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N rthwardsnatterS p r i n g 2 0 1 3Charity of the YearWhat's inside...• Win a Kindle Fire HD• Northwards helps out Corrie• WANTED – local heroL-R: Greig Lees, Sister Rita, and Lucy Powell MP for Manchester Central• Money advice with TracyBenef itBreakWe have named the Lalley Centre in Collyhurst asour chosen charity for 2013.The Lalley Centre is run by straight-talking nun SisterRita, a qualified social worker. Sister Rita provides ahelping hand in the heart of Collyhurst – giving oneto-oneadvice and employment support. The centrealso acts as a food bank, providing around 400 foodparcels to families every month.Staff suggested different charities in northManchester, and they were whittled down to ashortlist of four. After a poll, the Lalley Centre cameout on top and was named our charity of the year.Money raised from fundraising, like staff fun daysor dress down days, will be donated to the centrethroughout the year.We will also be able to help by organisingNICE (Northwards Improving Communities andEnvironment) days to help Sister Rita and herstaff – in fact, a few of our employees havealready dropped by for a spot of painting!Every employee at Northwards is allowed one day offwork every year to volunteer in north Manchester (seepage 15 to find out more).Sue Ratchford, chair of the Northwards Housing board,said: “At Northwards, we want to support all ourcommunities to be successful. The Lalley Centre isan invaluable resource in north Manchester and wewant to help it to be the best it can be.“Staff at Northwards picked the Lalley Centreout of a number of local charities, which goesto show how well-respected it is.”The Lalley Centre is based at St Saviour’s Church,Eggington Street, St Malachy’s School, Collyhurst,M40 7RG.03000 123 123 info@northwardshousing.co.ukFind us on Facebook@NorthwardsMCR

Is there a ghostin the house?3That’s what TV star YvetteFielding asked when shepresented our staff awardsthis year!Yvette made ourawards really specialThe former Blue Peterpresenter and star of MostHaunted hosted our fourthannual Awards for Excellenceat the Sheridan Suite inNewton Heath.The event means we can say thank you toeveryone who has really gone the extra mile forNorthwards and our tenants over the past year.The ceremony was made extra special thanks tosponsorship from many of Northwards’ partnersand stakeholders.Rents Team are the Team of the Year“It’s taken a while and you still have to listenhard, but you can get the gist of what she’ssaying.“It’s really boosted her confidence and now,every Tuesday, she goes out to a local churchto help feed the homeless. I just want to givepeople a good quality of life – I’m proud to dothe job that I do.”The other winners were:Tracy Panesh, money adviser – CustomerChampion of the Year (sponsored by Procure Plus)Ade Abioye, rents team leader – Manager of theYear (sponsored by Yammer)Martin Smith, mobile cleaning operative – HiddenGem of the Year (sponsored by GroundHeat)Gina Peel, finance officer – Team Player of theYear (sponsored by Continental Landscapes)Wendy and Joyce are always chatting nowAmong the winners was Wendy Theaker, schememanager at Edward Grant Court in Harpurhey.Wendy was named Employee of the Year atthe event because, earlier this year, Wendydiscovered that one of her new tenants, Joyce,had been unable to speak properly following astroke 20 years ago.Joyce had retreated into her shell and was ashadow of her former self. But Wendy refused togive up and sat with her for a few hours a day,teaching her how to speak again. Wendy’s helphas changed her life for the better.Wendy, whose award was sponsored byManchester Working, said: “I just sat with herand went over words that she might use,trying to get her to pronounce them.Rents team – Team of the Year (sponsored byWates Living Space)Peter Caine, mechanical surveyor – winner ofthe Alan Greensmith Unsung Hero of the YearAward (sponsored by The Safety Group)Pat Scappaticci, headof retirement andcaretaking services– Chief Executive’sSpecialCommendation.Pat’s simply the best!

