Spring 2012

… See page 6

In this issue…

30262315

3 14

20

25

Regional Pages

Lancashire

South Greater Manchester,Cheshire and Merseyside

North Greater Manchester

East Greater Manchester

Independent Living

1618

202224

Contour News Resident Pages

Lifestyle Pages

45678

1011121415

Planning for the Future

Resident Noticeboard

The Insight and Engagement Team

262728

Gammon with Spring Greens Soup

Fun and Puzzles

3031

Spark Studio Launch

Sheila Lever Retires

Bolton Victims Champion Wins Award

Bolton Project Worker Wins Award

How Are We Doing?

Make Your Mark on Communities

Working in Partnership

Focus On… Revenue Services

The Customer Services Committee

Staff Charity Sleep-out

I am once againdelighted to bringyou news of howwe are improvingour services,winning a nationalaward for ourVictims Championin Bolton is a greataccolade and is areflection of ourcommitment to

tackle antisocial behaviour, by supportingthe victim as well as dealing with theproblem. Liz Douglas also received anaward in preventing ASB by engaging withlocal people and for her work on thePungle in Bolton.

We are once again requesting feedback onwhat you think of the service, and the STAR(Survey of Tenants and Residents) took placethroughout March. Your views tell us how wellwe are doing – if you are positive about our

Judith Winterbourne

Welcome…

32

On behalf of the resident editorial panel,

I would like to welcome you to the Spring

edition of iNside. In this edition there is a

strong emphasis on our partnership working

with special features on the launch of Spark

Studio, a new live/work development in

Salford (page 4) and how we are also working

closely with employment agency, Remploy, a

leading provider of specialist employment

support - see page 8 for more details.

Alison BirchThe Editor

Email: alison.birch@symphonyhousing.org.uk

In this issue

service, it is important we maintain thestandard and improve where we can. If youtell us that we are not doing such a good jobin a particular area, then we will focus onthat to ensure we improve. The results willappear in the next newsletter.

You will also have received notificationrecently about Welfare Reform, and youcan see if it will effect you. Page 12 givessome details about non-dependantdeductions. If you need further informationplease contact your Financial InclusionOfficer, we are here to help you.

I am also saddened to tell you of SheilaLever’s retirement from the Board (seepage 5) I will miss working with Sheilaand I am grateful to her for the years ofsupport she has given Contour Homes.

Group Customer Services Director

Sheila has been involved with Portico, Contour Housing Group andnow Symphony for over 20 years. She has given hours of service,attended hundreds of Board meetings, opening events, tenantpanels and the Customer Services panel on a voluntary basis.Sheila epitomises the Big Society – giving freely of her time andexpertise. Due to ill health Sheila has stood down from the Boardand to do so was a difficult decision for her and for those who haveworked with her over the years.

Sheila said: “My father used to tell me that I should always leave asituation better than I found it. With help, I think I can say that I haveachieved that with Portico, which has now evolved into SymphonyHousing Group. It was quite a wrench to leave fellow Boardmembers and staff behind, but change has to come. I am sure thattenants will agree that the services they now receive have improvedgreatly over the years and I am sure this will continue.”

One of Sheila’s highlights in her tenure was the amalgamationbetween Portico and Collingwood Housing Associations to formContour. While she was clear on ensuring the business was runproperly, Sheila always wanted to be close to what tenants wantedand never lost sight of what we are about. Sheila was involved invarious tenant panels, the Sheltered Tenants Forum and was theBoard representative on the Customer Services Committee, workingto ensure tenants views are at the heart of what we do.

Judith Winterbourne, Group Customer Services Director said: “On apersonal level, I found Sheila to be an immensely supportive Chairof Contour Homes and together we would work through difficultsituations. I will miss her knowledge and her down to earthapproach to hitting a problem head on. She was never afraid tospeak her mind and share her knowledge and experience with newboard members.”

Len Lloyd, resident and Tenant Board Member said: “It would bevery difficult to imagine life within Contour Homes without her.Sheila has made almost a full time job out of her voluntary workwithin Contour since joining from Portico. Her leadership as the firstChair of the Contour Homes Board was most praiseworthy anddeeply appreciated, not only by her fellow Board Members, but alsoby the staff of Contour Homes. She will be a tremendous loss toContour Homes and I wish her the very, very best of good fortune inthe future, where hopefully she will have a very well deserved rest.”

Contour Homes would like to take this opportunity to wish Sheilawell. We hope she has a full recovery and would like to thank her forthe enormous contribution she has made. Sheila is a shiningexample of what can be achieved if you get involved.

thank you and best wishes from all at Contour Homes

New Developments Board Member News

54

We are pleased to announce that Spark Studio, a live/workdevelopment in Salford was officially launched on 26thJanuary with over 100 guests attending the special previewand launch events.

The idea of a live/work scheme is to provide accommodationand office space in the same building. This scheme allowsdeveloping businesses to benefit from having both spaces in thesame building, there is no commuting, the combined rent islower than you would pay individually and at Spark Studio wehave managed to secure zero business rates. In the scheme wealso have stand alone business units.

The Mayor of Salford, Councillor Eric Burgoyne, officially openedthe scheme on behalf of the partners Salford City Council,University of Salford; Contour Homes part of Symphony HousingGroup and local developer Godliman Watson Homes. He said:“This high quality development encourages new jobs andentrepreneurs in Salford to remain in the city and it is marvellousto see how this listed building has been transformed.”

The scheme has been part funded by the European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF) and the Homes and CommunitiesAgency (HCA) and as well as live/work units, the building alsooffers additional office space, a reception area, a kitchen and ameeting room. It has on-site parking, gardens and 24 hour access.

Adrian Graves, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Salfordsaid: “The project echoes the values and purpose of theUniversity of Salford as we work towards developingrelationships with industry - and weare actively marketing this development to graduates.”

Phil Gandy, Chief Executive, SymphonyHousing Group, said: “Spark Studiomeets two of our core objectives – tocreate and support successful

partnerships and to support employment and job creation.“

At the event, award winning Manchester based poet TonyWalsh read a poem which had been commissioned for thelaunch and this will now be displayed in the building.

Just four live/work units remain available for rent from £599 amonth and three more office only spaces remain available forrent from £399 per month which provide an opportunity forstart-ups or even established SMEs (small or mediumenterprises) to take contemporary, purpose built living andworking space at an affordable price using flexible terms andbusiness support from the University of Salford and SalfordCity Council is also available to Spark Studio businesses.

If you would like any further information about Spark Studioplease visit www.thesparkstudio.co.uk or telephone MichellePeart-Simpson on 0345 602 1120 for an application form.

If you would like to read the poem, please visitwww.thesparkstudio.co.uk

LAUNCH

Sheila Lever Retires After 20 Years

Bolton’s Antisocial Behaviour Victims Champion has won

Best Practice at the recent 2011 Social Landlords Crime &

Nuisance Group (SLCNG) ‘Delivering Results’ Awards.

The project was set up in August 2010 as part of a new

initiative designed to provide intensive support services

to vulnerable victims of antisocial behaviour.

Vicky Mulvaney, employed by Contour Homes, is the

appointed Victims Champion and she said: “It was a

fantastic feeling to win this award, particularly as we

faced such stiff competition from across the UK. The

award is testament to the fabulous partnership

approach we have in Bolton and proves that when

service providers work together and offer a seamless

approach to this particular problem, we can get results.”

