Spring issue: April 2015

newsYour magazine from New Charter

Re-launch of ThresholdHome Services

15

Keeping your home safe

10

PlusWhat’s been

happening in yourneighbourhood?

Pages 6-7

Robots show childrenwhat the future of jobscould look likeSee page 17

Also inside:Value for Moneycustomer conferencePage 20

4

Pay your bills with your mobile

11

Tony learns to read

You can read about how to payyour rent through the new paymentapp (page 4) as well as how to keepyour home safe as the summernights get longer (page 15).As always, your neighbourhoodnews gives you loads of informationabout what’s been going on (page 6-7) and you can find out if you’reentitled to free childcare onpage 18.For other events and classes in yourarea, take a look at page 23 to findout what’s going on.

We would also like towelcomeTony Rider tothe CustomerCommunicationsGroup.Tony joined usafter learning to readat New Charterthrough the GreatReaders project,You can readabout his storyon page 11.

With summer just around the corner, we’ve had a busyfew months out and about in the communities, whichyou can read about in this jam-packed issue.

Welcome to the springedition of your magazine

Look for this icon:If you have a smartphone you canalso find more information on ourwebsite by scanning this barcodewith a QR code reader app.

The Communications team at New Charter writes your newsletter. You can contact them on 0161 331 2470.2

Residents shortlistedfor two awards!We’re delighted to announce that residentshave been shortlisted for two TPAS (TenantParticipation advisory service) Northernawards this year!We’ve been shortlistedin the ‘Excellence inAnnual Reports’category for our newvideo style Tenants’Annual Report,which many of youhelped with.We’ve also beenshortlisted in the ‘Excellence inYouth Involvement’category which recognises the work of resident, DavePinnock and the Little Hedgehogs project in Audenshaw.Good luck to everyone involved for both categories.We’ll find out the results on 24 April.You can view theTenants’ Annual report video on ourwebsite or contact the Resident Involvement team on0161 331 2000 for a copy.

In recognition of our 15th birthday,New Charter are delighted toannounce that we’re offering 15 highlyrewarding apprentice opportunities invarious occupations.Take theopportunity to earn while you learnand visit our website for more details -www.newcharter.co.uk.Applications will be open from 1st May- 1st June 2015.

Fancyworking for

NewCharter?

Want to get involvedin the magazine?Why not join the Customer Communications Group

(CCG) and have your say on your magazine?

The group helps to get the newsletter ready for you

each time we produce it and comes up with

articles and new ideas over tea and biscuits.

The group will be looking at some new ideas this

year and it’d be great to have you involved.

If you’re interested in joining the group, contact the

Communications team on 0161 331 2470 or send

us a message on Facebook or Twitter.

Contents

facebook.com/newcharterhomes

Don’t forget, you can also followus on Facebook and Twitter

@NewCharterGroup

6-7

Money Matters 4-5

What’s been happening in yourneighbourhood? 6-7

Green Charter 8-9

Kia-Leigh is the cream of the crop 10

Re-launch of ThresholdHome Services 10

Great Readers is proving a hugesuccess for Tony 11

Resident Involvement Bus Tour 12

Tenants Take the Lead Conference -Nottingham 12

TMTUpdate 13

Have you heard of Time Banking? 14

Keeping your home safe 15

Youngsters are a shining examplein our communities 16

Dancing robots provide inspirationaljobs to primary school children 17

You could be entitled tofree childcare 18

Restorative Justice goes fromstrength to strength in Tameside 19

Value for money customerconference 20

Homes for Britain 20

The Neonatal Knitters 21

Improving your customer experience 21

Just for fun! 22

Events and classes 23

16

10

20

3April 2015

April 2015

MoneyMatters

4

My Home Finance offerssafe, affordable loans.It can help you if you’restruggling to get a loan.Do you find it impossible to get aloan you can afford to pay back? Ifyou are having to make costlyrepayments to doorstep or paydaylenders, there is another choiceopen to you.It could help you access credit ata more affordable rate,open abank account and save for thefuture.By building up a repaymenthistory with My Home Finance,you’ll be able to use otherfinancial services.Call My Home Financeon 01905 25805 or visit:www.myhomefinance.org.ukYou can also call into any ofour Hubs. 69.5%APRrepresentative.

The Smarterbuys Storeis supported by NewCharter HomesIf you're looking for newelectrical or household goods,don’t be tempted by expensivefurniture stores or high interestweekly payment stores asTheSmarterbuys Store offers highquality goods at competitive prices.Simply select your items and placeyour order.The Smarterbuys Store givesyou access to the goods that youneed including televisions, cookers,fridge-freezers, bedroom and livingroom furniture,without havingto worry about high costborrowing options.

