In Touch autumn 2007 - Teign Housing

NewsChanges to ResourceCentre opening hoursThe Tenants’ Resource Centre isnow closing slightly earlier, at 6pmon Thursday evenings. It is openfrom 10am to 4pm Mondays andWednesdays and from 2pm to 6pm onThursdays.Competition winnerCongratulations to Mr Evans ofAshburton, who had the first correctentry pulled out of the hat for our“Where are we?” competition in thelast edition of In Touch. Mr Evansknew that the photograph was ofthe Library in Newton Abbot. Specialmention goes to all those clever folkswho knew that the building was partfunded by John Passmore Edwards,Victorian journalist and politician, inmemory of his mother who was bornin the town.To take part in this month’scompetition, turn to the back page.Sunflower competitionCongratulations to Cameron Winningof Netherton who has won theSummer sunflower competition forthe second year running. This yearhis tallest plant reached 6 foot9 inches (and is still growing).Cameron won a £25 gift voucher.Improvement programme updateImprovement works completed from April to July 2007Improvement Actual TargetKitchens 166 157Bathrooms 170 187Re-wiring 121 139Windows 97 75External decorations 223 226External doors 345 237Smoke detectors 24 96New heating installations 135 158Boiler training for staffKim and Shelley from the Customer Services Team with Jeff BondIf you had visited Teign Housing’s office on 24th July you would havedriven or walked past a large open-sided training lorry filled with boilers!Worcester Bosch held an open day for all Teign Housing staff to see howtheir new range of boilers operate. Jeff Bond of Worcester Bosch, gavehandy hints and tips to help staff answering repair calls to troubleshootcommon problems. The company will also be providing a troubleshootingmanual for staff and customers.Jeff let staff know that in 10% of repair visits made the problem was thatthe boiler had been unplugged from its electricity supply and just neededto be plugged back in. With the help of the troubleshooting manual staffshould be able to help customers fix more problems over the phone, savingmoney that would have been spend on sending out repair operatives.We install the Greenstar 28i Junior boiler as part of our improvementprogramme works. These boilers are 90% energy efficient, so 90p in every£1 is spent on heating.Board updatesNew chairmanIn August weannounced theappointment ofPeter Wharf as ournew Chairman ofthe Board. FormerChair, Stan Rodliffe,who stood downfrom the role inJuly, was appointedto the position ofVice Chair.Peter Wharf, whoPeter Wharfis recently retired,joined the Boardof Teign Housing in June. His professional experienceincludes 17 years with the Hoskyns Group, a computerservices company.Peter has a wealth of business experience gained in theIT, Telecommunications and Finance sectors, includinga role as the Managing Director of an IT company with1350 employees and a turnover of £135 million.Peter Wharf told In Touch “I am really proud to havebeen appointed as the new Chair of Teign Housing.This is an exciting time for Teign and its tenants.The delivery of the tenants promise improvementprogramme is well underway and we are making realprogress towards delivering the high quality serviceswe aspire to. We are driving ahead with our plans todeliver new affordable housing. I am very much lookingforward to getting started and playing a part in TeignHousing’s success.”Chief Executive, Mike Hanrahan said, “We are delightedto welcome Peter as our new Chair. Peter bringsvaluable knowledge and experience to the organisationand I am looking forward to working with him to makeTeign Housing the local landlord of choice.”Mike Hanrahan also paid tribute to the work undertakenby our former Chair, Stan Rodliffe. “Stan has played avital role for us over the past two years. We are reallypleased that Stan has been appointed as Vice Chair andwe look forward to his continued input on the Board ofTeign Housing.”Claire DoyleBoard member appointmentsAfter careful consideration, Sue Neale made the decisionto stand down from the Tenant Board Member election inJuly. With two vacancies and two candidates, Claire Doyleand Mike Tolchard were automatically re-elected to theBoard.Equality and diversitychampion appointedMikeTolchardDebby Wheatley, independentBoard member, has beenappointed as the Board’s equalityand diversity champion. In thisrole Debby will lead the Board inconsidering how the work thatTeign Housing does meets theneeds of it’s customers and staff.Debby updates In Touch on theBoard’s recent training day…Debby Wheatley“The Board Members’ training on equality anddiversity on 11th August was both stimulatingand thought provoking. We used the opportunityto define our understanding of equality – “fairtreatment for all”, and diversity – “treatingpeople as they would like to be treated”. Welearned that equality and diversity goes muchfurther than sex, disability, and race, extendingit to include faith, sexual orientation, age and,in its broadest sense, literacy and socialexclusion. Fundamentally, we also came tounderstand that as well as the clear legal andmoral obligations there are for us to have highstandards in equality and diversity, it also makesgood business sense for Teign.”45

