Nene news July 2013

NENE NEWS

Making a difference…improving homes, communities and lives www.accentgroup.org

Keeping fit at Milton CourtPage 21

Hoarding7

Budget PlannerPage 9

JULY 2013

Personal, Modern & Betterpage 3-6

We’reimprovingour servicesto you…

Join the debate!

#yournewaccent

Nene News July 2013_Layout 1 08/07/2013 09:42 Page 1

2 NENE NEWS

Would you like to do your bit for the environmentand receive your copy of Nene News by email?

If you would like to ‘go greener’, and receive your copy by email,please send your name and address to: [email protected]

PeterboroughManor House | 57 Lincoln RoadPeterborough | PE1 2RR

Nottingham2 Ashton Avenue | ArnoldNottingham | NG5 8LL

Tel: 01733 295 400Text: 07800 140 781Lo-call: 0845 603 7673Freephone: 0800 393 890

Web: www.accentnene.orgEmail: [email protected]

Find us on Facebooksearch ‘Accent Nene’

Follow us on Twitter@accentnene_news

Contacting Accent Nene

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ContentsPersonal, Modern & Better… 3-6Townsend Close recognition 7Making your money go further 8Budget Planner 9Short term financial help 10Repairs Appointments 11Easy Tenancy Guide 12Residents’ Associations 12Disability Group achieving results 13Windmill Estate Residents’ Panel 13We can help! 14Texting Nene 15The cost of using your appliances 15Estate Inspections 16Government Improvement Schemes 16Hoarding 17Code of Conduct for Contractors 17Community Navigators 18-19Crime Prevention 20Immobilise.com 20Accent Group Portal 20Keep fit at Milton Court 21105th Birthday Celebrations 21Find the Sunshine! 22Tuna Pasta Salad 23Adult’s Wordsearch 24

Nene News July 2013_Layout 1 08/07/2013 09:42

NENE NEWS 3

In the next few months, you will have a ‘new’ Accent managingyour homes and services, as we are changing the way we run ourbusiness. We will look different, work differently and provideyour services in a different way, all of which willoffer you excellent quality and value for moneyby putting you at the heart of our business.

We have talked to many of our involved residents to help us develop our ‘Fit for the Future’ plans.With their support, we’ve already made somechanges, such as how the new Accent will lookand be managed. Our first step last year wasto introduce a new housing managementcomputer system, which is very important inmaking sure you get a good and equal service.Over the next few months, we will improve yourservices even more by bringing all the parts ofAccent together. We feel this will be of valueto all residents nationally and locally,wherever you live.

We’d like your views on many other parts of theservice we provide, especially, for instance, on how and where from yourservices will be provided in future. That is why we are asking you to takepart in our ‘Personal, modern, better’ survey, which you will receivethrough the post shortly. It is your chance to help shape a new Accentand improve services you receive in future.

Personal, Modern & Better…Three little words which will change theway we deliver your services in future!

continued ››


4 NENE NEWS

1. Making contact

We get over half a million telephone calls eachyear across Accent. Even with changing technology,talking directly to our staff is still your preferred wayof contacting us. To improve your call experience,we will have a customer contact centre at the heart of each of our five regions to handle all our general housing and tenancy related enquiries.We want the regionalcontact centre to beyour preferred firstpoint of contact, andwe will train our staff todeal with your enquiryas efficiently as theycan. Your first contactwill be with a customer advisor, who will beable to deal with most of your enquiries and helpyou with simple rent, benefit and other general tenancy queries. If our customer advisors cannotdeal with your enquiry straight away, you will beable to talk to a named local officer. We are movingour contact team for repairs to a national centre inBurnley that already looks after the repairs servicefor our three northern regions. Your housing officerwill have a much more ‘traditional’ role, and youwill see them on your estate more often.

Your services will continue to be provided from ourmain office in Peterborough. In future, however, asan important improvement in our telephone service,our main telephone lines will be covered for longer,from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and from 8amto 12.30pm on Saturdays. If you ring us outsidenormal office hours, (9 am - 5pm), your call will be re-routed to our other contact centres.

You will be able to speak to someone who can helpyou, but you may not be able to speak to your ownlocal officer or manager until the next working day.