Vicky and her small team of volunteers are based in a

shared office with Greater Manchester Police and

Bolton Council.

Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Cleaner,

Greener, Safer – Councillor Elaine Sherrington, said:

“Victims can be severely affected by antisocial

behaviour, so to have a dedicated project that brings

services together that help the victim is an important

part of how we tackle antisocial behaviour in the

borough. This national recognition is testament to the

dedication that Vicky, her team of volunteers, and all

the agencies involved have put in processes to

improving peoples lives.”

Neil Kenyon from Contour Homes said: “There was no

precedent for the service and so she had to design the

entire process from start to finish. She then tirelessly

promoted the role to ensure she became an integral part

of antisocial behaviour management across all housing

tenures and within all agencies working in the Bolton

area. This recognition is very well deserved.” The project

worked with 82 victims in its first year and has helped to

dramatically increase the confidence and service offered

to victims of antisocial behaviour across the borough.

If you have been affected by antisocial behaviour,

please report this to your Neighbourhood Officer or

contact the Community Safety Team on 0345 602 1120.

Liz Douglas, founder of the Roots Project whichworks on Contour Homes’ Pungle Estate in Bolton,has won an outstanding achievement prize in theLife Changers Awards.

The independently judged, Life Changers Awardsare designed to genuinely recognise excellence in community development. They acknowledge the contributions made by businesses, civicleaders, charities and service providers, as well as those successful individuals who truly set thestandard and she was genuinely staggered to be part of them.

Liz has worked with Contour Homes staff to get tothe ‘root’ of problems in the area which in the pasthad a variety of social problems. Contour Homesdonated a community house to the project aswell as offering financial and practical support.We also allowed her free rein to get on with herunique approach to engaging youth. Liz hasalso set up Paper Tots, a parent and toddlergroup, a youth group on the Pungle and anolder persons group, Elite for the over 50’s.

Shanine Meadowcroft from Contour Homessaid: “Liz offered a refreshing approach totackling antisocial behaviour that has reallymade a difference. She genuinely deservesthis recognition. Her work has been sosuccessful in Bolton that she is now workingwith us in other areas to replicate thatsuccess.” Liz says her approach is all aboutwinning the trust of young people which isnot something that can happen overnight.She was in fact nominated for this awardby a young resident on The Pungle andshe is determined to carry on getting tothe ‘root’ of social problems and islooking forward to new challenges.

Awards Awards

76

Bolton Victims ChampionWins Best Practice Award Bolton Project Worker

Wins Award

L-R: Neil Kenyon, Community

Safety Officer, Eddie Vickers Centre

of Excellence Manager and Vicky

Mulvaney, Victims Champion. Liz Douglas accepts her award

Area Our Target July to Oct to Are we achieving Are we gettingRepairs Sep 2011 Dec 2011 our target? better or worse?

Appointments kept by contractor 99% 98% 98%

First time fix 95% 98% 99%

Emergency repairs completed on time 99.5% 99% 99%

Tenant satisfaction with repairs 96% 99% 99%

Properties with a valid 100% 99% 99%gas safety certificate

Do you want to be involved in producing thisyear’s Annual Report to tenants? It’s a greatopportunity to have a close look at theservices we’ve provided to you and influencea publication to other tenants. If you areinterested in learning more, please contactSharon Dawson, Performance Manager on 0345 602 1120.

Current performance is within 5% of target

Current performance is between 5% and10% below target

Key

Our Performance… Repairs

Current performance is below 10% of target

Improved performance over the quarter

No change in performance over the quarter

Performance has got worse over the quarter

Annual Report 2012 Be Involved!

Some positive comments we have received from you

“Thanks for helping me with the rent, council and

housing benefits and general advice, the Officer

deserves a medal!”

“Thank you for the feedback from our last Scheme

Inspection. You were very thorough and really listen to us

as tenants and we thought grit bins were a brilliant idea “

“Thank you for the resident parking signs and for

getting my fence altered, to help stop the teenagers

gathering here - great job!“

“Thanks to the Customer Contact and Support Team

and Jackson Lloyd for responding so quickly to the

guttering repair at my home“

How satisfied are you with our services?

We will be carrying out a short survey in March to see

how happy you are with our services. Any feedback

you give to us is valuable in working out what you like

and what we may need to do better. This will be run by

a research company and some tenants and residents

have volunteered to work with us to select the best one.

Surveys will arrive in the post, but you can reply online

if this suits you better and there will also be a prize

draw – so do not forget to tell us what you think!

Learning from complaints

We treat all complaints as feedback just as we would a

comment or compliment. We are keen to make sure

that we learn from complaints so that if something went

wrong we not only try to put it right, but do not repeat it

again. We are exploring the best way of doing this by

involving you and will keep you updated.

Feedback from 2011 Annual Report

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to reply

and of those who did:

95% found it interesting or fairly interesting to read

95% found the ‘spotlight on your region’ interesting

or fairly interesting read

100% found it interesting and fairly easy

to understand

Some comments that we also received:

“Very good, interesting and positive information - keep

the good work up”

“I would like to see how Contour Homes is performing

against other housing associations in antisocial

behaviour matters”

“It is a lot better for me since the writing stopped being

in colour”

“Very interesting, eye catching report - informative and

easy to read”

And from those who received it by email:

“Congratulations on an excellent idea”

“Would like to receive other correspondence in this format”

If you would prefer to receive contact from us via email

and have not already told us, or your email address

has changed, please email mail@contourhomes.co.uk

or telephone 0345 602 1120.

‘You Said - We Did’

We are expected to perform to a set of National

Standards by the ’Homes and Communities Agency

(HCA) last year we also asked you what local

standards you might want to see – you asked for them

to be called Local Commitments. Here is a quick

update on how some of them are going:

You said – you would like to see Service Standards for

Repairs and Estate Services Standards

We did – develop these with residents and are

currently reviewing them again to put targets in them to

achieve what we say we will do

You said – you would like to see Scheme Improvements

We did – allocate an annual budget to each region so that

the local neighbourhood team could work out the priorities

and to date, many improvements have been made

• At Dovedale Court in Langley, we have helped

residents fund and set up a gardening club

• At Weavers Court in Bolton we have upgraded and

increased the external lighting, leaving residents

feeling a lot safer and happier

You said – you would like easier to read rent statements

We did – we worked with you to redesign them and

you should have received the new look version in

January 2012

If you would like more information, please contact

Helen Hancock or Jac Oldham on 0345 602 1120.

How are we doing?Meet Helen Hancock who has

recently joined Contour Homes as

the new Continuous Improvement

Officer. Helen brings a wide range of

experience in improving customer

services and looks forward to

working with more of you in the

coming months.

Continuous Inprovements

98

We monitor and review our performance regularly so we can identify what we do well and what we might need toimprove on. It is important to us that we are open and honest about how we are performing so that residentshave a clear picture of how we are doing.We use a range of Key Performance Indicators to measure ourselves against and report on how we are doingagainst our targets and if we are getting better or worse so that regularly so that we can take action accordingly.In this edition we are concentrating on Repairs performance as the ‘My Repairs and Maintenance’ group haverequested that we provide regular updates to all tenants about how we are performing on Repairs.The Customer Service Committee thoroughly scrutinises performance across all service areas and holds theCustomer Services Directorate (CSD) and Asset Management Directorate to account – you can see an updatefrom this committee on page 14.