Digital TV SwitchoverStarting later this year and finishing in 2012,television services in the UK will go digital, regionby region. This process is called digital switchover.Transmitters in our television region are due toswitchover in 2009.If you have a television that has not been convertedto digital when the switchover takes place it will notbe able to receive television programmes. However,you do not need to replace your existing televisionto receive digital services. You just need to get someadditional equipment to connect to it.What could I get?Digital Terrestrial TVDigital Satellite TVDigital Cable TVWhat will I need?You will need a digital“set top box” or a newtelevision with built indigital adapter. Youmay also need to replaceyour aerial.You will need asatellite receiver anddish, provided by yoursatellite broadcaster.A connection to a cablesystem and indoordecoder box would beprovided by your cablecompany.Some of Teign Housing’s properties are on communalaerial systems, where television signals come intoyour home from a shared aerial. Many of thesesystems have already been upgraded to allow thereception of digital signals by at least one of themethods listed above.If you receive your television pictures from oneof our older communal aerial systems, we arepresently looking at the best method of upgradingthese systems or, where planning regulations allow,providing you with your own terrestrial aerial.Help schemeTeign Housing is not responsible for individual aerialsystems and as such it will be your responsibility toconvert to digital.A national Help Scheme has been established toprovide equipment, help with installation and followupsupport for those who need it most. You will beeligible for the Help Scheme if you are aged 75 orover, receive an Attendance Allowance or a DisabilityLiving Allowance, are registered blind or registeredpartially sighted. If you are eligible you will be sentmore information well before this region goes digital.Further information about the digital TV switchover isavailable from Digital UK, which is the organisationresponsible for the co-ordination of the UK switchover. You can call them on 0845 6 50 50 50 or visitwww.digitaluk.co.ukIn Touch meets… Neal EdmondsNeal Edmonds is Ian Williams’ Senior Contracts Manager, managing TeignHousing’s responsive repairs contract. Here he tells In Touch about how he’sfound things in the first few weeks of taking over Teign Housing’s responsiverepairs contract.How’s it been so far?It’s been a good start. We’re in the early stages, building up relationshipsbetween our staff and everyone at Teign Housing – Customer Service Advisors,Surveyors and Managers. We’re also working on creating a good relationshipwith the tenants we’re serving.What was your role before you took on the Teign Housingresponsive repairs contract?For me, I trained as a carpenter and worked “on the ground”, as it were. I’veworked for big companies and worked for myself, before starting with IanWilliams a few years back. I’ve climbed the company ladder – starting as aContract Manager, with just one contract to look after, and now as a SeniorContracts Manager, with several!As well as the Teign Housing contract I oversee the maintenance of marriedquarters for the Ministry of Defence, responsive repairs for Raglan HousingAssociation, maintenance of school buildings for Devon County Council andthe upkeep of Plymouth City Council’s public buildings. With a number ofcompanies to look after, I rely on having a good team behind me.Along with taking over the contract, you’ve taken on some of thestaff who were employed by the previous contractor. How has thatbeen working?I’m really pleased; we’ve taken on some people with excellent skills. It’s alearning curve for them because we have our own working practices that theyhave to adhere to, but we’re keen to keep investing in training for our staff.One thing that they have had to adapt to is the new appointments system –rather than the old method of cold calling, all urgent and routine repairs areprogrammed in for a particular time and date now.How do you monitor how wellyou’re performing?There are some standard performancemeasures included in our contract,things like how many repairs wecomplete on time, but I’m workingwith Teign Housing, through ourmonthly contract monitoringmeetings, to set up some more. Onewill be a target for the number ofrepairs we complete during the firstvisit to a customers’ home. This issomething my staff and staff at TeignHousing will need to work togetheron as it depends on the CustomerService Advisors diagnosing the repaircorrectly when it’s first reported andrepair operatives having the skills andequipment with them to do the job.How do you keep in closecontact with what’s going on atTeign Housing?We’re in touch on lots of levels.Our member of staff responsible forscheduling operatives’ time is basedin Teign Housing’s office with theCustomer Service Advisors, which isan excellent link. We’re a nationalcompany but we have a local base– our administration is dealt withby our office in Heathfield but ouroperatives work from an office atJewson’s, on the Brunel IndustrialEstate in Newton Abbot. WithJewson’s right next door to TeignHousing we couldn’t be better placed.Personally, I’m in regular contactwith Paula Carroll, who manages theCustomer Services Team and managesthe contract from Teign Housing’sside. She and I have a good workingrelationship and try to always giveeach other the “heads up” on anyissues we’re expecting to crop up, sowe can make sure they’re managedeffectively. I think we work welltogether because we have a sharedgoal - to provide the best possiblerepairs to Teign Housing residents.67