We do not get many visitors to our smaller, local offices compared to the number of telephone callswe get – about one for every eight calls, so we arelooking to see if these offices offer the best valuefor money. We do not feel that keeping our localoffice in Nottingham open offers good value formoney given the few residents who use it, so weare planning to close it by March 2014. We feel wecan better use the resources elsewhere to improveservices for many more of you. We expect to keepsome locally based staff, but have not yet workedout the details.

We feel these changes will provide you with a goodservice that meets your needs, whether you need to contact us often, or hardly at all. If you live inNottingham and use the office often, please let us know what you think of our plans by takingpart in the survey.

2. Tenancy Support

We will have a new tenancy support team to helpmore vulnerable residents with their tenancies. Staff will be able to offer practical, personal andprofessional advice on moving in, welfare benefitsand money management, for example, and howto find jobs and training. We will also have an anti-social behaviour officer, an arrears team,and staff who look after your repairs, inspections,planned maintenance and estate services.

Personal…


3. Engaging with you

We’d like to involve you more so you can really help to influenceour business and shape your service. We’d like more of you tobe involved with ‘mystery shopping’, inspections and scrutinypanels, and by giving us your views in a way that suits you. We also want to engage with you through social media,like Twitter and Facebook.

We have set up five new customer service committees ineach of our new regions across Accent. Some residents aremembers of these committees. They will help us make sure

that we are accountable for the service we provide to all residents in the localarea, and that we continually try to improve it.

We are putting RESIDENTS

AT THE HEART OF

OUR DECISION MAKING

You can download an application pack from our website:

www.accentgroup.org/board or contact Wendy Darby,

Board Support Co-ordinator on 01274 536 132

or email [email protected]

We value diversity and are committed to fairness

and equality of opportunity in all our services.

We want to recruit a resident for our local customer service

committee. No previous experience as a board or committee

member is needed, you just need to care about making life

better for people in social housing.

The closing date for applications is Friday 5th July

2013. Interviews will be held at our office in Camberley

during the week commencing 12th July 2013.

RESIDENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

£2,000 PA + EXPENSES

We are putting RESIDENTS

AT THE HEART OF

OUR DECISION MAKING

Modern

1. Using your information toimprove your service

We have invested a lot of money in our computersystems in the last few years so we can make themost of the information we collect and have availableto us. We use it to improve your service and yourexperience when you contact us. This informationtells us how you prefer us to contact you, whetherby phone, our website, social media or text, for instance, and makes our contact more convenientfor you.

2. More technology for our staff

We are also planning to give our housing officersand surveyors new mobile technology so they cananswer your queries, sign up new residents, reportrepairs and collect rent on the spot. They will also beable to log issues or complaints, and provide adviceand support on training, benefits and other advice.

3. A better website

We will improve our website. We will make it easierto use and add more interactive services you canuse from your computers and smart-phones. In thenext six months you will be able to view your rentstatements, make payments to us (you will still need an account with Allpay), view your repairs,request simple repairs and report complaints oranti-social behaviour.

With these changes, we can provide a better valuefor money service as they will cut down on theamount of admin tasks our staff have to do, and allow them to get on with what’s important– delivering a ‘personal, modern and better’ serviceto you.

NENE NEWS 5


6 NENE NEWS

Better…

1. Improved performance

We will set high performance targets that reallytest us and make sure we are providing you withthe high quality of services you have a right toexpect. We will closely monitor how we performagainst these targets and work with you to makesure we continually improve our performanceand our services.

2. More money for reinvestment

The changes will save money in the future. We aimto save £1.75 million in our operating costs, whichwe will use to build more new homes for peoplewho need them, and invest in our existing homes.The changes will also help to secure our future,allow us to thrive and grow, cut our costs and improve our financial position. Most importantly,they will focus on you and improve the quality ofyour homes and services, nationally and locally.

3. Delivering your ‘personal,modern and better’ services

By changing the roles and responsibilities of ourmost senior staff, we can make sure we make goodon our promise of a more personal, modern andbetter service. Executive director of communitiesand assets Claire Stone is responsible for the investment in, and maintenance of, all your homesacross Accent. Executive director for customer services Andrew Williams is now responsible forthe services we provide to all our residents acrossAccent. Andrew and Claire have worked for us formany years and have a great deal of experiencebetween them and they are completely committedto making sure you receive a high quality of service.The jobs are based on responsibilities for all services,not geography, so Andrew and Claire now sharethe overall responsibility for all your homes andservices. How your services are delivered locallywill be managed our new regional housing directorbased in Peterborough.

