news Summer Festival fun - Plymouth Community Homes
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<strong>news</strong><br />
Issue 12<br />
Autumn 2012<br />
<strong>Summer</strong><br />
<strong>Festival</strong> <strong>fun</strong><br />
Inside: at work with a Ranger
Welcome<br />
Elaine Pellow,<br />
Chair of the Board<br />
Itʼs been a busy summer<br />
– what with the Jubilee<br />
and then the Olympics –<br />
and PCH staged its own<br />
ʻOlympicsʼ at its summer<br />
festival in August.<br />
Hundreds of you turned<br />
out for the event at<br />
Woodview Learning<br />
Complex and it was a<br />
successful and enjoyable<br />
day. It gave staff a chance<br />
to explain the services on<br />
offer from PCH and gave<br />
residents a chance to tell<br />
staff what you like about us – and how you think<br />
we can improve. You can read all about it – and<br />
see the photos on pages 8 and 9.<br />
One family tell us how their life has changed<br />
thanks to moving to a bigger home. Read their<br />
story on page 3.<br />
Weʼre always keen to tell you how our staff work to<br />
serve you better. On page 10, Adam Harding gets<br />
an insight into the role of the new rangers as he<br />
spends a day with one of them. And on page 15,<br />
staff in our repairs contact centre tell us about the<br />
difference they make.<br />
On a sad note, I was very upset to hear of the<br />
death of Peter Ebsworth, the first Chair of PCH.<br />
He was very involved with the stock transfer and<br />
guided us through the first couple of years. Although<br />
he stood down as Chair last year, he remained an<br />
active board member.<br />
As always, if you have any suggestions for <strong>news</strong><br />
articles for your <strong>news</strong>letter, please do email us at:<br />
<strong>news</strong>@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.<br />
What’s<br />
inside...<br />
3 Home conversions<br />
4 News in Brief<br />
7 A tribute to Peter Ebsworth<br />
8 <strong>Summer</strong> <strong>Festival</strong> <strong>fun</strong><br />
10 A Rangerʼs work<br />
11 Whitleigh consultation<br />
12 PCH play strategy<br />
12 Leaseholder Handbook<br />
13 Home improvements<br />
13 Weston Mill makeover<br />
14 A helping hand<br />
15 Repairs contact centre<br />
4<br />
9<br />
13<br />
10<br />
2 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Space to spread out<br />
after 16 years<br />
The conversion of two flats into a fivebedroom<br />
house has meant a family of six<br />
can finally live in comfort – 16 years after<br />
they first joined the housing register.<br />
Therese and Joseph Coutts and their four children –<br />
ranging in age from 7 to 18 years old – have moved<br />
into a newly-converted home in Honicknowle.<br />
The property was previously two separate flats but we<br />
decided to convert them into a family home, which are<br />
in high demand around <strong>Plymouth</strong>.<br />
The family were previously living in a three-bed flat<br />
without any outdoor space – they now have use of a<br />
garden. Therese said: “We were living in each otherʼs<br />
pockets before. We couldnʼt believe it when we found<br />
out weʼd got the house. Weʼd bid on a few and got<br />
turned down.<br />
“We didnʼt think weʼd stand a chance of getting this<br />
one. Itʼs lovely round here. I donʼt hear the kids<br />
anymore – theyʼve all got their own space. There are<br />
no arguments!”<br />
This is the first such conversion we have done – with<br />
more planned in the coming months.<br />
Tim Phillips, Housing Choices Manager for PCH, said:<br />
“This is part of PCHʼs response to helping tenants<br />
who are overcrowded. Taking action like this can really<br />
meet the needs of larger families.<br />
“Itʼs all part of our ambitious programme to convert a<br />
number of flats into larger homes over the next 12<br />
months. We know there are a lot of tenants who are<br />
living in overcrowded conditions and as a good<br />
landlord we want to do something about it.”<br />
“ Taking action like this can really<br />
meet the needs of larger families ”<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 3
News in<br />
Brief<br />
Ernesettle Archive<br />
Did you live in Ernesettle in the 1950s and 1960s?<br />
Can you remember what the area was like back<br />
then?<br />
The Ernesettle Archive is researching and publishing<br />
a social history of the area. Itʼs looking for memories<br />
and photos and publishes a <strong>news</strong>letter – Up the<br />
Creek – containing highlights so far.<br />
A monthly drop in takes place at Ernesettle Library<br />
for anyone interested in researching local history or<br />
sharing memories.<br />
If you have a story to tell, an old photo to lend or<br />
would like to contribute any other information,<br />
please ring 07513 727580 or email<br />
ernesettlearchive@hotmail.com. There is also a<br />
