Winter 2016 THE LATEST NEWS FROM CHP GET READY FOR WIN A FITBIT! (see page 5) PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Get going in the garden FUN CHRISTMAS CRAFT

Transcription

1 YOURhome Winter 2016 TE LATEST NEWS FROM CP GET READY FOR winter WIN A FITBIT! (see page 5) POTOGRAPY COMPETITION Get going in the garden FUN CRISTMAS CRAFT

2 Contact us Festive greetings CONTACT US Phone: (a cas charged at oca rate) Press option one for heating breakdown / gas servicing; Press option two for repairs; Press option three to make a rent or easehod payment using our automated Apay system; Press option four for our customer services team. Emai: enquiries@chp.org.uk Text reay: Write to: Myriad ouse, 33 Springfied Lyons Approach, Chemsford, CM2 5LB We can visit you in your own home if you need us to. Simpy ca our customer services team and make an appointment. In this issue... STAY SECURE IN WINTER 4 10 GET GOING IN TE GARDEN Pease contact us if you woud ike a copy of this document in arge print, on CD or in another anguage. 8 A CRISTMAS CRAFT FOR ALL GET INVOLVED AND INFLUENCE Proszę się z nami skontaktować, żeby otrzymać ten dokument w wersji dużym drukiem, na płycie CD ub w innym języku. (Poish) 倘若您需要本擋以大字體 音頻格式 (CD) 或另外一種語言提供 請聯絡我們 (Cantonese) Bu begeyi büyük boyutu baskı oarak, CD ortamında veya başka bir dide edinmek istiyorsanız ütfen bizime irtibata geçin. (Turkish) Kreipkitės į mus, jei norėtumėte gauti šio dokumento kopiją stambiu šriftu, jo garso įrašą kompaktiniame diske arba jei norėtumėte jį gauti kita kaba. (Lithuanian) (Bengai) 16 WAT DO YOU GET WEN YOU CROSS A SNOWMAN WIT A VAMPIRE? FROSTBITE! CAIR S Christmas message I d ike to take this opportunity to wish a of our residents throughout Essex a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Throughout the course of the ast year I have met many residents and I d ike to thank a of you who have become invoved in the work at CP, especiay the CP Residents Voice and Resident Scrutiny Pane who spend an enormous amount of time working for us the residents. The forthcoming year wi certainy bring many chaenges foowing changes to the socia housing sector, such as Universa Credit, wefare reform and the vountary Pay to Stay and Right to Buy poicies. You can be assured though that whatever chaenges occur, the Board of Trustees and the management at CP wi endeavour to ensure that you maintain a good quaity of ife in a decent home. Aso, don t forget that you are part of the company s future. A simpe teephone ca wi see you put through to the appropriate empoyee who wi be more than happy to advise you on the many and various ways for you to become invoved. I strongy urge you get invoved as you can make a rea difference. Once again I have been impressed with how many residents have improved their ife skis by taking part in education, skis and training sessions hed at the Parkside Community ub. The ub is a fantastic faciity which reguary heps residents improve their skis or heps them prepare for empoyment. If you woud ike to improve your skis or earn something new then simpy visit them, og on to the CP website or ca our customer services team to find out more. As aways I m sure that you, the residents, woud join me in thanking a the empoyees at CP who work on our behaf to make sure we maintain a good quaity of ife in a decent home. And finay as 2016 draws to a cose I d ike to wish you a a very Merry Christmas and a very APPY NEW YEAR! Ursua eeis, Chair Festive OPENING TIMES During the festive period our offices wi be cosed from 3:00pm on Friday 23rd December 2016 and wi reopen at 9:00am on Tuesday 3rd January The emergency repairs service wi sti be avaiabe 24-hours a day during the festive period. Emergency repairs are those which pose a danger to you or your home, such as eectrics or water eaks. We wi charge you if you misuse this service. We d aso urge you to make sure that you have home contents insurance. WIN A FITBIT! Simpy find the six reindeer icons in this magazine. See page 5 for more detais. 2 WINTER 2016 WINTER