What happens next?

FIRST, IT’S YOUR TURN TO HAVE YOUR SAY…

In the next few weeks, you will receive our ‘Personal, Modern, Better’ survey asking you to tell uswhat you think of our plans. Please take part. It won’t take long, it’s free and you could win £100,£50 or £25 in vouchers. Your views are important to us. They will help us to make sure we are onthe right tracks with the changes we are making as part of our Fit for the Future programme andthat we can continue to deliver services in the future which give you high quality customer serviceand satisfaction.


NENE NEWS 7

The Townsend Close development,just off Lincoln Road, saw ThurstonHouse – a building of historicinterest – transformed into fourluxury apartments, and 21 newhomes built in its grounds.

Inside Housing magazineawarded the scheme the top 50accolade this week; and AndrewWilliams, managing director ofAccent Nene said the associationwas delighted. “Accent Nenehas long been committed tobuilding good quality housing,”Mr Williams said. “Peterboroughhas plenty to offer everyonewith a vibrant mix of old andnew, and Townsend Close isjust the same”.

“The development offers a well balanced mix of rental andshared ownership properties, and has really improved the livesof the people who have moved in.We are obviously delighted thatInside Housing has recognised allthe hard work which has goneinto this scheme, and are veryproud it has been named as oneof the country’s top 50 affordablehousing developments.”

The editor of Inside Housing, Stuart McDonald said: “Projectstotalling more than 6,000 homeswere entered into the competition,so choosing just 50 schemes wasno mean feat. The Accent Nenedevelopment ticked most of the

boxes across the criteria andthere were good testimonialsfrom residents.”

The new street name, TownsendClose, was voted for by local residents at one of a series ofconsultation events. The schemeattracted £948,000 in grantfunding from the Homes andCommunities Agency.

Last year a total of 146,420homes were built in the UK, of these 36,900 were built byhousing associations or councils,which means at least a quarter of all new homes built were affordable properties.

Townsend Close among the UK’s top 50affordable housing developmentsAn Accent Nene project, to convert a historic Victorian villa and its grounds into 25 homeshas been named as one of the UK’s top 50 affordable housing developments of 2012.


Use a spendingdiary… you’ll besurprised at how

much you spend oncigarettes and coffee

shop drinks

Use a budgetplanner… to work

out what moneyyou have left for

non-essential thingslike saving

Book travel inadvance… or usinga family and friend’srailcard can mean

big savings.

Consider gettinga water meter…it would meanyou only pay

for the wateryou use.

Shop online forenergy providers…

it only takes a fewminutes and you

could save asmall fortune!

Use the library…to borrow books,

hire the latest filmsand use theinternet – allfor FREE!

Cut out impulsivebuys… Ask: Do I

need this? Stoppingthe impulse buyscould save £££’s

Do you need allthose channels…

Swapping a full packagesatellite service to abasic one could saveyou £60 per month!

Cut back onpublic transport…Consider walkingor even cycling,

it’s FREE!

Try asking fora discount… askingis easy, and you’ll be

surprised at howoften you actually get

the discount.

8 NENE NEWS

Tips to make yourmoney go further

Tips to make yourfood shoppingmoney go further

1 2

5 6

9 10

3 4

7 8

1

5

6

3

10

1211

4

7 8

Save up and usecash instead of cards.That way you can seewhat you’re spending.

2

Take advantage ofloyalty points’ scheme.

You can trade inpoints for family daysout, cinema ticketsor money off your

shopping bill.Look at the reducedsection. Supermarketsreduce their goods at

different times and youcan get some bargains

for the freezer.

Shop around.Use the internet to

compare prices.

9Shop at the lower

priced and budgetsupermarkets.

Buy a shop’s ownbrand. There is often

little difference inanything other than

the price.

Buy your fruit andvegetables from themarket or better still,

grow your own.

