Feeling squeezed? - Hyde Housing Association

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SPECIAL FEATURE Swap stuff for free! John*, Carol* and their three young children recently moved from their small two bedroom flat into a larger three bedroom flat in New Cross. The family are on a low income and could not afford to buy all new furniture for their new home. Pam*, their Housing Officer informed them about The Freecycle Network. Free theatre tickets for young people under the age of 26 Free theatre tickets for under 26 year olds are up for grabs at six Kent and over 30 London theatres. Free tickets to shows, tours and talks will be on offer as part of the Arts Council’s theatre initiative ‘A Night Less Ordinary’. The national launch took place with ‘Spooks’ star Rupert Penry-Jones - recently appearing as DI Joseph Chandler in the ITV drama series ‘Whitechapel’ - and actress Sheridan Smith, star of ’Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’ and ‘Grownups’. They attended the Donmar Warehouse theatre in Covent Garden to celebrate more than half a million free theatre tickets being given away to young people all over England over the next two years. Rupert said: “Live theatre at its best is a magical experience – it sucks you in and makes you forget everything around you. So I’m all for a scheme that encourages more young people to share that magic. A Night Less Ordinary is exactly what they need at the moment – with the recession making nights out more of a luxury, here’s something really different young people can enjoy for free. It’s great to see so many theatres across the country working together to make it happen.” The scheme will run alongside the successful reduced price schemes for young people which many theatres already operate. Results of the pilot will be carefully monitored and, if successful, it is hoped that the initiative could be extended to other art forms. Free tickets are available to anyone under 26 years of age by logging on to www.anightlessordinary.org.uk. Just enter your postcode to find a list of participating venues in your area and details of shows. Carol registered her membership at the local library and spent the afternoon looking for items to furnish their home. Within a month they had a dining table with 6 chairs, wardrobes and desk for the children’s rooms and even a training bike for Aaron*! Carol said “I don’t know what we would have done if Pam hadn’t told us about Freecycle, everything is so expensive these days so we wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy everything. Although the stuff isn’t new, it’s all in really good condition and the kids are really happy with all the toys we got”. What is Freecycle? The Freecycle Network allows the exchange of many items, including household items for FREE! Anyone who wants to use The Freecycle Network must sign up to a Yahoo internet group. These groups are locally based and moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free. To find your local group use the search bar on the homepage of the internet site: www.freecycle.org. Once you have joined a group, you can search for items advertised on the website. You will need access to the internet to be able to use The Freecycle Network. Please also be aware that it is the responsibility of the person receiving the items to arrange transport. The Freecycle Network could help you in your situation today whether you would like to give something away or if you need some household items. By using The Freecycle Network you are helping make a positive impact on the environment we live in. *Names have been changed for confidentiality purposes 14 | Living | Winter 2009
HYDEWIDE RESIDENTS VOICE Whats new! Your regular update from the Hydewide Residents Voice Making services better for you Hyde are planning improvements to your services and the Hydewide Residents Voice (HRV) will be making sure that as many residents as possible get a chance to have their say. HRV have agreed plans to include residents in future changes to repairs and customer services. See page 7 for more information about the ‘You Speak, We Listen’ programme. Recognition for residents HRV have been looking at an awards scheme to celebrate the achievements of residents who take a lead in improving communities or improving residents’ services. Watch this space for more information. Getting the message HRV have been making sure that information is given to you in a way that is clear and easy to understand. Recently this has included reviewing the letters that are sent to you annually about Gas Service checks because we think your safety is important. Who are the Hydewide Residents Voice? The HRV is a forum that brings together resident representatives from across the Hyde Group. Our objective is to ensure a good quality service for you by making sure that you are at the heart of service delivery. We are consulted about changes to service and make sure your views are heard at the highest level. Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year At any time of the year anti-social behaviour can affect our quality of life. We are committed to work hard with the police and other agencies to act against any form of ASB in our communities. We will take action against anyone who engages in ASB, whilst ensuring that any victims and witnesses remain supported. We value the support we receive from residents, who both report ASB and provide important evidence which helps us to act against those responsible. We know it can often be difficult and take courage to come forward but we will provide support by keeping residents informed of the progress of their report and working with them to identify the best solutions. The following letter was sent to us by a young Hyde resident whose community was suffering anti-social behaviour. By working with local residents and the police together we were able to bring this problem to an end. “When I first moved to a new house in a new area it was quiet and only a few children about. Then a family with two older girls moved into a Hyde Housing home. At first the girls were quiet but as more children decided to play with them, the girls became more anti-social by getting drunk, swearing and staying out late, this was only the beginning. The girls then started being abusive to children and their parents, they even attacked a young girl. They didn’t seem to care even though the police got involved. Their behaviour led to my family constantly reporting them to Hyde and the police. I also wrote a letter and started a petition that other children could sign and send to Hyde. They took the girls to court and my mum was a witness. They were given a temporary injunction which then turned into a Consent Order, which meant that they weren’t allowed to visit the estate any more. It’s been quite a few months since the girls have been gone and children including myself and my brother are happily playing, getting on with life and not having to worry that there could be trouble around the corner. It’s been peaceful and safe to be out, no one is scared and children that have never been out have been coming out to play. I can now get to sleep better as there is no one out past 9 o’clock. l just want the peace to stay.” This is just one example of what can be done by working together with your support. Please don’t suffer in silence… If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour you can contact our free phone number 0800 389 3598 Living | Winter 2009 | 15
Page 1 and 2: Kent The magazine for Hyde resident
Page 3 and 4: LOCAL KENT NEWS HELLO - From reside
Page 5 and 6: Just What I Needed By ALEXANDRA SPR
Page 7 and 8: SPECIAL FEATURE Residents are set t
Page 9 and 10: LOCAL KENT NEWS Santa Claus is comi
Page 11 and 12: SPECIAL FEATURE Park News busy time
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Page 17 and 18: LOCAL KENT NEWS by Heather Calveley
Page 19 and 20: winter COMPETITIONS C H R I S T M A

Feeling squeezed? - Hyde Housing Association

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