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THE MAGAZINE FOR FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING TENANTS
STREETS AHEAD
DEVELOPING HOMES AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
FOR PEOPLE WITHIN WEST NORFOLK
APRIL 2015
CELEBRATING OUR FIRST BIRTHDAY WORKING TOGETHER SEE PAGE 12
The Stroke Association got in touch as many people found the subject of energy confusing and were unaware of discounts and benefi ts on offer from both energy providers and the government.
Energy Advisor, Chloe Schroeter went along and guided over 35 members of the community on all aspects of energy in the home. Questions were wide ranging and included information on night storage heaters and light bulbs, through to understanding energy bills and solar panels.
Colin Davison, Director of Property at Freebridge Community Housing said: “We know that people can fi nd the best way to use energy in their homes challenging, which is why we employed Chloe as our Energy Advisor. We are always happy to support our tenants with questions they have, and to provide them with
We recently visited the Stroke Association Support Group in Downham Market, so that we could help residents understand energy effi ciency and fi nd out about funds that may be available to help with energy costs.
information on discounts that could be available. It was a great opportunity to be invited to talk to the Stroke Association and we would welcome the opportunity to talk to any tenants that would like guidance from us.”
Gemma Smith, Communication Support Coordinator for the Stroke Association continued: “Like so many people, lots of our users and volunteers fi nd energy very confusing. By
having Chloe visit our group and give us such user friendly, clear and wide ranging advice, I know that people went away feeling more aware of the options available to them. She was a very popular speaker and I am sure we will be inviting her to come along again!”
Chloe, our Energy Advisor
is happy to help any of our
tenants. For more information
please contact 03332 404444.
WELCOME TO THE APRIL EDITION OF STREETS AHEAD. Spring has defi nitely arrived and it’s lovely
to have the longer evenings and lighter
mornings. In this issue we have features on
our green Passivhaus homes, information on
your rent in 2015 and an exciting opportunity to
volunteer with Festival Too!
If you have any ideas or things that you
would like to see in Streets Ahead please
let us know. You can get in touch with our
Communications and Engagement Team
on 03332 404444 or email us:
WELCOMEPG 2 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 3
ENERGY ADVICE IN DOWNHAM MARKET
Don't forget that next time you visit us at Juniper House, we have
free Wi-Fi. We also have an internet kiosk that will give you online
access to many government and public services sites, which we're
sure you'll fi nd useful.
And if you're in the Hillington Square area there's also free Wi-Fi at the
Olive Branch Café as well! Go along and treat yourself to some lunch
or a coffee and a slice of cake while you're there.
FREEBRIDGE ONLINEAt a recent Tenant Panel
meeting, the Panel suggested
that we promote the Secure
Tenant Area on our website.
From this part of the website
you can pay your rent, you can
view and print your current rent
statement and you can report
a repair.
If you’ve not used this service
before you’ll need to register
with us, and we’ll then supply
you with a password so that you
can access yo ur details.
Don’t forget, as well as our
website - which you can find at
www.freebridge.org.uk - you
can also find us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/freebridge
and twitter at www.twitter.com/
freebridge.
TALK TO US ON THE INTERNETWe are always keen to try new ways for you to contact us. When you mentioned that you’d like to be able to ‘Web Chat’ us, we put it in place!
If you’re not sure what it’s all about, Web Chat
is a way of contacting us on the internet, where
you can send us messages, that we will be able
to reply to in real time. It works in the same
way as a telephone call, except you type the
conversation instead of talking!
This new service started in March and we look
forward to hearing what you think of this quick
and simple way to get in touch with us.
To register for this service, or to fi nd out more,
please get in touch with our First Contact
Centre Team on 03332 404444
Gemma Smith, Chloe Schroeter, tenants and volunteers
PG 4 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 5
Tenants who bid for the houses, needed to be ‘green pioneers’ and keen to embrace the new technologies that the revolutionary homes use. Nathan Godfrey and his partner Kirsty Bullock, and Amy Asker were extremely pleased to learn that their applications had been successful.
Passivhaus homes are built to be as energy effi cient as possible with good levels of insulation, a clever design that uses the sun to help with heating, excellent levels of airtightness to stop drafts and strong ventilation to help manage the internal air quality.