If you would like to comment on any of the above performance information, or if you would like further informationon how we are achieving our targets or how we are working to improve performance, please contact SharonDawson on 0345 602 1120.

Contour Homes offers a wide variety of services to helpcommunities, in addition to providing Housing. We arecommitted to helping tenants find work in thesechallenging economic times. Getting the right specialisthelp to people is essential and we are committed toworking with organisations who are best able to providethe support tenants need.

Our Customer Profiling information has told us that thereare a significant number of people who class themselvesas disabled and we have recently joined forces withRemploy a specialist employment organisation helpingpeople with disabilities find work.

We have chosen to work in partnership with Remploy asthey are a leading provider of specialist employment supportand have many years’ experience in helping disabled

people and those with health conditions to prepare for,find and retain employment and despite current highunemployment rates, they continue to find work, placing436 people into work in the Northwest area last year,providing a variety of services such as CV writing,confidence building, skills development, job searchingand interview techniques, as well as training and workexperience opportunities.

Contour Homes is currently training dedicated staff onRemploy’s support services so they can refer residents directlyand we will also make referrals through our Tenancy Audits.

Alternatively, you can contact Remploy direct today on 0845 61 5878 or email RSCenquiries@remploy.co.uk

www.remploy.co.uk/jobseekers

www.facebook.com/Remploy

Are you somebody who likes a challenge? Somebodywho wants to make a difference to people’s lives?

We want to bring together a group of volunteers to make areal difference to our communities across the North Westand no experience is required. We would like to get adiverse mixture of people involved, as long as you arepassionate about improving quality of life and willing tolook at areas outside of your own community as well.

By being part of this group you will look at issues indifferent communities and give recommendations toContour Homes and other organisations on what action totake. You will work to look for and bid for funding fromplaces like the Big Lottery Fund, Comic Relief andPeoples Millions to finance projects that the team willdesign to make our communities better places to live in.

The group will meet several times per year and bringtogether a group of residents who are interested informing a constituted association which will workalongside Contour Homes to identify the needs ofcommunities and to design and manage projects that willbenefit these communities - such as:

• Look at statistics, research issues and help look atareas for improvement

• Work together to bid for grant funding to support thecost of certain projects

• Commission Contour Homes and other partners andcontractors to deliver solutions

1110

Community Groups Partnership Working

Working in Partnership to helpresidents into employment

"The support I received fromRemploy was so crucial inhelping me back into work.Not only did Remploy helpme prepare for the interview,they also paid for my SIAlicence training, which is arequirement for working inthe security sector."

Margaret, Relief SecurityOfficer, G4S

“Remploy helped me in allkinds of ways. Being able towork and having a job isreally important to me. I wantto support my family andalso want to make progressin life and I’m learning somany new skills.”

Gary, Bakery Apprentice,Sainsbury’s

What are the possible personal benefits of joining the Group?

• Make a real difference to the lives of people

• Gain qualifications

• Experience for your CV

• Setting up a social business

How will Contour Homes support this Group:

• We will provide venues for you to meet

• We will provide you with as much/as little support as you need

• We will help you with start up administration and costsassociated with this project

• Assist with out of pocket expenses e.g. travel

We would like to appeal to all residents, if you think that you can offer something to this new group please contact Sam Cooper 0345 602 1120samuel.cooper@contourhomes.co.uk

Whilst many people enjoy good health well into later life,

some people need assistance with daily living.

If you are 65 years or over and need help or supervision

with personal care, you may be entitled to claim

Attendance Allowance.

Attendance Allowance is not means tested. It does not

matter what income you already receive. It will not

reduce your benefits you are already entitled to.

In fact getting Attendance Allowance may increase

the Pension Credit, Housing and Council benefit

you can get.

There are two weekly rates

• Higher Rate - £73.60 weekly if you need help both

day and at night

• Lower Rate - £49.30 weekly if you need help in

the day or at night

You can claim Attendance Allowance by calling the

Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00. If you need any

further advice about Attendance Allowance, whether you

can claim, what it would mean to you or help to make your

application please contact Sophie Green or Vikki Starling,

the Financial Inclusion Officers for Contour

Homes on 0345 602 1120.

*If you are under 65 you may be able to

claim Disability Living Allowance instead.

Increases in ‘Non-dependant deductions’

1312

Attendance AllowanceRevenue Services

This affects you if you get Housing Benefit and someone

lives with you who is a ‘non-dependant’. A non-dependant

is someone who is not your husband, wife, partner, civil

partner, nor any children who you get Child Benefit for.

Anyone else who lives with you, including children who you

no longer receive child benefit for (except joint tenants and

lodgers) is called a ‘non-dependant’. They are expected to

contribute towards your rent, so an amount is deducted

from any Housing Benefit you get. The amount depends on

the circumstances of you and your non-dependants. These

amounts increased last year and are going up even more

over the next three years. In some cases this could mean

you come off Housing Benefit altogether.

From April 2012 the deduction from your Housing Benefit

for a ‘non-dependant’ aged 25 and over and in receipt of

Income Support, Income based Job Seekers Allowance or

the main phase of Employment Support Allowance OR

over 18 and not in paid work OR over 18 and earning a

gross income of less than £124 a week will be increasing

to £11.45 a week.

If your ‘non-dependant’ has a gross income of more than

£124 per week the deductions from your Housing Benefit

will be as below depending on their income:

What can you do?

Make sure the right amount is being deducted. Tell the

Housing Benefit Office how much your non-dependant’s

income is, whether they are working, on Pension Credit,

off sick etc. If they will not tell you their income, get them

to tell the Housing Benefit Office themselves.

If you / your partner get DLA (care) or Attendance

Allowance, make sure the Housing Benefit Office know this.

If you are concerned about this, how it will affect you or

any of the other changes in the Welfare Reform Bill please

contact your Financial Inclusion Officer on 0345 602 1120.

You can now pay your rent using any of the

following methods. Direct Debit is Contour

Homes’ preferred method of payment

because of convenience and cost. Should

you have difficulty paying your rent, please

contact your Revenue Services Officer.

How you can pay

In December residents were contacted promoting the ClearRent Account Draw which offered those with a clear rentaccount on 6 January 2012 the chance to be automaticallyentered into a draw to win £250, with a further 5 prizes of£100 each being awarded to one runner up in each ofContour Home’s four regions and Peak Valley.Mrs Ryan of Whitefield was over the moon when weannounced that shewas one of the luckywinners. She said: ‘I have never wonanything before in my life!’

Would�You�Like�The�ChanceTo�Win up to £250?

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

Paying your rent byDirect Debit? Have you considered paying your rent by DIRECT DEBIT?Paying by Direct Debit is the simplest and easiest way to payyour rent. There are several advantages to paying this way,these benefits include;• Payments can be requested from your bank on a weekly,

fortnightly, 4 weekly or monthly basis• There is no need to venture out to the local Post Office,

shop or make a telephone call to pay your rent• You will have complete peace of mind and remain in

control of your rent account• If your payment needs to be amended, this can be done

quickly and simply by our Finance Team• You will continue to have an official record of payments

made to us on your rent statement and bank statements• You will automatically be entered into a quarterly draw to

win up to £250To obtain a Direct Debit Mandate, simply contact theCustomer Contact and Support Team on 0345 602 1120.

