G2magazine - GreenSquare Group › upload › 585a50b491222G2win… · • Stop and think about...

G2 magazine

Landmark anniversary yearcelebrated on Oxford rooftop

Knife crime awareness projectsuccess in Gloucestershire

Winter 2016

Passionate aboutgreat places to livegreensquaregroup.com

Community project creates newartwork for neighbourhood

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11

2 G2 magazine greensquaregroup.com 3

Welcome

Inside

Plans tobreathe newlife into neighbourhood

On the move!

Our regeneration plan forCulverhay includes plans todemolish 65 olderproperties and replacethem with 109 new ones.

The new, energy efficient,and comfortable homeswill be a mix of propertiesfor shared ownership,affordable rent, andoutright sale.

The development will also:

• improve the public areasof the neighbourhood;

• address road safety andparking concerns; and

• ensure the strong senseof community andneighbourliness is carriedover into any new areas.

In Culverhay in Cricklade,we’re progressing with thearea’s regeneration (seepanel, right, for moredetails). To allow demolitionto begin, threehouseholdshave movedinto temporaryhomes wherethey will livebefore movinginto their newpropertieswhen they arecomplete.

Tina Lane wasone of thepeople moving.She said: “Iwas excitedbut a bitnervous. Theremoval menarrived with a ginormouslorry – they were two youngmen and very nice. They

were very chilled out and alot more relaxed than me.Everything was packed intothe lorry by lunchtime and allin our house by 4pm. The

temporary housethat we’vemoved in to isabsolutely great.But I’m definitelylooking forwardto my newbuild!”

Sharon Minnorsalso moved intoher temporaryhome: “I havebeen keptinformed by theregenerationofficer, Angie – Ihave had lots ofcontact byphone and in

person. With the help I havereceived I am feelingpositive. I love my home!”

Welcome to the winter 2016 issue of G2. As always you will findlots of important news and updates on these pages, together withpictures and stories about some of the things that have beenhappening over the past few months. In the centre of the magazineyou’ll find our annual report for customers, reporting the headlinefacts and figures for the year ending 2015/16. We hope you find thislatest edition interesting and useful – and wish you a happy 2017!

We ran a surveyon Greenview,our easy-to-usefeedbackwebsite, to findout what youthought of thesmaller G2bulletin thatwas sent withyour rentstatement inthe summer.

The majority of yousaid that youpreferred the smaller, morecompact version of themagazine – in fact, 81% ofyou said that you'd prefer toreceive the magazine in asmaller version all the time.And 88% of you agreed thatwe should save money onprinting and postage costswhere we can.

As a result of your feedback,

we’renow producing this new‘mid-sized’ version of themagazine which is muchcheaper to print and postthan the old bigger format.

We will also carry onproducing G2 bulletin andinclude that in the envelopewith your rent statement inthe future.

Changes to your G2

Andrew Smith Operations Director

Tina

Sharon

Beware of bogus callers 4

Celebrating 150 years 8

Annual reportfor residentscentre pages

Boiler breakdown tips 15Universal Credit 16Angie Clapp Awards 17Amalgamation update 18New Year goals 19Contact details 20

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11


Charity sleepout for chief

Mosaic unveiled

GreenSquare’s chiefexecutive Howard Toplisspent the night sleepingrough in Oxford recently,as part of Oxford BigSleepout, to highlight therising problem ofhomelessness – and raisemoney for three charities:Aspire Oxford, OxfordHomeless Pathways, andConnections FloatingSupport. Howard said: “Isupported the Oxford BigSleepout because I want tohelp local people to moveout of homelessness forgood and support thesethree charities to carry outtheir vital work underincreasing pressure fromfunding cuts and risinglevels of homelessness.”

Rats and more:a reminderIt’s not GreenSquare’sresponsibility to rid yourhome of pest infestations(such as rats, mice, bees,wasps, fleas and ants). Ifyou are having problemswith any of these, pleasecontact your local council’spest control team.