4Make Life EasierDid you know that you can book repairs quicklyand easily, 24 hours a day, from our website orsmartphone app?To order a repair on our website…1 - Go to www.northwardshousing.co.uk2 - Click where it says “Order a repair”3 - Enter your postcode and address4 - Click on the type of repair you need5 - Answer a few simple questions about the repair6 - Choose an appointment that suits you. Easy!To order a repair onour smartphone app…1 - Download the app (from iTunes if youhave an iPhone, or Google Play for Android phones)2 - Enter your details3 - Click ‘Repairs’4 - Select the type of repair you need. Take a photoif you need to5 - Click ‘Submit’. Easy!You can try the system out first, why not visit thewebsite and have a go!Did you know…You can also pay your rent, see your statement, lookfor a new home and find local jobs on our website?You can also use our app to report ASB, set rentreminders and budget your money?Manchester council givesthumbs up to Northwards!At the end of 2012, we got some great news!Manchester City Council want Northwards tocontinue managing your homes!The council have agreed a new 30-year plan for usto run your homes, after you told them we were doinga good job! We’ve been managing homes in northManchester since 2005 and the council said weprovided an ‘overall high qualityservice’ as well as good value formoney.It comes after a poll when almostnine out of 10 tenants said theywanted us to continue runningour service!Robin Lawler, chief executive ofNorthwards Housing, added:“It shows thecouncil have faithin Northwardsand that they wantus to continue the excellent workwe have already done in north Manchester.At Northwards, we are about more than justhomes.“We want to work with the council and otherpartners to make the area a great place to live,while improving people’s chances of getting ajob and getting a good education.”Cllr Jim Battle, Deputy Leader of ManchesterCity Council, said: “We are extremely pleasedwith the way that Northwards have gone theextra mile for Manchester residents, consistentlystriving for better homes and a better service.”

5A Day inthe Life of…January29TuesdayPaul Rigg, Mobile CaretakerWith two high rise blocks to look after, Paul’sjob keeps him fit as a fiddle – especially as hecycles between the two!Paul works at Kingsbridge Court in Harpurheyin the morning, then heads over to BradfordCourt in Moston in the afternoon. It’s an earlystart for him – 7.15am! – but then he’s got alot of jobs to get through each day.Paul begins with a full inspection of theblock, from the lifts to the intercoms, to checkfor any health and safety issues and to see ifthere’s anything that needs mending orcleaning. At the moment, Kingsbridge Courthas the builders in, so he’s very careful to makesure that their kit doesn’t cause a hazard toresidents.Next up is the cleaning; Paul buffs the floorsevery other day and mops, dusts, polishes andhoovers in the communal areas. He then headsoutside to litter pick and tidy up the grounds.Fly-tipping is a problem in the local area, soif anything’s been dumped on the property,Paul gets on to Environment On Call to get itsorted.Paul with his wall of artDuring the day, a lot of tenants stop by Paul’soffice to talk about any concerns they mayhave, or simply to chat. His Kingsbridge officeis certainly a welcoming place to be, as thewalls are covered with different pictures andschoolwork by his kids! It makes for a reallylovely environment.The most challenging part of Paul’s job isclearing out the blockages from the wastechutes. The chutes are designed to dispose ofhousehold waste, but sometimes tenants willput things down which they’re not supposedto (anything from tiles to laminate flooring!)This can take up to two hours for Paul to clear.Despite such challenges, Paul’s favourite partof his job is helping the tenants out. “I loveit,” he said. “It’s just great to be able to get agood result for people. I deal with all kindsof situations – the other week, I stopped amassive leak on floor 12 by helping thetenants to find the stop tap in their flat.The water was everywhere!”Paul trying to unblock theKingsbridge chute

Money Advice with TracyAs you will all have seen and heard- there are benefit changes coming.This means you may have to makeyour finances stretch even further.Lots of people don’t have bank accountsbut now is a good time to open one – youwill need it to receive your money. TheCredit Union and many local banks offergood basic bank accounts – perfect if youare just starting out.Take up of Credit Union bank accounts hasincreased so much in recent months that theyhave extended their visits to the local housingoffices.They are now at:Cheetham – Monday between 2.00pm and3.30pmMonsall Street – Wednesday between 9.30amand 10.30amWhite Moss – Friday from 9.30am till 12.00 noonIt’s brilliant news that more and more of ourtenants are seeing the advantage of saving andsafe, affordable borrowing through the creditunion.Tracy (right) is here to helpHere are just a few of thethings I help people withevery day:· Helping check tariffs for gas andelectricity, to make sure you get thebest value for money· Pointing you to careers advice, tohelp get you into work· Looking at your money and helpingcontact the people you owe aboutreducing payments· Finding savings in your budget –sometimes it’s the small changes thatcan save the most cash!7If in doubt, give me a shout on0161 720 4045 or email me:tracy.panesh@northwardshousing.co.ukAlways remember thatkeeping up rent paymentsmust be your top priority.Failing to do so could putyour home at risk!