Gross Weekly Income Weekly deduction from

Housing Benefit

£124 to £182.99 £26.25

£183 to £237.99 £36.10

£238 to £315.99 £59.05

£316 to £393.99 £67.25

£394 and above £73.85

Mrs Ryan with her prize

Staff from Contour Homes recently slept outand faced the cold night air to raise money fortwo national charities.

The sponsored sleep out took place on theseventh floor of the Lowry Shopping Mall’smulti-storey carpark in Salford, where the groupof seven Contour Homes staff camped out intents from 8pm until the following morning.

The event raised over £300 and this will bedonated to the Salvation Army and Shelter, thestaff chose to support these charities due totheir long association with helping thehomeless and their strong housing connection.

Organiser Dawn Thornber said: “We wanted todo something different from the usual charityfundraiser, and considering we are raisingmoney for charities that help the homeless, wefelt it would be appropriate to experience whatit is really like for people who live on the street.

“As our offices are based in the Lowry Mall, wethought the best and safest place to camp outwould be in the carpark, so we applied forpermission and it was all systems go. It wasvery cold but we had a lot of fun and it was fora good cause, which makes it all worthwhile.”

According to statistics from Shelter, over 1000people in the North West are consideredhomeless, and last year over 440 streets inEngland were counted as having a rough-sleeping problem.

For more information or to make a donation tothe Salvation Army or Shelter, please visit:

www.salvationarmyappeals.org.ukTel: 020 7367 4500

www.shelter.org.ukTel: 0808 800 4444

Staff Charity Sleep-out

1514

Shaping Services Charity Events

We are the Customer Services Committee (CSC) and our roleis to ensure that customers are at the heart of everything thatContour Homes and Peak Valley do.

We are independent of Contour Homes and Peak Valley Boardsbut have delegated authority from them to scrutinise theCustomer Services Directorate and Asset Management Teams.

The committee consists of 10 members, the majority of whomare tenants from Peak Valley and Contour Homes, along withtwo independent members (who are not tenants, staff or BoardMembers) and one Peak Valley Board Member and oneContour Homes Board Member.

We meet formally at least every 6 - 8 weeks to scrutiniseperformance across the wide range of service areas and ourvaried knowledge and experience enables us to workeffectively as a team.

Each member of the Customer Services Committee has a‘Champion Role’ which means that they look at a particularpart of the service in detail. We meet regularly with theManagers and/or Teams that provide that service to monitorand influence performance and are involved in settingperformance targets.

Over the past year we have influenced a number ofstrategies/policies and reviews including EnvironmentalServices, Disabled Adaptations, Financial Inclusion and Local Commitments.

We have identified some areas that we would like the ResidentInspectors to look at in more detail and feed back to us on.These include Scheme Inspections and EnvironmentalServices and these findings will be invaluable in establishing acourse of action.

From April 2012, there will be some major changes to the waysocial landlords are regulated and the regulator’s main focuswill be on the economics of the registered provider. Anycustomer standards will be regulated by the landlordsgoverning bodies. This will mean that the CSC will have amuch more emphasised role in ensuring that Contour Homesand Peak Valley are accountable and that the tenant’s needsare still the main priority.

We keep abreast of changes and current issues by receivingregular training and personal development so that the CSCcan be as effective as possible. We will be providing an updatein every future edition of iNside, but in the meantime we have asection on the website where you can find out more about theCSC members and what we are doing. We also have a forumwhere you can contact us as we aim to ensure all customersare heard. Visit www.contourhomes.co.uk for more information.

Customer Services Committee

L-R: Len Lloyd, Christine Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, David Grundy,

Murray Corbin, Karen Murphy, Mel Humphries and Jimmy Jacobs.

Stub it out…!

Janice ThompsonRegional Manager

Central Lanchashire OfficeArundel Place, Avenham,

Preston, PR1 3RNTelephone: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours:Monday Tuesday Thursday and

Friday 9:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to16:30 (closed 1 hour for lunch)

Wednesday 9:00 to 12:30

Blackburn - (Surgery only)Newbarn Court, Rockcliffe Street,

Blackburn BB2 3ABTel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours: Tuesday - 10am-12pm Callon Office - (Surgery only)16 Downing Street, Preston,

Lancs, PR1 4RHTel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours:Monday and Wednesday - 10am - 12pm

Mendip Road - (Surgery only)152 Mendip Road, Chorley

Tel: 0345 602 1120

We have been advised that some residents have been disposing of their cigarette ends over their

balconies, and some of these have been collecting on other residents’ balconies, as

well as causing extra rubbish for the caretakers to clean up.

If you choose to smoke on your balcony then please ensure you dispose of your cigarette ends

responsibly and make sure they are fully extinguished.

Nothing should be thrown from balconies at anytime for health and safety reasons, but cigarettes

provide a further fire risk.

Please also remember that smoking in any of the communal areas, for example, the lift, or on the

landings, is against the law and could result in a hefty fine, as well as tenancy action

being taken. This is for the benefit and comfort of all residents.

If you are experiencing issues relating to this article, please contact your Neighbourhood

Officer on 0345 302 1120.

Motorcycle Mayhem Motorcycle MayhemContour Homes is working closely with the Police, Preston

City Council and other key partners to help reduce the

ongoing motorcycle nuisance problems in the area.

Actions to deal with this nuisance behaviour includes the

installation of improved fencing on Fishwick View, the

installation of warning signage (section 59) and the

production of leaflets warning of the consequence of riding

motorcycles illegally.

Section 59 signs are being erected in targeted areas around

Preston and will support the police in dealing with

motorcycle nuisance. Section 59 of the Police Reform Act

2002 allows the police to confiscate motorcycles from

anyone who rides their bike illegally and in an inconsiderate

or careless manner. Anyone who is stopped by a Police

Officer in those areas for breaching the notice risk having their

bike seized. Persistent offenders could also face court action,

including an antisocial behaviour order and tenancy action.

The work has been undertaken by the Community Safety

Partnership to support residents who are suffering from

motorcycle nuisance.

If you are affected by off-road motorcycles, quad bikes or

go-peds then please help us to help you. You can do this by:

• Letting us know if there is a problem with nuisance or

illegal use, contact your Neighbourhood Officer on

0345 602 1120

• Giving us details of times, days and locations of incidents

• Providing information of where motorcycles are stored

• Providing us with as much detail as possible, for example

descriptions of vehicles used and descriptions of clothing

worn by riders

• Identifying the culprits and owners of motorcycles, quad

bikes and go-peds being misused in the area

• Making statements

• Completing incidents sheets when provided

Please contact your Neighbourhood Officer on 0345 302 1120.

Lancashire

Following the Christmas break the Prestonstaff were alerted to a cat that had beenlocked inside an abandoned property.Access was subsequently gained to theproperty and the cat was rescued.

Thankfully a member of staff has been ableto find the black moggy a nice new homeand he has been re-named Morris. We have also been offered help by the Preston Branch of Cats Protection if the cat needs neutering.

The Preston Branch of Cats Protection canoffer help with the cost of cat neutering forcat owners on means tested benefits. Aneutered cat is healthier, less likely tocatch infectious diseases, and less likely tofight and stray. For more information about the neutering scheme, contact the

volunteers at Cats Protection via email at prestoncatsprotection@gmail.com, or ring

0845 177 0708.

Abandoning pets in properties has a knock on effect on staff resources and the

animals well being. If you are struggling to re-house a pet please get in touch with

local animal charities who might be able to help.

