Insight Winter 2011 - South Essex Homes

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6 | YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR NEWS Reaching new heights The Government’s leading fire and rescue adviser, Sir Ken Knight, visited residents’ properties in August to mark the completion of the first stage of a £3m fire safety project to make Southend’s tower blocks some of the safest in the country. The project sees the installation of new fire prevention features and also aims to educate tenants about the role they can play in preventing fires. During the visit, Sir Ken inspected state-of-the-art fire prevention systems installed at the ten-storey Bewley Court building. This gave tenants a fantastic opportunity to speak to Sir Ken direct about how they are benefiting from the additional safety measures. Speaking on the day, Sir Ken said: “I’ve seen a lot of good practice during the visit which I hope South Essex Homes will share with other housing providers and partners. “In particular, this project has demonstrated some excellent examples of partnership working with residents being involved in the work carried out.” Read more about fire safety and waste removal tips on page 8! Sharing good practice – Sir Ken Knight (centre left) with Pauline Tanrikulu (centre right) a Bewley Court resident and chair of the Bournes Green Park Area Residents Association, with representatives of the Essex Fire and Rescue Service Excellence in adult education South Essex Homes and Southend Adult Community College are celebrating after receiving two certificates from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). The certificates represent our work in providing life skills and tenancy sustainment courses to residents. The four-week courses enable participants to learn valuable skills such as money management, healthy eating, cooking on a budget as well as developing maths and English skills. Karen, a Southend Council resident, said: “The course has given me a lot of confidence. Before this I was very isolated and felt low. “I’ve now learnt lots of new skills in different areas which has made a tremendous difference to my personal life.” South Essex Homes Chief Executive, Mike Gatrell, said: “I am delighted to see the achievements of this partnership being recognised in this way.” After the success of these courses, both organisations have developed the Plus Programme which aims to develop further life skills such as first aid, fire safety, ICT and food hygiene. More course details can be found on page 10.
YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR NEWS | 7 Major milestone Congratulations to Lisa Witton, a resident of South Essex Homes, who has this year celebrated her 108th birthday surrounded by friends and family. Mrs Witton was born on 18th July 1903. She was the youngest of three sisters and spent her early years being cared for by her grandparents in Ipswich, Suffolk. After Mrs Witton finished her education, she went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and worked for many big businesses in London. She soon married, but shortly afterward, her husband was called to the army and unfortunately was killed in the war. Lisa carried on working as a Chartered Accountant until her retirement. Sheltered housing has been Mrs Witton’s home of choice for a number of years; she moved to Trafford House four years ago. Mrs Witton puts her long life down to having a good sense of humour. She also enjoys being independent and still prepares her own meals. Councillor Nigel Folkard, SEH Board member, also paid a congratulatory visit to Mrs Witton on her birthday. Happy birthday Mrs Witton – 108-year-old is congratulated by Councillor Nigel Folkard Focus on residents The South Essex Homes Residents’ Awards Conference was held on Thursday 24th November at the Cliffs Pavilion. This annual event is an opportunity to thank all resident representatives for their hard work during the past year and for us to report back on the performance of South Essex Homes. Various awards were presented to nominated tenants for their commitment to resident participation and their general community. This year’s conference merged with the Christmas ‘Meet and Greet’, which allowed residents time to network, meet new people and exchange good ideas. Attendees also participated in a fun quiz, with prizes for winners and runners-up. Photos from the event and details of award winners will be available in the next issue of Insight. Gardens in bloom Residents are celebrating after putting their horticultural know-how to the test at the third annual Gardens in Bloom competition, held at Southchurch Hall Park in August. Their green-fingered skills were judged in seven categories. The competition was extended this year to include special categories for children under the age of 16, including ‘tallest sunflower’ and a colouring competition. Winners were presented with their awards by Southend Mayor Councillor David Norman and South Essex Homes Chair, Phil Lyons. Phil Lyons commented: “I am proud of all our residents who have made such a fantastic effort to cultivate their gardens large and small. Those who’ve participated have set a great example for other members of the community.” Look out for details of next year’s competition in future issues of Insight magazine! Blooming marvellous! Garden in Bloom winners with their certificates, joined by Southend Mayor Councillor David Norman (far right)
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Page 15 and 16: KIDS’ CORNER | 15 South Essex Hom

Insight Winter 2011 - South Essex Homes

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