Amy Asker told us: “When I saw the Passivhaus home advertised I spent a lot of time looking in to how they work.
I have always been careful at
home, turning lights off and not
leaving taps running. As being
energy effi cient is very important
to me, these homes looked like
the perfect next step. People
from Freebridge came along to
talk to me about my application
and they were really surprised
to see that I had a folder full
of information on Passivhaus
homes already. I am so pleased
to have moved into my brand
new house and I am actually
looking forward to getting my
fi rst energy bill!”
Colin Davison, Director of
Property went on to say:
“We are committed to
embracing different methods
of construction and offering
the best solutions for effi cient
homes for all of our customers.
Developing the Passivhaus
homes has been a great project,
and it is really nice to know that
we are able to build specialist
homes where we can. Working
in partnership with the tenants,
we will be collecting data on
the houses, which we will
continually assess to see how
energy effi cient they are. We
also continue to concentrate
on making sure that the other
properties we manage are as
effi cient and comfortable as
possible. Our dedicated team
will work with any customers
that would like our help or advice
with their energy usage.”
We will let you know how Amy,
Nathan and Kirsty are getting on
later in the year.
TENANTS MOVE INTO THEIR NEW ‘GREEN’ HOMES In recent issues, we’ve been keeping you updated on two brand new homes we’re
building in Clenchwarton. Before Christmas we were really pleased to handover the
keys to the lucky tenants, and they moved into their cutting-edge energy effi cient
Passivhaus homes.
Amy Asker in her Passivhaus Home Passivhaus homes in Clenchwarton
At the beginning of March we sent you a letter telling you what your new weekly rent will
be from 20 April 2015.
YOUR RENT IN 2015Our rents are set by taking into account infl ation fi gures and Government–set target rent levels for the type and location of the property you live in. Service charges are calculated separately and your rent does not include payments towards your TV licence.
So what does this mean to you?
If you receive Housing Benefi t:
• We will notify the Borough
Council of the change
If you pay your rent by Direct
Debit:
• We will change your payments
automatically to your new rent.
If you do not receive Housing
Benefi t:
• You will need to continue to
pay your rent and supporting
charges.
To talk to us about any of this
please speak to an Income
Advisor on 03332 404444
• You do not need to contact
the Borough Council about
this change
• Your Housing Benefi t will
automatically be recalculated
and the Borough Council will
notify you of any changes to
your payments.
If you pay your rent by
Standing Order:
• You will need to contact your
bank immediately to change
the payment amount.
PG 6 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 7
FESTIVAL TOO COMING FOR YOU!
Festival Too are giving us the chance to offer an amazing experience to some of our lucky tenants
who will be able to volunteer as part of the ‘crew’ for the event. The dates are:
• Saturday 27 June • Friday 3 July • Saturday 4 July • Friday 10 July • Saturday 11 July
You could be doing anything from working
alongside the security marshals to moving
the barriers when the music acts have fi nished
each evening. This is a fantastic opportunity for
you to be a part of the largest free music event
in our area.
To fi nd out more please contact the
Communications and Engagement
team on 03332 404444 or email
We are supporting Festival Too this year, one of Europe’s largest free festivals and
we are giving you the opportunity to be a part of it!
Representatives of the three charities were invited to a special lunch where they were each given a cheque for £833. They also met with some of the employees who had supported and organised the fundraising activities.
Tony Hall, our Chief Executive said: “Each year our employees come up with new and exciting ways to raise money for our chosen charities and 2014 has been no exception.
“We have baked, donated raffl e prizes and even taken part in the Ice Bucket Challenge! Having the opportunity to meet representatives from the charities and listening to their plans is always really interesting and fi ts so well with our vision of ‘A Better West Norfolk.’ I am looking forward to see what fundraising
Every year our employees vote for three charities that they will support through various
fundraising activities. In 2014 King’s Lynn Foodbank, the Macmillan Cancer Information
and Support Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and East Anglian Air Ambulance were
chosen, and we raised a record £2,500.
confi dent that their donation will make a big difference to the lives of people in our area.”
Our employees have already voted for our chosen charities in 2015 and they are making plans for the best ways to raise money for East Anglian Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and King’s Lynn Samaritans in the coming year.
activities our great staff team will come up with in 2015!”