Buy in bulk andshare the cost witha friend, or cook

several meals in onego and freeze them

for another day.

Don’t shop on anempty stomach.

You’re much morelikely to make

impulse buys whenyou’re hungry.

Look out for thespecial offers. Makesure it’s a good deal

it can often becheaper to buy a

single item.

Make a shoppinglist and stick to it.

Cook from scratchinstead of buying

ready meals.


NENE NEWS 9

Wages or salary

Partner’s Wages or Salary

Income Support

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Child Benefit

Working Families Tax Credit

Child Tax Credit

Retirement Pension

Works Pension

Incapacity or Disability Benefit

Maintenance

Non-dependant Contribution

Other Income

TOTAL INCOME (A)

Rent or Mortgage

Council Tax

Water

Gas

Electricity

District Heating/Coal

Property/Contents Insurance

Life/Health Insurance

Housekeeping & Food

Clothing

Pet Food/Vets/Pet Insurance

School Meals

TV Rental (inc view packages)

TV Licence

Telephone/Internet

Travelling Expenses

Magistrates Court Fines

Health Expenses

Maintenance Payments

Endowment /Reg Savings

Other

TOTAL OUTGOINGS (B)

Budget Planner/Financial StatementUse this budget planner to work out your income and outgoings. If youneed assistance with this please contact your Tenancy Support Team.

Outgoings

Income MTH Statement

TOTAL INCOME (A)

LESS OUTGOINGS (B)

MONEY LEFT (C)

WK MTHWK

MTHWK

Statement

MONEY LEFT (C)

TOTAL PRIORITY (D)

AVAIL’ FOR CREDITORS (E)

MTHWK

PRIORITY DEBTS

Rent Arrears

Council Tax Arrears

Water

Gas

Electricity

Fines/Court Arrears

Maintenance Arrears

Other

Other

TOTAL PRIORITY (D)

OWED WK MTH

CREDIT DEBTS

TOTAL

OWED WK MTH


10 NENE NEWS

The Crisis Loans andCommunity Care Grantswhich were available fromthe Social Fund to help thoseon certain benefits pay forthe essentials or help themthrough a crisis has nowbeen stopped.

Do you needemergencyshort termfinancialhelp?

The administration of these fundshas been passed onto the localauthorities. The criteria for obtaining a loan are differentfor each local authority and therules have been tightened.

Many of the local authoritiesare working in partnership withother organisations and have

created community assistanceschemes. These schemes helpfamilies in crisis by referring themto an organisation that can helpwith their particular problem,such as issue food via the localfoodbank, help with sourcingelectrical goods and furnitureor applying for discretionaryhousing payments to help

cover a shortfall in rent andbenefit payments.

Should you need emergencyshort term help please do nothesitate to contact the TenancySupport Team who can give youfurther information.


NENE NEWS 11

We will keepyou informed ifcontractors arerunning late

❝

❞

Repairs AppointmentsHow do they work?In the past there has been some confusion asto how our repairs appointment system works,we hope this article will help to make things clearer.

Appointments are offered for repairs requested byresidents except if they are for emergencies or forcommunal areas. The appointments given will befor two hour slots (i.e.8.00am to 10.00am), butthat slot is for the contractor’s arrival time.

So, for example, the contractor may attend at9.45am and still be within the given time slot. It is also important to note that the time slot is forwhen the contractor will arrive, not for how longthe work will take. This means that the contractorthat arrives at 9.45am could be working on thejob for several hours depending of what the job is.When making the appointment we will give you

an approximate time scale for the job, but thisis subject to change once the contractor has seenthe job for themselves.

We will keep you informed if contractors are runninglate and they will ring you if they may be early tosee if you are free, though you have the right to ask them to come back within the agreed slot ifyou are not available.

Please let us know if a contractor misses an appointment slot without letting you knowas this is classed as a ‘missed appointment’.


12 NENE NEWS

Easy tenancy guideAn easy tenancy guide has been producedto help explain the tenancy agreementbetween you and Accent Nene.

It explains:

n Your rentn Paying for servicesn What you must don What happens if you break our rulesn What Accent Nene has to don Moving out

A copy of the guide can be found on ourwebsite www.accentnene.org or alternativelyyou can either come to your local office,email [email protected] or you can callon 01733 295 400 or Freephone 0800 393 890.