Payments for items are madeweekly over 104 weeks and youcan pay over the phone or onlinewith your debit or credit card.Alternatively, you can apply for anaffordable loan through a creditunion,with at least 25p of each ofyour weekly payment beingdeposited into your Credit Unionsavings account so you can save up.24.19%APR representative.For more information, please callinto any of our Hubs or log on towww.gm.sbstore.org/home orcall 0300 500 0975.

Pay your bills using your mobileDo you know we have a new payment app?You can now pay your rent straightfrom your mobile phone.Free for you to download from theAppleApp store,Google Play and onWindows phones, the app is availablenow and you will need the followingdetails to set up your account.l Your New Charter plastic paymentcard (if you can't find your card callus on 0161 331 2050 and we canhelp).You will be asked for the longnumber across the middle of the

card where it says ‘Paymentreference number’.

l You will also need the bankcard that you want to makepayments from.

l You will need to input a PINnumber and a password so onlyyou can access the app.

l The payment should be in youraccount the next working dayafter you have made the paymentvia the app.

To start using the app straight away,simply scan the QR codes below:

Android

Apple

5April 2015

What do we do?We offer free,confidential, impartialadvice and supporton dealing with yourdebts or on a widerange of benefits and taxcredit entitlements.If you need help theMoneyCare team areholding surgeries weeklyat the following venuesso why not drop in...

Debt AdviceStalybridge Hub63/65 Grosvenor Street,Stalybridge,SK15 2JN. Monday 9.30am to 12pm

HydeHub12/14 Clarendon Street,Hyde,SK14 2EL.Tuesday 2pm to 4.30pm

DentonHub9Albert Street,Denton,M34 6ZA.Wednesday 9.30am to 12pmAshtonHubHenrietta Street, Ashton Under Lyne,OL6 6EF. Thursday 9.30am to 12pm

Broadoak Community CentreBroadoak Road, Ashton Under Lyne,OL6 8RS. Friday 9am to 12pm

Welfare Benefit AdviceNewCharter Community HubMansfield Road,Mossley,OL5 9EH.Monday 10am to 12pm

Welfare Benefit referralscan also bemade at theDebtAdvice surgeries

NewCharter’sMoney Care Teamcan help...

Keeping your family safe in thedigital world...

O2 (Ashton) and New Charter Homes are excited to announcethey will be working in partnership to deliver digital safeguarding.Over the coming 12 months and beyond we will deliver aprogram of events to help highlight areas of safety .The launch will commence in the coming months so keep a lookout for the dates. For further information contact New Charteror visit the O2 shop in AshtonTown Centre where individualsessions can be booked.The digital family guide can be accessed atwww.o2.co.uk/help/everything-else/digital-family

Today, children and teenagers tend to know more about mobiles, the internet and socialmedia than adults. Texting, social media and downloading are a part of their everyday life.To help them enjoy it safely, we all need to be as clued up as they are.

Waterton/Fox Plattneighbourhood● Environmental work to tidy areasup, reduce damp and condensationand make properties lighter hasbeen completed.Residents aredelighted with the new astro-turfand tarmac which has got rid ofmuddy grass patches and is safer.

● We’ve started extending theneighbourhood garden.Residentshave been growing vegetables tosell to raise funds for theirresidents’ group and learning moreabout recycling.

Hague and Springs● During DiversityWeek inTamesidein January,we held a two-day eventbringing people from different

backgrounds and cultures together,with lots of fun and activities for allthe family.

Hyde Central

● The neighbourhood now sponsorsthe community page in HydeCommunity Matters onlinenewsletter, run by Hyde volunteers.Why not check it out at:www.hydecommunitymatters.co.ukand pass on your good newsstories to KimWelsh,Neighbourhood Co-Ordinator.

Smallshaw and Broadoak● We’re running new services fromBroadoak School and BroadoakCommunity Centre including a jobclub, neighbourhood surgeries,

money/ benefits surgeries and ayouth club.Contact yourNeighbourhood Co-OrdinatorJustin Hirst for more details.

● We’re working with the residents’association and the Police to createa play area on Smallshaw Road,including 5-a-side football,basketball and cricket and lightingfor use all-year-round.

Droylsden West● Community Cutz salon openedand is part-funded by the Lottery,helping disadvantaged people andthose at risk of offending withopportunities.

● A wellbeing workshop was held byMIND at the Lara Hub givingadvice to people who support/carefor others.

