Meadow Road Community Allotment Launched!

The super, new Meadow Road Community Allotment site was officially launched with the Grand

Opening Event. The event celebrated the hard work and effort that has been put in over the past 12 months and the beginning of a growing project that will benefit many lives.

 

To kick off the launch, the outgoing Mayor of Stafford Councillor Bryan Cross, SARH Head of Housing Management Chris Plant and local resident Maria Campbell unveiled the allotment sign, which the local Youth Club helped to design.

The event was a big success with over 40 members of the local community taking part, with some adding their names to a waiting list for a plot in the future. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust ran bird box-building activities and over 30 bird boxes were made in just 2 hours! Local resident Maria Campbell also baked cakes and treats for those in attendance.

7 families and 3 community groups have obtained an allotment plot and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure the project has a lasting legacy.

CLICK HERE to view a photo story of the project from start to finish

So What?

The site has been transformed from an unsightly, fly-tipped, anti-social behaviour hotspot into a secure allotment site which local people can enjoy and be proud of. The project has and will continue to promote and improve physical and mental health and wellbeing through encouraging people to grow and eat their own fruit and veg, exercise, spend time outdoors and learn about nature and growing.

If you would like any more information about the project contact Christine Cartwright of the Community Involvement Team christine.cartwright@sarh.co.uk 01785 216676!

TPAS Highly Commend Two Projects

The TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service) Awards for the Central Region took place at St John’s Hotel in Solihull. Christine from the Community Involvement Team attended the ceremony along with SARH Customer Board member Jane Cannell, Customer Inspector Jackie Key and Amanda Knight (Community Safety Coordinator) from Stafford Borough Council who has been working in partnership with us on the Meadow Road Allotment Project.

The awards recognise and celebrate landlords and customers working together and great projects and ideas that show what can be achieved. This year TPAS received over 170 submissions and 4 SARH projects were shortlisted for awards.

Excellence in the Community

Meadow Road Community Allotment Project

Excellence in Equality and Diversity

ESOL Group (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

Excellence in Working Together

Customer Board

Excellence in Tenant-led Scrutiny

Customer Inspectors Project

We didn’t win this year however, the Customer Inspectors Project and ESOL Group were highly commended. We were up against some stiff competition and this gives us something to aim for next year!

So What?

To get shortlisted out of so many projects is an achievement in itself and to be recognised by TPAS highlights that we are working effectively with our customers and achieving successful results!

Independent Living is independently inspected

SARH's Customer Inspectors have completed their inspection of the Independent Living Service and the findings have been reported to the managers here at SARH.   The CIs devised 16 recommendations for improvement.  

These include suggestions to improve the signage of the building for visitors and improving methods of communication.

Over 100 customers who live in Independent Living Schemes have directly contributed to this inspection through Focus Groups and Interviewsand even more supported it by helping the Customer Inspectors when they were at the Schemes. 

To view this or previous reports follow the link to Customer Inspectors webpage above.   

So What?

Current and future Independent Living customers will benefit from the improvements recommended by the Customer Inspectors.  There are over 860 customers living in SARH Independent Living Schemes who will start to see changes soon!

Tool Bank

The Community Involvement Team is looking forward to opening the Highfields Community Tool Bank later this summer.  Residents in and around the Highfields will be able to hire tools to use in their gardens to get them looking nice and smart through the summer months and under control and manageable in winter. 

This is a pilot project and when successful we will be able to set up similar schemes in other areas of the borough of Stafford.  If you would like to know more or if you would like to get involved please contact Anna McLauchlan, Community Involvement Officer, on 01785 216673 or email anna.mclauchlan@sarh.co.uk.

So What?

The Tool Bank will enable people to keep their garden looking nice, enjoy the outdoor life and it will also improve the appearance of the whole community.

 Adult Learners’ Week

Adult Learners’ Week is the UK’s largest annual festival of learning, helping to inspire thousands of people over 19-years-old each year to discover how learning can change their lives.  SARH have played a key role in this locally.

We began the week by celebrating the achievements of 8 individuals who completed a 12 week course gaining a NOCN qualification in Retail. The course was part of our Community Learning Programme and was delivered by Staffordshire County Council’s Adult and Community Learning department. Customers were presented with their certificates by Karen Armitage, SARH Chief Executive at the Community Resource Centre on Greyfriars, Stafford.

During the week we held a number of activities that aimed to encourage adults to learn a new skill, increase their confidence or take a step towards finding a job. Activities included a Basic IT and Job Search, a Job Skills session with the National Careers Service, a Confidence Building session that was delivered by Marie McCarren, SARH’s Training and Development Officer, and the ‘Natural Way to Look After Yourself’ where customers learnt some great techniques to help relax the mind and body.

We finished the week in Stafford town centre with the Mobile Office promoting free learning opportunities and offering advice about money management, welfare reforms and health and wellbeing.

So What?

Over 50 customers got involved in the week’s activities and benefitted from the various courses and information. Many of these are people who would not usually take part or get involved with learning. Throughout the week a common theme with feedback was that courses had given people the confidence to go on to find employment, gain a volunteer role or take up further study.

Glebelands Troops Get 2 luck breaks!

The Glebelands Troops Youth Group entered a bid into the 2013 Customer Initiative Bid for money to buy the group T shirts and hoodies with the groups logo on.  Each year the Customer Initiative Bid has a pot of £100,000 which community groups are allowed to submit bids for items that will help that group or improve the community, this can range from fencing, garden furniture to conservatories!  Allannah Pallet-Jones, a member of the group and student at King Edward VI School, collected the award for the group.

So What?

It is important that the young people got to design their clothes, write the bid, and submit it.  They learnt the skills of negotiation in the group to come to a compromise on the designs and colours; all skills they can use else where in life.  It will also help to raise their profile across SARH communities.

Pre Tenancy Workshops start at the Community Resource Centre

To help young people cope with the demands of running their first home and what will be expected of them SARH have started Pre Tenancy Workshops.   These sessions cover the bidding and allocations process to get a home, how to manage your money once you are in your home, what is expected of you as a tenant, what SARH will do for you, also the opportunities and support we can offer at the CRC, or through the Community Learning Programme as well as chances to volunteer.   To make the Workshops interactive it takes the form of a board game and the counter, 'Stan the Man', makes the journey round the board.

So What?

The session on 12^th June was well attended and we received positive feedback on the information delivered in the session.   Our aim is to make customers first steps to independence a positive and well informed one.  The intention is that all SARH new tenants are able to make a positrive imapct on, not only their own lives, but also their local community.

Do you have a little bit of spare time on your hands?  Do you like reading?

How about helping SARH for an hour every once in a while?

You could join our Readers Panel! 

Our Readers Panel gets to read through leaflets and letters that are being sent out to a lot of customers to make sure that they are suitable and understandable.

You can do it from the comfort of your own home (or garden if the weather stays nice) 

So don’t delay, get in touch today…

cp@sarh.co.uk

or call Anna McLauchlan on 01785 216673

COMING UP

TOOL BANK LAUNCH!
Come along and join us...

COMMUNITY LEARNING PROGRAMME

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