We are now almost half way through

our first year of carrying out Tenancy

Audits, and the team have achieved

a high success rate in accessing

properties which has allowed us to

collect information on our services

which could benefit you or members

of your household.

The Audit is not only a visit to make

checks that our properties are being

kept to a good standard, and

occupied by the lawful tenant. It

allows us to collate up to date

information to update our records,

as well as providing an opportunity

for you to discuss any concerns you

may have with a member of staff.

We aim to visit every property over a

three year rolling programme,

therefore if you have not yet

received a visit, we will contact you.

Over the last few months a wide

variety of issues have been raised

and referrals have been forwarded to

our Customer Support Officer and

Financial Inclusion Officer, with

fantastic results. These have included

arrangements for grab-rails and other

adaptations to be assessed and

fitted, additional garden work carried

out, repair issues chased and benefit

queries tackled.

This is a small sample of what has

been carried out following an Audit,

and by sharing even small concerns,

we have been able to assist and have

made a huge impact on many

people’s lives. Please help us to help

you by allowing us access to your

property when we call to see you.

Tenancy Audits

Morris the Abandoned Moggy

� Moving On Lancashire have

been approved Sense of Place

funding of £3,453 to offer‘Cook and Eat’ sessions in

partnership with Lancashire

Wildlife Trust linked to the

Growing Avenham project on

Hudson Street.

� Its Preston Guild 2012, withplenty going on this year withcelebrations, processions, andstreet parties, get involved andhelp with the celebration in yourarea Contact Diane Cato or ColinMakinson 0345 602 1120

1716

Whats on…

Morris finds a new home

The Last Resort

Volunteers NeededThe Emmaus charity gives homeless

people a bed and a reason to get out of

it by providing work and a home in a

supportive, family environment.

Companions, as residents are known

sign off unemployment benefits and

work full time, collecting renovating and

reselling donated furniture and other

goods in our shop. This work supports

the community financially and enables

residents to develop skills, rebuild their

self-respect and help others in greater

need. Companions receiveaccommodation, food, clothing and a

small weekly allowance, but for many,

the greatest benefit is a fresh start.

We are currently looking for

accommodation to set up the

community. If you would like to

volunteer to help in the shop, drive our

delivery van or offer any other skills, or

you would like to donate goods, call

into the shop on 100 Seaford Road,

Irwell Riverside, M6 6EP (Tuesday,

Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday,

10.00am – 4.00pm) or call 0161 792 2566,

email info@emmaussalford.org.uk

Rushworth Court, Stockport is a mixedscheme with General Let, Sheltered andSupported properties. Earlier this year wereceived a request from resident MrsSaunders to improve disabled accessaround the scheme as she was havingdifficulties due to the ramped area leadingstraight onto the car parking area and heraccess was often blocked by cars.

A scheme visit was arranged and ContourHomes Surveyor Stephanie Obidoyinattended and assessed what wasrequired. A quotation from contractorsHughes Brothers was requested and theinstallation of two new ramped areas wascompleted in January. Mrs Sanders said:“the new ramps have been a great helpand I can now come and go as I pleasewithout worrying about being blocked inby parked cars.”

Enterprise Day

A number of evictions have been carried out throughout the

Central Manchester region over recent months. A squatter

was evicted from one of our schemes in Chorlton and another

tenant evicted for antisocial behaviour in Trafford. Eviction is

always considered a last resort and housing staff, residents

and agencies work together to try to assist residents affected

by antisocial behaviour to resolve the issues rather than

simply moving the problem elsewhere. On this occasion

despite everyone's bests efforts this resident failed to modify

their behaviour and eviction was considered the best option.

Contour Homes Neighbourhood and Community Safety Team

working in partnership with residents and the local Police

enabled a strong enough case to be put together resulting in

a successful eviction. The procedure leading up to an eviction

is a very time consuming and costly process and due to the

nature of antisocial behaviour it is often a very difficult and

emotional time for residents. The contribution towards this

particular case by residents at Hatro Court was invaluable.

Residents working together and being prepared to provide

evidence through antisocial behaviour diary sheets and

witness statements enabled the Courts to make the order for

this eviction. With this type of contribution and support from

our residents we are able to make our Neighbourhood and

Communities safer places to live in.

The Neighbourhood and Community Safety Teams have also

been busy working on a another project in partnership with

Salix Homes, Greater Manchester Police, in developing a

targeted approach to reducing ASB in Higher Broughton

area. The work has included issuing ASBO warnings and

CRASBO's (an Antisocial Behaviour Order following a criminal

conviction) and they have also been looking at providing

activities to promote positive youth behaviour in conjunction

with local youth services which could lead to employment

opportunities for teenagers in the area.

Contour Homes in partnership withAdactus Housing recently got together tohost an event (Enterprise Day) at theTrafford Housing Trust Hub for residents ofBarcombe Close and Hurstbrook Close.Representatives from Sure Start, TheEmployment Agency, Adult Learning andTraining and The Employability and SkillsDevelopment Agency attended, along withFinancial Inclusion Officers from ContourHomes and representatives from voluntaryagencies working in the area.

Residents who attended were advised ongetting back into employment, trainingavailable to them, how to accessapprenticeships, benefit and welfareadvice both in and out of work, how toaccess voluntary work to gain workexperience and local facilities in the areaoffered by different agencies andvoluntary bodies. Everyone involved feltthe day had been successful and we planto hold similar events in the future – wewill keep you informed.

emmaus

Local Improvements

Community Researchers

Contour Homes is working with other housing associations in

the area to commission the Broughton Trust to recruit and

train Community Researchers in New

Broughton. A team of 7 residents are

being trained as researchers with

a level 2/3 qualification (OCN)

in community research

techniques and develop

communication skills.

South Gtr Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside

South OfficeQuay Plaza 2, First Floor, Lowry Mall,

Salford Quays, Salford, M50 3AHTel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours: 09:00 to 17:00

Liverpool Office - (Surgery only)39b Hillview, Aigburth, Liverpool,

L17 0EQTel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours: Wednesday - 14:00 to 16:00

Handforth & Stockport Office26-27 The Paddock, Handforth,

Cheshire, SK9 3HQTel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours: Monday 14:00-16:00, Wednesday

nd Friday 10:00-12:00

Whats on…

Meet the new Regional Manager‘My name is Peter Coventry and I am the new Regional Manager for South GreaterManchester, Cheshire and Merseyside. Although I am new to Contour Homes, I haveenjoyed working in housing in the North West for the last 10 years, in a variety of roles.

It is an exciting time to join Contour Homes and I am really looking forward to workingwith my team to build on the good work that is going on in the region, and tocontinuously improve the service that we provide to you.’Peter Coventry

Regional Manager

• Symphony Housing Group

(our parent company) Salix

Homes, Salford City Council

have received a £53,606funding boost from SITA

Trust. The funding will see

a package of environmental

improvements delivered

• We are piloting a cookerycourse for residents in thisregion, showing you how tocook quick, simple, good foodat an affordable price. If youwould like further informationcontact the CommunityDevelopment Team on 0345 602 1120

1918

The Rivers Hillock Garden Club in Whitefield was recently

presented with a cheque for a £1,000 towards club funds from

Morrison’s Construction Company which had completed some

extensive sewer repairs on the Rivers Hillock Estate. Morrison’s

like to compensate residents for inconvenience caused by

excavations, but the cheque has to be donated to a constituted

community group. The garden club falls into that category and

will put the money to good use as members continue to

develop the Community Garden in Albert Road and grow

plants from seed for planting elsewhere on the Estate.