Copley● A‘Taste of Poland’ event withPolish food was held to help localresidents learn about Polish cultureas there have been concerns inthe past about harassment andhate crime.

neighbourhood?What’s been happening in your

April 20156

We’re now more than 18 months through our plans and we have GREAT news!We have completed 75% of the promises we made to you and we’re only half way through the life of the plans.We have asked for feedback from our partners, and the local Police andTameside Council have given us somegood feedback on all the improvements we’ve made in your neighbourhoods, as well as many of you commentingon the changes too. But, there’s still lots more work to do.Here’s what’s been happening over the last few months…

● We’re working with CopleyResidents’ Group to secure fundingto improve a wooded area andprovide a space for families toenjoy and explore.

Clarendon Fields

● DuringVulnerabilityWeek,wehighlighted 25 households that havebeen affected by crime and arebeing offered extra support fromthe Police.

● Helped run evening sports andhealthy eating activities duringevenings and school holidaysfor children.

Stalybridge Central● Worked with Green Charter andresidents to make plans forimproving planting areas in gardens,fencing and outdoor lightingaround Stamford Street.

● Installed new CCTV cameras tokeep an eye on any issues and helpmake the community safer.

● Residents’ forum began in Octoberand now meets regularly with NewCharter and the Council to dealwith any neighbourhood issues,including rubbish and recycling.

Newton

● Held a Clean-Up event on FirTreeDrive with residents.One residentsaid the clean-up had made a hugedifference to the street,making it anicer place to live.

●Newton Residents’ Groupcelebrated Pancake Day togetherwith local children.

Cavendish Central● Introduced recycling at CavendishMill and since November, residentshave recycled around 300kg ofwaste every week, saving theCouncil around £2,000 so farfrom sending waste to landfill!

● Held a disco/social event,supported byAudenshawCommunityAssociation withlots of people coming along.Awards were presented tochildren who had helped withcommunity events and adultsenjoyed dancing and bingo.

St Peters & Guide Bridgeneighbourhood● Working to install new bike shed atAssheton House so that residentsdon’t need to bring bikes into thebuilding and can be secured safelyand tidily.

● Residents on Hindley Close arepleased with new fencing which hashelped make the public right of wayclear and keeping their homesmore private.

● We’ve been supporting theNeonatal Knitters who wererecently interviewed for ComicRelief! Read more on page 21.

Waterloo and Lordsfield● After burglaries aimed atvulnerable residents, launched‘Caring ForYour Community’working with the Police and theCouncil to give residents adviceand support on protectingthemselves from crime.

Denton Central● One of the service roads fromBentley Road to Denton Footballclub was resurfaced after floodingproblems for many yearspreventing access to the club andfields.Residents are now muchhappier and it’s saving us moneyon maintenance.

Carrbrook & Millbrook● Crowswood Residents’Associationreceived funding from CommunityFirst to deliver taster sessions foryoung people to learn aboutconstruction, inspiring them to setup businesses or go on to trainingand work.

● The weekly neighbourhoodsurgery is up and running at PeakValley Hub and we’re workingwith the NHS to try and improvelocal services.

7April 2015

April 20158

Green CharterGardening CompetitionThis year’s Gardening Competition is again being launched but with some new categoriesand more opportunities to win.This year’s categories are:

Category Awards

There will be a first,second and third prizewinner subject to therebeing enough entries soget those green fingersout and complete theentry form oppositebefore the closing dateof 3rd July. Entries willbe judged by 17th Julywith the awards takingplace early August.

AudenshawMossleyStalybridgeDukinfieldDroylsdenAshtonHydeLongdendale, Mottram and HattersleyDenton

Neighbourhood

Best Individual or Communal Garden - Subject to thenumber of entries there will be a first, second and thirdprize awarded for the best individual garden andcommunal garden judged to our usual standards.

Best Value for Money Garden - this will be awarded tothe garden in each neighbourhood where the residenthas improved the garden over a period of time using thebudget they have available

Best Young Gardener Best Group or Individual young person up to the age of 16who has made an impact on an individual garden or area

Best IndependentLiving Scheme(previously known as Sheltered Schemes)

A chance for all our independent living schemes to shinewith again a first, second and third prize being awarded

Best Overall Garden

Name:......................................................................Address:........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................

..................................................................................

..................................................................................Telephone:.............................................................

Category/categories you’re entering:......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

9April 2015

March has seen our in house groundsmaintenance contractor,Green Charterstart the grass cutting season.Welistened to our residents and have madeimprovements to the equipment used,improving the quality of the grasscutting after the first few cuts.Please remember we only collect onthe first cuts during March. After thatgrass should be spread at a low levelover our grassed areas.Take a look atour website to find out more about themowing programme.