Residents’ AssociationsHave your say on local issues…

Accent Nene supports Residents’ Associations as a great wayfor you to get involved, talk to your neighbours and let usknow what you think.

The requirements for forming an Association are that 50% ofthe resident who live in your scheme or street are supportiveof the idea. If you would like, we can help you contact yourneighbours and assist with the paperwork which will includesome policies. The association needs a committee includinga Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, we can explain about theseroles and what they mean.

We provide any new association with £100 uponformation and a yearly amount to help fund projects.

If you are interested in setting up an association orwould like more information about it, please contactthe Resident Involvement team.


What we’ve doneWhat we’ve done

What we’ve doneWhat we’ve done What we’ve doneWhat we’ve doneWhat we’ve doneWhat we’ve done

What we’ve doneWhat we’ve doneWho can join?Who can join?

!

NENE NEWS 13

Disability Group achieving resultsMembers of the Accent Nene disability group continue to workwith our staff to ensure that residents with a disability are treatedfairly and that services are tailored to meet their needs.

The group have worked on various areas which they feel need improvement,included below are several examples of what they’ve achieved:

All residents with a disability

and their carers can join. A £10

shopping voucher and travel

expenses are paid for each

meeting you attend. Contact

Resident Involvement for details…

Residents’car parking

Information fordisabled residents

TenancyAgreement

DisabilityGroup action plan

Interested injoining the Group?

Supportgroup list

Reviewed what we have byway of disabled parking andsignage. The group will assistwith producing a car parkingpolicy for residents and staff.

Produced an easy read guideto help explain the tenancy

agreement between residentsand Accent Nene.

Set up a specific page on the Accent Nene website tohighlight disabled aids and

adaptation services available.

Reviewed other similarproviders to identify areasfor action and amend theaction plan to reflect new

items required.

Compiled a directory to raiseawareness of disability services

and agencies available.

DisabilityGroup

Set up at the beginning of the regeneration projectof the Windmill Estate at Fulbourn, the Residents’Panel have been representing the interest of thoseliving on the Windmill Estate and providing residentinput throughout the re-development.

The Panel have been integral to the success of the development which is now in its fourth andfinal phase. Throughout the build, Panel membershave given views and advice to overcome anyissues and challenges helping to make the new estate the success that it is today.

With the project in its final stage, the Panel feltthey had achieved everything they had set out todo and their work had come to a natural end.Therefore at the recent Annual General Meetingit was decided to dissolve the Panel.

Accent Nene would like tothank all Panel members,past and present for theirhard work and effort overthe past eight years.

Windmill Estate Residents’ Panel


14 NENE NEWS

Until recently Mrs J had lived at home with herthree children, but now that they’d grown upand moved away with their respective partners,she was left with a house with more bedroomsthan she needed. This resulted in her housing benefit being cut because of the introduction ofWelfare Reform. It became a struggle to maintainthe large property, pay her rent, feed herself andkeep the property warm.

At her lowest point she had significant rent arrears.Her current income of £91 per week wouldn’tstretch to cover her debts, the deduction made byhousing benefit due to having two spare bedroomsand the increase she now had to pay in Council Tax.The housing related costs alone were £38 per week,

The Rent Management Team realised that she wassuffering and needed more support. So she was referred to our Tenancy Support Team, who were

able to arrange for professional help with her debtsand set about trying to help her and her health.They also discussed the changes to her benefit payments and helped her to make arrangementsto clear her rent arrears, which quickly reduced.

Mrs J decided that she needed to move to a smallerproperty, which was cheaper to run and gave hermore money at the end of the week. Eventually shefound a suitable mutual exchange and a family whowere in overcrowded accommodation moved intoher larger property.

She is now in a better mental state, entering intotraining and hoping to get back into work.

So please let us know if you are struggling, by working together we could help improve your situation – contact the Tenancy SupportTeam for more details.

We were recently able to help a single lady,we’ll refer to her as Mrs J. She was facingfinancial ruin and suffering from stress.This is how we were able to help…


1 unit =

45 hrs

1 unit =1.5 hrs

1 unit =

5.5 hrs

1 unit =5 mins

1 unit =1 hr

1 unit =30 mins

1 unit =12 hrs

Texting Nene

NENE NEWS 15

The cost of using your appliancesLittle by little, the money we spend using our everyday electrical appliancesin our homes can soon add up, but do you know by how much?

