Lighthouse mural brings back memories

Tenant Patrick Holian has painted a stunning new mural on the wall of the communal lounge at Oulton Court, the sheltered scheme where he lives.

Once the Residents Association had secured permission for the mural, tenants voted for the local landmark of Ness Point lighthouse as their first choice.

Patrick, who paints as a hobby, worked from a small photo of the lighthouse and scaled it up. The artwork took him more than a year to complete. There was no access to the communal lounge for tenants during the lockdown, so Patrick had to stop work.

It is the first mural he has ever painted! Patrick said:

“It was quite hard work - I was working with a brush on a brick wall, which has a lot of texture. You’d be surprised what people wanted to add - horses, cars etc! I think everyone is happy with the finished mural.”

Gary Chapman, Chair of the scheme’s Residents Association, said:

“Patrick has done a good job in a difficult situation. He had to stop and start. The lighthouse is one of the oldest parts of Lowestoft that is left, from about 1830. It’s always been a postcard picture and what I remember as a child.”

Dawn Lambert, Scheme Manager, said:

“Patrick has done a fantastic job. The mural brightens up the lounge and is admired by both tenants and visitors.”

Improving communities

We were delighted to award grants for various tenant projects from our 2021 Community Improvement Fund. Four members of our Tenant Action Group made up the judging panel.

The successful projects improved the communal areas at these schemes:

• garden seating at York Place and St Katherine's Court • water butts at Elizabeth Fry Road and The Orchards • outdoor benches at Oulton Court • sheds at Carrow Close • outdoor seating and bird feeder at The Cedars

The Community Improvement Fund offers grants up to £3,000 for tenant projects in the following categories:

• health and wellbeing • community projects • environmental improvements

The 2022 fund will open in April.

Thanks, Good Neighbour!

We encourage our tenants to nominate someone nearby who has helped them in an emergency or looked after them in small everyday ways for a Good Neighbour Award.

Gloria recently nominated her neighbours Laura and Luke: “They are fantastic neighbours as well as community leaders. They have supported our community through some really tough times and always go the extra mile.”

All Good Neighbourhood Award winners get a certificate and a £25 shopping voucher.

Which door style? Tenant consultation

This autumn our Asset Management and Procurement Teams have been working on a tender process for uPVC windows and doors and composite doors. The aim is for new contracts to be in place ready for new installations from April 2022.

“We wanted to involve our tenants in selecting products to be used in the contract, and so we sent out a digital survey to find out what types of door styles and colours tenants would prefer,” says Procurement Officer Will Hunter Rowe.

“The results of the tenant consultation have now been included in the tender package that suppliers will price in the tender process.

“The tender also includes some more modern designs and colours for windows, so that when we look at a scheme or property for window replacement, we have various options available within the contract.

“Suppliers who tender will be evaluated on their pricing and the quality of the products and services they propose to deliver in the contract. We will also consider their sustainability and environmental approach to the contract and any social value contributions offered in the tender.“

Bulb planting success

In November we invited tenants to help us plant out hundreds of bulbs at our schemes. During the pandemic we maintained our outdoor spaces as far as possible, because tenants told us how important these green spaces were for their mental health. The new blooming displays will brighten up communal gardens in time for spring. They will also come back year after year, attracting insects and wildlife. Tenants enjoyed the opportunity to socialise and meet their neighbours outdoors.