Responsive repairs roundupCustomer Service Advisors Sue,Kim, Becky and JoanaWelcome to the Customer Services department. Thisbustling office is the hub of Teign Housing and the firstpoint of contact for all your queries and repairs. Therehave been some exciting changes recently which we hopewill benefit you in terms of having those niggling issuesdealt with more quickly.First, we would like to say a big “Hello” to our newcontractors, Ian Williams. A family owned business,they started out in Cardiff sixty years ago and nowoperate throughout the UK. With more than 140 skilledoperatives and over 40 years experience in Devon andCornwall, they are perfectly placed to take over theresponsive repairs contract and we look forward to a long,smooth-running partnership.Another great change we have implemented is the abilityto book an appointment when a repair is reported. Aspart of our initial promise to you we can now offer youa choice of a morning or afternoon appointment forall Urgent and Routine repairs. You will also receive areceipt confirming the date and time. This will decreasethe time you have to wait in at home and eliminate thosetimes when our contractors’ operatives turn up ‘ad hoc’.8Did you know…?You can call Teign HousingFREE for any enquiry on0800 197 9790Did you know…?Many electricity problems are caused byappliances fusing and causing power cuts.A quick check that your trip switch (in yourfuse box) hasn’t been set off before reportingthe repair may save you time waiting for anelectrician.How do I know if my repair is anemergency, urgent or routine priority…?For a full list please see your tenancy handbook.However, as a rule of thumb, an emergency priorityorder is raised for a problem that will affect yourhealth, safety and/or security. These include:• Total loss of water, electricity or gas supply• Water leaks and drainage problems• No hot water• Loss of heating (between 31st October and 1st Mayexcept in special circumstances)• Damage to external windows and doors that means yourhome is not secureDid you know…?The primary cause of mould is condensation. Afew simple measures can help prevent this. Trydrying clothes in a well ventilated room, lettingsteam escape from kitchens and bathroomsby opening windows, keeping your home at aconstant low background heat and wiping awaymoisture whenever it appears.Your responsibilitiesThere are a few things that you as a tenant areresponsible for. You should keep your home ina reasonable condition and to take precautionsprevent damage to your property. We rely onyou to report faults promptly in order to preventfurther damage. You are responsible for thedecoration inside your property. If you wouldlike to make improvements, put up fences orinstall pet flaps you must gain approval fromTeign Housing first. You can do this by writing tous at Templar House, Collett Way, Newton Abbot,TQ12 4PH or emailing enquiries@teignhousing.co.uk You are also responsible for keeping yourhome secure including costs for a locksmith ifyou lock yourself our or loose your keys.An urgent repair is one that will affect your comfort orconvenience but isn’t dangerous. These include:• Minor heating or hot water faults• Minor electrical faults• Minor leaks• Broken door entry systems• Graffiti (unless it is offensive or abusive)• Faulty communal aerials• Damage to stairs, handrails or flooring• Severe damp or mouldA routine repair is a defect that has no serious effectsfor either yourself or the building. These include:• General joinery repairs• Repairs to external walls, fences & paths• Repairs or clearing of guttering and downpipes• Repairs to kitchen fittings• Dripping or leaking taps• Minor plumbing repairs• Repairs to plasterwork• Stiff windows and doorsThe Customer Services TeamDid you know…?Most sink blockages can be cleared with thehelp of a plunger. Regularly flushing throughwith washing soda (available in all goodsupermarkets!) and hot water will preventthis happening.9

