Summer Time in Stafford 

Meadow Road Community Clean Up Day

SARH and SBC working together to
create a community allotment

On 17^th July Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH), Stafford Borough Council (SBC) and residents local to Meadow Road, Stafford, teamed up to tackle an unused and unsightly piece of land which is going to be turned into community and family allotments. The aim of the clean up day was to remove fly tipping and cut back brambles getting the site one step closer to a standard for growing. The site has been unused for 30 years and much of the fly tipping was buried underground including, front doors, mattresses, a wheelie bin and much more. A lot of hard work and graft was put in, filling up two large skips and a SARH van full of debris.

Future plans for the site include another community clean up day on Tuesday 21^st August followed by the Princes Trust working on the site for a fortnight as one of their development projects. There will be a mixture of community and family allotment plots which should be ready for growing by Spring 2013.

So What?

The clean up day brought the community together for a fantastic project that is going to improve health and wellbeing, teach children where food comes from, and save families money on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Community Learning Programme

Community Learning Programme
2012 Part 2

In June we launched the Community Learning Programme Part 2 offering 21 courses between July and December 2012. Courses range from Zumba to Effective Job Hunting to Understanding your Child’s Behaviour. In Part 1 over 200 people attended 25 courses. Feedback from Part 1 includes “It will help me with future interviews, confidence, and meeting new people. Really happy I came” and “It has given me more confidence to maybe attend college and get more training”.

The programme is available online at www.sarh.co.uk. Or you can request a hard copy or book on to a course please contact the Community Involvement Team on 0800 111 4554. 

So What?

The wide variety of courses offer something for everyone, whether it is an opportunity to gain new skills, meet new people or pick up a new hobby.

Walton Hall Arts and Sports Week

 Pupils at a school in Eccleshall have welcomed the start of the Olympic Games with a week long celebration of performing arts, arts and crafts and different nations and cultures.

The event was supported by the Community Involvement Team and Neighbourhood Services Team SARH who volunteered during their Sports Day as well as offering advice to staff on Community Games (i.e. the opportunity for all communities to create their own Olympic moment) and opportunities to gain funding.

Unfortunately due to the horrendous weather various activities had to be cancelled but that didn’t dampen the pupil’s spirits as each class gave an enlightening presentation about their chosen Olympic nation.

Walton Hall pupils celebrating a win!

A mini Olympic Games was held at the school on Thursday along with a number of workshops throughout the week promoting the Arts and Sport for children to take part in including dance, art, music, fashion, photography, animation, story telling and a display of Horsemanship by The Company of Horsemen.

On Friday Pam Smith, Community Involvement Officer, was invited back to the Awards Assembly to help hand out the medals and certificates to the children.

So What?

This type of involvement shows SARH are keen to be involved with all our communities and by supporting others we learn more about issues being faced by our customers on a daily basis.

interACT

interACT Programme

In the past trainer, Frank Conlan has run courses for us in our Community Learning Programme.  Frank is the leader on the interACT Project which brought together a group of 15 participants, mainly young adults with learning disabilities or those who are unemployed.  This 12 week project was run at The Gatehouse Theatre where the group presented their final performance.  The performance reflected the problems they face finding work and the original music was composed by a member of the group.   The Community Involvement Team supported the event with props and attended the performance on 17^th July. Considering the short period of time they had to prepare the performance was incredible.  The group worked really well, bringing together people of all abilities and walks of life and they clearly had a great bond by the end of the project.

So What?

Times are difficult for all but for the young and disabled it is a real struggle.   This project allowed a small group of young adults articulate their feelings in such a way that others could understand their point of view.  

Building Stafford’s Healthy Future

Stafford meets Spain - outdoor Zumba!

On the 19^th July Stafford Borough Council staged an open day at The Gatehouse Theatre.  The event was part of a consultation to allow the community to engage with professionals in ‘Building Stafford’s Healthy Future’.   This came about due to the changes in Primary Care Trusts and will shape how future funding will be spent and to find out where there is a need for services and support. 

Joining the SARH Community Involvement Team our Telecare specialist came along as well as our Neighbourhood Services Team and in the Market Square the mobile office and representatives from the Fire Service, Walking for Health, Time to Quit, Midland Heart and Health Evolution drummed up more business for the event at the Gatehouse.   The outdoor Zumba class proved very popular with a group of Spanish students joining in!

So What?

SARH have played a part in empowering members of our community to shape the services they will receive and have helped improve their understanding and satisfaction knowing that their views have been taken into account.

Customer Inspectors

The new Customer Inspectors meeting
Karen Armitage, CEO of SARH

Last month the Community Involvement Team carried out a recruitment exercise to try and get more of our customers to join the current team of Customer Inspectors (CIs).  This was a great success with 7 new ‘recruits’ turning up for a taster session and training day.

The CIs will be looking at various different areas of the business that the Customer Board have requested them to.  For the new team this will include the Asset Management Team (the team who deal with improvements to homes such as kitchens and bathrooms) and Customer Services generally.

Part of the inspection will include talking to customers who have experienced services from these areas of the business so if you are interested in helping them out then please do not hesitate to get in touch with Anna McLauchlan who support the CIs on 01785 216673 or email cp@sarh.co.uk.

So What?

The Customer Inspectors Project gives our customers a real opportunity to feedback their experiences of SARH in the knowledge that it will lead to genuine improvements in the service, not only to themselves but to all other customers too.

COMING SOON…

Another Community Clean Up Day at Meadow Road, Penkside is taking place on Tuesday 21^st August from 10am. If you fancy getting your hands dirty come along on the day and help us improve the site. Remember to wear suitable clothing and sturdy footwear!

We will be taking our Mobile Office to The Uplands in Great Haywood for an Olympic Themed Big Lunch on Wednesday 22^nd August at 11am – 3pm. Everyone is welcome. There will be face painting, skittles, quizzes and prizes up for grabs!

CV and Interview Skills Workshop - Tuesday 21^st August 10am – 3pm at Gnosall Fire Station. Are you having trouble getting your CV noticed or panic at the thought of an interview? This session will assist you in writing and presenting your CV and preparing for interviews.

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