Facebook group called Ernesettle Archive.<br />
The group meets on the last Wednesday of every<br />
month at 2pm in Ernesettle Library.<br />
Training triumph for<br />
contractor PiLON<br />
One of the firms responsible for installing kitchens<br />
and bathrooms in tenantsʼ homes has won a major<br />
training award.<br />
Specialist housing refurbishment and building<br />
business PiLON has been awarded the prestigious<br />
Construction News Training Award. PiLON is<br />
working as a sub-contractor for Keepmoat/Apollo.<br />
PiLON recently opened an Innovation, Training and<br />
Vetting Centre for its 500-strong team, with all staff<br />
having a training action plan. John Chenneour, PCH<br />
Team Leader for Internal Works, said: “Itʼs great<br />
<strong>news</strong> that PiLONʼs commitment to training has<br />
been recognised. Theyʼre doing a good job on our<br />
Decent <strong>Homes</strong> programme and are continuing to<br />
meet their weekly targets.”<br />
Annual Report 2011/12<br />
Our Annual Report for 2011/12 is due to be mailed<br />
out to you in the coming weeks.<br />
Please do have a look at it as we have continued to<br />
work hard delivering the promises made to you as<br />
part of the stock transfer in 2009. In fact, up until the<br />
end of March 2011, we are happy to say that we have<br />
met 70% of the promises we made, which leaves<br />
just 37 out of 125 to be completed before the end of<br />
November 2014.<br />
The report features some of the key improvements<br />
weʼve made over the past year and also explains<br />
our approach to value for money.<br />
This yearʼs report is in a different format. It has been<br />
written by residents who have been out and about<br />
speaking to PCH managers about their achievements<br />
and successes during the year. The residents also<br />
helped to shape the style of the report which hopefully<br />
helps to make it an easy and interesting read.<br />
We are always open to suggestions from you about<br />
ideas that you would like to see as well as what you<br />
would like to hear about in next yearʼs report so if you<br />
do have any comments, please tear-off the pre-paid<br />
feedback form at the back of the report, fill it out and<br />
pop it in the post to us. We want to hear what you<br />
have to say so all forms received will be entered into<br />
a free prize draw to win £50 of shopping vouchers.<br />
Revamp is complete<br />
A refurbishment contract to install insulation to<br />
Ridge House, in Lipson, has been finished.<br />
Our contractor Anglian began work on site earlier<br />
this spring to insulate the three-storey, six-flat<br />
building. Improvements include the replacement of<br />
windows, front and rear doors, roofing and a new<br />
magnolia overcladding system.<br />
4 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Change at the top<br />
PCHʼs Director of Property<br />
Services, Martin Snell, is retiring<br />
after more than 40 years of<br />
working for us and the council<br />
before transfer.<br />
Martin joined <strong>Plymouth</strong> City<br />
Council as an apprentice joiner<br />
and carpenter and worked his<br />
way up over the years.<br />
He was responsible for setting up<br />
the Window Factory and went on<br />
to become Manufacturing Services<br />
Manager before becoming<br />
Assistant Director of Housing at<br />
<strong>Plymouth</strong> City Council and then<br />
transferring to PCH.<br />
Clive Turner, Chief Executive of<br />
PCH, said: “In the eight years that<br />
I have known him, Martin has<br />
been fantastic to work with.<br />
“Heʼs also made a massive<br />
contribution to ensuring PCH gets<br />
off to such a successful start,<br />
especially with our Decent <strong>Homes</strong><br />
work and the improvements to<br />
our repairs service.”<br />
Martinʼs departure will mean a<br />
change to the structure of our<br />
executive management team.<br />
Mike Knowles, who is currently<br />
North Prospect Regeneration<br />
Project Director, will become<br />
Director of Regeneration and<br />
Development.<br />
Direct Debit payments make life easier<br />
David Williams is the first winner of our Direct Debit prize draw. David,<br />
of West Park, scooped £100 of Love2Shop vouchers simply by signing<br />
up to pay his rent and service charges by Direct Debit.<br />
David, who has been a PCH tenant for more than four years, said: “I<br />
never win anything so I was really pleased to win this.<br />
“Paying by Direct Debit is easy and convenient and means I donʼt<br />
miss a payment. I would recommend it to anyone.”<br />
Everyone who pays by Direct Debit for at least three months will be<br />
entered into the quarterly prize draw. New Direct Debit customers<br />
receive a £10 voucher now plus a £20 voucher next April if the Direct<br />
Debit continues until March.<br />
Existing Direct Debit customers get a £30 voucher next April if the<br />