3 Winter tips Winter tips STAY SECURE... in winter Christmas is a time for visiting friends and famiy so if you're going away over the festive season whether it's one day to one week then here are a few hepfu tips to make sure your home is safe and secure. Don t eave your home ooking unoccupied If you re going away make sure that you eave your curtains and binds open (as curtains drawn during the day makes your home ook unoccupied) and that a eectrica items are switched off (except the necessary ones of course such as your freezer). Don t eave vauabes in pain sight It probaby goes without saying but don t eave your vauabe items in pain sight or where they can be seen through a window. 4 WINTER 2016 Get your boier checked No one wants to be without heating over winter so if you're a easehoder make sure you get your boier checked and serviced before the cod weather comes caing. If you re a tenant make sure you aow our gas engineers access to service your appiances. Get covered Make sure your insurance poicy covers you adequatey for any winter reated damage. You may need to contact your insurance company to see if you re covered for accidenta and/or storm damage as most home cover poicies won t incude this as standard you may need to add it on. We work with Crysta Insurance to provide home insurance at reasonabe rates. Contact them on , or emai crysta@thisteinsurance.co.uk. For more information about insurance pease visit To quote the popuar TV programme Game of Thrones, Winter is coming, which is why we re supporting Stay We for Winter a campaign run by NS Engand and Pubic eath Engand. To prepare for the coder weather there are a number of things you can do to hep yoursef stay fit and heathy. Fee ike you re getting a cough or cod? Then get advice from your oca pharmacist about the best remedy before it gets any worse (they can aso advise you about any medicines you shoud have in stock during the winter period); If you re prescribed medication make sure you ve enough to cover you over the festive period (many GP s and pharmacies cose over the hoidays); Keep warm! Try and heat your home to at east 18 C (65 F) or warmer if you prefer; Get a fu jab, these are free for pregnant women, peope with ong-term heath conditions and chidren (a nasa spray is used for those aged under five). If you need hep over winter and your GP surgery or pharmacy is cosed then ca the NS on 111 or visit WIN A FITBIT Competition time! Find the six reindeer icons hidden throughout the magazine (the one on this page isn't one of them) and you coud win a Fitbit. Simpy emai communications@chp.org.uk, contact us on socia media or post your answers to our Myriad ouse address (see contact us section on page 2) by Monday 23rd January 2017 to be in with a chance to win! Terms and conditions: To be eigibe to enter you must not owe us any money or have any antisocia behaviour compaints against your tenancy. WY ARE CRISTMAS TREES LIKE BAD KNITTERS? TEY KEEP LOSING TEIR NEEDLES! WINTER

4 Community news Community news Tripping TE LIGT FANTASTIC If you see yoursef as a Ginger Rogers or Fred Astaire then come aong to a dance and movement cass. Organised by the Dance Network Association, the casses which take pace every Thursday are hed in three of our Chemsford shetered schemes: Carstone Pace, Nickeby Road, CM1 4YT (from 9:30am 10:30am); Coates Lodge, Chemer Viage, CM2 6SL (from 11:00am 12:30pm); ateys, Barcay Cose, CM2 7QU (from 1:30pm 3:00pm). Open to anyone over the age of 50, the casses are suitabe for a, so if you re interested visit or ca Emma Meek Dance Network Association cass teacher on It s never too ate to make new friends... Whie the festive period is a joy for many, for some it can be a time of oneiness and isoation. If you, or someone you know, woud benefit from a weeky phone ca from a oca vounteer with a friendy voice and a istening ear then contact Jane Lomas, Age UK Essex Teephone Befriending co-ordinator, on Free Teephone Befriending Service for CP residents We ve been working with Essex Poice and other organisations to highight how scammers are targeting peope by post (and in some cases teephone) as part of the Think Jessica campaign. Think JESSICA! Scammers work from ists to identify vunerabe peope, which can see them receive over 100 etters a day and numerous phone cas. Working with Trading Standards, The Nationa Scams Team which has been set up to tacke the scourge of scammers estimates that unsuspecting victims are being duped to the tune of 10 biion a year by posta scams aone. Remember scammers wi use every trick in the book such as: You have won a ottery, sweepstake or competition but you have to send money; Money you have won is being hed in a hoding company but you have to send money; Somebody has eft you an inheritance but you have to send money; A cairvoyant can stop bad uck or direct good uck towards you but you have to send money; There is a secret dea which wi make you rich but you have to send money. DON'T BE DUPED. IT'S A SCAM! To find out more about Think Jessica, pease visit 6 WINTER 2016 WINTER