Mowing SeasonGreen Charter now provides a budget gardening service to residentswho may struggle with basic gardening work, e.g grass and hedge cutting.Providing high quality gardening standards at £22.50 for up to 30 minutesand any further work will be charged at the same rate per 30 minuteperiod.We also quote for one off basic gardening work.We are delighted to report that in a recent survey of our low costgardening customers, they rated the service at 100% satisfactory.Great news and well done to the team!If you are interested please contact 0161-331-2000 and quote Low CostGardening Service.We will check affordability with you first and residentsmust have clear accounts.The closing date for summer work is 1st May2015 but one off work can be taken all year subject to residents having aclear account and making an agreed up front payment.

Cavendish CentralneighbourhoodOur in house caretaking teamCleanCare is working closelywith colleagues acrossneighbourhoods to address flytipping on Central, Dukinfield.As you can see from the images wecontinually have to move rubbishthat is tipped within our bin areasby our residents or visitors to theneighbourhood, despite the bestefforts of CleanCare colleagues,Dave Harrop (pictured below) andJack Butterworth.This is currentlycosting anything between £500 and

£2000 extra a week in serviceprovision that should be beingspent on other services.But working with the localNeighbourhood Co-ordinators,Daniel Hawthorne and LorraineArrigone we intend to install extracameras to take enforcementaction against those breaching theirtenancy conditions. It is notacceptable to dispose of rubbishthis way and impacts on theappearance of your neighbourhood.We are continuing to monitorCCTV and there is currently oneprosecution due to be heard for flytipping where we have worked withcolleagues fromTMBC.More willfollow when we catch more culpritsusing the CCTV.We are going to hold anotherneighbourhood clean-up day in thesummer and skips will be availablefor New Charter residents todump their bulky waste for free.During March all the communalstairways were jet washed andcleaned, showing what can be donewhen we all work together to helpimprove our neighbourhoods.

Low Cost Gardening Service

CleanCare

During the last few weeks NewCharter has been using acontractor to survey our 3500communal and highway trees.The survey is conducted byWeKnowServices and they willcarry their own ID on site.The survey will takeapproximately 3 months tocomplete, allowing us to have a 3year maintenance programme.We will share this with ourresidents and give details of thecondition of each tree.We are preparing a new treepolicy and procedure detailingwhat we can do to help withtrees in individual gardens.They are your responsibility ifhealthy, but should they causestructural damage orunfortunately die, we can help.

Trees

10 April 2015

Re-launch ofThresholdHomeServices

Recently,Tameside Home Services becameThreshold Homes Services with a re-launch eventheld at Cavendish 249.The re-launch sees the introduction of a brand newlogo for the business as well as a new look websitegiving you valuable information.The service has been running since 2006 and joinedthe New Charter Group as part of Threshold in

2013. Providing practical, domestic and socialsupport to hundreds of people within Tameside, theservice is now building on its success, with plans toexpand into other areas.The re-launch event was a huge success and wasan opportunity to celebrate the work over the past14 years. Pamela Counsell,Tameside Home ServicesManager, headed up the event. A big thank you toeveryone who took part in the day.To find out more about the work of ThresholdHome Services, please visit the website:www.thresholdhomeservices.com.

Kia-Leigh is the creamof the crop with hergreen fingersKia-Leigh Marchant, aged 9 was recognisedfor her green fingered work after beingawarded Young Gardener of the Year 2014in the New Charter gardening competition.Kia was encouraged to get involved with gardening byher grandparents,Ann and Peter Marchant of AshurstGardens and her passion ‘grew’.Kia is now a regular face at Ashurst Gardens and hasbecome a keen gardener, providing a lot of help tothe garden group who have won outstanding awardsfor 5 years running, as well as best neighbourhood inthe NorthWest.Well done Kia for all your hard work!If you would like to get involved with gardeninggroups or other community projects, please contactthe youth team on 0161 331 2000.

T he project, which is looking for

more people to get involved,

helps adults in the area to learn to

read by ‘buddying up’ with other

confident readers.

Tony has been attending twice weekly

lessons with a volunteer, not just to read

but to help him understand what he is

reading. Tony grew up not being able to

read but can now enjoy his favourite

football magazines and even choosing a

meal from a restaurant menu after

turning his life around.

He said: “I struggled a lot with reading

and it was embarrassing if I was out

because I had to ask people or family and

friends to help me.

“I’ve always been into football and

Manchester United and used to buy

magazines but I got disheartened trying

to read them and shoved them to the

back of my wardrobe. Now I can sit back

and enjoy them and when I go to

restaurants I can read the menu rather

than a friend reading it to me.”

Tony got in touch with New Charter

Homes about his desire to learn to

read and he was referred to the

Great Readers project which is managed

by LEAP (St Peter’s Partnerships) in

partnership with the housing association.

Tony’s reading ‘buddy’ Lez Barstow, who

is also a New Charter tenant, has been

helping Tony to improve his skills with a

reading manual called Toe by Toe.

