Autumn Newsletter 2011: Issue 1

Chrissie Ince Chair (centre) and Raymond Van – Wieringen Vice Chair (far right) accepting the TPAS award with Helen Alderson and Azhar Baz from Stockport

Homes.

WINNERS!

Welcome to your first H3 newsletter, we hope you like it as it has been a long time coming! We have been so busy here’s a snippet about what we have been up to…The committee have worked really hard to help all 3 schemes build a brighter future for all the residents. We have produced over 1000 handmade Christmas cards and held a Christmas Raffle which made over £1000 for our starter pack project. We had an extraordinary response of donations for our Christmas Raffle the top prize being a 32inch LCD TV which was kindly donated by the Repairs 1st Team at Stockport Homes. And we would also like to say a MASSIVE ‘Thank You’ to everyone else who sponsored us or donated prizes as we couldn’t have done it without you and we really hope that you go on to support us in the future. You may already know but just in case you don’t H3 won the national TPAS Award for Best Practice in Supporting People which is a truly remarkable achievement in our first year as the H3 Group. We worked really hard this past year to help support the 3 schemes and make your lives a bit better and we hope that we can continue our good work in the future. If you have a story or would like to get involved in anyway please ask your Project Worker or give us a call on 0161 474 2862 we would love to hear from you. Anyway that’s enough from me, I really hope that you find this newsletter fun and interesting. Many thanks, Chrissie.

Welcome and Thank You

Chrissie Ince, Chair of H3

The printing of this newsletter was kindly sponsored by Quality Floor Coverings 525 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4JH. Contact 0161 380 0160 or 07971662050 for: Laminate Flooring, Carpets, Vinyl’s, Rugs and Safety Flooring.

What’s been going on?

Chrissie Ince (Chair) and Susan Ash (Secretary) showing off the starter packs.

Allotments at Strathclyde House: Each scheme now has their own allotment read on to find out more

What have we been spending the money on?

Well we have been very busy buying the supplies for the Starter Packs that are given to people to help them move on when they leave the schemes. We have also given each scheme some money to help with their gardens and allotments, and each scheme has done a fantastic job at improving their outdoor space! The next project that we are hoping to support is the FareShare charity. We would like to sign up for a 12 month subscription. For this we would get monthly food deliveries for each of the schemes. This food will then be used in communal cookery classes and dinners so all residents of the schemes will get to enjoy the FREE food!

Looking Forward to Autumn Peter Druce; H3 Committee Member and resident of Brindale House

Do you want to feature in the H3 newsletter? Do you have something to say? All published contributions will receive £10 of High Street Vouchers. For more information or to submit and article please see your project worker or contact 0161 474 2862 and ask to speak to Rebecca McAvoy or Helen Alderson!

Resident’s Page

With autumn just around the corner the last gasps of summer have given us a surprise mini-heat wave. Looking back though, summer hasn’t been the best for weather, but it has been pretty successful for our sportsmen. It started out with Man City winning the FA cup and Man United celebrating their 19th championship. England’s cricketers managed to beat India 4-0 in the test series to become number one in world cricket and Lancashire won the county championship. Even our rugby players are putting on a good show at the world cup. Most importantly though there has been a lot going on in the Temporary Accommodation Schemes' gardens. Here at Brindale House a hard core of staff, volunteers and even the odd resident set about the tasks of tidying up, building and planting with great energy and even greater effect. The fruits of these labours are now being harvested. Little tomatoes, vast cabbages and even sweet corn are making the last push towards the summer sun. Hardy fruit bushes have become established and should start to give us a crop next year. There’s much more and it’s all organic and free! But as our harvest draws to an end, it’s now time to prepare for winter. Clearing fallen leaves, weeding and turning the soil all needs to be done and any ideas for winter planting are very welcome.

If after reading our newsletter you would like to get involved then please do! The H3 group meets every other month, so speak to your project worker or Stockport Homes for dates and details! We have guest speakers and can signpost you to all sorts of other agencies and organisations, plus lunch is provided and you get a £5 high street voucher for giving up your time! We hope to see you at the next H3!

This Christmas we are looking to continue with our craft activities and also complete a H3 BIG BALLOON RACE. We are looking for volunteers and sponsors once again to help out with the craft making, any stalls, prizes for the balloon race and any sponsors who could help us out. If you think that you could help with our Christmas fundraisers then please contact the Customer Involvement Team at Stockport Homes on: 0161 474 2862, we would LOVE to hear from you!