Direct Debit continues until March.<br />
If you would like to pay by Direct Debit, pick up a form from your local<br />
housing office or the service information centre in Frankfort Gate. You<br />
can also obtain a form online at www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Chair’s feedback:<br />
June ‘Open’<br />
Board meeting<br />
In the last Newsletter we<br />
advertised the June Board<br />
meeting as an ʻOpenʼ Board<br />
meeting where tenants and<br />
leaseholders were invited to<br />
come along and observe. Board<br />
members would like to thank<br />
those who came along. We<br />
really enjoyed having people<br />
observe our meeting, and hope<br />
to repeat the experience again<br />
in the future.<br />
The people who attended the<br />
meeting were asked to feed<br />
back their thoughts, along with<br />
any questions they might have.<br />
Generally people seem to have<br />
found the experience interesting,<br />
and a good opportunity to see<br />
part of our decision making<br />
process in operation.<br />
There were a number of<br />
questions. One attendee wanted<br />
to know how the Board<br />
considered the value for money<br />
of any proposal. The answer to<br />
this is that the member of staff<br />
who prepares the report will<br />
include information about cost,<br />
performance and impact on<br />
services to help the Board make<br />
a decision.<br />
Another attendee wanted to<br />
know if each Board member has<br />
a specific area of work they are<br />
responsible for. The answer to<br />
this is that while Board<br />
members are recruited for the<br />
skills and experience that they<br />
have, which they use when<br />
discussing reports and making<br />
decisions, they do not have<br />
specific areas of the business<br />
to cover. The Board members<br />
are collectively responsible for<br />
the decision that they make.<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 5
News in<br />
Brief<br />
Loft insulation<br />
PCH is continuing the green theme with plans for<br />
more loft insulations to be carried out in homes.<br />
Information is being sent out regarding the project.<br />
All loft insulations will be completed free of charge<br />
to you. Loft insulation increases energy efficiency<br />
and means lower heating bills.<br />
You will be notified by us in partnership with our<br />
approved installers, The Mark Group, who have<br />
provided a dedicated Tenant Liaison Officer to the<br />
project to help answer any questions.<br />
PCH will support vulnerable residents to ensure<br />
equality of access and provide extra help where<br />
required.<br />
New vans for window and<br />
door team<br />
PCH takes over grounds<br />
maintenance<br />
<strong>Plymouth</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Homes</strong>ʼ Environmental Services<br />
department will be providing the grounds maintenance<br />
service from 1 November.<br />
The service is provided by <strong>Plymouth</strong> City Council at<br />
the moment.<br />
PCH will be looking after the communal grounds in<br />
the south of the city, which we own. The communal<br />
grounds in the north of the city are still owned by the<br />
city council, who will continue to carry out grounds<br />
maintenance work on their land.<br />
Some communal land around bungalows in the<br />
north of the city is owned by PCH and we will be<br />
maintaining that. The Environmental Services<br />
department will be monitoring quality and performance<br />
of the service through regular checks and resident<br />
feedback card drops.<br />
We want to hear what you think about the service<br />
when we take it over, so please let us know your<br />
thoughts by contacting Environmental Services on<br />
0800 917 9455.<br />
Have Your Say<br />
meetings<br />
Two new vans have been specially built for our<br />
PVCu Window and Door Installation team.<br />
The vehicles, both Fiats, were built to our<br />
specification at Vospers Body Shop in Estover.<br />
The vans allow a greater load capacity enabling<br />
them to carry PVCu windows and doors to site<br />
safely and efficiently.<br />
They are built to the latest European emissions<br />
standards and the bodies are partly made of<br />
aluminium, allowing them to be recycled.<br />
The Window Factory, based at Prince Rock,<br />
produces PVCu windows and doors for tenantsʼ<br />
homes and also sells to the general public.<br />
Have Your Say meetings will be taking place in<br />
the coming weeks and months.<br />
The meetings, attended by PCH, the police and<br />
<strong>Plymouth</strong> City Council, are a chance for residents<br />
to air any community issues.<br />
The next Estover meeting takes place on<br />
Wednesday 17 October at 6.30pm in the Elm<br />
<strong>Community</strong> Centre, Leypark Walk.<br />
Ernesettle will also have its meeting on Wednesday<br />
17 October, in St Aidanʼs Church Hall, Hornchurch<br />