9SOUND ADVICE FOR THE STREETNorthwards have been thanked by the starsof Coronation Street after helping with a bigstoryline about carbon monoxide!Alison Sinclair, chief publicity manager atCoronation Street, said: “We are very grateful toNorthwards for their help with this storyline.We hope Fiz’s story will raise awareness aboutthe importance of gas safety – hopefully, liveswill be saved because of it!”We carry out a FREE service and safety check ofyour gas appliances once every year. Our fullyqualifiedgas engineers will give your home theexpert treatment not just to give you peace ofmind, but to keep your heating bills down too.In the winter, we aim to fix broken boilers withinthree hours of a fault being reported – the restof the year, we’ll get out the next working day.Fiz fights for her lifeViewers were left stunned at New Year, whenFiz was left fighting for her life after Tyrone triedto fix her broken boiler, leaving a trail of carbonmonoxide. Northwards helped writers who wereworking for Coronation Street – we advised themon what would happen if Fiz reported a repair.The programme has already started to save lives!The scenes mirror real-life deaths caused by COpoisoning in the UK every year. Known as the‘silent killer’ because you can’t see it, taste it orsmell it, CO is produced when gas appliances arenot working properly – either because they havebeen fitted badly or poorly maintained. Symptomsinclude headaches, dizziness, tiredness and feelingsick. Some of these symptoms can be mistakenfor flu and other common viruses, or even foodpoisoning.Get it checkedMichael Graham, senior mechanical surveyorat Northwards, said: “Fiz’s story highlightsthe importance of making sure all your gasappliances are checked regularly. You willreceive a letter every year when we need tocheck your boiler – please make sure youlet us in!”

10Benef itBreakFrom April 1, the ‘bedroom tax’ will come into force.You could see your Housing Benefit reduced if you havemore rooms than the Government says you need.The new rules mean you will be allowed just one bedroom for each person or couple living in the home.• Children under 16 of the same sex are expected to share• Children under 10 are expected to share regardless of sex• Disabled tenants or a partner who needs a non-resident overnight carer will be allowed an extra roomThese changes only affect people of working age not those aged over 62.If you have one more room than the Government says you need, you’ll lose 14% of your benefit, and ifyou have more than one room extra, it’s a 25% reduction. You’ll have to make up the difference yourself– and that could be more than £10 per week.A single person or couple withtwo bedrooms will get 14% less.In a three bedroom home theywill get a 25% cut.A single parent or couple withthree bedrooms and two girls orboys under 16 will get 14% less.In a four bedroom home theywill get a 25% cut.14% less 25% less14% less 25% lessA single parent or couple withthree bedrooms and two childrenunder 10 will get 14% less.In a four bedroom home theywill get a 25% cut.A single person or couple livingwith one other person with threebedrooms will get 14% less.In a four bedroom home theywill get a 25% cut.14% less25% less14% less25% less

The chart below explains a bit more1114% less Housing Benefit25% less Housing Benefitcut of£16.25cut of£17.50cut of£18.75cut of£20.00cut of£21.25cut of£22.50cut of£9.10cut of£9.80cut of£10.50cut of£11.20cut of£11.90cut of£12.60£65 £70 £75 £80 £85 £90Your weekly rentWhat can I do?If you are affected by the ‘bedroomtax’, there are a number of things youmight be able to do.• Register for re-housingIf you want to move into a smaller property,then you need to register for rehousing.Be aware, though – there is a massivedemand for properties at the minute andyou might wait a long time to get a homethat suits you.• HomeswapperThere are other ways of moving home –you can use an online matching service likeHomeswapper to find someone to swap with.It can be quite quick too! Register atwww.HomeSwapper.co.uk.• Take in a lodgerA lodger is someone who rents a room intheir landlord’s home, and who shares theirliving space. Northwards allow most peopleto take in a lodger, but you MUST tell usfirst.It may also affect some of your other benefits –and you need to make sure you are safe.Contact us if you want any advice on this.• Money adviceIf you are struggling to manage on lessmoney, we might be able to help you balanceyour budget. Tracy, our money advisor, canlook at your finances – you can read her toptips on page 7.We’re also backing the Family SupportProgramme – for people who are out of work.They can help you look for a job, find workplacements and training courses.They can help with other issues like health,family and money problems. Call them on 0800923 0035 for a chat they may be able to helpyou. The service is open to individuals as well asfamilies with children.For any further information or advice,please call us on 03000 123 123 oremail: info@northwardshousing.co.uk.