H3

I KNOW OF A GROUP THAT IS CALLED H3

IT IS THERE TO HELP PEOPLE JUST LIKE ME

WHO THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN

END UP BEING WITHOUT A HOME

THEY HELP US OUT WITH A STARTER PACK

TO TAKE WITH US TO OUR NEW FLAT

IT CONTAINS A TOASTER, AN IRON AND A KETTLE

SO WE CAN EAT, DRINK, KEEP OUR CLOTHES IN FINE FETTLE

H3 RAISES MONEY AND HELPS RAISE AWARENESS

THAT WITHOUT A HOME LIFES A BIT OF A MESS

SO IF YOU CAN HELP WITH YOUR TIME OR YOU’RE CASH

JUST CONTACT H3. GO ON GIVE IT A BASH.

BY SUSAN ASH

Fancy a chance to win yourself £10 worth of vouchers? Why not sit down with a cuppa and relax for 10 minutes with our word search. This word search was put together by H3 Committee Member, Tony Harrison, of ‘Think Out of the Box Communications’. See if you can find some of the sponsors from our May Pool Tournament! Hand in your word search

to your project worker and all completed word searches will be entered into a draw…. Good Luck!!

P S T O C K P O R T H O M E S . O R G Q

A H T F L D B U X T O N F B A T W F D U

R O E T C P E D F E U G O Q P O H U R A

T X B L U P X M C N S O C S L G I R E L

N I X R P D A F O A I F U T L E T N A I

E M P I D I B L M N N O S R O T E I M T

R I L E Y S N A I T G R P F C H F T S Y

S C C H L I G G H S R I A I K E E U C F

H N A Q D S R A T I V T N G S R R R A L

I M C L Z E N F L H Q R E H M W N E N O

P O Z I L K M O P D E Z L L I T F C P O

A W X B Y I N M O B C H W M T Y R D O R

G X W O O L N O D K O R O C H X L U M I

R Y U R W E C A N H E L P M S X Z E E N

E T Y O U R H O M E U R B C E X B R Z G

E I I Z E T D S T A R A T H C L Y D E I

M R Y O U R C H O I C E B X Y S E L C N

E A S K I L L S F O R L I F E T W S V T

N H Y O U A R E N O T A L O N E X Y S O

T C U S T O M E R I N V O L V E M E N T

Partnership

agreement

Stockporthomes.o

rg

Quality Flooring Helping the

Homeless

Strathclyde Into

Buxton Housing

Customer

Involvement

Tenants

Charity Thank you

Whitefern

Furniture

Riley’s Snooker

APL Locksmiths Focus Panel

Your Choice Skills for Life

Your Home Together

Go for it Dreams can come

true

You are not

alone

We can help

Call in

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Fill in your details below and send to Stockport Homes or hand over to your project worker to be entered into the FREE prize draw!

Name:________________________________________ Address:______________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Contact Number:_______________________________ Return all entries to: Stockport Homes, 1 St Peter’s Square, Stockport, SK1 1NZ or hand in to your project worker.

We have had such a successful year but we couldn’t have done it without the help from all the companies who have sponsored us . We would like to say that we are really grateful to the following for their support:

• Barbara King, Tenant Board Member and H3 Campaigner

• Repairs 1st and Mears • Railway Free House for donating Wine • Image Group Printers • Reddish Vale Golf Club • Hazel Grove Golf Club • Tesco • Mr Ali's Restaurant • Play Development Team • Run of the Mill • Bredbury Hall • Lego Land at the Trafford Centre • Soap Hairdressers • Benvenuti’s Hazel Grove • Cheshire Flower Shop • Glossop Golf Club • Houldsworth Golf Club • Marple Golf Club • Romiley Golf Club • Mellor and Town Cliffe Golf Club • Shelagh Berry for her Homemade

Christmas cake • Old School Hairdressers • Gala Bingo • Lazer Quest Trafford Centre • Riley’s Snooker and Pool Hall • APL Locksmiths • Britannia Laundry • Quality Flooring • Stockport Bedding • Taylor Mortgage and Financial Services • The Trophy Store • Whitefern • Stockport Homes • All the individuals that have contributed

to our fundraising campaigns this year.

Useful Numbers

Housing Options 0161 474 4237 Homechoice Bidding Line 0161 474 4567 Homechoice Enquiries 0161 474 2975 Resettlement Team 0161 474 3772 Furniture Station 0161 456 0717 Citizens Advice Bureau 0870 120 4040 Welfare Rights 0161 474 3093 Samaritans 0845 790 9090 Housing Benefit 0161 217 6015 Job Centre Plus 0845 608 8526 Stockport Advice 0161 217 6009 Victim Support Line 0845 303 0900 NHS Direct 0845 46 47 Alcohol and Drug Services 0161 249 4080 Disability Stockport 0161 480 7248 Stockport Refugee Support Group 0161 426 9101 Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline 0161 636 7525

H3 works very closely with Stockport Homes if you would like any more information about the group please contact the Customer Involvement Team at Stockport Homes on 0161 474 2862