Kevan Crane, Chair of King’s Lynn Foodbank went on to say: ‘It’s really important to us that we have close relationships with local groups and organisations. Their help allows us to do what we set out to achieve - providing emergency food for local people in crisis. We would like to thank Freebridge for choosing to support us in 2014. We are
CHOSEN CHARITIES JOIN US FOR LUNCH
Freebridge employees with representatives of the
chosen charities
We were recently invited to the West Norfolk Befriending Annual New Year Get Together,
and one of our tenants, Mrs Margaret Skoyles from Neville Court in Heacham was also
asked to come along.
None of us knew who else had been asked to go as the guest of honour until Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Phillip arrived! Matt Barber, Head of Customer Services was sitting on the same table as Mrs Skoyles and was able to enjoy a shared conversation about her experiences as a Freebridge tenant with the Duke of Edinburgh.
Mrs Skoyles told us: “I had no idea that I was going to meet the Queen and Prince Phillip. I certainly never dreamed that I could be sitting at a table with them having a conversation. It was a delightful afternoon and one that I will always remember. I was so pleased when Freebridge gave me some framed photographs of the day,
as it means that I can show them to all of my friends and family who were not as lucky as me in receiving an invite!”
West Norfolk Befriending is a registered charity established
FREEBRIDGE TENANTS BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT!
to help alleviate social isolation in older people living in West Norfolk. To fi nd out more about their work please visit www.wnbefriending.org.uk/ or telephone 01553 763500.
Margaret Skoyles (white fl oral dress) with guests at Befriending lunch
Margaret Skoyles in conversation with guests
Resident Fran Evans (centre) with Support Adviser Eleanor Smith (left) and
Support Team Manager Carole Chubbock.
Tenants living in one of
our Sheltered Schemes
organised a fantastic event
to celebrate their brand new
kitchen at Grove Gardens.
After talking to tenants who live on the scheme, we found that there were some changes we could make that would make life for our residents even better and safer. We remodelled the kitchen making it easier to use, with new units and white goods. It looks spick and span!
To celebrate, tenants at Grove Gardens invited employees who had worked closely on the remodel to a lunch, declaring the kitchen offi cially open!
Irene Ventham a tenant at Grove Gardens said to us: “When we found out that Freebridge were
The Support Team is a
dedicated group of people
who look after tenants
who live in our Sheltered
Accommodation.
Sheltered Accommodation is a special service we offer. It gives people a combination of independent living, with the peace of mind to know that there are a range of support services offered if and when they are needed. We have 17 schemes throughout west Norfolk – 563 homes in total!
The help that the Support Team can offer includes:
• Providing daily calls or visits
• Arranging help from support services like doctors or opticians
• Help and advice to fi ll in forms for Attendance Allowance or Housing Benefi t
going to do the work to the
kitchen we were so pleased.
The new kitchen is lovely and
having everyone get together to
celebrate made it a very special
afternoon. We cannot wait for
opportunities to use it now!”
Robert Clarke Director of
Housing told us: “It’s really
important to us that people’s
homes are the best they can
be. After talking to tenants we
realised that if we made changes
to the kitchen we’d make a big
difference to the lives of people
at Grove Gardens and make it
an even safer place to be. A big
thank you to the tenants who
organised lunch and for all their
patience while the work was
being carried out. We know that
you’ll enjoy your kitchen for
many years to come.”
• Help to deal with repairs
• Helping customers to keep in contact with the wider community
One of the joys of living in the Sheltered Schemes is that there are always activities to enjoy. These can include anything from gardening competitions, to
fi sh and chip lunches or building Nativity scenes! One of the team is our Activities Coordinator who will make sure that you are always kept up to date with what’s happening on your doorstep.
To fi nd out more please contact
the Support Team on
03332 404444.
NEW KITCHEN FOR GROVE GARDENS
MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM
PG 8 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 9
Irene Ventham
Who can take part?
• Unemployed people
• You must be eligible to work in the UK
• If you are 19 years or older
• Part time but working less than 16 hours
What can be provided?
• Practical help to get back into education / work
• Self esteem and confi dence building for a more positive future
We’ve recently been contacted by an organisation called Open Road who want us to
share the details with you about a new programme they’re running.
