Fun Friday’s 2015

Over 800 people attend the Fun Friday events at Barnes Road, Highfields, Woodlands Road, North End and Wedgwood Lane, Barlaston.  Sadly due to heavy rain on 14^th August we had to cancel the Heenan Grove, Silkmore Fun Friday for safety reasons.

Each day’s event was compared by Stafford Radio who helped the afternoons to flow smoothly from introducing the partners who were attending, announcing the winners of the two prize competitions to encouraging the Stoke City Football Club mascot Pottermus in his various antics.

The competitions were an opportunity for all who attend to give their opinion via a questionnaire about Stafford and Rural Homes 5 key aims to help us in “Creating Great Places to Live, Work and Grow” or the less camera shy could visit our Video Pod to tell us “What makes a good Landlord” or  “What do you get from the Fun Friday Events”.

Lisa the Three Fairies face painting fairy always had a queue as did Magical Mayhem who did the balloon modelling for us.   The bouncy castle, gladiator pit and the sumo suits were also a great hit with children of all ages! 

We had an impressive range of partners who were promoting their areas of work with some offering interesting involvement opportunities from One Recovery and the Beer Goggle Walk to the Police Cadets and PCSO’s with a range of police hats and helmets to try on.  At Woodlands Road the Police found most of the children queuing up to be finger printed.

Age UK, Staffordshire Fire Service, Women’s Aid, LST, Stafford Borough Council Dog Wardens, Severn Trent, Mencap, CACH, INTO Stafford, Barlaston First Responders and VAST were other partners who also attended.

The Youth Bus attended all the events apart from Barlaston (there were access issues for the vehicle).  The bus was very popular, with the children being able to play computer games, gain access to the internet or make use of the chill out area with access to a drinks machine.

The Bike Bus was well attended by the children, using pedal power to work the blender to create smoothies with a range of ingredients.  Some of the combinations were a bit of an eye opener but at each event the fruit ran out before the imagination of the children! 

Our First Aid cover was provided by St John’s Ambulance, they also got involved giving those attending a chance to learn some basic CPR.

cp@sarh.co.uk

So What?

Thanks to generous funding from the PCC (Police and Crime Commissioner) as well as input from Stafford Borough Council we were able to put this event together. By holding events such as the 4 Free Fun Fridays SARH has a great opportunity to engage with local residents in a fun and friendly environment. As well as advising customers on the day, all feedback collected by SARH staff is extremely valuable and helps shape and develop our communities.

 

More for your Money: 

By working in partnership plus securing funding the Fun Friday’s can engage with people of all ages offering free enjoyable activities as well as ensure that advice and services are accessible to everyone within our neighbourhoods.

Feel Good Food 

The Feel Good Food project is funded by Building Stafford and Surrounds Healthy Future partnership.  The aim of the project is to improve the diet of adults and families with school aged children in the Penkside, Burton Manor, Weston Downs and Highfields areas.

Improving dietary behaviours will be done by raising the understanding of the benefits of having a balanced varied diet and how to make healthy life style choices.  Improving shopping habits and planning meal menus will also help when working to a budget.   By encouraging families to sit down and eat meals together this will build family cohesion which can encourage an increase in activities families engage in together.  Through supermarket visits, batch cooking sessions and Kid Kitchen Club confidence and skills in the kitchen will be increased.

This work will be done by the Community Nutrition Advocates, 30 volunteers recruited across the target areas who are supported by the Community Nutrition Worker.  Training will be given to all volunteers to allow them to deliver a series of healthy eating sessions within their community.   Benefits for the Community Nutrition Advocates include being trained in Level 2 Food Hygiene, access to a wider range of learning as well as empowering them to take part in further volunteering and community activities.  In return the Advocates will engage with at least 100 in the selected wards delivering a minimum of 60 community nutrition activities.

If you would like more information on becoming a Community Nutrition Advocate or if you want to find out how you or your group could take part tel 0800 111 4554 or email cp@sarh.co.uk

So what?

Feel good food gives support to families to make healthy food choices when preparing and planning meals

More for your money:
By gaining external funding to deliver this project SARH can support their customers and the wider community to live healthy and active lives.

Football Skills with Stafford Rangers

On Wednesday 26 August Stafford Rangers joined with SARH to deliver a Football Skills session during the school summer holidays. On the day 20 children, aged 7-16 came along to enjoy a morning of fun activities and games that were designed to help develop and learn new skills. The session also highlighted that exercise can be a fun, exciting experience!

A very big thank you to FA Qualified Stafford Rangers Coach, Craig Royall for delivering the session, along with the help of team players Jordan Tindall, Louis Royall, Chris Hickey and Jack Munro. Their enthusiasm and passion for the sport allowed them to positively engage with children from the local community.