Road, from 6.30pm. Ernesettleʼs first meeting of<br />
2013 is on Wednesday 16 January from 6.30pm<br />
at the church hall.<br />
The next Devonport meeting is on Thursday 18<br />
October at the Welcome Hall in Fore Street,<br />
Devonport, from 5.30pm.<br />
6 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Tributes to popular<br />
PCH figure<br />
Peter Ebsworth, <strong>Plymouth</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Homes</strong>ʼ first Chair, passed away during the<br />
summer after a short illness.<br />
Whitleigh resident Peter, 61, was a longstanding<br />
PCC and PCH tenant.<br />
He played a big part in the stock transfer and<br />
was proud when it was achieved in 2009.<br />
He took a keen interest in Property Services<br />
and often called into the Prince Rock depot to<br />
visit the manufacturing teams.<br />
Elaine Pellow, Chair of the PCH Board, said: “I<br />
was very sorry to hear of Peterʼs death. He<br />
made an enormous contribution to PCHʼs<br />
success and was with us right from the start,<br />
steering us through our first two years as an<br />
organisation.”<br />
Peter stood down as Chair in October due to ill<br />
health but remained a board member.<br />
“ He made an enormous contribution<br />
to PCH’s success and was with us<br />
right from the start ”<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 7
<strong>Summer</strong><br />
<strong>Festival</strong> <strong>fun</strong><br />
8 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Hundreds of residents attended our first summer<br />
festival in August.<br />
Many families with children turned out for the<br />
event, which took place at the Woodview<br />
Learning Complex in Whitleigh.<br />
The Whitleigh housing office led a childrenʼs<br />
mini Olympics and <strong>Plymouth</strong> torch bearer Dan<br />
Pengelly brought his torch along for people to<br />
see.<br />
Our Joinery Shop made an Olympic podium and<br />
the winners of the mini games were presented<br />
with their winnersʼ medals and certificates by<br />
Chair of the Board Elaine Pellow.<br />
More than 40 staff teams and partner agencies<br />
ran stalls and activities and families enjoyed a<br />
bouncy castle, football on an inflatable pitch, a<br />
mini beach for sandcastle building, a Zumba<br />
class and DIY skills.<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 9
The Lone Ranger of<br />
Marlborough House<br />
The new Ranger service has been up and running for a<br />
few months now. Communications Assistant Adam<br />
Harding spent a morning with a Ranger to find out how<br />
heʼs getting on…<br />
I met Brian Short at the front of<br />
Marlborough House with a relieved<br />
look on my face – it was raining, hard.<br />
Brian had just been performing some<br />
tasks on the outside of the block, and<br />
once finished was on his way into the<br />
dry.<br />
Brian is the Ranger in charge of<br />
looking after Marlborough House and<br />
if local opinion is anything to go by,<br />
heʼs doing a fantastic job.<br />
The first impression that struck me<br />
on entering the building was how<br />
clean the hallways were – from the<br />
floors which had been recently<br />
washed, to the ceiling, which looked<br />
clean and bright. What a difference<br />
bright, clean hallways make to your<br />
mood, especially when itʼs miserable<br />
outside.<br />
Our morning together began in<br />
Brianʼs office, where I signed the log<br />
book and was instructed on the fire<br />
evacuation procedure. Brian led me<br />
to his office so he could describe his<br />
average day. But first things first – he<br />
put the kettle on. While appreciating<br />
a good cup of tea, I asked Brian how<br />
long he has been working for PCH.<br />
He said: “Iʼve been with PCH since<br />
2004, transferring from the council in<br />
2009. My first role was as part of a<br />
Adam Harding<br />
mobile caretaking team. I was in that<br />
role for just over a year. In total I have<br />
had seven roles, including this one.”<br />
At this point, a resident, Erik Nystrom,<br />
popped in to speak to Brian, but once<br />
he realised why I was there, Erik burst<br />
into praise about the ranger: “Brian<br />
has been excellent – the building is<br />
always clean and Brian puts in that<br />
extra effort. He is more than a member<br />
of staff to the residents; he is a part<br />
of our community.”<br />
By now, it was time for Brian to<br />
inspect all the floors in the building.<br />
This turns out to be a core task for<br />
him, as it allows him to structure the<br />
rest of his day on priority tasks that<br />
he finds during his inspection. It also<br />
gave me the chance to ask another<br />
question – how has Brianʼs role<br />
changed since he became a Ranger?<br />
“When we were caretakers we had<br />
very specific roles and responsibilities,<br />
but since our review that role has<br />