Residents of all ages livingin Kingfisher Green, DeerWalk and Jack ArgentClose in Greater Leysdonned their high visjackets and got stuck in tocleaning up the area andtook the opportunity to getrid of any unwantedhousehold and gardenitems. Everyone was in high

spirits as they took theopportunity to get rid oftheir unwanted items andthree skips were filled witheverything from old chairsto broken BBQs. Youngerresidents enjoyedthemselves too doing somelitter picking, trying theirbest to be the ones tocollect the most rubbish.

Festive opening hoursGreenSquare will be closedover the festive periodfrom Monday 26 untilWednesday 28 Decemberand again on Monday 2January.

When our office is closed,we provide an out-of-hours emergency repairsservice and a non-urgentmessage service. Simplycall 01249 465 465. The office will be open onThursday 29 and Friday 30December and service willreturn to normal onTuesday 3 January.

Do you havepersonalcontentsinsurance?It is important that youmake sure you have yourown personal contentsinsurance. Even thoughGreenSquare insures thebuilding you live in,insuring your personalpossessions is yourresponsibility. If you havepersonal contentsinsurance it means thatyou would be covered ifany of your possessionswere damaged by fire,water, vandalism or if youhad anything stolen.

We can help you to easilyget affordable contentsinsurance through www.thistlemyhome.co.uk. See back cover for details.

GreenSquare tradespeopleare easily identifiable by theirGreenSquare-brandeduniforms and allGreenSquare staff memberswill always have an identitybadge with them, whichthey should be wearingaround their neck. If thebadge isn’t immediatelyvisible, you can ask themember of staff if you cantake a closer look at it.

If you’re still unsure, you canalways ask the caller to comeback another time whensomeone will be with youand give our contact centre acall for peace of mind.

Here are some top tips tofollow to make sure youdon’t fall victim to adoorstep scam:

• Always ask for an identitycard of a caller andexamine it carefully.

• Stop and think aboutwhether you're expectinganyone.

• Be on guard when youopen the door. Put thechain on if you have one.

• Make sure all your otherdoors are secure beforeyou answer the front door.

Remember if you’re not sure,don’t answer the door. Ifyou’re really suspicious, thecaller won’t leave and youfeel that you’re in immediatedanger, dial 999.

Beware ofbogus callers

A community mosaic created by local children is nowproudly on display in Moorlands, Chippenham. Themosaic depicts images of wildlife and flowers that canbe found at the nearby Birds Marsh Wood. The artworkwas officially unveiled by the young people with helpfrom Chippenham’s town Mayor, Councillor Terry Gibsonand GreenSquare’s chief executive Howard Toplis.

ALL HANDSON DECK!

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 4

1 WILTSHIRE Lucky prize winner – oneWiltshire resident was the lucky winner ofa huge box of Star Wars Lego forcompleting a Greenview survey. KerynManning was very pleased with her prize,which she received from GreenSquare’sPaula Heredge. Keryn said that she wasn’tsure whether to keep the Lego for herselfor give it to a relative for Christmas.Greenview is GreenSquare’s easy-to-usewebsite where you can give us feedbackby completing monthly surveys, takingpart in forum chats, and completing quickpolls. And there are all sorts of prizes to bewon! See greenview.greensquaregroup.com.

2 WILTSHIRE Community mosaic takesshape – during the summer, young peoplein Chippenham took part in a communityartwork project to complete a largemosaic mural, which is now displayed atMoorlands (read more on page 5). Beforestarting the final mural, they practised theart of mosaicking by making coasters.

3 GLOUCESTERSHIRE Making friendsin Gloucestershire – members of theTewkesbury New Friends Network all hada go at silk painting, with fantastic results.The Network supports people who aresocially isolated across the county – ifyou’re interested in finding out more, getin touch with us.