Vice-Chairman Bernard Philbin said: “We really appreciate the

donation from Morrison’s which will help us purchase more

plants and equipment as we work towards improving the

appearance of our estate.”

Andy Shaw, who presented the cheque on behalf of

Morrison’s Construction said: ”These volunteers deserve all

the help they can get. The communal garden and

greenhouse is a fantastic facility for all residents of the estate.”

Photo Left to right: Garden Club members David Witty,

Eileen Murphy, Brian Farrand (Treasurer), Andy Shaw

(Morrison Construction), Dot Fentem, Bernard Philbin

(Vice-Chair) and Janice Wright (Secretary).

Indoor Carpet Bowls is the latest activityto be introduced on the Rivers HillockEstate in Whitefield to provide gentleexercise and companionship for the local residents.

The activity takes place each Tuesdaymorning at St. Michael’s Parish Hall onRibble Drive.

Senior Community Warden, AndrewTaylor said: “We were looking for anotherwinter activity to keep our Garden Clubmembers occupied and indoor bowlsseemed the perfect idea. We contactedthe Bowls Development Alliance wholoaned us all the necessary equipmentuntil the end of February. If there issufficient interest, we will apply for grantfunding to purchase our own equipmentwhich comprises a length of carpet, twoend stops, eight bowls and a jack.”

New Engagement Officer, Claire Rimmervisited recently and found the bowlingsession a great opportunity for her tomeet staff and tenants. Claire said: ”I was made to feel really welcome bythe residents of Whitefield at the GardenClub and bowling session. I really

enjoyed the occasion and look forwardto similar events in other areas.”

Rivers Hillock Garden Club and carpetbowls takes place every Tuesdaymorning from 10am – 12 noon in St.Michael’s Parish Hall, Ribble Drive,Whitefield. Only £1 per session whichincludes cups of tea or coffee. Newmembers are always welcome.

Further information can be obtained fromthe Contour Homes Office in AlbertPlace, Whitefield which is open to thepublic on Mondays from 2pm – 4pm,Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am –12noon.

The Community Wardens can becontacted on 07773 317 349.

The Bowls Development Alliance can be contacted on –www.bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com ortel: 01664 481900

Picture shows residents in action on the bowling mat being watched by Paul Humphreys of the BowlsDevelopment Alliance.

Tenants Bowled Over!

Karen HughesRegional Manager

Bolton Office12 Silverwell Street,

Bolton, BL1 1PPTel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours: Every weekday except

Wednesday - 09:00 to 16:30Wednesdays - 09:00am to 12:30

Whitefield Office(Surgery only)

Albert Place, Off Albert Road,Whitefield, M45 8NETel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours: Monday - 14:00 to 16:00Wednesday and Friday

10:00 to 12:00

2120

North Greater Manchester

• ‘% for art funding‘ is givenwhen a development in Bolton

has been built and 1% of the

development cost is donated

to a community arts group.We are now also using ‘ % for

arts funding in other areas.

• We have commissioned acommunity artist to work with

a parents group to developHideaway garden in Farnworth

• A new constituted group hasbeen set up for Boz Parkand they are looking atfunding options

• We are also looking at newopportunities for environmentalprojects with Bury MBC in Boz Park

Whats on…

What a ‘Grand’ gift!

11 newly-built 3 bedroom houses on Vernon Street, Boltonwere handed over to Contour Homes by Bramhallscontractors in January.

Louise Marsden, Development Officer had monitored andcoordinated the new build scheme with Bramhall and theirsub-contractors in the months proceeding handover.

North Manchester Neighbourhood Officer, Tony Nylan didaccompanied viewings with all the new prospective tenants tothe completed `show` plot in early January. Tony said: ”Thishas been a really exciting time for us. It was a real thrill tohand over these brand new properties to the new tenants.”He thanked his other Bolton members for their assistancewhen the tenancies were signed up the following week byNeighbourhood Officers.

Dave Hogan also attended from the Rents Team to assist withenquires and help completing forms for the new tenants. The properties are built to high specifications and include a`green` element with the provision of a Rainwater HarvestingTank which is buried under ground in the back garden of eachhouse. This unit gathers water from the gutters and stores it inthe underground tank. A pump in the neck of the tank pumpswater into the downstairs toilet each time the flush is used.

New Developments

Louise Marsden(Contour Homes) Roger Prescott (Tweeds) David Smith and Sylvia Khatun (John McCall Architects)

Tony Nylan (Contour Homes) and Ian Reynolds (Bramalls)

Neighbourhood Officer, Sue Oates, who

covers the Rochdale, Middleton and part

of Oldham recently secured funding for

some winter warmer packs for her elderly

tenants. Sue got to work making up the

“goody bags” which included items like

long life milk, tea bags, hot chocolate,

cereal, porridge, biscuits, tins of soup and

rice pudding, a Fray Bentos pie and some

mince pies. Thermal socks and Uncle

Joe’s mint balls were added to provide a

little extra warmth over the winter period

along with some leaflets from Age UK

giving tips on how to keep warm and

some room temperature gauges.

The packs were delivered to local

residents aged 80 and above just in time

for Christmas, and they were extremely

well received. Sue has had a lot of

positive feedback from tenants saying

what a lovely gesture this was and how

useful the packs had been. In fact, the

initiative was so successful we are hoping

to extended this to all tenants aged over

80 in the Greater Manchester East Region.

Miss Olga Patterson said: “Thank you so

much, it was a lovely idea.” And Mrs

Betty Hardiker said “The packs were

great, it was very kind of Contour

Homes.” For more information, please

contact Sue Oats on 0345 602 1120

St Mary’s Residents Light the Way

Winter Warmers

Two school children recently put themselves on the map after naming two

new streets in Oldham. As part of the development, children from nearby

Beever Primary School were asked to come up with name suggestions for

the two new streets that would be created. Emily and Dylan were the

winners of the competition which was organised by Bramall Construction

and Contour Homes.

Emily’s winning entry will see one new street named ‘Rose Way’ and Dylan

chose the neighbouring street name ‘Poppy Road’. Bramall has also

christened a new wall which has been built along St Mary’s Road Bluebell

Walk. Emily and Dylan were rewarded with art sets and Argos vouchers. In

the New Year Emily and Dylan will be invited to the site with their parents for

a site tour where they will get a chance to see their named road signage.

East Greater Manchester

Frank MullinRegional Manager

Avenues and Hollins Office(Surgery only)

50 First Avenue, Oldham, OL8 3SH

Tel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours:

Monday - 14:00 to 16:00Wednesday and Friday

10:00 to 12:00

Peak Valley Housing Office

100 Hattersley Road East,Hattersley, Cheshire, SK14 3EQ

Tel: 0345 270 3501

Opening hours:

Every weekday exceptWednesday: 09:00 to 16:00Wednesdays 09:00 to 12:00

2322

A new group made up of local residents and organisations has been set up to plan

and organise events around Hollinwood. Sarah Furbey, Community Development

worker and local resident said: ‘We have often organised events in partnership with

other organisations, but this new group means residents can have much more

involvement in the planning and organising of events. I would urge anyone

interested in joining to get in touch, contact Sarah Furbey on 07985 538229 or

0345 602 1120 – new members welcome.

