TenanTs’ Voice

Cornwall Housing Tenants Newsletter

WINTER 2016

Send all correspondence to: Hazel Tearne (newsletter editor) 1 Oaklands Green, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 4EZ

email: hazeltearne@gmail.com

A group of tech savvy Cornwall Housing tenants have formed a volunteer Digital Champions team to help other Cornwall Housing tenants to take advantage of the opportunities the internet offers. With many local authority and Government services and benefits going online it has become increasingly important that people are able to use the internet. Our Digital Champions are themselves tenants. Their aim is to go out into the community and offer their knowledge and experience. They can coach, often on a one to one basis, basic

computer and internet skills, enabling tenants, many of whom are over the age of 60, an opportunity to gain the digital skills so vital to life in the 21st Century. The Digital Champions are split into two teams of volunteers, covering east and west Cornwall. They have their own IT equipment, enabling them to help people who currently have no access to the internet at all. The Digital Champions have also received training from Cornwall Council’s IT team to be able to train others to use computers and the internet.

They plan to organise monthly events for tenants living in different areas across Cornwall, and will also join Cornwall Housing’s tenant engagement officers at organised events. If you are interested in getting support with internet skills you should initially contact Julia Walsh, Consultation Officer, on 0300 123 4161. See page 3 for a story on how one particular tenant has been helped by the Champions.

MEET OUR DIGITAL CHAMPIONS

THROUGH MY WINDOW

Hello people, this is me doing my bit. First a health check: I have to report I am feeling a lot better now I have lowered my steroid intake. I reckon I could soon be fit.

I guess the weather is still uncertain. The cats are out to play today but if it is wet in the morning the noses go out and they come back in pretty rapidly. That reminds me of the little man and woman who live in a little house and they take it in turns staying in or going out depending on the weather. It’s been a long time since I have seen one of those.

We are lucky enough to have several little girls living near to us and they are so bright and cheerful and ride around on bikes and actually talk to us - it certainly cheers up a grey day.

A lot of the plants are trying to ignore the occasional cold snap and, like the grass, insist on keeping growing My freesias usually remain bright and cheerful until the weather insists enough is enough and they turn into just stalks. People have decided it is chilly enough to have coats buttoned and furry hats on. Oh well, now we look forward to Christmas but can we afford it?

Don’t forget - the cold just means another jumper. Look out for each other.

Best wishes Pat Jago

HAVE YOU GOT A SMART METER

YET?

Here’s one tenant’s story...

When I had a notification through the letter box that my gas and electric supplier was in the area fitting smart meters I thought “Great!”, then I thought “What about the mess?" then “Will I need planning permission from Cornwall Housing?” My worries were needless. We do not need permission to fit the meters and as I found out when I called about an appointment the actual work takes just over half an hour for one meter and just over an hour for two. The fitters clean up as they go - perfect! So the first step is to call your supplier, ask for their information on smart meters and ask if they are in your area. They’ll ask a couple of questions about where the meters are and your status. For example, I am a widow, so that information could lower my tariff. You may be able to make the appointment there and then. The next step - wait for your meter to be fitted. It is as simple as that and it puts you in control of what you spend on gas and electricity. Good luck. Rita Taylor

£25.00

PRIZE DRAW

COMPETITION

The answer to the Competition Question in the last issue was

Liskeard and the first drawn correct answer was from

Mrs Ruth Dymond of Newquay

Congratulations, Mrs Dymond, your cheque for £25 is on its way. The question this time is:

Who are the new Chair and Vice-Chair of the Tenants

Forum? Send your answer on a postcard or by email to the editor at the address on the front page to be in with a chance of the prize. Don’t forget to include your name and address.