5 obbies and crafts Competition This is a cassic Christmas craft which is not ony easy to make but they sme ovey too. ORANGE AND CLOVE pomanders 8 WINTER 2016 For this simpe craft you need coves, an orange (or oranges), a toothpick and a tea ight(s). These are idea to pop on the window or in a bow to create a Christmas dinner centrepiece you can even pace them around your house as natura air fresheners. As the orange and coves dry out they become even more fragrant. 1 Take your firm orange(s) they need to be firm as if they re squishy or soft it s harder to poke the coves in and pace your coves in a bow; 2 Take your toothpick and poke a row of hoes in the orange. Be creative! You can arrange the coves in a diamond, circuar or heart shaped pattern (or anything that takes your fancy); 3 After you ve inserted the coves into the hoes you ve made, take a knife (be very carefu) and cut a sma circe in the top of your orange; 4 Insert your tea ight in the top of the orange and hey presto! You ve created your orange and cove pomander. TOP TIP: To stop them from getting moudy (they shoud ast three to four days before moud appears) dispay them during the day and pop them in the fridge overnight. It s time once again for the annua Your ome photography competition so if you re a budding David Baiey send us your images. PERFECT pictures This year the competition is open to a ages and we re ooking for a happy snapper who can take a terrific photo of water (this year s theme) and you can enter more than one image. Your photo can be of anything water reated (boats, water fow, swimming etc.) and can be in coour or back and white, the choice is a yours. The winner wi receive a 50 highstreet voucher and the runner-up a 25 voucher. Framed prints of the winning and runner-up photos wi be dispayed in our Parkside Community ub for a to see. Last year s winning photograph To enter the competition... Simpy send your name, address, age and photo by Tuesday 31st January 2017 to: Debbie Wison, Parkside Community ub manager, Myriad ouse, 33 Springfied Lyons Approach, Chemsford, CM2 5LB. #CPPics WY DID SANTA AVE TO GO TO TE OSPITAL? Aternativey you can share your image(s) on our website ( socia media or emai it to parksidecommunity@chp.org.uk. Pease note that ony amateur photographers may enter the competition (stock or professionay taken images wi not be accepted). If you re emaiing your picture it need to be of a high resoution (300 dots per inch). BECAUSE OF IS POOR ELF WINTER

