On Thursday 11 December we held a
Christmas Crafts course as part of our Community Learning Programme. 13
customers attended the event at Haughton Village Hall and had an enjoyable
morning getting creative.
Customers started to
get into the Christmas Spirit making Christmas wreaths and table decorations
which they were able to take home with them. All materials used were provided
by the course trainer Peter Dutton from Whitebeam Holistic.
Courses like these
are always a success and we receive excellent feedback from our customers.
Peter has been booked again for this year’s Christmas Crafts course where we
are sure plenty of customers will once again have a great creative session and
the chance to make some lovely Christmas decorations.
So
What?
By allowing customers onto
courses like these we are not only offering them the chance to make some
Christmas decorations for FREE we are also giving them the opportunity to get
out of the house and socialise with each other. A lot of our feedback shows
that customers enjoy meeting new people and making new friends.
More for your
Money:
Courses like these offer a lot of social value which is encouraging people to find new hobbies and interests whilst preventing loneliness and isolation.
It was also the perfect opportunity for us to promote and market the 2015 Community Learning Programme to attendees, and we also gained valuable customer feedback at the end of the 2014 Community Learning Programme courses.
It was also the perfect opportunity for us to promote and market the 2015 Community Learning Programme to attendees, and we also gained valuable customer feedback at the end of the 2014 Community Learning Programme courses.
Winning Streak?
As our
regular readers will know we were delighted that SARH’s Customer
Inspectors (CIs) won a national award
last year for their hard work and commitment to improving services for our
customers.
More good news followed when over Christmas we were
informed that a joint nomination between the Customer Board and the
CIs had been shortlisted for a Housing Innovation Award!
The Housing Innovation Awards are the most prestigious awards that
celebrate pioneering spirit and highlight innovative approaches to housing
schemes and services.
In 2014 the CIs worked closely with the Customer Board to
assess the ‘value for money’ of their work.
This is the first time, so far as we are aware, that this approach has
been taken by customer groups. Their
findings were that both groups offer substantial value for money which means
that they deliver a lot at little cost to Stafford and Rural Homes.
We will find out whether we have been successful in
February but to be shortlisted is a fantastic achievement given the
competition. Keep your fingers crossed
and good luck to our Customer Inspectors and the Customer Board!
Watch this space!
So What?
Stafford and Rural Homes have
always aimed to empower customers through the various Community Involvement
opportunities on offer. The Customer
Inspectors and the Customer Board are two such opportunities that require the
highest level of commitment from customers and deliver the greatest impact to
the way services are run at SARH. It is
great that once again our volunteers’ commitment is recognised by others.
More for your
Money:
Customer Groups
of this kind offer great customer feedback and suggestions for
improvement. External consultants offer
similar services at a huge cost, but the CIs and Customer Board deliver quality, robust feedback at minimal cost.
Learning Something New – A First Step to a Better You!
The Community Involvement Team are delighted to
introduce the 2015
Community Learning Programme (CLP)!!!
The 2014 Community Learning Programme (CLP) saw over 400 customers develop new skills, build new relationships and become more involved with SARH. Taking into account the results of our Customer Feedback Survey, we have developed lots of new and exciting courses for our customers and members of the local community to enjoy, alongside repeating popular sessions from 2014.
This year the programme will follow 6 essential key
themes: My Future; Get Qualified; Health and Wellbeing; Getting Money Smart;
I’m Online; and Hobbies and Interests.
The wide range of over 75 FREE courses and workshops offer a way to develop new skills,
increase employment opportunities, gain recognised qualifications, improve
health and well-being, increase confidence and make new friends!
So What?
The CLP gives community
members the opportunity to learn in a relaxed, friendly and informal setting.
The wide range of courses available means that there is something to suit
everyone!
More for your
Money:
Courses on the CLP are FREE to all customers and members
of the local community. This means that the cost barrier to learning is broken,
therefore encouraging more people to try something new.
Gough & Crispin Christmas Fund Raising
On the evening of Friday 19th December, the residents and
Independent Living Co-ordinator, Carol Evans, with the support of the Community
Involvement Team, had organised a fundraising event in aid of the Salvation
Army. This took the form of an outdoor
musical spectacular with the Salvation Army Band, the Military Wives Choir,
Stephen White and Alex, the daughter of Stafford & Rural Homes CEO,
starting the musical proceedings. Karen
Armitage, CEO of Stafford & Rural Homes opened the event with the
Worshipful Mayor of Stafford, Councillor Ray Sutherland, in attendance. Stafford Radio compared the event, there was
face painting by Lisa the Fairy and Father Christmas made a guest appearance. We had elves helping out with the raffles,
tombola and refreshments. Over £500 was
raised on the night and will be put to good use in the local community.So What?
Bringing people together strengthens communities, and an event like this can be made a success
thanks to interdepartmental working and great partnership work plus the
engagement of the local community.
More for your
Money:
The good will of
the residents supported an event to benefit the local community, giving more
value to the time given by those who volunteered and attended.
“Musica” Christmas
So What?
Some individuals at our independent
living schemes find it difficult to travel and can become isolated sometimes
even struggling to socialise at the scheme.
This event brought people together who found that they enjoyed the
entertainment as well as interacting with those around them.
More for your
Money:
The smiles on
the faces of those who attended gives greater value to the work done and cost
cannot be put to it.
TPAS Awards 2015
We have submitted three nominations in the TPAS (Tenant
Participation Advisory Service) Central region awards all of which have been
shortlisted. Our Customer Board &
Customer Inspectors have been shortlisted for “Excellence In Tenant Led
Scrutiny”, the Meadow Road Community
Allotment Project has been put forward in the “Excellence In Community Action
Award (Richard Crossley Award)” while David James, one of our involved
customers, has been nominated for “Tenant of the Year (Cliff Whiteley Award). I am sure you will join us in wishing them
all good luck on 6th March at the St Johns Hotel, Solihull where the
Central Region final will be taking place.
We will let you know how they go on.
If you would like to know more about TPAS go to www.tpas.org.uk
So What?
It is important to recognise
the hard work done by our customers and the huge contribution they make in to
the local community and the running of our business. By highlighting their work this can inspire
others to volunteer.
More for your
Money:
Volunteers
contribute many hours of their time which is as valuable as their experience
and skills.
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
0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk
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