12We are spending almost £20mimproving homes this year!On behalf of the council, our board has agreed amulti-million pound improvement programmefor estates. The work will start in April and willsee Northwards sprucing up some of your homes.Here’s what we will be doing:• We’ll be installing new kitchens or bathroomsin houses in Collyhurst. We’d already done thiswork on some of the multi-storey blocks, andnow we’re rolling it out to houses in the area,as part of our Decent Homes programme.• We’ll be putting external wall insulation onLiverton Court in Blackley – it’ll help to keephomes warm and keep energy bills down!• Kingsbridge Court in Harpurhey will also get amakeover, with external wall insulation andsome general maintenance work.• We’ll also be upgrading the communal areas oflow rise flats to make them nicer places to be!• Northwardswill also bebringingbedsits insome of theCollyhurst multistoreysback into use.TLC for homes in CollyhurstWe are making lots of improvements in other areastoo, so check our website for more details!Paul Maidment, head of home improvements atNorthwards, said: “We are spending almost £20mthis year to make our homes decent, warmer andgreener.“Tenants in Collyhurst will get the chance to geta new kitchen or bathroom, bringing them in linewith the rest of our homes.”Be a Green EnergyCommunity ChampionWe are committed to reducing residents’energy costs and addressing fuel poverty.Why not volunteer with us and get yourselfa qualification?Over the past few years, Northwards has carriedout projects to make our homes more energyefficient and keep rising fuel costs down.We now want to spread the message even further.We are looking for voluntary Green EnergyCommunity Champions to encourage and inspireneighbours to make their money go further ontheir energy bills.We’re looking for people with a passion forsaving energy. You don’t need to be an expert inenergy efficiency, carbon reduction or renewabletechnologies, you just need basic numeracy andliteracy and good communication skills.To prepare residents, we’re working with our partnerNational Energy Action, to offer free training forvolunteers who are interested in being involved.The training willbe in Manchester on17, 18 and 24 April2013 with the examdate 1 or 2 May. Issuessuch as fuel debt, gettingon the right energy tariff, thehealth implications of cold anddamp housing and some simpleways of making home more energyefficient will be covered.If successful you will obtain the Cityand Guilds Energy Awareness qualification.You will work with Northwards officers to get a goodunderstanding of energy awareness, which will helpyou to prepare for the course.Interested? Please contact Ellen Houghton at ellen.houghton@northwardshousing.co.uk or call her on0161 720 5819. Please note a CRB check is required,which will be organised by Northwards Housing.

UR NORTHWARDS13Our last draw took place in December – just in time forChristmas! Josephine Price, from Hansdon Close, wonthe £1,000 jackpot. She said: “I’m going on holidaywith the money. It was a lovely surprise – last year,my mum won it, so it’s quite a coincidence!”Patricia Worthington, from Collyhurst, gota Christmas hamper. She said: “It’s the firsttime I’ve ever won anything and it comesat a perfect time, just before Christmas.It’ll really help me out and there’s lots oflovely presents.”Pauline Powell, from Deepdale Court, won£500. She said: “I didn’t believe it at first.Things were hard for me last year – I wasvery sick. But this will make the new yeara lot better.”Christmas telly was made even better for Karen Lynch,from Verdale Avenue, New Moston. She scooped the40” television and said: “I am dead pleased to havewon. It’s just nice to be recognised.”John Coyne, from Sanderson Court, won an iPad.He said: “I’ve got to get the internet sorted firstbut I’m really looking forward to using it. It’s reallyfantastic that Northwards do something like this.”An Xbox Kinect was won by Susan Tyson, ofBorland Avenue, New Moston. Susan said:“All the family will be using it, it’s a great prize!”Susan Lever, from Roach Court, Collyhurst, wona docking station for her iPod Shuffle. She said:“I was over the moon to hear that I had won,it’s a real surprise when you get the letter.Natalie Cunningham, from CheethamHill, won a Kindle after entering acompetition in the NorthwardsNatter. She said: “This is what mymum wanted for Christmas soI’m dead chuffed.”Win a Kindle Fire HDWe’ve got a Kindle Fire HD up for grabs –fancy your chances of winning it? Just answerthese simple questions (you can find all the answers in this Natter).1 What’s our charity of the year?Send your answers to:Northwards Xtra,Northwards Housing,Hexagon Tower,Crumpsall Vale,Manchester, M9 8GQ– remember your stamp!Closing date: 26 April 20132 Who presented the Northwards Staff Awards?3 When does the “Bedroom Tax” come into force?4 How much are Northwards spending on home improvements this year?Name .........................................................................................................Address ................................................................................................................................................................Contact number..........................................................