Both LEAP and New Charter are keen for

more mentors and people who need help

with their reading to come forward to be

part of the programme.

If you are interested in becoming a

volunteer mentor or know someone who

would like to learn how to read, please

contact Angie Knowles, Great Readers

Co-ordinator at The LEAP Centre on

0161 214 8300.

Great Readers isproving a hugesuccess for Tony

11April 2015

45-year-old Tony Rider, a New Charter tenant from Stalybridge

has been learning to read with a volunteer since last April

through a project called Great Readers.

April 201512

The Resident Involvement BusTour saw us team up withneighbourhood co-ordinators,health professionals, and other keyagencies to run mini sessions inAshton, Dukinfield, Droyslden,Denton, Stalybridge and Hyde.At these sessions we looked atincreasing the number of groundmaintenance monitors we have.

These are residents who carryout a very valuable service bymonitoring standards whenGreen Charter is working inyour neighbourhoods and reportback to the Head of Service.In addition, members of existinggroups attended and discussed whythey got involved as well as givingadvice on setting up an association.

More sessions have been plannedfor the summer holidays so have alook at the events page to see ifwe are coming to a venue near yousoon. Alternatively if you would liketo speak to a member of theResident Involvement team aboutgetting involved please ring0161 331 2000.

Resident InvolvementBus Tour

Two members fromTMT gave valuable speeches at the recent co-regulartory champions conferenceheld on 4th March, which is the third and final one. Navinder Leftwich and Vera Anderton explainedwhy they had changed to a new process for delivering scrutinies.Aimed at organisations that are relatively new to scrutiny, the event gives them the opportunity to pickup good practices and hopefully help improve the lives of tenants.The feedback on the day was verypositive and we have received a number of enquiries to the team which shows it definitely got peoplethinking about their own process.New Charter are founding members of the co-regulatory champions and it appears we are helping toshaping the way other organisations work.

Tenants Take the LeadConference - Nottingham

The Resident Involvement team has been busy, taking to the road withrecent events. Held in local communities, the events demonstrated waysresidents can get involved and support other New Charter tenants.

ResidentInvolvement

13April 2015

TMT

Following on from the reviewTMT have looked at a new way for residents to submit concerns about an area ofthe business.This can be done by contacting Steve Fanshawe on 0161 331 2000.All possible scrutiny topics arereviewed to put them into a priority order.This is done periodically and whilst the team will potentially not beable to scrutinise all areas, the team will work with other resident led groups and monitor these concerns.

UPDATE

These two groups met in March and highon the agenda was value for money.Both teams had a lively discussion about anumber of areas of the business.TMT gave an update on the new ways they are nowdelivering scrutinies.Working closely with NewCharter over the past few months, a newprocess has been introduced to makesure reviews were not already beingcarried out. This is to ensure we areproviding a value for money service andusing our resources effectively.When the team is looking at a topic theytake into account the following:● Number of tenants affected● Impact on tenants● New Charter’s performance (we alsocheck to see how we are performingagainst other providers)

● Complaints● Customer satisfactionThis new process has been in place for a couple ofmonths now and already the team have producedtwo reports on call handling within Connect andsatisfaction with investment works.

Joint Homes Boardand TMT meeting

Scrutiny topic referrals

April 201514

Have you heard ofTime Banking?Time Banking is a way for people to share theirskills with others in the community and berewarded for their time.You can ‘earn’ time creditsby helping someone with skills they may not havebut you can provide.Members in Tameside help each other withgardening, baking, simple DIY, car washing, andteaching knitting and crafts.Everyone has something to offer and anyonecan join aTime Bank.The youngest member isonly 10 years old and our most senior is just 80years young!Once you’ve collected time credits, you can ‘spend’them when you need help from someone and itcosts you nothing! Everyone’s time is valuedequally. 1 hour given = 1 time creditBy joining aTime Bank, you can meet new peopleand join in with social events, coffee mornings,workshops, or just getting together with othermembers for a chat.TheTime Bank inTameside is looking to grow andthey’d love to hear from you; the more memberswe have, the more skills we can share.

For more information and to get involved,visit www.cvat.org.uk or contact Julie andElaine on the numbers below.Watch out for our events too.

Email: julie.cunliffe@cvat.org.ukelaine.kilburn@cvat.org.uk

Telephone: 0161 339 2345

Mobiles: Julie 07825 157474;Elaine 07816 438289

The Volunteer Centre Tameside,95-97 Penny Meadow,Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 6EP.

Do you have anhour to sparenow and again?Would you like tohelp others?

Support yourcommunity andmake a difference

Local residents Jennie and Jason sharing their skillsthrough Time Banking

15April 2015

Here are some simple thingsyou can do to help keepyour home safer over thesummer months.● When you go out, makesure you close all yourwindows so people can’tget in easily.