4 GLOUCESTERSHIRE Drop a knife,save a life – young people in Tewkesburyfound out more about the devastatingconsequences of knife crime by takingpart in a three-day awareness event. Theyheard from different guest speakers andworked with local artists from Hype StreetArt to create a mural, themed around theimpact of knife crime and the localcommunity, which is now proudlydisplayed in the local youth centre’scarpark.

5 OXFORDSHIRE Welcome BBQ –everyone had a great time at abarbecue to welcome residents to oneof our newer developments, KentsBank in Long Hanborough. Staff spoketo residents about their thoughts onwhat they’d like to see in theneighbourhood and were on hand toanswer any questions. Connect 4 was a big hit – as were football and skittles!

6 OXFORDSHIRE Leys Festival – thisyear’s Leys Festival proved to be a hugesuccess with hundreds of local residentsattending. GreenSquare had lots on offerfor visitors, including flower arranging, ashopping bag contest, sugar challenge,branded and non branded food tasting, afree food giveaway from the OxfordFoodbank and a caricaturist!

7 GLOUCESTERSHIRE Family fun inColeford – GreenSquare joined othercommunity groups and representativesfrom the local police and fire services at afamily fun day in Coleford in the Forest ofDean. People enjoyed taking part in cakedecorating, archery, a raffle and more.

8 WILTSHIRE Pudding Club – here’s(from left to right) Pam Faulkner, MollyBaker and Elsie Ryan, who all live at CroftCourt in Chippenham and are membersof the Pudding Club. Every Wednesdaythey head out with some fellow residentsfor lunch at the local bowls club beforeheading home for a spot of pudding!

9 OXFORDSHIRE Forum popular –more than 40 people came along toGreenSquare's Oxfordshire disabilityforum to find out more about issuesaffecting them. The speakers wereresidents themselves and people sharedtheir own personal inspirational storieswith everyone, discussing what frustratespeople with disabilities, and how we canpositively address these issues.


Snapshots

1

4

2

5

6

7

9

3 8

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 6


150 years celebratedDid you know that in 2016GreenSquare is celebratingour 150th anniversary?

We were founded in Oxfordon 10 August 1866 andwere known originally as theOxford CottageImprovement CompanyLimited. The company beganby improving the quality ofworking class houses inOxford, moving on tobuilding sheltered housing,before being renamed asOxford Citizens HousingAssociation in 1965 and,most recently, becomingknown as GreenSquareGroup in 2012.

We marked the anniversarywith a small celebration onthe roof of our latestdevelopment, Barns Place inCowley, Oxford, whereGreenSquare’s chiefexecutive, Howard Toplis,and Board Chair, HilaryGardner, were joined byresidents to help blow outour birthday candles andenjoy a slice of cake. Howardsaid: “We are immenselyproud of how far we havecome since our beginnings in1866 – and are proud to beable to say that we reallyhave been passionate aboutgreat places to live for thelast 150 years.”

FROM OUR LONGEST RESIDENT TO OUR NEWEST!As we celebrate our150th anniversary, we’ve beenlooking back at all the things thathave changed over the past centuryand a half, not just for us but for ourcustomers too.

Ninety-two year old Brenda Harding haslived in her Wiltshire home since September1949. Mrs Harding has the distinction ofholding GreenSquare’s longest tenancy andin 2016 is celebrating living in her house for67 years. When she first moved into thehouse on Hungerdown Lane inChippenham, it was brand new and ownedby the Council and someone came to herdoor each week to collect rent on thedoorstep (which used to be £18 a week).She said: “There are a lot of happymemories here and some sad ones too. Butthis is my home and I like it here.”

Thomas Jones is one of our newestcustomers, having just moved into one ofGreenSquare's brand new sharedownership apartments at Barns Place. Atthe age of 22, being able to purchase ashare of his new second floor, two-bedroomapartment, through shared ownership, hasgiven Thomas the opportunity to get on thehousing ladder, when the high propertyvalues in Oxford meant he had struggled tobuy outright.