Open Road has been successful in gaining funding from the European Social Fund to provide a programme for those who are unemployed and seeking to return to education or employment.
• Support in writing a C.V.,
covering letters and job
applications
• Interview techniques
• Work experience /
volunteer opportunities
What you could gain from
the programme?
• Opportunities to meet and mix
with others with similar interests
• Hands on experience in a
state of the art workshop
• Vocational qualifi cations in the
motor industry
• Volunteering opportunities for
those wanting to do more
To sign up for this fantastic
opportunity please contact
Mandy on 01553 776600
or email [email protected] who
will be happy to help you.
OPEN ROAD EXTRA
Tenant Mr Hammond With Activities Support Advisor
Sheena Watson
PG 10 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 11
In 2014 our vision of a Better West Norfolk was brilliantly supported as we had 130 members of the Freebridge team involved on eight separate days and we visited 1141 homes! We visited all over our area and got to carry our 125 repairs on the spot! In 2015 we’ll visit:
We look forward to seeing you in 2015 and will get in touch with you closer to the time that we visit
your area.
24/04/2015 North Lynn
21/05/2015 Gayton, Grimston, Massingham, Roydon and Congham
24/06/2015 Watlington, St Germans, Wiggenhall, Marshland St James
31/07/2015 Fairstead
26/08/2015 Southery, Methwold, Feltwell, Hockwold and Northwold
25/09/2015 North Wotton, Dersingham, Snettisham, Ingoldisthorpe
27/10/2015 North & South Creake, Docking & Burnham, Brancaster
04/12/2015 Hillington Square
WE’RE OUT AND ABOUT
l h i h i i
Kate Austin and Matt Barber
Out and About
It’s really important to us that
we give the best customer
service we can when you
contact us. To help with this
we are part of a ‘mystery
shopping’ group of Housing
Associations who contact each
other in secret by:
• Phone
• Letter
• On the website
After looking at the responses,
we're really pleased to learn
that we came out top with an
overall score of 87%!
Here are some of the
comments we got:
Thank you to everyone that took part. If you would like to talk
to us about our service please get in touch on 03332 404444 or
email [email protected]
MYSTERY SHOPPING
Employees were 'mystery shopped'Gave excellent info
about tenancy
advisor, duty of care,
environmental health.
Contact at Freebridge answered my query very well
and gave me factual information
Very positive response
from the housing offi cer
- told me exactly how
the process of dealing
with noisy neighbours
would proceed.
Every year we visit as many homes as we can on our out and about programme.
2015 will be no exception!
Our mission is to develop homes and create opportunities for people in west Norfolk
and we are doing just that with two new homes that are being built at Waterside,
King’s Lynn.
New homes at Waterside
For the fi rst time, we’re building the two new homes ourselves using our own team, with support from some of the contractors that we normally work in partnership with.
The brand new semi-detached houses have a kitchen/diner, living room and downstairs toilet, with two
double bedrooms and a family bathroom upstairs. They also both have gardens.
Sean Kent, Deputy Chief Executive said: "As an organisation, providing good quality homes and ensuring value for money are extremely important to us. We are always looking for new ways
of making improvements and
by using our own team to build
these homes we have made
effi ciencies on the project. It has
also been a great opportunity
to let our own employees get
involved with a project from
every angle including the build
and project management. We
are happy to have welcomed the
new tenants to their homes.”
WATERSIDE HOMES
CELEBRATING OUR FIRST BIRTHDAY WORKING TOGETHERWe’ve been keeping you up to date with Providence Street Community Centre since
we bought the building in 2014. In January we joined our user groups to celebrate
our fi rst anniversary working together.
User Groups and employees celebrate at Providence Street Community Centre Jack and Jill Nursery with the Providence Street Community Centre team
PG 12 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 13
All of the user groups were
invited to a lunch time event so
they could share their memories
of the building with us. Some of
the groups have been using the
community centre for over 30
years; with others having joined
in recent months.
Robert Clarke, Director of
Housing at Freebridge said:
“So much has happened in the
last year, so it was good for
everyone to be able to come
together and celebrate our
fi rst joint birthday. The range
of users and businesses that
have either continued to use,
Nursery Manager for Jack and Jill Nursery told us: “We have been based at Providence Street for over 30 years and lots of the children who came to us themselves now bring their own children along! The building is in a great location and to see the work that Freebridge have done to improve it throughout the year has been great. We love being based here and have even been
able to expand so that we can
care for more children.”