● Keep your front doorlocked even when you’re athome, especially if you’re inthe garden.

● Keep your keys out of viewand away from doors,windows and letterboxesso that people can’t see orget them.

● Don’t keep large amounts ofmoney in your home.

● If you’re going awayfrom home for a while,try to make your homelook occupied, e.g leavingon some lights/usinglight timers.

Key safeadvicePoor qualitykey safes can beused by criminalsto gain accessto homes.Police onlyrecommendproducts whichconforms to rigorous testingstandards set by ‘Secured by Design’and/or ‘Sold Secure.’ Check if your keysafe meets these standards.If your key safe doesn’t meet thesestandards, we would stronglyrecommend that you look atupgrading to a better key safe to keepyour home secure.Also think about putting your key safein a hidden area where passers-by can’teasily see it. Any key safes that are nolonger used should be removed.If you would like any more advice onsecuring your home, please contactyour Neighbourhood Co-Ordinator ore-mail contact@newcharter.co.ukCheck out simple security videosfor information on doorstepcrime and other security ideas whichmay help you.Visitwww.gmp.police.uk/60secondsecurity

Keeping yourhome safeWith summer nights on theway, burglars will be lookingto take advantage of thewarm, light evenings and anyopportunities they can spot.

April 201516

Hosted by Chief Executive of theManchester United FoundationJohn Shiels and in the presence ofthe Mayor and Mayoress ofTameside, over 70 young people,aged between 7- 21 years old werepresented with certificates andshopping vouchers to recognisetheir contributions.The young people were recognisedfor projects such as the ‘In Bloom’entries, CHOL community theatre,gardening, artwork, music,neighbourhood clean ups,community events, sports andfundraising.They also had theopportunity to attend variouscourses and programmes wherethey gained valuable skills thatcould be used in the projects theywere involved in.The evening saw participants fromNew Charter Academy receiveawards for their contribution to theRoyal ExchangeTheatre andManchester United Foundation

projects that New Charter Homesfund within the school.The youth team worked inpartnership withTameside Council,Friends of Duke Street and BrighterSounds on a youth music project.New Charter was successful ingaining almost £20,000 offunding fromYouth Music tooversee the project.17 young people received an ‘ArtsAward Explore’ and three youngpeople gained a ‘Bronze Arts Award’fromTrinity College London, fortheir contributions to theYouth

Music project. The projectculminated in performances at‘Band on theWall’ in Manchesterand Stalybridge craft market.On the night, a raffle was held tohelp raise money for the memorialof former New Charter Academyteacher,TracyWilliamson who sadlypassed away last year. Prizes weredonated from Manchester UnitedFoundation and raised £153 whichwill go towards building a memorialclassroom at Senteza PrimarySchool, Kampala, Uganda.

The youth in ourcommunities wererecognised for theiroutstanding contributionsand work at an awardsceremony held onWednesday 25th Februaryat New Charter Academy.

Youngstersare a shiningexample in ourcommunities

Dancing robots provideinspirational jobs toprimary school children

At the event, the children were ableto learn about different jobs such aswriting scripts and coding a dancingrobot with companies such asManchester MetropolitanUniversity and Manchester RoyalExchangeTheatre.Other businesses that took part onthe day were Manchester United,Tameside Reporter andTamesideRadio who offered insight intojournalism as well as New Charter’svery own building company to

show different trades. On otherstalls, children were shown design,manufacturing and engineering skillsincluding testing out a virtualwelding mask.The event hopes to inspire primaryschool leavers and encourage themto think about different careersbefore they reach high school andsit their GCSEs.

Children from Silver Springs Academy and BroadoakPrimary school took part in a Jobs for the Future eventwhere they got a chance to learn about careers basedaround English, Maths, Science and Technology.

17April 2015

April 201518

Once your child reaches two-years-old, you may be entitledto 15 hours of flexible earlyeducation for up to 38 weekscompletely free of charge.

You could beentitled tofree childcare

You can claim your free childcare ifyou receive one of the following:• Income support• Income-based JobseekersAllowance (JSA)• Income-related Employment andSupport Allowance (ESA)• Child Tax Credit only and havean annual income of no morethan £16,190• The Guaranteed element of StatePension Credit• Universal Credit• Support under Part VI of theImmigration and Asylum Act 1999• The Working Tax Credit 4-weekrun on (the payment you get whenyou stop qualifying for WorkingTax Credit)• Working Tax Credits and you havean annual income of no morethan £16,190

To find out if you are eligible for this you can:• Visit www.tameside.gov.uk and go to theSureStart section where you will find the‘Free Early Education for 2 year olds -Application form’. Simply fill out the formand send it to the return address provided.