He said: “Buying through shared ownershiphas given me the chance to get onto theproperty ladder despite the high houseprices in Oxford, and has meant I could buysomewhere I really liked in a good location.Barns Place is perfect for me. My aim now isto be able to buy further shares in my homeas soon as I can afford to!”

Hilary Gardner with two ofthe new Barns Place residents

Annual review 2015-16

Passionate about great places to live ...for 150 years

Ann2015-16

viel raal runnu2015-16

wevi

This annual r

2015-16

year (April 2015 to Marfacts and figur

eports on Gr

2015-16eview rThis annual r

ch 2016) – on the next few pages you’ll find headlineyear (April 2015 to Mar, a es for the year r, as well as the stories behind those.facts and figur

s performance for the last financiale’’s performance for the last financialeenSquareports on Grch 2016) – on the next few pages you’ll find headline

, as well as the stories behind those.

s performance for the last financialch 2016) – on the next few pages you’ll find headline

, as well as the stories behind those.

s performance for the last financialch 2016) – on the next few pages you’ll find headline

oisPase ...fvio lt

The past year has been a busy one! At Grbeen transforming how we work acr

t gruboe a abotaatnoarr 150 yeoe ...f

The past year has been a busy one! At Grbeen transforming how we work acr

esclat pat et grsar

e we’veeenSquarThe past year has been a busy one! At Group:oss the grbeen transforming how we work acr

e rWa clear

e incrWeduced the number of managers, to work with you inr

a mor

e rW

W

ed our neighbourhoods teams to prestructure re focused service., simpler and morerr, simpler and mora clear

eased the number of fre increduced the number of managers, to work with you in

e personalised and dedicated waya mor

eorganised our customer services team.e r

i l t d a larger

ovideed our neighbourhoods teams to pre focused service.

ontline officers, and eased the number of freduced the number of managers, to work with you in

.e personalised and dedicated way

eorganised our customer services team.

e in , single customer contact centr

2016 is our 150th

ovide

educed the number of managers, to work with you in

e in

anniversary! Our originsdate back to 1866 when

d Cottagethe Oxforovement CompanyImpr

was founded to imprthe poor living conditions

2016 is our 150thanniversary! Our originsdate back to 1866 when

d Cottageovement Company

ovewas founded to imprthe poor living conditions

e crWChippenham, so that you rservice every time you contact us.

s been a lot of changes nationally too. The newe’Thernment intrgover

eduction for housing association tenants. This was goodent ra rnews for the majority of our customers – many of you will see

ents dryour r

, single customer contact centreated a larger r, single customer contact centre creceive a good and consistent Chippenham, so that you r

service every time you contact us.

s been a lot of changes nationally too. The newoduced changes to housing policies, includingnment intr

eduction for housing association tenants. This was goodnews for the majority of our customers – many of you will see

op 1% each year for the next four years.ents dr

e in , single customer contact centreceive a good and consistent

service every time you contact us.

s been a lot of changes nationally too. The newoduced changes to housing policies, including

eduction for housing association tenants. This was goodnews for the majority of our customers – many of you will see

op 1% each year for the next four years.

the poor living conditionse in eceive a good and consistent

oduced changes to housing policies, includingeduction for housing association tenants. This was good

news for the majority of our customers – many of you will see

of the working classes.

eenSquaroday GrTToday Grand manages nearly

operties acr12,000 pre, WdshirOxfor

Gloucestershirhigh quality homes for thoseon low incomes and most

the poor living conditionsof the working classes.

