We did! - Broadland Housing Association

Broadland Housing Association Tenant’s Magazine • Autumn 2009Mears Updatennual Gas ServicingYour Safety is our priority. TheAssociation has a legal obligation tocarry out an annual gas service andsafety check to all properties, wherethere is a gas supply. It’s reallyimportant that you allow access intoyour home for this work to be carriedout.You will be contacted by MearsGroup plc giving you a date onwhich they intend to call. Thisappointment will be before theexisting gas certificate expires at yourproperty. If you are unable to makethe appointment, you will be askedto contact the telephone number onthe letter. Please use this! We wantyou to be safe!All operatives have now been provided with full uniform and all carrya Mears ID, as do our Supervisors, Inspectors, Managers, andCustomer Care Officers.At this year’s Tenants Conference, we asked for your ideas on how we shouldre-brand our maintenance vans. We received many good suggestions and‘Broadland Housing Repair Service’ was the final name chosen from acombination of your ideas.We would like to say a big thank you to all who took part in the competitionand as we were unable to have one clear winner, each of the tenants whotook part will be receiving a £10 High Street voucher. We will also be askingfor your comments on the new van logos through your local Area Forummeetings.Mears are also attending Coffee Mornings at all of Broadland’s ShelteredHousing Schemes and if we have not been to your scheme yet, we will bethere soon! The purpose of these mornings is to share up to dateinformation regarding repairs and also to find out what you would like us tocontribute to your scheme. This could be a morning involving a shorttalk/discussion or something of a more physical nature. On a recent visit toOulton Court, one resident was keen to learn Pole Dancing, but we settled fora slightly less energetic ‘movement to music’ class.Help with community projectsThis really is your chance to have your say about what you think of Mearsand what we can do to help. Please contact Customer CareOfficer, Cynthia Proctor on 07825 326381 for further details.We also want to hear about any community projects we maybe able to help with. Any ideas are welcome. If you feel youhave a project in mind please contact me directly on 01953713034.Julia Crook - Partnering ManagerA Day in the life of a Trainee PlumberMy name is KayArnold, I am atrainee plumber withMears Plc. I haveworked for thecompany since dayone of the contractwith Broadland Housing. I work withthe Kitchen Installation Team andtravel all over Norfolk and NorthSuffolk, helping to fit the kitchens,ensuring that all properties meet the‘Decent Homes’ standard.As a team we have to complete twonew kitchens every three to four days,so I’m under constant pressure to getmy work done on time! The first dayof the installations are always mybusiest as I have two new sinks toplumb in by the end of the day, toensure the residents have runningwater to use that evening and to allowthe carpenters to get on the followingmorning. There are always extraplumbing duties to carry out; such asmoving radiators to allow new units togo in, or re-routing pipe-work toenable washing machines to berelocated.After the first day I get involved withother duties, such as; preparing unitdoors for fitting, collecting materialsfrom suppliers and even tiling thewalls! When the kitchens arecomplete, I have to ensure thatwashing machines and dishwashersare reconnected and plumbed inproperly ready for use. It’s never dull inthe kitchen team, we have developeda good understanding of each othersroles and have to work well as a teamto ensure we complete the kitchenson time. Working with severaldifferent tradesmen has given me theopportunity to learn many differentskills that would not have beenpossible if I worked on my own. Ihope this gives you an insight into myworking day.KayContact us on 0303 303 0003 • Page 15