So what happened in August?



Christine, Samina and Sandra

Well loads actually, there's lots to report so let's get started....The secret event I mentioned in the last blog, was the re-launch of the Team - and it was a great success.

We held an event in reception so no one could escape us! There was a suggestion box, an opportunity to pin the outcome on the activity, and a chance to win a golden ticket hidden in a club biscuit, which staff had to collect. The prize was a shopping voucher.

Keira Morton collects the golden ticket.

We gave out briefing cards and put up a five day count down build-up to the event, all over the building; this attracted loads of interest and resulted in staff phoning us and dropping by to try and find out, before the event, what was happening. We had some great fun whilst getting the message across about what we do and our name change. We are now... The Community Involvement Team.

The judges viewed 29 bids

The Customer Initiative Scheme closing date for 2011 applications was in July and in August members of the SARH management team and customers met to judge which ideas would most benefit the community.  Each year we commit to spending £100,000 on community initiatives and this year customers submitted 29 bids ranging from refurbishing a communal room to running an intergenerational project.

So what:Many SARH communities receive benefits from ideas put forward by customers living in their area.



Impressed customers

What have our Customer Inspectors been up to?
In 2008 the Customer Inspectors looked at the Lettable Standard and now they have revisited it  and produced a report on their findings. Our Custoemr Inspectors are trained customers who voluntarily inspect our services and identify improvements and make recommendations.

The CI's were impressed to see the difference that had been made since the first inspection.   One of the inspectors stated, “SARH have come on in leaps and bounds since our first inspection!” If you want to see a copy of the report  please let us know!

So what? Our Customer Inspectors have felt really empowered that their inspection made such a difference to so many customers and make positive changes to service delivery.

Front page

A Newsletter for the Penkside area of Stafford

In August we were given a new challenge to produce a monthly newsletter for the Penkside Project area. The aim of the newsletter is to keep the residents of Penkside (Silkmore and Rickerscote areas) up-to-date, and encourage them to get involved in the community. The first edition gave an overview of the project, an update on the SARH Penkside Environmental Programme, highlights of the Meadow Road Community Games, a fun competition and lots more besides. See more on the delivery of the newsletter in September’s blog!

 

Christine and Craig 

Welcoming our new staff into the Team

In August we welcomed Craig Taylor Head of Customer Services and Christine Cartwright Community Involvement Worker who is with us for 12 months. It was lovely to receive a thank you from them for making their first month an enjoyable experience and helping them settle in to SARH. We look forward to working with both of them to develop services and move forward.

Walking the leader

Our Customer Learning programme.
Three successful training courses were held during August as part of the Customer Learning Programme. These included Face Painting which was slightly messy but lots of fun, a Walk Leader course where customers developed the confidence and ability to lead groups on a walk, and a Healthy Eating course where customers received some very useful tips and advice.

Overall 28 people attended the August courses which is a fantastic turn out, plus lots of positive feedback. 

So What?  The CLP aims to support customers to make changes to their lives, their homes and their communities


Anyone for coffee?

Anyone for Coffee?
Jeremy Lefroy, MP for Stafford, was invited to a coffee morning at the Community Resource Centre at Greyfriars.  It was a good opportunity to showcase some of the work that goes on at the CRC.  Mr Lefroy met the volunteers and partners involved in some of the projects.  Karen Armitage presented Hannah Chapman, Louise Macbeth and Joshua Rickers, who are on Industrial Placements with SARH, with awards to acknowledge all their hard work.  Volunteers working in other groups, like the Customer Inspectors project, were also present to discuss the work they do with Mr Lefroy, without their help we could not run our services as effectivley.

So what?

It is important to promote the projects being worked on also it is an opportunity show SARH appreciation to volunteers and partners for their hard work.

                       What have the Glebelands Youth Group been up to?



They decided not to meet during the summer holidays this year and decided instead to celebrate the start of the school summer holidays at the last meeting of the group by holding a water fight on the Biggie (this is a patch of nearby land used as a play field). Everyone got a good soaking whether it was with sponges, water pistols or just having buckets of water thrown over you!  See footage above

So what?

Apart from good fun being had by all this is a good team building exercise.

Meadow Road Community Games. The first community games to be held in Penkside occurred on the playing field at

£500 funding was received from Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and South Staffordshire PCT who are aiming to support 12 community focused events inspired by the London 2012 Olympics.

The day’s events were aimed at all ages and abilities and the activities included Zumba, Healthy Eating Sessions, a live band, an FA coach running skills training, Body Tonic Massages, Face Painting, an Art and Craft tent plus a Fire Engine and Youth Bus were on site.  Despite the rain, it was well attended and a fun day  was had by all who attended. 

So what?

This is a great example of what can be achieved by partnering organisations working on behalf, and for the community.


 Awaiting conversion



Community Involvement Team help shape SARH new Mobile Office. We are working hard with a local campervan company to convert one of our Trades Team Van’s into a spanking new mobile office. The Mobile Office will feature a desk, power points to power laptops, lights, chairs, storage and a roll out sun canopy. In the summer months there will be the opportunity to use it at Fetes, Fun Days and other outdoor activities across SARH communities. In the winter, due to being insulated and heated, we envisage that we can use it for estate based work and other local initiatives. If you’ve any ideas about where, when and how we could use our Mobile Office, then please don’t hesitate to give us a call or e-mail us at cp@sarh.co.uk or 0800 111 4554.

So what? The Mobile Office will enable SARH staff easier and more frequent access to its’ rural communities as well as being able to work flexibly in a variety of locations – anytime of day or night – year round. We’ll be more accessible and more flexible in the ways we can engage with our customers.

Garden competition progress. Could you choose from these superb entries? We had an amazing 67 entries and we have to choose a winner and runner up from the following categories:
Best front and back garden. Best communal garden. Best Communal border,Best Allotment veg patch. Best hanging basket/window box/container.
The standard is very high.

We sent out a call for volunteers to judge the gardens and got six judges made up of staff and customers, all with experience of gardening and holding garden competitions so even the standard of judges was high. It took two full days to get around the Borough and score each garden. Our Contractors also helped by providing the prizes which was £150 first prize and a trophy and £50 and a certificate for second prize.

An awards event is earmarked for September so I will bring you up to-date with the outcome and what's been happening in September, in the next blog, Sandra Shipperley signing off till then.