Handyperson serviceupdateAnti-socialMartin Young andDavid WatsonIn the summer edition of In Touch we let you know thatwe’re now working with Devon Care and Repair to providea handyperson service to Teign Housing customers. InTouch spent a morning with Care and Repair to findout more.David Watson, Care and Repair’s Local Agency Manager,welcomed In Touch into their office in Newton Abbot.When you call to book in a visit from the handyperson,this is the office you will reach. David told us “We hereto fix anything, from replacing a broken toilet seat toassembling a piece of furniture! It’s a popular service -we have a waiting time of two to three weeks but we domake sure we have the staff to keep the waiting time toa minimum during busy periods.”Martin Young is the handyperson for the Teignbridge area.His handy career started in window fitting and alongthe years he’s picked up skills in plumbing, carpentry,decorating and landscaping. Martin’s the kind of practicalperson who can turn his hand to anything. “Drippingtaps tend to keep me the busiest”, he explains. “With lotsof people on water meters now, they see a dripping tapand it’s money running down the drain. We get a lot ofcall outs for that. The second most popular orders are thesecurity or safety related ones – door chains and smokealarms. We get lots of orders when there’s a campaign onTV about home safety”.We asked Martin about the sort of people he visits in hisjob. “It used to be just the over 60’s but that’s changed.I visit younger people, people who are disabled, peoplewho are vulnerable. The other day I was out fitting extralocks for a single mum who’d been threatened by herex-partner.” It’s at this point that Martin’s passion forhis work shines through. “It really is a rewarding job.You’d be amazed the difference a small repair can maketo someone, it’s a weight off their shoulders. It’s not justthe repair sometimes. Some of the people I visit can’t getout much so it’s company too. I’m well looked after withcups of tea and biscuits!”From the office, David takes us to see some satisfiedcustomers to hear what they think of the service.Eileen Hart lives on her own in Highweek, Newton Abbot.“I’ve got some family who don’t live too far away butI hate to ask them to do things for me because they’reso busy with their own lives. It can also be difficult tocomplain to them if they don’t make a good job of therepair! A friend recommended Care and Repair to me andI phoned them. They really are so helpful. When you callthe office they’re easy to talk to and very understanding.While Martin’s in your home you can really tell he knowswhat he’s doing.”Christina Ditchburn of Milber, Newton Abbot, is anotherolder lady living on her own. “I’m 90 years old” she toldus, “I don’t have any family and if it weren’t for Care andRepair I don’t think I’d be able to live in my own home.I can manage the cooking and the cleaning but I’m pastthe stage when I can climb a ladder or stand on a chair.”Christina mentions her last couple of visits from Martin,who took down her curtains ready for washing and cameback to re-hang them. Then it’s out to her garden toinspect the shed which was recently painted. On the wayour Christina points out a handrail by the steps leadingdown from the house. “When I took Martin out to theshed he noticed I put my hand there to steady myself.Before I knew it he’d come to install a handrail. Theservice is out of this world”.To contact Devon Care and Repair for any jobs you needcarried out call 01395 514790. Up to two hours of thehandyperson’s time is free of charge to Teign Housingtenants. All you need to do is supply materials requiredfor the job, such as the shelves you would like put up orthe light bulb to be installed.Christina DitchburnEileen HartInjunction obtainedA recent bid to obtain an Anti Social Behaviour Injunction (ASBI) againsta family living on one of our rural estates was successful. This had beena difficult case for us to tackle as little evidence had been provided byneighbours, due to the fear of repercussions. This all changed when thecommunity decided enough was enough. Diary sheets were completedand complied over a period of time, and provided a starting point for oursuccessful legal action.Dispersal order does the jobThe police have put a dispersal order in place for Teignmouth Town Centre.The order allows the police to move on anyone causing a nuisance, beforetheir behaviour is given the chance to cause a real problem for local residents.Following the dispersal order, the police have reported that they have seena 14% drop in criminal damage for the whole of Teignmouth, 18% for thearea covered by the order and a 21% drop in violent crime. Teign Housing isworking closely with the police to monitor behaviours in surrounding areasbecause we want to make sure the problems of the town centre are resolvedand not just moved into other parts of the town.Please help us by reporting all incidents of anti social behaviour wherever youexperience it and together we will ensure it has nowhere to hide.Caught in the actThe new CCTV system at Kingsway is already proving its worth. There has longbeen an issue with fly-tipping at the rear of the blocks which has causedproblems for local residents. Previously we have had to rely on the event beingwitnessed, but due to the elusive nature of the fly-tipper this rarely happened.With the CCTV system in place, when the rubbish is reported we can watch thetapes in reverse, find the fly-tipped items and then it’s simply matter of watchingthe fly-tipper walk backwards into their