• ContactTameside Families informationservices (FIS) on 0161 342 4260

• Contact your local children’s centre• Talk to your health visitor formore information.

19April 2015

Restorative justice goesfrom strength tostrength in TamesideWhat is restorative justice?Restorative justice gives victims the chance to meet orcommunicate with their offenders to explain the realimpact of the crime. It gives victims ‘a voice.’It also helps offenders better understand what they’vedone wrong, take responsibility and make amends.You may have seen a restorative justice story onCoronation Street last year with Gail and Michael(Les Dennis).

So, what does New Charter do?New Charter helped introduce the process inTameside - one of the first restorative justiceprogrammes in the UK to resolve low-level crime andcommunity issues.We have led the way in training staff, local residentsand young people to help with restorative justicecases; an alternative to cases escalating to the courtsand authorities.

The resultsThere have been more than 200 cases in thesefirst few years and only 4% of the offenders involvedhave committed further crimes - a really good resultfor us all. 92% of offenders and 97% of victims said theywere ‘fairly or very satisfied’ with the process so it’sclearly working.Restorative justice helps to resolve conflict andantisocial behaviour in our neighbourhoods, makingour communities safer.Other housing associations in the area have now gotinvolved too and taken part in training.We hope thatmore will start to see the benefits of restorative justicesoon and start using the process too.

April 201520

New Charter and AshtonPioneer Homes set off on aseven mile walk to Manchesteras part of a nationwide Homesfor Britain campaign to urgepoliticians to end the housingcrisis within a generation.Staff and tenants from thehousing associations completedthe seven mile walk fromAshtonTown Hall to ManchesterPiccadilly which was officiallystarted by Mayor of Tameside,Councillor Dawson Lane on11th March.The walk was part of the NorthWest’s Homes for Britain Relayto the Rally and housingcompanies up down the country

hit the road,taking the rally toWestminster for anational eventwhich took placeon 17 March.

Housing staff and tenants back Homes forBritain with Tameside toManchester walk

Value for moneycustomer conference

The event was a real team effort with resident from allfour companies:New Charter Homes,Gedling Homes,Aksa Homes andThreshold attending.The event was held in a central location in Buxton andwas chaired by Director of Communities, EmmaWilson.We were thrilled to have motivational speaker RichardBeevers,Managing Director of Customer Plus Ltd, sharingthe principles of fantastic customer service and ourGroup Chief Executive, Ian Munro,held an open ‘questiontime’ session answering residents questions.The objectives of the conference were for residents togive their feedback on our services so that we can

continually improve. We had some brilliant feedbackwhich will help shape our value for money self-assessmentand our business plan for the year ahead.Thank you to all the tenants who attended and helpedmake the conference a success. We are collating thefeedback and will be sharing this on our website.

On 18th March, we held our secondGroup-wide customer conferencefocusing on value for money andcustomer service.

They meet everyWednesday, (11am-2pm) at ThePavilion, Oxford Park, Stockport Road,Ashton.The group has been getting together for 12 monthsnow and have knitted more than 5,000 blanketsand clothes and loads of toys too! They donate theiritems to the neonatal units at St Mary’s andTameside hospitals.

It’s not just about knitting, the group of ladies(and a man who’s joined now too) enjoy gettingtogether and chatting over their knitting needles!Anyone can get involved.If you’re interested in joining, but can’t make themeetings, you can knit at home and they’ll collect itemsfrom you.The group would also be really grateful forany wool you can donate.Contact the group by emailingneonatalknitters@outlook.comYou can find them on Facebook too.

facebook.com/Neonatal-Knitters

ImpRovINg YouR cuSTomeR expeRIeNceNew process forimproving our servicesWe recently introduced a newprocess to track all our customercontact across the business so wecan learn and make improvementsto the services you receive.By doing this we can act quickly toyour enquiries, responding to youfirst time. It also enables us toidentify areas where we canimprove our services.

STAR updateThe next STAR survey is due totake place later this year and wealways value your feedback.Following on from last year’sfeedback, we are reviewing some of

the questions to ensure we arebetter able to find out whatmatters to you most.We can thenuse this to make the much neededimprovements and to help us useresources more efficiently in areaswhere it is needed most.

Your satisfactioncountsThe satisfaction surveys we sendout when you receive a servicefrom us are also being reviewed andupdated to make sure we arecapturing all your feedback.These are the surveys you receivefollowing repair work and are beingupdated to ensure we are collectingyour views in the smartest way

possible to offer you the best valuefor money.