e ownseenSquarand manages nearly

ossoperties acre andiltshire, W

ovidinge. PrGloucestershirhigh quality homes for thoseon low incomes and most

emain focused on incre rW

oving efficiencyimprour support for the communities wher

e, GloucestershiriltshirW

ed: GrPicturchief executive, Howar

easing customer satisfaction andemain focused on incr

e committed to continuinge’r. Woving efficiencyour support for the communities wher

e and Oxfore, Gloucestershir

, Hilar s chair r, Hilary Gare’’s chaireenSquared: Groplis, joined some ofd T Toplis, joined some ofchief executive, Howar

easing customer satisfaction and

e committed to continuinge we work inour support for the communities wher

e.dshire and Oxfor

, anddnerr, and, Hilary Garoplis, joined some of

easing customer satisfaction and

emains as muchat need rat the heart of our purposenow as it did in 1866.

emains as muchat the heart of our purposenow as it did in 1866.

chief executive, HowareenSquarGrns Place (a new development of apartments forBared ownership and purshar

in celebration of Gr

oplis, joined some ofd T Toplis, joined some ofchief executive, Howaresidents on the rs newest re’’s newest reenSquar

ns Place (a new development of apartments forchase) to raise a glassed ownership and pur

05s 1e’’s 1eenSquarin celebration of Gr

oplis, joined some ofoof ofesidents on the r

ns Place (a new development of apartments forchase) to raise a glass

.yrasrevinnaht0

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 8


Annual review 2015-16The year in focus

SATISFACTION

NEW HOMES FOR OVER-55s

TEXT APPOINTMENTS

REPAIRS SERVICE

TACKLING ASB

CUSTOMER CONTACT

SHARED OWNERSHIP

HOUSING OFFICERS

RE-LET TIMES

SATISFACTION

CLEAN-UP DAYS

PARTNERSHIPSGREENVIEW

l aal ruAnnnue year in fTh

w 2015-16eviel rocuse year in fw 2015-16 RR

ECEE VIERRVAIRS SEPRRRERE

e year in fTh

INTMENTSPOTEXT AP

ocuse year in f

INTMENTS WNERSHIPED OSHAR WNERSHIP

ARTNERSHIPSPARTNERSHIPSEENVIEWGREENVIEW

NEW H VER-55R OOMES FONEW H VER-55sCUST CTANTTAMER COOCUST

FFIG OUSINOH CERS

NOCTIATISFFASAATISF

EANCL YSUP DA AYS-EAN

ET TIMESLE-R ET TIMES

G ASBCKLINATTA TSAATISF NOCTIATISFFA

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 10


Number of new homes

built or acquired

227

Customer satisfaction

with outcome of last contact

91%

Customer satisfaction with overall

quality of home

79%

Customer satisfaction with overall

service provided

83%

Total number of homes owned

and managed

11,998

Annual review 2015-16Facts and �gures

92.5%

88.5%

Stage 1 complaints responded to in target time

Complaints resolved at stage 1

Satisfaction with the way

GreenSquare deals with repairs and

maintenance

79%

Antisocial behaviour

(ASB)

l aal ruAnnnucts anaF

w 2015-16eviel resgurd �cts an

w 2015-16

cts an

otCusatisfsa

th owi

a

es

r emon octial lraalevth o

gurd �cts an

of han

11,998

remb nualtToedwnes omoof h

edgaand man

11,998

omtsuCatisfsaatisf

outhitwt cof las

eromnoctia

eomc outctatnot c

92.5%

88.5%

Strt

Coa

tsinntslaainpmmpoe 1 cgaSto ined tdnpoesr

et timegart

edvllesots rinnts rlaainpmmpCoe 1gatt saat s

ed

e pcrvise

83%

eddviore p

83%

11,998

11,998

t cof las

91%

ctatnot c

91%

sa

eromtsuCnoctiatisfaatisf

wiuaq

79%

llraalevth owiemoty of hilaal

79%

evAAvle-r

o(v

36 d

oe te timgraetypmmpt an eel

rtypeord) pi

ysaays6 d da

ltisociaalAnntisociariouvaavehb

B)(AS

rbeummbeN

of casesedl

lr

ctiatisfSaatisfe wth thwi

e duarqnSeeGrs anirpaaireth rwi

noctiyaaye w

lsaalsee dds an

beummbeNow heof nqcr at oliub

227

rbeesmoediruq

227

edvlesor

299

s anirpaaireth rwincantennteiaaim

79%

ds anenc

79%

227

227

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 12


Be home foryour gassafety check

Boiler breakdown?

