Solar Systems & Celebrations

Space Cadets

Steve with members of the youth group

Steve Latham, the Stafford and  Rural Homes (SARH) Customer Service Centre Manager, has an out of this world secret!   In his spare time he is an astronomer spending the dark evenings star gazing…  That is apart from the evening he came to the Glebelands Youth Group.  

Steve kept everyone enthralled with facts and figures about the universe after which the children got to paint their own planets with the best one winning a book about astronomy.  If this wasn’t exciting enough Steve did an experiment with corn flour and water to demonstrate the effects of gravity.  Messy but fun!

Steve will be making a return visit to the group at the end of October when he will be getting the children building models of space rockets.

So What?

Sharing enthusiasm for a hobby or interest with others can help inspire the next generation and motivate others to get involved and interested in new things!

 

Customer Inspectors

Since the last Blog our new Customer Inspectors (CIs) have been busy getting stuck in with their first inspection!


Customer Inspectors about to brave the weather with
Contracts Manager, Lee Walters

They are looking at how the Asset Management Team (who deal with surveying homes for improvements such as kitchens, central heating and bathrooms) communicate with customers, the rest of SARH and contractors.  This will include them shadowing staff members doing their daily jobs, looking at various letters and pieces of information that are sent out and also surveying customers directly.

Communication is one of the values of SARH and so is going to be an area of interest for the CIs across the business over the coming inspections. 

If you have received a home improvement of some sort over the last 12 months please get in touch with Anna McLauchlan on 01785 216673 or cp@sarh.co.uk to see if you can help the CIs with their inspection.

So What?

We are empowering our customers to inspect our services and feedback to us at the highest level of the business so that changes can be made and services improved for all.

Meadow Road Allotment Update

The willing and able community volunteers, without
whom this project could not work 

In August we held our second community clean up day at the Meadow Road Allotment Site. Over 30 volunteers took part in the clean up day including Officers from SARH and Stafford Borough Council (SBC), local residents, youngsters from Rising Brook Baptist Church, and staff from Stafford based insurance company QBE National. 4 large skips and 6 wagons were filled with fly tipping and debris. After this was removed the site was turned over and levelled out.

One more community clean up day is planned on Tuesday 17 October to get rid of the last bits of litter and fly tipping before installing a fence and marking out the allotment plots.

As well as increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, the new allotment space aims to improve: physical and mental health, fitness levels, eating habits, communication and team building skills. 

So What?

The project has already strengthened community ties and is a good tool for community engagement, intergenerational working and community cohesion.

Celebrating Differences Day

Henna painting in action

As part of the Community Learning Programme a Celebrating Differences Day was held at Thirlmere Way Day Centre. Over 20 people attended the session which involved learning how to greet someone in different languages, awareness talks by Anna McLauchlan on Chase Against Crimes of Hate (CACH) and James Battrick on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Network Staffordshire, traditional Indian Henna painting, food tasting from all over the world and a quiz at the end of the day.

So What?

The day gave people an opportunity to learn about different cultures and celebrate the differences between people living in the community within Stafford Borough. It also raised awareness of the work of two local organisations (CACH and LGBT Staffordshire).

Great Haywood Big Lunch

Despite the rain a good day was had by all!

As the so-called “summer” drew to a close there was a final Big Lunch event held in the rural area of Great Haywood with our Mobile Office. It was a wet and miserable day but we were still joined by local residents, Student Fire Fighters and local Police Community Support Officers to enjoy some food, quizzes and get queries answered.

So What?   

Customers were given an alternative opportunity to report issues or ask questions to staff.  Getting out into our harder-to-reach rural communities and answering queries face-to-face builds SARHs reputation and raises awareness of our services.

House of Bread

Some of the food donations from
SARH Staff

For the SARH Annual General Meeting this year staff kindly donated vegetables and fruit from their allotments for a display about ‘green living’.  On Friday, William Morris from the House of Bread collected all the donated items.

The House of Bread is a charitable and voluntary organisation that provides a network of support, food and clothing and has close links with Eagle House in Stafford.  They provide a safe environment for those in need to come together and share a meal.

So What?

The House of Bread are catering for more and more people each week, any donation no matter how large or small makes a difference to someone.

CRC Facebook Page

The Community Resource Centre at 56 Greyfriars, Stafford has a new Facebook page!

Take a look at what we have been doing and what is coming up in the next few weeks and months.  We will keep you informed about events and service from other providers that we think you will find interesting.  Be our friend on Facebook!

So What?

Using Social Media allows us to reach a wider audience and keep the community informed about what is happening in their area.

COMING SOON…

Another Community Clean Up Day is planned for Meadow Road Allotments on Tuesday 17 October, for more information please contact Christine Cartwright on 0800 111 4554.

An Autumn Sparkler Event at the Community Resource Centre on 2 November from noon until 3pm.  There will be face painting , colouring competition, games, decorate a cupcake in a bonfire theme, bob apple and light refreshments.

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