The community centre
is available to hire for
celebrations, sports activities
or events, if you’d like to know
more please contact the team
on 01553 667777 or email
or moved into the building
shows the commitment
from the local community in
supporting Providence Street
Community Centre in the heart
of King’s Lynn. We want to thank
everyone, old and new, for being
a part of this fantastic resource.”
One of the groups who have
used the centre longest is Jack
and Jill Nursery. Lucy Masters,
People celebrating the fi rst birthday
PG 14 FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15
HOW WE PERFORMED
FREEBRIDGE COMMUNITY HOUSING • STREETS AHEAD • APR '15 PG 15
the annual target is presently being exceeded
performance is matching or close to the annual target
the annual target is presently not being met
Key to ratings
BETWEEN
OCTOBER 2014
AND
DECEMBER
2014
Emergency
repairs dealt with
within target time
(24 hours) – all
contractors
Number of
tenants evicted
for other
reasons 1
Routine repairs
dealt with within
target time
(1 month) – all
contractors
Average re-let time
for empty properties
- ‘net’ fi gure including
allowance for Major
Repairs
Urgent repairs
dealt with within
target time
(1 week) – all
contractors
Rent arrears of
current tenants
(excluding Housing,
Benefi t Arrears) as a
percentage of the total
rent due for the
year
100%
99.33%12 days
99.72%
2.00%
Number of
tenants evicted
for non-payment
of rent 1
“… We attended the opening of Millfl eet Court on behalf of Miss Green. We felt your staff were so dedicated to the task that day. They showed us around with enthusiasm and constant smiles. May is naturally proud of her mother and the honour Freebridge Community Housing has shown naming a road in her mother’s memory.”
Mr T on behalf of Miss Green
"...Mandy was extremely helpful polite and courteous throughout the whole process. She was extremely understanding to our needs and any concerns that we had and made the whole process a lot easier for us. Special praise and thanks must also go out to her for sorting out any adaptations and concerns my disabled son had."
Mrs P in Methwold
If you’ve got a question to ask or a comment to make, then drop us a line at: Streets Ahead, Freebridge Community Housing, Juniper House, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1DZ or email us at [email protected], log on to your Facebook account and search for Freebridge or tweet us @freebridge.
LETTERS
Last year was the fi rst time we entered and came 55th, and this year we were 62nd, we are honoured to feature anywhere on the Top 100 list.
Through the Best Companies process, our employees shared their thoughts on the organisation through a confi dential survey and questionnaire.
Tony Hall, Chief Executive said: “I am so pleased to learn that we have, once again, made the Best Not-For-Profi t Organisations to Work For list for the second year in a row.
“Our placing on the list is very much down to our employees. I would like to thank them for their ongoing support and all that they are doing to meet the needs of our customers, which is our most
We have made it onto the ‘Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profi t Organisations to
Work For’ list for a second year!
of employees in 2015.”
We will use the feedback from the Best Companies process to improve employee satisfaction and ultimately the service that you - our customer, receives.
BEST COMPANIES
Freebridge team celebrate their position
important business priority.”
“It is great to have one of the best companies to work for here in West Norfolk as it supports our vision of A Better West Norfolk. I look forward to working with our fantastic team
DEVELOPING HOMES AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
FOR PEOPLE WITHIN WEST NORFOLK
WRITE TO: Juniper House, Austin Street, King’s Lynn,
Norfolk PE30 1DZ
TELEPHONE: 03332 404 444
Out of offi ce hours our main number diverts to our 24 hour
emergency service.
EMAIL: [email protected]
VISIT US AT: Juniper House, Austin Street, King’s Lynn,
Norfolk PE30 1DZ
We're open between
8:45am - 5.15pm (Monday-Thursday),
8:45am - 4.45pm (Friday).
And closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
WEBSITE: www.freebridge.org.uk
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/freebridge
TWITTER: @freebridge
The views expressed in this publication are those of contributors, and not necessarily those of Freebridge Community Housing.
This entire publication is under copyright, and is not to be duplicated or reproduced in any way without permission.
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