block, up the stairs and back into theaddress they came from.Residents that cause this sort of nuisance will be given the opportunity toremove the rubbish. If it is not removed in the specified time then we willremove it and recover the cost from the address the rubbish came from.behaviourWith Teign Housing’s Neighbourhood Support Advisor, Trevor VincerCCTV will support claims of loud, late night parties being held and peoplecausing a nuisance in the buildings. It is an excellent addition to the tools thatwe have available to reduce and resolve anti-social behaviour. With the CCTVsystem and our new closer working relationships with the Crime and DisorderReduction Partnership, Teign Housing will achieve what you, the residents want;a cleaner, safer, better place to live.Say itwith diarysheetsWhen the police send lettersto those carrying out antisocialbehaviour, warningthem about their actions,we’re keen to follow thisthrough so we send diarysheets to their neighbours.This means that any furtherincidents can then berecorded quickly and easily.We simply cannot stressenough how important diarysheets are to the processof resolving ASB. I havepreviously written about howa community has taken astand against ASB and thefirst step in that process wasdiary sheets. They enabledTeign Housing to understandthe impact on a communityand decide what action totake to ensure the problemdid not just go away but wasresolved. A timely responsemakes a world of difference inresolving ASB.10 11

Do you have access?We continually try to provide more ways for you to access the services we provide. If you have access to theinternet, then you can visit our website - making it easier for those of you who find it difficult to visit ortelephone our office. Here are some of the current features of our website.Children’s pageKids colouring competitionReport a repair - You can report urgent or routinepriority repairs on our website any time of the day ornight. We have an easy to follow picture guide to helpidentify what needs fixing and the clock starts tickingfor us to complete your repair as soon as you makethe report.View your rent account - If you want see your rentaccount balance and history, we have made it easy.Sign up to “See My Data” and you can access youraccount to see charges and payments made, 24 hoursa day.Make a payment - We have a Barclays secure onlineservice to process payments for your Teign Housingcharges, whether it is for rent, service charges orchargeable repairs. If you have a bank card andyour tenancy number, we will send you an emailconfirmation of the payment for your records.selectahome - selectahome is a way for you to movefrom one Teign Housing property to another. Not onlycan you print out an application to joint selectahome,you can also look at our bulletin of homes available tobid for.Find your Neighbourhood Service Advisor - All weneed is your post code and we can give you contactdetails about who can help with any concerns youhave with your neighbourhood, from nuisanceneighbours to questions about your tenancy.Make a complaint or compliment - If you havesomething to say, we take our formal complaintsvery seriously and praise our staff for complimentsreceived. All formal complaints are investigated bya manager in an effort to resolve your concerns.We have an online form that you can submit in aninstant, or you can print off a copy of the form athome and post the comments to us.If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on our website, please send us an email and let us know!Coming soon!You can already view your rent account online with See My Data but soon you’ll also be able to view theprogress of repairs you’ve ordered and view and update information about the members of your household.Keep your eyes peeled for these updates!Help the squirrel throughthe acorn maze to find itsstash of nuts.Well done to everyone who entered our last colouringcompetition. We had so many entries and they wereall fantastic. Our lucky winners this time are:6 years and under Stevie Jervis7 to 9 years Rosie Peck10 year and over Alex AmeryOur winners each get a £10 gift voucher.Don’t forget to enter our autumn colouring competition of anight sky with fireworks! The winner in each age group getsa £10 voucher. Return your picture to us by 20th October tobe included.JokesQ. Why was the broom late?A. It over swept!Q. What runs but never walks?A. Water!Q. How do you makemilk shake?A. Give it a good scare!12137