Better outcomes forcomplaintsListening and learning fromcomplaints is high on our agendaand we have recently developed anew system to support this. Once acomplaint is resolved, it is reviewedand examined in depth to establishif we need to take any action tohelp us get it right first time goingforward. We are also able toidentify any trends or patternswhich helps us to better resolveany issues.

21April 2015

Neonatal Knitters group in Ashton knitsclothes and toys for premature babiesand would love you to join them.

The NeonatalKnitters

Staff at St. Mary’s Hospital receiving some of thehand-knitted gifts

The Neonatal Knitters

Just for fun!Find and circle all of the words that arehidden in the grid.

The words may be hidden in any direction.

Find all these words

AUNTBROTHERCHILDREN

DAUGHTERFATHER

GRANDFATHERGRANDMOTHER

MOTHER

NEPHEWNIECE

PARENTRELATIVESISTERSON

UNCLE

coLouRme INCan you add somecolour to Freddy theFrog to make his homea nicer place to live?

Remember to staywithin the lines!

April 201522

Thursday 30thApril9.15am - 4pm

Basic first aid trainingVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Sycamore meeting room)

April 2015

Accredited first aid course.Learn the basics tohelp you in a crisis at home,work or in yourcommunity.

Events and classes

Tuesday 5th May2pm - 4pm

Planning your best lifeVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office (SilverBirch meeting room)

May 2015

Tuesday 5th,12th May1.30pm - 3.30pm

Basic ITVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Tenants’ resource room)

This workshop starts you on your journey ofre-discovering who you are and youraspirations for your best ever life.

Free for all NewCharter tenants

Can’t use a computer and want to learn?Week 1:Emails,Week 2:Surfing the web,Week 3:Social media,Week 4:Comparison sites

Tuesday 12th,28thApril1.30pm - 3.30pm

Basic ITVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Tenants’ resource room)

Can’t use a computer and want to learn?Week 1:Emails,Week 2:Surfing the web,Week 3:Social media,Week 4:Comparison sites

Contact the Resident Involvement team for more information or to book your place on 0161 331 2000

Monday 11th May9.15am - 4pm

Food hygieneVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Sycamore meeting room)

Learn the basics in food hygiene and preparation.You’ll get a recognised certificate which can beuseful to help you cook at home or help find ajob in catering.

Wednesday 27th May2pm - 4pm

Positive thinkingVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office (SilverBirch meeting room)

Increase your self-awareness, confidence andmotivation.Take away tools for positive thinkingin your own life.

23April 2015

Thursday 28th May9.15am - 4pm

Basic first aid trainingVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Sycamore meeting room)

Accredited first aid course. Learn the basics tohelp you in a crisis at home,work or in yourcommunity.

Friday 12th June9.15am - 4pm

Food hygieneVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Sycamore meeting room)

June 2015

Learn the basics in food hygiene and preparation.You’ll get a recognised certificate which can beuseful to help you cook at home or help find ajob in catering.

Tuesday 9th,16th,23rd,30th June1.30pm - 3.30pm

Basic ITVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Tenants’ resource room)

Can’t use a computer and want to learn?Week 1:Emails,Week 2:Surfing the web,Week 3:Social media,Week 4:Comparison sites

Wednesday 17th June6pm - 8.30pm

Residents’ quarterly quizVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(downstairs area)

Come along to our quiz with your local residentsgroups and compete for the trophy.

July 2015

Wednesday 8th July9.15am - 4pm

Basic first aid trainingVenue:Cavendish 249 -New Charter’s head office(Sycamore meeting room)

Accredited first aid course. Learn the basics tohelp you in a crisis at home,work or in yourcommunity.

Contact us

Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111

Head Office:New Charter Housing Trust Group, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 7AT

Our Hubs• 2 Henrietta Street, Ashton• 9 Albert Street, Denton• 12 Clarendon Street, Hyde• 63 Grosvenor Street,

Stalybridge

Our Hubs open at9am Monday to Friday(except Tuesdays, whenthey open at 10.30am).

Please note, Denton andStalybridge Hubs closedaily between 12.30-1.30pm.

All Hubs close at 5pmMonday to Wednesday;4.30pm on Thursday; and4pm on Friday.

These opening times are forour Home and CommunityHubs (our shops).

We also have NeighbourhoodHubs across our areas thatare only open when we needthem for classes andmeetings.

Email: contact@newcharter.co.ukwww.newcharter.co.uk

facebook.com/newcharterhomes

@NewCharterGroup

Remember, we now have just one number foryou to call to access all services - 0161 331 2000.This single number will be the same 24 hours a day,365 days a year and all calls are dealt with by NewCharter staff at our offices. In the evenings,at weekends and on Bank Holidays our servicesoperate for emergencies only - dealing with emergencyhousing issues and emergency repairs.

Main switchboard:0161 331 2000

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