As you will have read on page 1, the Digital Champions are now up and running. We have now held several DC events across the county. As an example of all the good we are doing, here is one story as told by the team leader for the mid and west of Cornwall, Richard McCarthy. “During a conversation with one of my neighbours, Antony Stephens, when testing the waters about holding a Digital Champion event at Daubuz Court in Truro, he told me that because of his health problems he was unable to use his laptop and needed some help. Mr Stephens has increasingly severe physical disabilities and is also losing his sight, so he was struggling to see his laptop screen properly. Because of his health problems he would like to move into more suitable accommodation, but to do this he needed to use his laptop to get online and log onto the Home Choice web site to see what was on offer. So I sat down with him and we went to work on making his lap top more user friendly,

accessible and tailored to his needs. First of all we made his icons bigger, then we changed his mouse settings giving the pointer a tail, which made it easier for him to track the arrows movement across the screen. Next we changed the font sizes making the letters on all his documents larger, which made it so much easier for him to read. Once we had all the changes in place we settled down with a cup of tea to fill in his Home Choice forms. After our digital one to one, and the changes we made, my neighbour has gained so much more confidence in using his laptop and the internet.” This is just one example of what the Digital Champions have achieved in just the short time we have been around. We are out and about most weeks now, so if you would like to have some tuition on any aspect of the world of computing, including use of a tablet or a smart phone to access the internet, either as an individual or for a local residents or neighbourhood group, contact Julia Walsh, Cornwall Housing Consultation Officer, on 0300 1234 161.

DIGITAL CHAMPIONS

A SUCCESS STORY

The Tenants Voice is written and produced by the tenants of Cornwall Housing Limited. If you have any comments to make or stories to tell us, please write to the Editor at the address on the front page. We look forward to hearing from you and receiving your suggestions. This edition has been paid for with funds raised by members of Cornwall Housing Tenants Forum. If you are interested in the Forum or in helping our fundraising please contact the editor at the address on page 1.

TENANTS

FORUM

Annual General

Meeting

The Tenants Forum held their Annual General Meeting in Bodmin on November 14th. The officers looked back on all the ways in which the Forum had been involved with the Housing Service, from monitoring repairs to influencing the policy on anti-social behaviour. Martin Emery, who stepped down from his position as Forum Chair in October to become Chair of Cornwall Housing’s Board, was thanked for all the work he had done for and with the Forum.

The Forum held a ballot to elect a new Chair and Vice-Chair (pictured below). Di Brittain and June Chappel will be finance officers, and Rita Taylor is the company secretary.

Steve Hunt - Forum Chair

John Harris - Vice Chair

CENTRAL

HEATING OR HOT

WATER NOT

WORKING?

Before you call repairs,

try this troubleshooting

checklist:

Check the gas, oil, electrical and water supplies to the appliance are turned on and that you have credit on the relevant meters.

Check the thermostat is turned

up and the timer is on. Try putting the room stat to maximum - does the heating come on?

Some boilers have a pressure

gauge showing system water pressure; this usually needs to be around 1 bar. If it’s lower and the boiler isn’t working contact repairs.

Does your appliance have a

permanent pilot light? Check that it hasn’t gone out.

Have the clocks gone forward

or back? Your timer may need adjusting to the correct time.

Has there been a power cut

recently? This could reset both the timer and boiler to factory settings.

Does your boiler have a

customer-operated reset button (one that can be operated without removing any casing)? Check your user manual to see if it needs resetting.

Try turning the electric supply

to the boiler off and on. Are other gas appliances

affected? If you have checked all of these and your heating/hot water still isn’t working, call repairs on 0300 1234 161

JOIN THE FORUM!

HAVE YOUR SAY

AND HELP SHAPE

CORNWALL

HOUSING POLICY.

Cornwall Housing Tenants Forum is one of the many ways you, as a tenant, can get involved in helping to shape policy and monitor the performance of Cornwall Housingt Limited. If you are interested and have a little time to spare, you can get more information and advice from the Tenant Engagement Team on 0300 1234 161.

They can, of course, also explain all the other ways you can become involved with the housing service and giving your opinions, from answering occasional mobile phone surveys to serving on the Board.

OVER THE FENCE by John Harris

Bert is determined to win the garden competition this year. I know

he’s said it before, but this time I really think he means it!