News from theresidents’ groupsIpplepen and DistrictThe group’s AGM was held in July and was well attended.Gary Cooper was re-elected as Chair and Lynn Greenawayre-elected as Secretary. It was Pauline Gooding’s birthdaythe same day so a birthday cake was presented to her andthen enjoyed by everyone with their cup of tea.Buckfastleigh and DistrictTheresa Farris attended the groups AGM in July to talkabout supported housing. Elections for the committeewere held - Barbara Bray was re-elected as Chair, AlanWakely re-elected as Treasurer and Julie Bishop elected asSecretary.The group is now busy arranging another bingo eveningand the annual Christmas party – look out for more detailscloser to the time.Exminster and DistrictTeign Housing Chief Executive, Mike Hanrahan, was theguest speaker at the groups AGM on 22nd August. StuartStone was re-elected as Chair, Alf Vicary as Vice-Chair andAnne Vicary as treasurer. The committee is looking for asecretary. If you live in the area and would like to helpout please let us know. So far this year the group haveheld their meetings in Exminster and Starcross and will beholding a meeting in Kenton soon.The Roboroughs, AshburtonThere are now plans in place to create a play area and thegroup hope it will be up and running before too long andthe children will have somewhere to play.Following a request by the group, skips were provided byTeign Housing for residents to clear any rubbish they had.This was a great success and the estate is looking tidier.The groups AGM was held in June and the followingcommittee was elected:Gaye Myhill was elected as Chair, John Raffell was electedas Vice-Chair, Marie Grant was re-elected as Secretary andRoy Andrews was elected as acting Treasurer.Link Tenants’ Group, Newton AbbotThis group is now meeting every two months in thecommunity room at Highweek Primary School. The lastfew meetings have focussed on the improvements beingcarried out to residents’ homes. People who have had theimprovements have been able to talk to those who aredue to have the works in the near future as well as talkingto Teign Housing staff and contractors.News from the Tenants’ ForumThe Tenants’ Forum AGM was held on 17th July. Therewere two presentations from guest speakers.Firstly, representatives from Ian Williams, the newresponsive repairs contractor gave a presentation on howthey were going to manage the contract and the systemsthat they and Teign Housing were putting into place toensure the best possible.Secondly, John Beaman, Chairman of FORT SW (Forumof Regional Tenants of the South West) gave a talkexplaining how the organisation came to exist and itsaims and objectives for the future in the light of theGovernments emphasis on Regional Strategies. FORT SW ismade up of tenant representatives from Social Landlordsin the South West of England. Their aim is to give aunited voice and ensure effective lobbying of Governmentand the national housing bodies for the needs andproblems experienced in the South West of England.Finally, the election of the officers of the Forum tookplace:Chair - Pam Harding returned unopposedVice-Chair - Stuart Stone returned unopposedPress Officer - Ray Shrubb returned unopposed.The Tenants’ Forum is open to anyone wishing to attendas a guest. If you would like to attend a meeting, pleasecontact the Tenants’ Resource Centre on 01626 366862or Julie King on 01626 322751. Future meeting datesare 16th October, 20th November and 18th December,starting at 6.30pm in the Board Room at Teign Housing’soffice, Newton Abbot.Your resourceThe Tenants’ Resource Centre, situated in Teign Housing’s office inNewton Abbot, is run by volunteers who are all Teign Housing tenants.It is a place where you can come and have a cup of coffee or tea, usethe internet and get information on housing. We are looking at theother services we could provide to make the centre an even betterresource for tenants.We are currently talking to the Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) andthe local credit union, with a view to them providing a service from theResource Centre on certain days of the week. We would also like to runsome training sessions for tenants so look out for these in the future.What would you like to see in the resource centre? If you have any ideasplease contact us and let us know, after all it is your resource!Complete and return this form with your suggestions, call the ResourceCentre on 01626 366862 or email: tenants.forum@btconnect.com Wewould love to hear your ideas!Stuart Stone, Vice Chair of the Tenants’ ForumName________________________________________________Address_ _________________________________________________________________________________________________Phone number_________________________________________Email address_________________________________________Suggestion___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Stepping into thebusiness worldMy name is Alan Sanders and I aman economics student from ExeterUniversity. I have been working forTeign Housing over the summer ona placement through Shell Step. Theplacement is designed to help medevelop my business skills while Icarry out a project to help improve theperformance of the company.I have spent my time here making surethat all the ways you tell us aboutyourselves – through satisfactionsurveys, TeignCare sign-up forms, theresident census – is held in one placeon our computer system. This will helpto ensure that each team within thecompany has the information theyneed to do their job well.Some of you may recognise me fromthe recent corporate planning day,where I helped with some of theactivities. I would like to thankeveryone I have had contact with formaking my placement enjoyable andsuccessful.Also on a Shell Step placement wasSophie Thomas from Cardiff University,who has been working within theHuman Resources department. Sophiehas contributed to developing a“disaster recovery plan” to make sureTeign Housing can keep providingservices in an emergency situation likethe flooding of the office or an estate.She has also has made improvementsto the staff recruitment and appraisalprocess to make sure the best peopleare employed to provide you with thebest care.Sophie and I hope you find that inthe following months Teign Housingcontinue to improve the services thatthey provide to you, with help from thework that we have undertaken.Alan and Sophie14 15