It’s that time of yearagain when we rely themost on our heating tokeep us warm and safeand lots of you arearranging your annualgas safety checks.

Every year, we carry outover 7,000 gas services tomake sure your boilers areworking safely andefficiently. Unfortunately,we have to visit at least1,800 properties morethan twice becausenobody is at home whenwe arrive for theirappointment. This costs usmoney, which could bespent on our services forcustomers, and means thatanother vital check hasn’tbeen carried out.

It’s important that you letus know if the date andtime of your appointmentisn’t suitable for you or ifyou’re not going to behome to give us access toyour property.

Not arranged your annualgas service yet? Visit thenew gas service and repairspage on our website tofind out more. You canalso use our new onlineform to change the time ordate of your existingappointment online at:greensquaregroup.com/gas.

We know it’s aworry when yourboiler breaks down.We will always treatthese repairs as apriority and get toyou as quickly as wecan. However, thereare some commonfaults that youmight be able toquickly and easilysort out yourself.

Is the room thermostat setto the right temperature?Sometimes the heating willturn off on your boilerbecause your home hasreached the temperature seton the room thermostat.

During colder spells tryturning your thermostat up.

Are the thermostaticradiator valves on theradiators turned off or ona frost setting? If your radiators havethermostatic controls, checkwhich setting they’re on.They might need turning upor put on a different setting.

Do you have enoughcredit? If you’ve run out ofgas and now the boiler is notworking, check that the gasmeter is showing that yourcredit or emergency credit isavailable. You might need tore-insert your pre-paymentcard into the meter andfollow the steps given ondisplay.

Checklist

Total income

with surplus of £5.7 million*

Group management cost per property

Operating margin

Annual review 2015-16Facts and �gures

We secured a £20 million funding boost to support our future development plans. We’d like to build 2,000 new affordable homes across our three areas by 2025 to help address the country’s housing crisis.

NEW FUNDING

Remember! You can read our full annual report and financial statements by visiting the ‘Publications’ section of our website at www.greensquaregroup.com.

uAnnnu

w 2015-16evieevil raal rud �cts anaF

w 2015-16esgurd �

ocn ialtTo

£83.8 murpth swi

emo

noilllliil8 m minoillius of £5.7 mlurp

n*

gur

a mpourGr pt peosc

£1,145g mtinraatinOpe

tenemganartypeorr p

£1,145ginarg m

24%SURPLUS: This means that we have rthan we have spent this financial year

ent you pay and from the rfrother services. As a not-forit a surplus because we put the money straight backinto the business to support our cor

*

eceived morSURPLUS: This means that we have r. Our income comesthan we have spent this financial year

om selling new homes andent you pay and frofit organisation we call-prother services. As a not-for

it a surplus because we put the money straight backe focus of printo the business to support our cor

e incomeeceived mor. Our income comes

om selling new homes andofit organisation we call

it a surplus because we put the money straight backovidinge focus of pr

NEW FUND

GINNEW FUND

re

dable housing and high quality customer service.

tnrreuCled – a alinbmmbo(c

forafffor

rs


arre atnnt rees)urnnurel tl 2.5%

2.5%


ed a £20e securWmillion funding boostto support our futurdevelopment plans.

e’d like to build 2,000Wdable homesfornew af

ee aross our thracr

NEW FUND

ed a £20million funding boost

eto support our futurdevelopment plans.

e’d like to build 2,000dable homes

easee ar

GINNEW FUND

tnntarceePdiesof rio th hinkhw

nSeeGr

egtatsnntsed

inkeuarqquar

by 2025 to help addrs hthe country’ ’s housing

crisis.