Did you know that you can contact us by text,not just by telephone, email or in person?

Our text number is 07800 140 781.

All incoming texts are received by our Customer Service Team whowill ensure the query is dealt with. We can also contact you by textif it is your preferred method of contact, please do let us know.

Electrical Running time in hoursAppliance for 1 unit of electricity

Radio 200 hoursCD Player 24 hoursElectric blanket 8 – 16 hoursNormal 100W light bulb 10 hoursLow energy light bulb 40 – 50 hours100W equivalentColour TV (Flat screen) 5.5 hoursFridge 12 hoursDVD Player 45 hoursCable/digital box 11 hoursFreezer 3.5 hoursHairdryer 1.5 hoursMicrowave oven 1.5 hoursIron 1 hourToaster 40 mins – 1 hourKettle 30 minsVacuum cleaner 1 hourTumble dryer 25 minsImmersion heater 20 minsElectric shower 5 – 10 minsElectric cooker (everything on full) 5 mins

Have a look at our list and work out how much youcould be spending and how you could save moneyon your bills by using a little less where you can.One unit of electricity costs approximately 14.5p.Our list below shows you how long you can runan appliance for this amount.


16 NENE NEWS

Government Improvement SchemesPlease don’t sign anything!In a past issue of Nene News, you may remember that we mentioned the Government’snew ‘Green Deal’ and ‘Energy Company Obligation’(ECO) schemes.

If you get any calls or visits fromenergy companies about theseor any other improvementschemes, please tell them you area housing association residentand cannot agree to sign up for

any improvements as you do notown your home. Please do notagree to any surveys or workthey may be offering.

If you have anyconcerns or wor-ries, particularlyif someone hasalready contacted youand you have, or think youhave, agreed to somethingplease contact us.

Estate inspectionsAll estates which have internal communalareas that Accent Nene is responsible forwill now be inspected by Housing Officerson a monthly basis.

This is to ensure that there are nohealth and safety issues and thatany problems can be dealt withas soon as possible. All estateswith external communal areaswill be inspected every threemonths. The dates of these inspections will be advertisedon the Accent Nene website.If you have any specific issuesthat you would like to raiseabout your estate pleasecontact your Housing Officer.

Every six months residents willbe formally notified and invitedto an inspection on their estate.

Accent Nene will also extendthe invitation to other agencies,such as the Police or LocalAuthority. After these inspectionsresidents will receive newslettersregarding issues dealt within your area and feedbackis welcomed.

Properties that are not partof an estate will be inspectedonce a year.

It is hoped that this willallow a better and moreefficient service andmaintaim a highlevel of healthand safety.

Pictured right : Staff andresidents during an EstateInspection in Peterborough.


NENE NEWS 17

Code ofConduct forContractors

To improve the serviceyou receive from our

maintenance contractors,we have launched a

new code of conduct.

The code sets out the behaviour weexpect from contractors when they

are working in your homes, but alsothe behaviour we expect from you

and your family towards them. Pleaseget in touch if you would like more

information or to receive a copy.

Generally hoarders excessively collectuseless items and are unable or unwilling to discard them. It maycover large areas within their homeand prevent the spaces being used for their intended purpose, such ascooking in the kitchen or bathing inthe bathroom. It could also causesignificant distress or impairment ofhealth to the individual and thoseconnected to them.

Once an individual has been identified,Accent Nene tries hard to help themand adopts a multi agency approach,working with professionals in thehealth service, especially mental health.

Intensive support is offered with the Tenant Support Officer and Housing Officer taking the lead.Hoarding affects only a small percentage of the population buthelping them is labour and cost intensive. It can cause damage toproperty and make it difficult for contractors and repair men to getaccess to the property, encouragevermin and insect infestation aswell as being a fire hazard.

If you are worried that a neighbour or family member may be hoarding,please do not hesitate to contact us.

Pictured above: Representativesfrom all Accent’s maintenance

contractors after signing the newCode of Conduct agreement

Hoarding Recent TV programmes have played a major part inhighlighting the issue of hoarders and the problemsthat they face and in turn can cause.