expanded,” replied Brian.<br />
“For instance, originally we were<br />
responsible for litter picking, mopping<br />
floors, checking sites and checking<br />
repairs; but now our role includes<br />
window cleaning, minor DIY and the<br />
cleaning of doors and door frames.”<br />
“So have there been any noticeable<br />
differences in the way you have been<br />
treated since becoming a Ranger?“ I<br />
asked, as Brian inspected the rubbish<br />
chutes on the fifth floor.<br />
“Even though the job title has changed,<br />
people still treat me the same. They<br />
expect their Ranger to look after the<br />
property and to keep things in order.<br />
Since the review and being called a<br />
Ranger, I expect more from myself.<br />
The changes to our role have definitely<br />
been for the better, and our tenants<br />
would agree,” said Brian.<br />
On the way back down from the floor<br />
inspection, I asked Brian about his<br />
thoughts on his new role. “As our role<br />
has expanded, so has our training,”<br />
said Brian, “PCH want us to do the<br />
best we can, and this is reflected in<br />
the levels of training we receive. My<br />
tenants expect a high level of service<br />
and I aim to deliver these high<br />
standards in everything I do.<br />
“Being a Ranger has meant that our<br />
standards have been raised. There is<br />
a more professional approach to the<br />
role and this can be seen in the<br />
volume of our training.”<br />
Leaving Brian to organise himself in<br />
his office for his return up to the fifth<br />
floor for some cleaning, I ventured<br />
into the communal room to see if there<br />
was anyone who had an opinion of<br />
Brian. Sitting down, talking to each<br />
other across a coffee table, were<br />
residents Ron Taylor and Marlene<br />
Rambridge; both were more than<br />
willing to heap praise on Brian.<br />
10 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Young tenant<br />
consultation<br />
“Heʼs fantastic, one of the best<br />
workers we have ever had. He is<br />
always working, but still manages to<br />
find the time to talk to us. He will<br />
quite happily stop what he is doing<br />
to help a tenant in need. Heʼs a<br />
pleasure to be around,” said Ron<br />
emphatically.<br />
Marlene added: “Itʼs a nicer place to<br />
live because of Brianʼs efforts.”<br />
After my half day with Brian, I start to<br />
appreciate and respect the high level<br />
of regard Brian holds in the tenantsʼ<br />
minds. Brian is a self-confessed<br />
house-proud person and he certainly<br />
brings that level of enthusiasm and<br />
commitment with him to work. His<br />
work ethic and gruelling schedule still<br />
do not get in the way of him making<br />
time for the residents he serves.<br />
As Erik said, he is more than staff;<br />
he is a member of their community.<br />
With a firm handshake we parted<br />
ways; it had stopped raining.<br />
The Communities Team spent last spring knocking on<br />
the doors of our young tenants in Whitleigh.<br />
We spoke to residents in the area<br />
aged between 16 and 24. In total,<br />
133 addresses were visited, with 58<br />
of householders (43%) answering<br />
questions on the doorstep. Tenants<br />
were asked a variety of questions<br />
including their use of social media<br />
as well as how well they thought<br />
they were supported at the start of<br />
their tenancies.<br />
They were also asked if they were<br />
interested in taking part in the<br />
Learn for Free training PCH offers.<br />
We found that 90% of respondents<br />
used social media to communicate<br />
and all of these use Facebook. We<br />
are currently exploring the best<br />
ways in which we can use social<br />
media to communicate with our<br />
tenants.<br />
We also asked our young residents<br />
about things that they would have<br />
liked more information on when<br />
they first moved in. This is what<br />
they said:<br />
• 84% of young people agreed<br />
they think young people need<br />
additional support when moving<br />
into their first home<br />
• 87% of young people felt they<br />
needed more information on<br />
what bills they had to pay<br />
• 83% wanted more details about<br />
their rights and responsibilities<br />
as tenants<br />
• 76% wanted information on<br />
where they could get cheap or<br />
second hand furniture<br />
• Other things important to them<br />
included wanting to know about<br />
how to budget effectively and<br />
how to live and eat healthily.<br />
Free Training<br />
Three quarters of young tenants<br />
surveyed told us they would be<br />
interested in free training<br />
opportunities.<br />
The Communities Team will be<br />
using the information from this<br />
survey to make sure we offer<br />
practical training opportunities for<br />
our young tenants.<br />
Lots of young people also told us<br />
they would like to work on building<br />