6 Gardening Gardening GET GOING...in the garden WAT DO YOU GET IF YOU CROSS SANTA WIT A DUCK? A CRISTMAS QUACKER! Cutting, pruning and prepping is the key to getting going in the garden during the winter months. ere Charotte Wech, Grounds Maintenance team eader, gives you some tips. Prep now to reap the rewards Late winter is a great time to be preparing your seed beds by sowing seed(s), cutting back winter shrubs and generay giving your garden a good tidy-up to prepare for eary spring. Pruning pants wi encourage strong new growth. Cimbing pants and/or rose bushes aong with any pants that have been grown for their coourfu winter stems e.g. Cornus (dogwood) and Saix (wiow) shoud be cut back down to their base before any new growth sprouts. Once the worst of the winter weather is out of the way, and as ong as the soi is no onger frozen and/or waterogged, it s time to start panting herbaceous perennias (these are pants where the growth dies down annuay but the roots or other underground parts survive). It s aso a great time to move your shrubs and create new pants by ifting and dividing estabished or overgrown cumps of perennias. Aso if you pant snowdrops now you have a spash of winter coour in your garden next year. New growth and dead-heading As soon as there are signs of new growth, cut back any dead foiage eft on your perennias and ornamenta grasses. When dead-heading ydrangeas cut the pant back to (roughy) one third of ast season s growth and if you ve got any Fuchsias prune these so there are ony one to two buds on each shoot. From January, start sowing your fower seeds undercover or indoors. Pop them in a pot or tray and depending on the variety they be ready for panting in May/June. If you want to grow some hardy annuas, pant them directy into the soi (if you re unsure when the best time to pant them is check the packet). And from March onwards start panting summer-fowering bubs such as Dahias, Gadious, Liies or Ranuncuus (Buttercups etc.) into your beds, borders and containers. Finay, as the weather starts to warm up, then start weeding. Starting now wi make it easier to keep them under contro throughout the year. Grow your own Why not have a go at growing some of your own vegetabes? Not ony is it easy there s something wonderfu about picking and cooking your own TOP TIP... To prepare your soi for the growing season dig five centimetres of we rotten manure into the soi surface (genera purpose fertiizer such as a bood, fish and bone or chicken peets is just as good). If you ve any containers or raised beds they aso benefit from having the top ayer of compost repaced too. veg. Potatoes are simpe to grow and you can start chitting (basicay encouraging your potatoes to sprout before you pant them) in January, which wi mean they be ready for panting in the ground or in arge containers in ate February/eary March. If you want to grow shaots and onions then these shoud be panted from mid-march onwards. Encourage widife... Don t forget to ook after the widife. If you re aready feeding the birds in your garden keep doing so throughout the whoe winter and put out fresh water on a daiy basis for them. If you re feeing particuary creative why not buid a nesting box ready for spring simpy visit the RSPB website to find out how to make one (and if you do take a picture and emai it to communications@chp.org.uk and we' share it on socia media). 10 WINTER 2016 WINTER

7 Moving Don t deay DOWNSIZE TODAY Do you want to downsize to a smaer property or find a arger home? If you re ooking to move to a smaer home we can hep you downsize. Recenty our ousing Options team heped Mr and Mrs St Pier downsize to a property better suited to their needs. What property did you downsize from and to? Originay we ived in a threebedroom house but we ve downsized to a bungaow which means we no onger have stairs so from our point of view it s great. ow was the process for you? Absoutey great. From the first initia contact to moving into our new home was extremey easy and efficient. Nothing was too much troube for the ousing Options team advisor who basicay waked us through the whoe process. As many may know the stress of moving home can be enormous, especiay when you take a medica condition into account. The thing is though we needn t have worried as the arrangements put in pace by the ousing Options team worked so we the whoe move turned out competey stress free. ow did you find the move? A in a it was reay easy. We were particuary impressed with the remova company we were suppied with they were reay cheerfu and nothing was too much troube for them. To be frank they did a great job and we coudn t beieve the speed they worked at. We were aso particuary peased with the gas fitter and pumber. They both appeared perfecty on time at both our od and new home and made sure we had a working cooker and refrigerator for when we moved in, which needess to say after a day of moving was most wecome and much needed. ow is your new home? Absoutey ovey, we re both extremey happy with our new home as it meets our needs perfecty. Woud you recommend downsizing to others? Without a doubt. Sometimes peope can be too fast to moan about peope and systems and far too sow to recognise a job we done. We d ike to express our sincere thanks to the ousing Options team for a their hep CP has two very happy tenants on its books. If you re ooking to downsize then contact our ousing Options team on or emai enquiries@chp.org.uk. Aternativey visit our website to see a of the atest avaiabe properties. Moving Make mutua exchange work for you If you re ooking to compete a mutua exchange with another housing association tenant then first advertise your property onine at homeswapper.co.uk (as of now this is the ony website which we use as it is free to our residents). Once you ve done that here s some top tips depending on whether you re viewing or showing a property: If you re showing your property then: Use penty of photos but cear the cutter, peope and animas from them; Add a good description of the property features; Incude a ist of oca amenities; Incude your contact detais; Give a good impression make sure your house and garden (if you ve got one) is cean and tidy; Answer any questions the viewer might have honesty. If you re viewing a property then foow these simpe steps: Is the property in good condition inside and outside? (Aso ask the current tenant if they d mind you taking photos). Are any repairs schedued? Is there a garden? If so, who maintains it? Ask if any fixtures and fittings wi be eft in the property. Ask the current tenant(s) what type of tenancy they hod and why they re ooking to move? Finay ask yoursef can I see mysef (and my famiy) iving here? 12 WINTER 2016 WINTER