18 NENE NEWS

The Care Network Community Navigator Projectpoints the way to local community activities and tostatutory and voluntary organisations, so that allolder people can find something which suits them.

This project aims to maintain and improve the health and well being of older people inCambridgeshire by:

n Informing people about and referring themto relevant activities and services.

n Helping people overcome barriers to makeuse of relevant activities and services.

n Identifying where more activities and servicesare needed and working with local people to provide these.

n Targeting people at risk of poor health andwell being.

Examples could include:

n A local friendship club, lunch club oractivity group.

n Modifications to homes or mobility aids.n Financial health check to maximise income.n Public and voluntary services.n Mobile warden schemes and a range of other

community groups.n A community car scheme for lifts to activities

and appointments.

The project can also offer help at home, supporting people through illness or witha one off tasks, such as:

n collecting a prescription;n collecting shopping;n changing a light bulb;n taking curtains down for a wash;n emptying contents of high cupboards;n clearing and area before repairs; andn arrange other services e.g. meals on wheels.

If what you require is not listed then pleaseask. If local people tell them that their communityneeds something extra, they will work with them totry to ensure that it happens.

The help arranged is given by volunteers, who offertheir time freely. All staff and volunteers are fullytrained by Care Network, Cambridgeshire and Police (CRB) checked. They carry an ID badge andto protect your safety will not visit unannounced.

We expect to help with short-term requests asa rule. Regular help may sometimes be offered,if there is no other help available, and we have avolunteer available. In those cases, we will try toarrange for the same volunteer to visit each time.

CommunityNavigators

If you live in the Cambridgeshire County Council area we wouldlike to make you aware of a service that is available in yourcommunity in times of need called Community Navigators.


NENE NEWS 19

Still got some questions? We’ve included answers to the mostfrequently asked questions below…

Can I or someone I know use theCommunity Navigator scheme?

Yes. They are ready and waiting and would loveto hear from you. Get in touch with your localNavigator Co-ordinator; you’ll find details at thebottom of this page.

Will I have to pay to use this service?

No. The service is completely FREE so pleasehelp us to spread the word about this excitingnew project.

Where can I find my local Navigator?

Local Navigators hold regular sessions in publicplaces such as the local library or church hall,or can arrange to meet you in your own home.

Can I help?

Yes. We are looking for Community Navigators allover Cambridgeshire, who like to chat, have funand meet others. Training and expenses will beprovided and we hope you will get real satisfactionfrom introducing people to activities and serviceswhich will make a real difference to their well-being.

Can my organisation or employer help?

Yes. If you already work with older people thenwe would like to ensure you have the best possibleknowledge of opportunities available to them.We can give you free training to widen yourknowledge and help you show that you gothe extra mile for your clients.

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

Contacting the Community Navigators in Cambridgeshire

Broadway House | 149-151 St Neots Road | Hardwick | CB23 7QJ

Email: [email protected] Tel: 01954 212 100


20 NENE NEWS

Recently we have received reportsfrom Cambridgeshire police aboutan increase in theft from sheds inresidential areas and on allotments.The cost of replacing the contentsif they were stolen can be fairlysubstantial. The police havededicated a page on their websiteto improving your shed security.Visit www.cambs-police.co.uk andselect ‘Advice’ from the navigationmenu on the left of the page,then scroll down the list until yousee ‘Shed Security’.

For extra security protect your possessions byregistering items on www.immobilise.com

Immobilise is a free database for registeringyour valuables’ with a unique serial number,which helps police to reunite stolen propertywith its rightful owners.

Secure the

windows in your

shed by screwing

them shut or

fitting window

locks…

TOP TIP

Looking for advice on savingenergy, carrying out a minorrepair or saving money?

Then why not visit theaccent group portal at:www.accentgroupportal.org


NENE NEWS 21

Mrs May Bagshaw who has lived at Joan WakeClose sheltered scheme in Market Deeping for20 years celebrated her 105th birthday on 3 May.