Area Events Group

New Play Area for Limeside The new play area funded by the Lottery’s Community Spaces Programme, is now complete.Limeside Friends of the Park were successful in receiving additional funding from theNatWest Community Fund and new pieces of equipment will be added at a later date.Sarah Furbey, Secretary of the group and Contour Home’s Community DevelopmentWorker said: “The play area is a great addition to the Park and we hope the children in our area have fun using it!”

Back in December residents from thesurrounding areas of the St Mary’sdevelopment in Oldham got into thefestive spirit by taking part in a lanternparade organised by Contour Homes.

The parade took place following aseries of ‘lantern workshops’ held atHoly Cross Primary School and at theContour Homes Community Hub onthe new residential site which is beingdeveloped by Contour Homes on landowned by the council. Children hadgreat fun creating their colourfullanterns to carry at the Parade.

Organiser of the event, Paul Brighouse,Community Development Worker said:“With Christmas coming up we thoughtthis would be a nice start to the festiveseason at St Mary’s – it is was also a greatway of bringing the community together.

“This is one of a number of plannedevents at St Mary’s which will help tofoster a sense of community andwelcome new residents to the area.”

The parade was attended by 25 peopleincluding local residents, Holy Crosspupils and Contour Homes staff.

Name that Street…

St Marys• Consultation with residents on

the public realm area ongoing

• Working with Groundwork’s

on youth environmental project

• Community website for St

Marys being set up

• Local media group in the

process of being set up

• We are also working with

the OHIP Houseparty group

to set up events for 2012

for Limeside and St Mary’s

Belinda Swana (Bramhall), Shanine Meadowcroft

(Contour Homes), Cath Hilton (Beevers Primary)

with the winners Emily and Dylan.

Appointment

Event

Woods Court

Royce Court is in a very desirable part of Cheshire, right in the heart of leafyKnutsford village close to the local shops and amenities, which our tenantsfind very useful. The scheme was built in 1980 and is a mixture of one bedand studio properties all for older people. Recently the Scheme Manager,Ann Edwards and the tenants enjoyed a very interactive demonstrationfrom suppliers Procare about the new style Level Access showers to befitted as part of the bathroom refurbishments at the scheme. Tony Wyldefrom Procare set up a demo shower in the main lounge, so that tenantscould make an informed choice about their chosen bathroom after seeing thereal thing - not in live action fortunately - half the scheme chose the levelaccess shower option and the installations have now been completed.

Independent Living

Gill LongIndependent Living Manager

Head Office

Quay Plaza 2, First Floor, Lowry Mall, Salford Quays,

Salford, M50 3AH

Tel: 0345 602 1120

Opening hours:

09:00 to 17:00

2524

Helping you tolive independently

Royce Court

Woods Court is located in Middleton. Recently the residents and SchemeManager got together with a local Chef Alex to start a new and innovativeservice ‘The lunch club’. Woods Court has the advantage of having a largecatering kitchen, which is now being used to its full potential to provide qualitysnacks and hot meals for residents and visitors to the scheme on a Tuesday,Thursday and Sunday afternoon. Already people are visiting the scheme to havelunch and other schemes are using this new facility. The combination of greatfood and good company is proving very popular with the residents and the localcommunity. If you would like to try it out all are welcome. If you need furtherinformation please contact John Aspinall, Scheme Manager at Woods Court,Broad St, Middleton, Manchester, M24 4AP or telephone 0161 654 6869.

Edwards Court Edwards Court is ideally located off Macclesfield Road in leafy HazelGrove, Stockport. The complex is very popular and contains 30 one-bedroom self contained flats, Sandra Smith has been the residentScheme Manager since July 2001 and is due to retire at the end of March2012. Sandra has worked hard to provide a fantastic service for theresidents and will be missed by all.

Edwards Court continues to encourage resident involvement, and has ahealthy link with several community groups and the local church.

The residents often play Bingo in the spacious communal lounge andSandra recently introduced the popular 1970’s game Beetle Drive. The residents run their own coffeemornings and a fortnightly luncheon club is enjoyed by many.

The local Weightwatchers Club were recently let down by their venue, so Edwards Court stepped in to offertheir communal lounge to the club on Tuesday mornings.

The revenue collected from this subsidises entertainment nights from local singers and variety acts, alongwith several coach trips, of which Llandudno was a recent destination.

Each year we undertake hundreds ofadaptations to properties. Theseadaptations assist our tenants to liveindependently and remain in their own homes.

An adaptation can be anything from aminor adaptation such as the installationof a grab rail or lever taps to more majoradaptations like level access showers orextensions to properties to meet theindividual needs of a particular tenant.

If the work is classed as major, such aslevel access shower, stairlift or extensionthen your application would have to besupported by a Occupational Therapist‘sReport, the Occupational Therapist would prioritise your case using thefollowing categories:

• Priority 1 – where the tenant or amember of the household is terminallyill or where the adaptation is necessaryto facilitate a hospital discharge, orwhere the capacity of a carer tomaintain support of the disabledperson is under threat or where majorhealth and safety issues are involved

• Priority 2 – where the tenant or a memberof the household is suffering from asevere degenerative condition or theadaptation will prolong independenceand delay the need for residential care

• Priority 3 – where the adaptation willimprove the quality of life and providefor potential future needs

On receipt of the OccupationalTherapists Report we would alsoapply for a Disabled Facilities Grantto help towards the cost of adaptingyour home.

When you apply for a disabledadaptation we will make thefollowing commitment to you:

• We will acknowledge receiptof your application for adisabled adaptation,and arrange to visityou to discuss your

request within 10 working days fromyour initial request

• For minor work, we aim to completethe work within 20 days from the workbeing ordered and we will advise youof the expected completion date

• For major work, we will visit you at yourhome to discuss the recommendationscontained in the OccupationalTherapists Report within 20 workingdays from receipt of the full report

• We will endeavour to complete alladaptation requests within six monthsfrom receipt of the full OccupationalTherapists Report, resources permitting

If you would like to find out moreinformation please contact 0345 602 1120.

Spotlight On Our Schemes

Join up to ‘Race online

2012’ to give just an hour

of your time and show one of

the 8.7M people who’ve

never been online what a

doddle, what a giggle and

how useful the wonderful

web can be. For more

information please visit

www.raceonline2012.org

Whats on…

2726

Digital Champions Wanted In support of the national campaign by Race online2012, Contour Homes will develop a programme tosupport and enable tenants to get online. We willcreate tenant and staff Digital Champions as partof our pledge and will aim to recruit and train 30residents and members of staff. The sessions aredesigned to give basic internet lessons to tenantswho are not online across the North West. For moreinformation, please contact Samuel Cooper on 0345 602 1120

NoticeboardCommunity Projects

As reported in the Winter edition of iNside,we will be holding a ‘Bake off’ with aJubilee theme at Woods Court, Rhodes,Middleton, Manchester M24 4AP onThursday 17th May 2012. The competition is open to all residents, if you would like to enter please contact the Independent Living Team on 0345 602 1120 for an application form.

The Jubilee Bake Off

Planning for the Future During 2007, the parents of four adults with additional supportneeds in Stockport began to think about how they could planfor their children’s future, knowing that there would come atime when they may not be able to take care of them.

As a group, they approached the local authority to find out theoptions that were available to them. This was the starting pointfor a project that has brought together the parents and a rangeof agencies including Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council,Stockport Advocacy, Contour Homes and IndependentOptions. The parents with support, were able to identify a largefour bed property in a quiet suburb, and to choose a careprovider, the group chose Independent Options.