sites but were unable to do so<br />
because they didnʼt hold a valid<br />
Construction Skills Certificate, or<br />
CSCS card. As a result of this we<br />
have been helping people to<br />
complete this course.<br />
For more information on this you<br />
can call the Communities Team<br />
on 0800 917 9457. Our Learn for<br />
Free leaflet is included in this<br />
mailing.<br />
Leigh Ferguson, PCH Communities<br />
Worker, said: “The survey was a<br />
great success – we were made to<br />
feel really welcome and the<br />
information gained has already<br />
been really useful and has helped<br />
us find out what is particularly<br />
important to our young tenants in<br />
the Whitleigh area.<br />
“We will continue to use these<br />
results to help support our<br />
residents in the future. Thank you<br />
to all of those who took the time<br />
to take part.”<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 11
We Want your Views:<br />
PCH Play Strategy<br />
Did you know that PCH owns more than<br />
ten playgrounds across <strong>Plymouth</strong>?<br />
We are seeking your views on how we can best serve<br />
these playgrounds and other public open spaces to support<br />
childrenʼs play across our communities. We are in the early<br />
stages of writing a Play Strategy and as such, we want to<br />
know what you and your children think about the current<br />
playgrounds and equipment.<br />
We also want to know what we need to do to plan for the<br />
future to ensure that children and young people get the<br />
most from these outdoor spaces. We want children and<br />
their families to take an active role in the development of<br />
local play spaces which is why we are asking for your<br />
opinions now.<br />
Anyone who provides feedback will be automatically<br />
entered into our free prize draw. The winner will receive<br />
either a family ten pin bowling voucher or a family ticket for<br />
a one hour rock climbing taster session at the Life Centre.<br />
How to Enter:<br />
• Answer the questions below and return your comments<br />
to us at: Play Strategy, Communities Team, Ground<br />
Floor, Princess Court, 23 Princess Street, <strong>Plymouth</strong><br />
PL1 2EX<br />
• Alternatively, download our questionnaire from our<br />
website and either pop it in the post to us (address<br />
above) or email your answers back to us at:<br />
communitiesteam@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
• Call our Communities team on 0800 917 9457 to talk<br />
through your feedback<br />
• Or drop your feedback into your local housing office.<br />
The Questions:<br />
1. How much time do you/your children spend<br />
outdoors?<br />
2. Where do they like to play? (e.g. local<br />
playgrounds, in the street, in the garden, friendsʼ<br />
houses, school playing fields, local woods.)<br />
3. Are there enough adequate outdoor spaces for<br />
children to play within your neighbourhood?<br />
4. How do you think that we could improve and<br />
develop our outdoor play areas in the future?<br />
With your entry, please remember to include: Your<br />
postcode, a contact number or email address for<br />
the prize draw and also the ages of your children.<br />
We look forward to hearing your views.<br />
Leaseholder Handbook<br />
Our current Leaseholder Handbook is almost<br />
three years old now and we are aiming to update<br />
this within the next 12 months. We will be doing<br />
this because some of the information in the<br />
existing handbook is now out of date or has been<br />
superseded by changes in policy or procedures.<br />
We will be reviewing the content of the existing<br />
handbook to see if this needs to be updated and will<br />
also be looking to see whether any new topics can<br />
be included that would be of interest and help to you.<br />
Many of you have told us they have found the<br />
current handbook interesting and useful. This was<br />
written with the help of some of you and because<br />
of that, the content was relevant. We would like<br />
leaseholders to be involved in planning the next<br />
version.<br />
If any leaseholder has any suggestions for new<br />
topics for the next version, or would like to be<br />
involved in planning and putting it together, please<br />
contact Frank Corbridge on 01752 388094.<br />
12 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Home,<br />
sweet home<br />
PCH resident Dennis Bance has been a tenant for<br />
48 years and now, thanks to new heating and double<br />
glazing courtesy of PCH, house-proud Dennis says<br />
this is the best his home has ever looked.<br />
“I am thrilled at the work that has been done to my<br />
property,” he said, “It was a wonderful job, and now<br />
looks absolutely lovely.”<br />
Over the years, Dennis has maintained his property<br />
in Lower Ham to a high standard, repairing doors,<br />
the staircase and even replacing an external garden<br />
