be putting iPads on
their Christmas lists this year!
So What?
By giving customers the
opportunity to try a new skill SARH are empowering people to make a real change
to their lives.
More for your
Money:
Working in partnership with a
company with a high profile helps both of us get our ‘digital message’ across
to a hard to reach group. From a customer perspective, shopping and ordering services on line can make significant cost savings when compared to the high street.
Coming soon...Community Learning Programme 2015
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
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