Everyone involved really enjoyed the morning and we received excellent feedback from the kids. After the session the children said that the course helped with their confidence, communication skills and encouraged them to work well as part of a team!

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

So What?

No matter what age you are exercise can be made fun and enjoyable. With a bit of imagination, motivation and enthusiasm we can make healthier life choices for ourselves and our families!

More for your Money:

All CLP courses are free of charge meaning that session are available to everyone within our communities.

Cupcake Decorating – Summer Special

On Tuesday 11 August our very own Martha Cooper (SARH Senior Customer Services Advisor) delivered a summer Cupcake Decorating course as part of our Community Learning Programme. This enjoyable, practical session was designed to help attendees develop their sugar craft and piping skills. Martha brought along some fun summer designs for people to practice during the session. Attendees were also encouraged to share ideas and have a go at some of their own designs.

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

So What?

Our Hobbies and Interests courses on the Community Learning Programme are a fantastic way to help reduce social isolation. By bringing members of the local community together for informal and relaxed sessions, customers are given the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

More for your Money:

Our Community Learning Programme courses allow customers to socialise in a relaxed environment for free.

Branching Out into Volunteering

The first Branching Out training took place on 15^th September.  Those who have completed the training are now fully trained Work Buddies who will be assisting young people onto the career ladder and families back into work after career breaks.  Volunteers will be helping with CV writing, setting up email accounts, registering with Universal Job Match and supporting job searching at a time and venue to suit the individual. 

If you would like more information on what is involved in volunteering to become a work buddy please contact the community learning team on CP@sarh.co.uk or tel 0800 111 4554

So what?

Volunteering is rewarding for the volunteer as it is a way of sharing skills and experience to help others whilst developing their own CV.  Volunteers to the branching out project can see the progression and transformation of those they work with, seeing how their 1-2-1 help can change lives

More for your money:

By training volunteers as work buddies we are able to support more individuals to feel more confident and empowered, improving peoples employability

Working Breakfast

The job club opened its doors inviting anyone in the job market to a free working breakfast.  Whilst the job club was open for people to do a general job search a series of specialists were on hand to give advice and guidance on employment related skills over breakfast.

Support Staffordshire- gave information on volunteer opportunities in the area and how volunteering can enhance your CV and improve your employability.

National Careers Service –information on Lifelong Learning and all aspects of job searching.

SARH HR - Information and guidance on being the best: Interviews, CVs and Application forms.

SARH Community Involvement Team -volunteering opportunities and Community learning programme promotion.

Whist enjoying a free breakfast, customers were able to take part in a free fun prize quiz where you had to guess the job of the TV character to win a food hamper. 

BBC Radio Stoke were in attendance to broadcast the event. (Interview approx. 46 minutes into broadcast, please note this link is only available through iPlayer until 15.10.15)

If you would like help and support with your job searching the job club is open to anyone Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-12 noon, no need to book just come along.

The sessions are free of charge; we are a friendly and supportive group who will help you 1-2-1.

Please note general job searches are available for customers on the day.

So What?

By getting other organisations together in one place to help people who are currently looking for work or wanting to improve their career options free events like this are a great for people to drop in and get support and advice.

More for your money:

By working closely with partners we are able to give value for money and support our customers with every aspect of employment.

 

Tool Bank Seasonal Closure 9^th October

The leaves are starting to fall from the trees, the days are getting colder and the nights are getting darker earlier, that can only mean one thing… we are approaching winter.  Now is the time to start tidying your garden ready for the winter months.  Make it your last mow, tidy borders and edges, rake up fallen leaves, prune climbing roses. 

All the tools are available to hire for £1 from the Tool Bank

Open

Tuesday 10-12 and Friday 2-4

The Tool Bank closes for winter on the 9^th October, so remember to get all those jobs done to make spring in the garden an easier time.

Toolbank is available for all residents of Highfields, please bring ID and proof of address if you wish to join to

72a Lilleshall Way, Highfields, Stafford, ST17 9FD

So what?

Using the tool bank allows customers to manage their green spaces at a low cost without the hassle of having to purchase, maintain and store bulky garden equipment.

More for your money:

By providing this service Stafford and Rural Homes are providing customers with a way to access rather than purchase equipment for less frequent jobs like hedge trimming and strimming.

Your Thoughts, Ideas and Suggestions – Community Learning Programme 2016

It’s that time of year again when we start thinking about producing the SARH 2016 Community Learning Programme (CLP) and once again we would like to hear your thoughts!!!  The CLP aims to provide a wide range of free courses, giving our customers the opportunity to develop, gain new skills and meet new people.  The courses and workshops currently cover 6 key topics including hobbies and interests, my future, accredited, health and wellbeing, getting money smart and I’m online. 

The Community Involvement Team would like to hear your opinions on what type of community courses you think will benefit our customer.  Please send all suggestions to cp@sarh.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!!!

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

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