The staff team for the house deliver individualised supportto each person. By January of 2011, the four adults wereliving together and used their individual budgets which were

‘pooled’ so that they can share a staff team. Each tenant hastheir own bedroom and share the rest of the house. This isthe first Contour Homes scheme of this type to beintroduced as a supported property, which is managed bythe Independent Living Team.

The parents worked very hard and there were frustrations andhurdles along the way - but seeing Stephen, Richard, Lesley andNick being supported to live independently is their reward. Allfour parents have commented that their children have become alot more independent and confident in their day to day activities.

There is a garden at the back of the house, which is tended to bythe staff and residents, where they often sit and enjoy havingtheir meals together during the good weather. The residents havefitted in well with the neighbours and felt part of the community.During Halloween when they dressed up and gave treats to thelocal children when they knocked on their door. As a result of theparents’ efforts to make all this happen, and those of theagencies who have been involved, four young people withprofound learning disabilities have choice, control and securityinto the longer term future and their families have peace of mind.

For more information about our Independent Living Service,please contact 0345 602 1120.

‘My Home’ is endorsed by the National Housing Federation

and recommended by Contour Homes, but other home

contents policies/providers are widely available and we

recommend that you request more than one quotation.

You should have received a leaflet

about the changes in the Welfare

Reform Bill and how these might

affect you. If you are worried about

any of these changes or would like to

speak to your Financial Inclusion

Officer about anything else please

contact us on 0345 602 1120

Welfare Reform

?

?

2928

We have rebranded one of the Centres of Excellence toreflect the new and innovative way of working.

The Insight and Engagement Centre of Excellence,(previously Equality, Diversity and Engagement), isresponsible for both resident engagement and tailoringservices; these services have been integrated to achievea smarter and more streamlined approach across the business.

The team consists of five members of staff. They are:

• Rachel Gee, Insight and Engagement Manager

• Wanda Dean, Centre of Excellence Support Assistant

• Claire Rimmer, Engagement Officer

• Belinda Hayes, Insight Officer

• Julie Morgan, Engagement Officer

If you would like further information on all ourengagement options, please contact the team on 0345602 1120 or email beinvolved@symphonyhousing.org.uk

Awards 2012

Following the huge success of last year’simPaCt Awards, we are now in the very earlystages of planning this year’s event. The title‘imPaCt’ stands for ‘inspiring and motivatingPeak Valley and Contour Homes tenants’which reflects how the awards enable us torecognise and honour the achievements of ourtenants and residents. Last year’s event washeld at the Imperial War Museum North andwas attended by 130 people including tenants,residents, staff and contractors.

We are now looking for six tenants andresidents to form a Shape My Service group forthe ImPaCt Awards 2012. The Shape My Servicegroup will help plan the nomination categoriesand ultimately decide on the winners andrunners up. Anyone who would like to putthemselves forward can contact the Insight andEngagement Team on 0345 602 1120 or send anemail to beinvolved@symphonyhousing.org.uk

Look out for the Resident Training

and Development Programme

The Insight and Engagement Team has just launched its first

Training and Development Programme for tenants.

The programme ‘Release Your Potential… Be Inspired’ offers a

range of courses from practical skills around the home, to life skills

and engaging with your community. There is even a set of courses

which can be completed via e-learning, so tenants can take part

from their own home. You will find a copy of this training

programme with your newsletter. If you are interested in any of the

courses available then please don’t hesitate to contact Claire

Rimmer; Engagement Officer on 0345 602 1120 or email

beinvolved@symphonyhousing.org.uk

??

?RELEASE YOUR

POTENTIAL

BE INSPIRED

Keeping You InformedThe quarterly Impact newsletter includes information on the changes that have been made around the business as a result ofresident engagement. This often happens through our existinginvolvement options such as the ‘Shape My Service’ and the ‘In ThisTogether’ groups.

The newsletter includes performance information and information onhow cost effective the Insight and Engagement services are. Thenewsletter is sent to all involved residents. To access our latestnewsletter please visit the Insight and Engagement Section of ourwebsite at www.contourhomes.co.uk or alternatively, please contactthe Insight and Engagement Team on 0345 602 1120 to request a copy.

L-R: Rachel Gee, Wanda Dean, Claire Rimmer, Belinda Hayes, Julie Morgan

Insight and Engagement Our PerformanceThe Insight and Engagement Team arecurrently working on a new set of ServiceStandards which will allow them to monitortheir performance in a more accurate way.They intend to publish these in their revisedversion of the Be Involved brochure.

Another recent change they have made isto contact all new tenants to let themknow about the different ways they can beinvolved with us, to influenceservices for thebetter.

Meet the Team

Ingredients

• 450g piece of gammon, soaked overnight

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 medium onions, sliced

• 2 tsp paprika (optional)

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

• 225g spring greens, roughly chopped

• 450g can cannelloni beans, drained and washed

Serves four people

Method

Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 2 Hours

1. Put the gammon in a large pan with the bay leaves, onions andabout 1.5 litres of cold water or enough to cover. Bring to the boil,then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 1½ hours.

2. Drain the gammon, save the cooking liquid. When the gammon iscool enough to handle, trim away the skin, and shred the meat orcut into big chunks.

3. Return meat to the pan with the saved cooking liquid, paprika(optional) and potatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or untilthe potatoes are cooked.

4. While the potatoes are cooking, trim away the stalky bit from thegreens and finely shred the leaf. Stir the greens and beans into thestock and continue to cook for about 10 minutes until cooked. Seasonto taste and serve ladled straight from the pan.

O M G Q R A I N B O W S T H G

E N I H S N U S F Z Y P E S Y

J D A L V B N J C K S O K A S

G N I T L E M I P V T R C L P

E M I T G N I R P S O D A P R

G A D A F F O D I L O N J S O

G N L S E I Y W Z H B I M E U

R R I L P H Q A E T R A T C T

Z E O N E I I I L M E R A J E

F G W W E R L H T R B Z V J E

H E D O T D B U Y A B H F L G

U U Q V L H R M T W U M D R I

S E E D S F K A U O R D E J R

O R N D M C T Z G V U E A N F

Q F I Z W Y E Z Y P N A F Z P

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Gammon Soup with Spring Greens

Head Office: Quay Plaza 2, 1st Floor - Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH. Tel: 0345 602 1120. Fax: 0161 745 9393. Email: mail@contourhomes.co.uk. www.contourhomes.co.uk

Contour Homes is an industrial and provident society (registered No. 23607R) with charitable status. A member of Symphony Housing Group.

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Contour Homes would like to express their appreciation to the following people, without whom this magazinewould not have been possible:

Ann Rawlins, Yvonne Carrington,Maureen Tucker, Len Lloyd, Christine Tomlinson, Sue Sutherland, Vicky Mulvaney, LizDouglas, Sheila Lever, the CSC, Emily and Dylan, Rivers Bowling and Garden club.

If you have a comment about the Magazine, our service to you, or any housing related subject we would be delighted toconsider it for publication in a future issue of iNside. You can send your contributions to Alison Birch at Contour Homes,Quay Plaza 2, First Floor - Lowry Mall, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH. Alternatively you can email them to alison.birch@symphonyhousing.org.uk - don’t forget to include your name, address & telephone number.

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