Estate inspectionsOur Neighbourhood Services Advisors are regularly out inyour community, looking for potential issues that need tobe resolved.If you would like to see your Neighbourhood ServicesAdvisor during the walkabout, please contact him/her forexact dates and times.2007 Week commencing10thSeptember17thSeptember24thSeptember1st October8th OctoberManaton, North Bovey, Liverton,Widecombe, MortetonhampsteadBuckland (West)Buckfastleigh (Fairy Lane, Gipsy Lane),Ideford, Kingsteignton,Ashburton (The Hall, The Roboroughs),Bovey Tracey, Dawlish (The Lindens),Kingskerswell, Milber, Teignmouth (FraserDrive, Fourth Avenue),Buckland (East), Dawlish (Newlands),Teignmouth (Mill Lane, Hutchings Way,Bitton Park Road, Gloucester Road,Speranza Grove, Town Centre) StarcrossChudleigh, Chudleigh Knighton,Heathfield,15th October Teignmouth (Cartwright Crescent,Coleman Avenue)22nd October Dawlish (Coronation Avenue, ChurchillAvenue, First Avenue, Second Avenue,Third Avenue), Buckfastleigh (excludingFairy Lane, Gipsy Lane), Buckland (West),Teignmouth (Kingsway)29th October Buckfastleigh (Fairy Lane, Gipsy Lane),KingsteigntonYou don’t have to wait for one of our inspections to getsomething done. If you see anything that we need tocheck at any other time, please contact us.2007 Week commencing5th November Ashburton (The Hall, The Roboroughs),Teignmouth (Fraser Drive, FourthAvenue)12thNovember19thNovember26thNovemberBuckland (East), Dawlish (CoronationAvenue, Churchill Avenue, First Avenue,Second Avenue, Third Avenue)Newton Abbot (Bradley Valley),HeathfieldNewton Abbot (Broadlands), Exminster3rd December Moretonhampstead,Coombeinteignhead, Netherton,Stokeinteignhead10thDecember17thDecemberDrop-in surgeriesWe are still running the drop-in surgeries in Kingskerswell, Teignmouth,Newton Abbot, Ashburton, Moretonhampstead, Dawlish and Exminster.These have proved popular, with tenants and leaseholders calling in tosee us about a variety of issues and queries. Remember, you are welcometo attend any local meeting – you don’t need to live on the estate orsheltered housing scheme where the meeting is held.Please come along and discuss any concerns you have, report a repair,make suggestions for improving our services or just to say “hello”. We’dlove to see you.Buckfastleigh (Fairy Lane, Gipsy Lane),Teignmouth (Kingsway), Dawlish(Coronation Avenue, Churchill Avenue,First Avenue, Second Avenue, ThirdAvenue), Buckland (West)Ashburton (The Hall, The Roboroughs),Tedburn St Mary, Whitestone, Woodland,Teignmouth (Second Avenue, ThirdAvenue, Jordan Drive)Meet Holly Reynolds at:Kingskerswell – Community Hall,Dobin Arch, Kingskerswell.On: last Tuesday of every month,from 10am until 12 noonMeet Kathy Norrish at:Teignmouth Town Centre –Alberta Court Community Room,Alberta Court, Myrtle Hill,TeignmouthOn: last Monday of every month,from 3pm - 5pmTeignmouth – Connaught SiteOffice, Kingsway, TeignmouthOn: last Thursday of every month,from 3pm - 5pmMeet Mary Dobb at:Newton Abbot – Mapleton CourtCommunity Room.On: last Tuesday of every month,from 2pm – 4pmMeet Richard Thompson at:Ashburton – The CommunityRoom, Mill Path, St Andrews CloseAshburtonOn: first Wednesday of everymonth, from 10am - 12 noonMeet Richard Thompson at:Moretonhampstead – TheCommunity Room, Bidder House,MoretonhampsteadOn: last Friday of every month,from 10am – 12 noonMeet Chris Woolner at:Dawlish – Churchill AvenueCommunity Centre, ChurchillAvenue, DawlishOn: second Monday of everymonth, from 3.30pm - 4.30pmExminster –Jublilee Community Room.On: last Wednesday of everymonth, from 10am - 12 noonMaking plansTenant Board member Donald Jointfills us in on Teign Housing’s thirdannual corporate planning day.The day began with a short speechgiven by Chief Executive, MikeHanrahan, who talked aboutthe past, present and future ofthe company and outlined whatthe event was about. The 40 ofus attending were then dividedinto groups to participate in fourworkshops, designed to allow us togive our opinions of Teign Housing’sperformance and how we would liketo see Teign Housing move forward inthe future.Quality homesEach member of the group was givena sum of monopoly money whichthey could “spend” across fifteencategories that would improve thequality of a home. Building newhomes was a big priority for us with23% of all the money being spent onbuilding bungalows for older peopleand new homes for young families.Excellent servicesThe groups discussed fifteen cardswith different services printedon them. These cards were