8 Deveopment news Deveopment news Southminster homes Peter Eiott, Madon Counci Chairman, John Whittingdae, MP for Madon, Ursua eeis, Chair, and Richard Mier, Mayor of Madon We recenty ceebrated aunching our 100th property in the Madon district! Ceebrating our 100th home Since 2011 we ve provided homes in Madon, Mayand, Burnham-onCrouch, Tiingham and Southminster. 100th OME LAUNCED Friars Lane, Madon in Madon The Lightermans Pace deveopment in Park Drive, Madon, saw our Chair, Ursua eeis, officiay aunch the properties aongside John Whittingdae, MP for Madon, Peter Eiott, Chairman of Madon District Counci (MDC), and Richard Mier, Mayor of Madon. The event aso took on an internationa theme as ervé Touguet; Mayor of Vieparisis a commune to the North East of Paris attended as a guest of Mayor Mier as Vieparisis is twinned with Madon. "We're obviousy deighted to aunch our 100th home in Madon on a deveopment which offers residents a range of tenures and property types to meet their needs," said our Chair Ursua eeis. "This deveopment was a bod initiative between a of our partners and these houses are the provision for everyone's future." Peter Eiott, Chairman of MDC, added: "I find it remarkabe that CP buit their first property in Madon and now have homes throughout the district. ousing as a topic has risen up the agenda throughout the country and Madon is no different so I'm gratefu to CP who continue to buid homes which meet the needs of oca peope." We're obviousy deighted to aunch our 100th home in Madon on a deveopment which offers residents a range of tenures and property types to meet their needs. Park Drive, Madon 14 WINTER 2016 WINTER

9 Get invoved Get invoved ave your say BY BECOMING A COMPANY MEMBER OUR PROMISE to you... We are ooking at the way we do things and exporing opportunities to increase efficiency, to provide you with better vaue for money. Want to hep us improve our services and make important decisions? Then become a Company Member. As a member you gain a better understanding of how we work, get invoved in making company decisions, ook at how we spend our money (through our annua audited accounts) and choose who s eected as a Resident Board Trustee. To have your say contact Bobbie Charick, Assistant Company Secretary, on or emai governance@chp.org.uk. ow woud you ike to receive YOUR OME? We re ooking to change the way we deiver the magazine to you, so if you d prefer to ony have an onine version et us know by writing to us at our Myriad ouse address (see pg. 2 for detais), emaiing communications@chp.org.uk, or ca us on Of course if you d sti prefer to receive a hard copy we have them avaiabe too. 16 WINTER 2016 WINTER