14Be Brilliant!2012 gave the UK a chance to showthe world its best light. Events like theOlympics and the Queen’s Golden Jubileereally gave us a chance to show off.One of the main reasons these events were sosuccessful wasn’t due to fancy fireworks or famouspop stars, it was down to the thousands of ordinarypeople who gave up their time to help the eventsgo with a bang – the volunteers.Anyone can volunteer – whether you’re young or old,at the start or the end of your career, working or notworking.No matter what your skills or experience, someonewill value your help and you will gain somethingfrom it.Here’s Brenda, who works in our retirement housingteam. She’s got her hands full on her volunteer dayat Manchester Dogs Home in Harpurhey.It’s also a great way to develop new skills, whichcan really give you the edge when you’re lookingfor work. What’s really great though is that you canpretty much pick and choose where you want tovolunteer.Here’s just a few examples:• work with animals• in charity shops• conservation and gardening• driving• working with children, young people andfamilies• sports coaching• campaigning and publicitySo volunteering can pretty much take youanywhere you want to go, even if you can’t seeanything you fancy advertised. Maybe a localorganisation you care about can help you developthe skills you need for the career you want.Why not approach them directly?You’ve got nothing to lose andeverything to gain. Make 2013count…VOLUNTEER!Visit: www.manchestercommunitycentral.org/volunteering. This is a great website whereyou can search for opportunities in your area.You can also call them on 0161 830 4770.At the time of writing this article we did a quicksearch and found:• The Factory Youth Zone is looking for acommunications person to help them withtheir social media campaigns• The Citizens Advice Bureau were looking fora receptionist• The Chatterbox Project were looking for acommunity gardenerVolunteers at the 2012 Olympic Games

Have a NICE dayHere at Northwards Housing we have our veryown volunteering programme for employees;NICE (Northwards Improving Communities andEnvironment) Days. Every employee gets one daya year to spend helping a good cause in northManchester.They also got to speak to employees fromthe Co-Operative and other local businesses.Anne Duffield, our Head of Rehousing, was one ofthe volunteers: “It’s been great getting out of theoffice for the day,” she said. “It’s been nice to meetsome local students, hopefully we’ve given thema bit of inspiration. They can come and work forNorthwards when they finish their education!”15So far we’ve spent 2,121 hours diggingflowerbeds, walking dogs and paintingfences. In February some of us spenttime with students of the Co-OperativeAcademy in Blackley during their Worldof Work Day.Students from the Academy interviewed us “speeddating”style about our roles at Northwards. Theyasked us about the skills we have developed andwhat qualifications we needed to perform well.The session was designed to give the studentsan insight into the world of work.Anne gets a grillingBright idea savesthousands of poundsa year at high rise blockA new lighting system is set to save thousandsand cut carbon usage by 85% at one of our highrise schemes.Kingsbridge Court in Harpurhey now benefits fromsensor-controlled LED lights that this year alone areexpected to save £2,725.43 in electricity costs and18 tonnes of carbon.To prevent wasting energy, the lights come on whenthey detect movement. However, in some areas –thanks to the LED technology – they are also set sothat when people aren’t present, they still give outlight, but only at 10% of their maximum level. This isso that the court is always illuminated to help security.With electricity costs rising at 6% a year, it’s estimatedthat the lighting system will save £15,481.40 over fiveyears.Tony Budgett, caretaking service manager atNorthwards Housing, said: “The new LED lightingreplaces the conventional lights which, dependingon make, last between seven months and a yearbefore we replace them.Brightening up Kingsbridge Court“The LEDs are expected to last considerably longerand come with a five year guarantee from themanufacturer. If you consider that there werearound 100 of the old lights in the building thatwe would change at least once a year, the newsystem is great news for cutting costs and carbon.”Kingsbridge Court tenant Iain Broughton added:“I love the new communal lighting! The amountof money and energy it saves is really impressive –these figures should be shouted from the rooftop!”

To get this newsletter in other formats:Call: 03000 123 123E-mail: info@northwardshousing.co.ukFax: 03000 124 123Text phone: 0161 274 0899AlbanianArabicChineseCzechFrenchKurdishPortugueseSomaliUrduRegistered Office: 6th Floor, Hexagon Tower,Crumpsall Vale, Blackley, M9 8GQRegistered in England Company Number 0543506113/01/13 Northwards Natter Spring 2013