wall. But according to Dennis, the new windows and<br />
heating are ʻthe icing on the cakeʼ.<br />
Dennisʼs revamped home will now be much cheaper<br />
to run, more environmentally friendly and more secure.<br />
“I would like to thank the tradesmen from Apollo,”<br />
added Dennis, “They have been superb. The guys<br />
working on my house have been very professional<br />
and have treated our home with respect. They were<br />
quick and tidied up after themselves. Now our home<br />
looks the best it ever has, and with our new heating<br />
and windows we are set for the winter months.”<br />
Garden transformation<br />
Residents at Weston Mill are delighted with the<br />
work that the neighbourhood rangers have carried<br />
out to transform their gardens, wall and path at the<br />
front of their sheltered housing scheme.<br />
The traditional stone wall which runs down the<br />
length of Carlton Terrace – along the front of<br />
Weston Mill sheltered housing bungalows and the<br />
public footpath – had become completely<br />
overgrown with ivy. The flower beds were unkempt<br />
and the path beneath it was barely visible.<br />
Residents are now able to use the path, which until<br />
recently was almost completely covered with weeds.<br />
The makeover is a welcome change as it was<br />
raised as a priority issue at the community<br />
walkabout earlier in the year.<br />
Our neighbourhood rangers moved in and set<br />
about clearing the ivy, which was starting to make<br />
the wall very unstable.<br />
After a lot of hard work, the ivy and the flower<br />
beds underneath the wall were cleared, which has<br />
totally transformed the area and made it look<br />
much neater and far more appealing.<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 13
Project lends a<br />
helping hand<br />
Reach, a community project run by<br />
volunteers based in Estover, has been<br />
providing practical help and support to<br />
PCH residents in North <strong>Plymouth</strong>.<br />
Rachel Webb, a young mum in West Park, was<br />
struggling to maintain her overgrown gardens. Rachel<br />
discussed this with Adam Stockman, her housing<br />
officer, explaining that she had very little spare time<br />
or money to deal with her garden.<br />
Adam referred her case to the Reach project to see<br />
if he could enlist their help.<br />
Reach forms part of the on-going community<br />
assistance programme offered to local individuals<br />
and families in need by North <strong>Plymouth</strong> <strong>Community</strong><br />
Church which has been providing help and hope to<br />
local people for nearly 30 years.<br />
One rainy, dull Tuesday afternoon, Dan Taylor, Reach<br />
Project Leader, and three other volunteers arrived at<br />
Rachelʼs garden to begin the work of cutting back<br />
and clearing the overgrown plants and weeds.<br />
Within a couple of hours they had the garden under<br />
control and it has slowly gone from being a wild<br />
unkempt space back into a usable garden for Rachel<br />
and her children to play in. Following a few more<br />
visits, the garden has now been transformed.<br />
Rachel is delighted and now that she has been able<br />
to enjoy the benefits of her garden, she has vowed<br />
to keep it maintained so that she and her children<br />
can enjoy it.<br />
Over recent months, PCH has been referring more<br />
and more tenants to Reach, which can offer vital help<br />
in times of financial or personal crisis. Adam said:<br />
“Reach has been fantastic in helping some of our<br />
residents in need – they have offered practical support<br />
to help vulnerable people to improve their living<br />
conditions. They have decorated rooms, cleared<br />
gardens and helped people out with odd jobs around<br />
the house that they cannot complete themselves.”<br />
As well coming to the rescue in practical ways, they<br />
have also helped residents in financial crisis. Working<br />
in partnership with <strong>Plymouth</strong> Food Bank, Reach<br />
provides and delivers emergency food packages to<br />
those suffering financial hardship.<br />
Adam added: “I cannot praise the work of Reach<br />
highly enough. They have been a lifeline for some of<br />
our residents and what is even more admirable is<br />
that these people are all volunteers who give up their<br />
free time to support local people and try to help them<br />
build better lives for themselves.”<br />
If you are having trouble paying your rent or want to<br />
talk to somebody about your benefits, speak to your<br />
local housing officer in the first instance – they will be<br />
able to point you in the right direction.<br />
If you have spare time and are interested in<br />
volunteering with Reach, please contact Dan Taylor<br />
on Dan.reach@btinternet.com.<br />
“ They have been a lifeline for<br />
some of our residents ”<br />
14 PCH Newsletter | Autumn 2012 Call us on 0800 694 3101
Contact Centre – repairs<br />