10 Look after your home KEEP IT CLEAR in the New Year WAT ATLETE IS WARMEST IN WINTER? A LONG JUMPER! Don t wait unti the spring ceaning time; start thinking about de-cuttering in the New Year. Of course over the festive season we have more rubbish and waste to dispose of because of a the packaging (wrapping paper, boxes etc.) but most of it can be recyced. With oca authority refuse coections changing (normay to every two weeks athough this depends on where you ive) we need your hep to keep our communities cean. Recycing centres are great for offoading a of your od and unwanted eectrica items visit to find your nearest one or if you ve any books, CDs or genera unwanted presents you may be abe se them onine or you coud donate them to a charity shop. ad a rea Christmas tree over the festive period? Then shred it for much or composting or take it to your oca authority s Christmas tree re-cycing drop off point (they re usuay shredded into chippings which are then used in parks and woodand areas). Did you know that ast year over 1,100 tonnes of waste was removed by members of our Quaity of Life team which had been dumped in communa areas and communities? That s why we need your hep to keep communities cean not ony does it save us time and money it aso means that you can take pride in your neighbourhood. If you need to report discarded rubbish (i.e. sofas, fridges etc.) or househod items in our communa areas then ca our Quaity of Life team or emai enquiries@chp.org.uk. 18 WINTER 2016 Look after your home Tumbe dryer SAFETY WARNING Foowing recent news announcements you may be aware that certain tumbe dryers have caused househod fires. REPAIRS Chargeabe No, it s the first I ve heard of it, what s happened? Whirpoo has issued a safety notice for the four miion tumbe dryers sod between Apri 2004 and September 2015 under the otpoint, Indesit, Proine and Creda brands which have a faut. Basicay excess fuff/int is coming into contact with the heating eement and is causing the fires. ow do I know if my tumbe dryer is affected? You can check whether your machine s specific mode number is affected by ooking on Indesit and otpoint safety sites (if you own a Creda product you can check it via the otpoint site too). As part of our chargeabe repairs service if you ock yoursef out over the festive period we wi hep you gain entry but we're afraid we' have to charge you. Do I need a mode and seria number? Yes. The fu mode number can be found on a tag ocated either on the back or in the recess of the dryer door. You find the seria number inside the door-rim of your dryer on the upper right hand side. Eectrica SAFETY TIPS... Whie tumbe dryers (and Samsung Note 7 phones) have been in the news it s aways worthwhie making sure your house is safe. Foow these eectrica safety tips to make sure you and your famiy remain safe If we have to visit your home to hep you gain entry or if we have to change a ock as you may have ost or had your keys stoen between Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm then we wi charge you 50. If the same occurs on a Saturday, Sunday or bank hoiday we' charge you 75. Don t overoad pug sockets ony use one pug per socket; Make it a habit to turn off eectrica appiances that aren t in use (not ony is it safer it coud save you money on your eectric bi); Check the condition of your pugs and sockets and don t ignore any burnt or frayed wires on appiances; Don t have any eectrica wires traiing over any appiances in the kitchen (i.e. stove tops and/or the toaster). WINTER

11 Get onine REGISTER FOR YOUR OME onine... Checking panned works to your property, making a payment, checking your baance or reporting non-urgent repairs these are just some of the things you can do when you sign-up to Your ome onine. To be abe to do this and more visit and register the process is extremey quick and easy. #OutWithCP fixing eectrics in your communities Sign-up to SOCIAL MEDIA We ve started a new socia media campaign caed #OutWithCP, so we can show you what we re up to when we re out and about in your community. If you ike our Facebook and foow our Twitter pages, you can keep up-to-date with our atest news, events and housing reated tips. #OutWithCP Grounds Maintenance keeping your communities cean Onine SECURITY TIPS: 1 Use a strong, unique password for every website (i.e. don t use your name foowed by 123); 2 Think 3 Be twice before cicking on inks found in emais, especiay if you don t know the sender; carefu what you downoad and ask questions (such as is it reputabe etc?) about the site you are downoading from. WO IDES IN TE BAKERY AT CRISTMAS? A MINCE SPY! See the Contact Us section for more information. 20 WINTER 2016