May arrived at a party organised at the scheme to a chorus of happy birthday sung by the residents.Mrs Bagshaw’s family also came along to share the occasion. A buffet was prepared by LindseyHenderson, who is also a Resident at the schemeand paid for from social club funds Mrs Bagshaw’sgranddaughter made a birthday cake and celebrationdrink to toast the happy event.

When May was asked how old she felt she replied‘70’ and she put this down to walking everywhereand drinking lots of cups of tea!

GOOD NEWS for residents wantingto keep fit at our sheltered schemein Nottingham. A regular exerciseclass is now being held at MiltonCourt, five days a week. Residentsagreed that the class has not onlymade them feel healthier but alsothey get together after the exerciseto have a chat.

It’s a very simple routine which lasts about20 minutes. On Monday, Tuesday andThursday the classes are held at 1.30pmand Wednesday and Friday at 12.30pm.There is no charge and residents can attend as often as they wish.

Keep fitclasses atMilton CourtNottinghamFive days a week!

105th birthday celebrationsat Joan Wake Close


22 NENE NEWS

ADULTS’ WORDSEARCH|The winner of the SpringWordsearch competition(solution opposite) is HayleyCooper from Oakham whowins a £20 voucher.

FIND THE RABBITS|The winner of the ‘Find therabbits’ competition was RianaMansfield from Wisbech whowins a£10 voucher.

REPAIRS PRIZE DRAW|Mr and Mrs Blackbourne fromSpalding received a £50 voucherfrom the quarterly repairs feedback form draw.

How many suns like

these have we hidden?

Find the Sunshine!Children’s CompetitionWe know it’s not been particularly sunny lately, but we thought we could at leastguarantee some sunshine in the pages of Nene News to brighten up your summer!

Can you find them all? Don’t forget to add the four on this page to your total.

To be in with a chance of winning a £10 gift voucher. Simply count allthe ‘suns’ hidden in this edition of Nene News and send your answer to:Children’s Competition, Freepost Accent Nene or email: [email protected]

The closing date for entries is 31st August 2013.


NENE NEWS 23

Tuna Pasta SaladServes 4

Ingredients250g pastaSalt and pepper100g button mushrooms, sliced1 green or red pepper, cored,seeded and chopped2 x 227g can tomatoes, drainedand chopped2 x 99g can tuna, drained andflaked4 teaspoons oil2 teaspoons lemon juiceGarlic saltChopped parsley to garnish

DirectionsCook the pasta in plenty ofboiling salt water until al dente(tender but still firm to bite).Drain and rinse thoroughlyunder cold running water.

Place the pasta in a servingbowl and add the mushrooms,green or red peppers, tomatoesand tuna.

Blend the oil with the lemonjuice, then add garlic salt andpepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the pasta andtoss well.

Garnish the salad with parsleybefore serving.

For thebest resultsprepare thesalad and store inyour fridge 24 hrs before you planto eat it


Be in with a chance of winning a £20 gift voucher. Simply find all the words listed belowand return your completed entries to: ‘Adult’s Wordsearch’, Freepost Accent Nene,or email: [email protected]. The closing date for entries is 31st August 2013.

Channel your thoughts!

D R W O O H A C Y E L A D R E M M E

T B O N X B G B E R M W Z B A A C T

N R L E Y T I C Y B L O H L S N O H

E I B S C T B R O T H H S A T T R E

L T Y H I H E R A N D S K K E I O W

A A C O I E D E E L A D E E N Q N I

T E C I N O G N I C N A D S D U A R

T N I E M N K F G Y E O L E E E I E

O G T M M E A S T E N R E R R S T N

G O Y E R S C O R O N S A V S R I M

S T D A L H H O L B A E D E K O O L

N N O E D O T I C Y T U D R U H O W

I O R H W W Y B I G I Q A N X A N W

A T R O W X S O R B O I J A Z D S Z

T A T E E R T S N O I T A N O R O C

I L E N T V D X H I N N P L A S T D

R O N E S H O W F I S A V L M H R T

B I G B R O T H E R T R E E T W E E

Name: Tel:

Address: Post code:

Can you find these words:Coronation Street // The One Show // Dancing On Ice // Big Brother // EastendersAntiques Roadshow // Emmerdale // Britain’s Got Talent // Dr Who // Holby City


Nene news July 2013

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Transcript of Nene news July 2013