planning team strengthened<br />
Two new supervisors have recently joined<br />
the repairs planning team.<br />
Ian McPherson and Louise Jarvis both come from<br />
extensive customer service backgrounds. They were<br />
chosen to help lead the planning team, to streamline<br />
and improve customer service and develop service<br />
delivery across the planning team and trade employees<br />
and contractors.<br />
The repairs contact centre is the first point of contact<br />
for PCH tenants to report repairs to their homes and<br />
communal areas. The contact centre deals with:<br />
• Routine repair requests to properties<br />
• Urgent and emergency repair requests<br />
• Heating and hot water repairs<br />
• The handyperson scheme<br />
• Annual gas servicing appointments<br />
The repairs planning team<br />
The repairs contact centre team<br />
Contact centre staff take the initial repair request<br />
calls from residents and book in the appointments.<br />
The planning team oversees the scheduled<br />
appointments with residents to make the best use of<br />
the operativeʼs working day and also makes sure any<br />
materials required to complete the work are delivered<br />
on time to the correct address.The planning team<br />
also ensures any emergency repairs are dealt with<br />
on the day we are notified.<br />
The contact centre provides a 24-hour emergency<br />
response repairs service to all of our tenants 365<br />
days a year. The contact centre team is fully trained in<br />
customer service and can answer queries on repairs<br />
and maintenance.<br />
Coming soon – new repairs<br />
and safety information<br />
Over the next few weeks, all tenants will be receiving<br />
new leaflets about repairs and home safety. Weʼve<br />
updated two of the leaflets which go inside your<br />
tenant handbook.<br />
The Repairs leaflet details how you should report<br />
your repair and the different types of repairs – for<br />
example routine or emergency. Our repairs service<br />
has changed recently so there is updated information<br />
about appointment times and text message alerts. The<br />
leaflets explain which repairs are our responsibility,<br />
which are yours and what standards of service you<br />
can expect from us.<br />
A second leaflet, Safety, Maintenance and DIY,<br />
provides important information about home safety –<br />
including the loss of power, fire safety and asbestos.<br />
You can also read about plumbing and water issues<br />
and how to prevent condensation. We give you advice<br />
on DIY and details about our Handyperson scheme.<br />
Finally, there are energy-saving tips which should<br />
also help you save money.<br />
We made changes to our repairs service following<br />
recommendations from the Repairs Continuous<br />
Improvement Group, which was set up to look at how<br />
the service was performing. Tenant Roger Lee-Smith<br />
was part of the Repairs CIG and has also seen the<br />
new leaflets. He said: “Everything we addressed in<br />
the CIG has been included in the leaflets.<br />
“We were concerned about the availability of the call<br />
centre, the availability of evening and weekend<br />
repairs appointments and the availability of female<br />
operatives for female tenants. These have all been<br />
reviewed and changes introduced.”<br />
The leaflets are due to be posted out later this month<br />
and are a handy A5 size. This means they can fit into<br />
your tenant handbook along with the rest of your<br />
tenancy information. If you have any questions about<br />
the leaflets when they arrive, call the repairs contact<br />
centre on 0808 230 6500.<br />
Together, the teams deal with more than 77,000 calls<br />
and emails a year and plan more than 70,000 pieces<br />
of work.<br />
www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk<br />
Autumn 2012 | PCH Newsletter 15
Contact<br />
numbers<br />
Repairs<br />
0808 230 6500<br />
Head Office<br />
0800 694 3101<br />
Housing Offices<br />
Estover: 0800 917 9496<br />
Devonport: 0800 917 9497<br />
Whitleigh: 0800 917 9498<br />
North Prospect: 0800 917 9499<br />
Anti-social behaviour<br />
out of hours hotline<br />
0800 075 6699 or text 80800 and<br />
start your message with ʻASBʼ.<br />
Service Information Centre<br />
01752 389778<br />
Sheltered Housing Team<br />
0800 917 9452<br />
Out of hours repairs<br />
0800 917 9459<br />
Leaseholders<br />
01752 388094<br />
Caretaking Service<br />
0800 917 9455<br />
Debit/Credit Card Payment Line<br />
0844 557 8321<br />
Gas Servicing<br />
01752 388007 / 388008<br />
Communities<br />
0800 917 9457<br />
<strong>Plymouth</strong><br />
City Council<br />
contacts<br />
Enquiries (including waste<br />
and out of hours)<br />
01752 668000<br />
Report fly tipping<br />
01752 304147<br />
Housing needs<br />
01752 305496<br />
Housing advice<br />
01752 305950<br />
Anti-social behaviour<br />
01752 307049