thenpositioned into a triangle with themost important service at the top.Joint first were managing anti-socialbehaviour and providing responsiverepairs, with building new homes andresident involvement coming in jointsecond.Core valuesIn this group, we ranked words, suchas trust, leadership and respect,as very important, importantand less important as valuesthat Teign Housing should have.Communication, efficiency andsecurity were voted as the top threevalues for the company.Happy peopleWe chose pictures and came upwith slogans to go with them toillustrate how we and our neighbourscould become happier with ourcommunities. This was a great wayof helping us come up with ideas.The most common recommendationswere:• To provide more facilities foryoung people to reduce anti-socialbehaviour• To improve communal gardens andgrounds• To improve security in blocks andsheltered schemes• To improve response time forrepairs and complaints• To build more homes for localpeopleWhat next?The day was a lot of fun and everyonewho attended seemed to enjoythemselves. However, there was aserious point behind the event. Everyhousehold will have recently receivedthe Corporate Plan update for thisyear. In there you might have noticedthat one of our aims was to develop anew Corporate Plan for 2008 to 2013.Teign Housing will now be using thepriorities we came up with to beginto create this new Corporate Plan.16 17

Garden competitionYour LettersAfter weeks of wet weather, theday chosen for judging the gardencompetition turned out to be dryand sunny. The number of entrieswas slightly down due to the rainthis summer but there were stillplenty of gardens to be visited andour gardeners had done a fantasticjob of coping with the less thanclement summer. Once again thejudges had a difficult task pickinga winner in each of the categoriesbecause of the high quality ofentries. The winners were eachpresented with a cup and £25 ofgarden centre vouchers.Individual GardenFirst Prize –Mr and Mrs Dennis, AshburtonHighly Commended:Mrs Welfare, BuckfastleighMr Wells, BuckfastleighLeslie Linton, ChudleighMrs Dunning, DenburyMrs Hayter, KentonJenny Preece, KingsteigntonMrs Budd, Tedburn St MaryContainer GardenFirst Prize – Mrs Hume andMrs Jeffery, BuckfastleighHighly Commended:Pauline Gooding, IpplepenIrene Burt, Newton AbbotMary Prince, Newton AbbotJean Boyne, TeignmouthAlice Hammond, TeignmouthMr Stoneman, TeignmouthMrs Williams, TeignmouthCommunal GardenFirst Prize – St Mary’s Court,Newton AbbotHighly Commended:Hamlyns Way, BuckfastleighBoard members Mike Tolchard (left) and Barry Kaye (right) with Mr and Mrs DennisMrs Hume and Mrs Jeffery receive their prizeGreen fingered residents at St Mary’s CourtPlease send us your letters in the pre-paid envelope enclosed or e-mail:intouch@teignhousing.co.ukStar letterJust recently we have beenblessed with a wonderfulcaretaker, Tony Workman.Tony is quiet, courteous andvery conscientious. He hasdone an excellent job oflooking after Caunters Closeand I just want to say “Thankyou Tony”. Nothing is toomuch trouble for him andhe really has made such adifference.SW, IpplepenEd – Thank you so much for yourletter. We’re really glad to hearthat you’re pleased with your newcaretaking service and have passedon your compliments to Tony.Tony WorkmanI’ve noticed that you have lots oflanguages listed on the inside pageof In Touch and I’m intrigued. WhileI recognise or could guess whatlanguage one or two of them are,there are some I don’t know. Could youtell me what they are and why you’vechosen these languages? What do theyall say? Please satisfy my curiosity!GH, Newton AbbotEd – Good questions! The languagesprinted in the front of the magazineare also printed on all our leaflets.From top to bottom they are Bengali,Greek, French, Dutch, Mandarin,Polish, Spanish and Punjabi. Eachline says “If you would like thisinformation in another languageor format, please ask”. We usethese languages because we knowthat these are the ones most usedin Teignbridge. We’ve made thelanguages we print particularlyrelevant not just to Teignbridgebut also to our residents, using theinformation you’ve given us TeignHousing’s Resident Census.Walking past one of the tourist shopsin Dawlish this summer I spotted apostcard with a poem on that I canremember seeing back when I was achild. It’s written in Devon Dialectand I had to go in and buy one. Ithought you might like to share thepoem with your readers, some of whomare probably not as familiar as I with“prop’r Deb’nshire”.FW, DawlishGreetins vrumdere ol’ Deb’nYurs a welcum vrum dere ol’Deb’nThe zunniest place this zide o’heavenVul o’ ‘istory an’ claims tu vameWith scrumpy, dumblins an’clotted crameQuaint thatched cottages an’vields so greenThe purtiest scenery yu’ve everzeenThe wild rolling Moors zomajestic an’ grandWi’ deep wooded valleys an’ zeaclose at ‘andIn Deb’n the fust thing thelocal volks zayIz “Do ‘ee ‘ave a dish o’ tay!”Yu’ll come again in vuture yearsWe’re sartin sure o’ that m’dearsEd – What a fantastic poem. Do youhave a favourite poem or story toshare? If so, please sent it in to usand we’ll print it in the magazine.18 19