Remember! Yead our full annualreport and financialr

essby 2025 to help addrs housing

ou can Y You canead our full annualeport and financial

nSeeGrns tetisl

ir vien tho

73%

euarqquarctso & ans tsweir vi

73%

eport and financialstatements by visitingthe ‘Publications’ sectionof our website at www

egreensquargr

statements by visitingthe ‘Publications’ section

.of our website at wwwoup.com.egr

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 14


UniversalCredit

Universal Credit has been inplace for sometime now,replacing job seekersallowance; employment andsupport allowance; incomesupport; working tax credit;child tax credit and housingbenefit. It is paid monthlystraight into your bank,building society or creditunion account and it is yourresponsibility to pay us yourrent directly.

Universal Credit is still beingrolled out more widely,which may mean you couldbecome eligible for it. InDecember 2016, it’s beingrolled out in the SwindonJob Centre Plus area. If yourpostcode includes SN1, SN2,SN3, SN4, SN5, SN6, SN25,SN26, SN38 or SN99, it’slikely you will be affected.

If you would like to talk to usabout this, please get intouch.

What can you do to prepare?There are a few things youcan do:

• Get online. Universal Creditis applied for and managedonline. If you don’t havethe internet, local librariesand community halls mayoffer free computer access.

• Open a bank, buildingsociety or credit unionaccount. Payments aremade into your own bankaccount and then you payus your rent.

• Get a month in advance ofyour rent. Payments are amonth in arrears, soprepare for this by paying alittle extra each week nowto get ahead.

moneymatters

As of November 2016 the benefit cap has been reduced. The benefit cap is a limiton the total amount of income from benefits a household can receive. This is now£20,000 a year for couples or those with families; or £13,400 a year for singlepeople. If you receive more than this, your housing benefit or housing coststhrough Universal Credit will be reduced until you are within this cap. You arethen responsible for making up the shortfall in these payments. If you are affectedby this, the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) will have contacted you. If youare affected and have any questions, give us a call.

Recognisedfor puttingothers first

We’re delighted toannounce the winnersof the 2016 Angie ClappAwards – our annualawards to recogniseresidents who haveworked to improve thelives of others.

WinnerIona Pinchis – for herinvolvement in organising afantastic range of activitiesfor others, and for her clearcommitment to hercommunity.

Runners upJo Courtney – for being atrue neighbour hero andshowing that it’s the littlethings that can make a bigdifference to people’s lives.

Louise O’Farrell – forsupporting her neighbourswith help and good advice

and for putting forwardgood suggestions toGreenSquare.

The group award waswon by Wiltshirecharity HelpingVictims of DomesticViolence (HVDV).

The awards were setup in 2015 in memoryof Angie Clapp, aformer Westlea andGreenSquare Boardmember and Chair ofthe TenantsParticipatory AdvisoryService (TPAS), whodied in 2014.

Congratulations toall of this year’swinners, who werechosen by TPASchief executiveJenny Osbourne.

AWARDS

2016Angie Clapp

Iona Pinchis (centre) with GreenSquare’s Jeanette Hughes and Sarah Hill

Jo Courtney

Louise O’Farrell

BENEFIT CAP

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 16


If you have broken an energy efficient light bulb or afluorescent light tube, make sure you dispose of itcorrectly by following these steps:

1) Leave the room and air out for 15 minutes. 2) Carefully scoop up the glass with a piece of paper or

cardboard.3) Place pieces in a glass jar, a plastic food container, or

sealable plastic bag.4) Wipe the floor clean with a damp paper towel and add

towel to the container.5) Seal the container, ready to be taken to a recycling centre

for disposal. 6) Wash your hands with soap and water.

Top tip – use a piece of duct tape to lift smaller bits ofbroken glass, along with any white powder that you see.

Brexit and GreenSquareSince the referendum when it wasdecided that Britain should leave theEuropean Union (EU), there have beena lot of discussions in governmentabout what happens next. It is likelythat there will be some impact on

house prices and future house building across the country. Nomatter the outcome, you can be confident that GreenSquare'sBoard and senior team are actively monitoring for anychanges that might arise.

Focused onimprovingservice

New Year... new goals?

You might rememberreading about thereorganisation of ourcustomer service team totransform how we workand deliver services acrossGreenSquare. As part ofthis we also set up a newservice improvement teamto make sure that we arecontinually taking onboard feedback fromcustomers and looking atways to improve ourservices as a result.

The team’s role includesmanaging the formalcomplaint service andgathering customerfeedback – you might havespoken to one of ourViewpoint officers, whocarry out a range ofsurveys with customers, aswell as managing our easy-to-use feedback websiteGreenview.

In the future, the serviceimprovement team will beproviding updates aboutthe changes that havebeen made thanks to

feedback fromcustomers. If youwould like tofind out moreabout theserviceimprovementteam, please get

in touch.

On 1 January lots of peoplemake their new year’sresolutions, confident thatthis year they will meet theirgoals. But all too often, afew weeks later, their lists –along with their resolve – areforgotten.

We’ve got some top tips tohelp you keep those newyear’s resolutions:

• Set realistic goals – don’tset yourself up for failureby trying to accomplishimpossible tasks.

• Prepare, prepare, prepare– achieving any goal takes

planning, preparation, andtime.

• Expect some setbacks – bepatient and just get backyourself back on track.

• Share the experience withsomeone – support fromfriends or family makes allthe difference.

• Don’t compare yourselfwith others – rememberyour only competition isyourself.

• Don’t be afraid to rewardyourself – give yourself apat on the back when youmake progress!

Good luck!

Our security questions are important

When you call us we will always ask you somequestions to confirm who you are. This is simplya security measure and to make sure that wecomply with the Data Protection Act.Remember, we can only discuss the account andtenancy matters with the person whose name ison the account, unless you give us permission todiscuss the matter with someone else.

Three into oneYou might rememberreading about our plans tobring together – oramalgamate – some of thecompanies in theGreenSquare group.

On 7 October 2016, wesuccessfully amalgamatedOxford Citizens HousingAssociation Limited (OCHA),Oxbode HousingAssociation Limited andGreenSquare GroupLimited, to create just oneorganisation.

We have done this to:• create a simpler structurethat is less confusing andmore efficient;

• have greater financialcapacity to do more; and

• be stronger and fit for thefuture.

Any customers affected bythis will have received aletter to explain that theonly change is a change oflandlord name. More detailsare on our website: seegreensquaregroup.com/one.

Compare with uSwitchWant to save money ongas and electricity, heatingcover, home phone,communications, insuranceand personal financeproducts? uSwitch is anonline and telephonecomparison and switchingservice that helps you tocompare prices. Simply visituswitch.com.

Lightbulb broken?

Stay safe!

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 18

Do you need to contact us?GLOUCESTERSHIRE Phone 01452 505359 Email [email protected]

fb.com/GreenSquareGlos @GreenSquareGlos

OXFORDSHIRE Phone 01865 773000 Email [email protected]

fb.com/GreenSquareOxon @GreenSquareOxon

WILTSHIRE Phone 01249 465465 Email [email protected]

fb.com/GreenSquareWilts @GreenSquarWilts

greensquaregroup.com

If you would like to have any part of this explained or in a different format please contact us using the details above to discuss your needs.

G2_DEC2016_Layout 1 08/12/2016 13:11 Page 20

G2magazine - GreenSquare Group › upload › 585a50b491222G2win… · • Stop and think about...

Documents

Transcript of G2magazine - GreenSquare Group › upload › 585a50b491222G2win… · • Stop and think about...