Housing Matters - November 2022
Community news
Tenants have their say
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Introducing the TAP
We are excited to be launching a brand new panel for tenants to get involved. Recruitment for the Tenant Assurance Panel began in October. We are calling for tenants to join and tell us straight whether our homes and services are meeting the standards all our tenants deserve.
The idea is that tenants work with us to make positive changes to the services we provide. We get to hear directly what’s important to tenants and work to effect changes in partnership with them.
We want to make panel membership accessible to as many tenants as possible. All panel members’ expenses will be paid, there is free training and IT equipment on offer if needed. Panel members will receive a £100 gift voucher as a thank you for helping us get the panel set up. Further payment for panel membership will be reviewed in June 2023.
Supporting tenants this winter
As energy prices rise and the cost of living crisis continues, we’ve been supporting tenants and sharing information about grants, free courses and other sources of support.
At one of our recent HOP (Housing for Over 55s Panel) meetings, the WEA delivered a workshop to tenants on how to save energy and cut fuel bill costs. We’ve also been posting advice and tips for saving energy and keeping warm on our social media platforms and in Door to Door, our tenant magazine.
Nice to meet you!
Meanwhile, we were delighted to meet nearly 300 tenants around Norfolk and north Suffolk this summer at a host of outdoor community days, and at cinema and Halloween events in the autumn. These events are in addition to our regular programme of community conversations and ‘Out and About’ dates rotating around our regions and schemes.
Celebrating housing with care
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Robert Kett Court has won this year’s Wymondham in Bloom competition. The housing with care scheme’s floral entry was created in the memory of Owen James, who grew many of the plants in the display. Owen moved to Robert Kett Court in 2018 and set up the gardening club with the help of his daughter Annette.
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Our housing with care schemes provide a supported environment for older people, and offer award-winning standards of care. They are ideal for older people who have a care need but who wish to remain independent.
We are running a series of open days at our housing with care schemes, when individuals or families can tour the facilities and talk to Broadland staff about what’s on offer when opting for this type of housing.
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Exclusive events for Members
All Members of Broadland get invitations to exclusive ‘behind-the-scenes’ events. In May, we looked at Independent East, Broadland’s new partnership with 4 other local housing associations (Orwell Housing, Saffron, Freebridge and Havebury Housing). The aim of the group is to share experiences and knowledge, but also to look at ways of working together that will benefit all our tenants and staff. The seminar looked at some of the work that has already started and our ambitions for the future.
In April, for the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19, our Chief Executive Michael Newey spoke to Members in person and online, about how we coped with the pandemic. Although the effects are still being felt, it was a good opportunity to reflect on some of the positive changes that happened and how we are trying to get back on track.
Watch the 2 presentations on our website.
Sign up to receive members-only invitations to future events.
Why become a Member?
Tenants, stakeholders and local community members are welcome as Members.
When you sign up, you can:
- attend events throughout the year to find out what we are doing to support our tenants
- hear about the direction Broadland is taking as a business
- attend, ask questions and vote at our AGM
- vote on key changes we are proposing
- membership is FREE!
Art inspiration for tenants!
Nick Horne (pictured above left), a talented artist himself, has set up a popular weekly art group for fellow tenants at Woodcote, our sheltered housing scheme near Norwich.
Norfolk-born Nick was previously a specialist art youth worker for the local council. After studying at Norwich Art School he has continued to paint and draw throughout his life. He has completed superbly detailed wildlife and historic drawings as commissions in the West Country, Yorkshire and Scotland. Locally, Wymondham Abbey is a favourite subject. Nick says: “I love drawing the abbey. My prints were spotted by a chinaware company who featured them on a range of china, and Reeves the stationers in the town have sold Christmas cards with my Wymondham street scenes on them.”
One of Nick’s paintings of legendary musician Bob Marley is in the African & Ethiopian Heritage Museum in the USA, and his commissions for child and pet portraits are also very popular. He enjoys working on his own projects, including fantasy illustrations and CD covers, and Wargames figures.
Nick set up the weekly art club in the tenants’ lounge in May:
“There used to be an arts and crafts group here and so there already was a lot of interest. We have 4-12 regulars. Some have drawn before, others haven’t. One chap who recently moved here says the club has really brought him out of his shell.
“Some people tell you they can’t draw but I say that you learn by doing. I encourage them not to rub out too much or throw it away. The best thing people say about the club is that they find it relaxing.”
40th anniversary celebrations at York Place
In July Broadland tenants and members gathered at York Place in Dereham to celebrate the sheltered scheme’s 40th anniversary. Ann Chamberlain (94), York Place’s longest-standing tenant, cut the anniversary cake with Michael Newey, our Chief Executive.
Michael said:
“Back in 1982, York Place was ahead of its time. Building a scheme so close to the town centre, just off the High Street, was quite unusual. But as towns have to reinvent themselves, bringing people back living in town centres seems such a sensible idea. There is a model here that other communities in Norfolk and further afield could really learn from.”
Ann said:
“York Place has a proper sense of community. We are one big happy family. It’s nice and near the town centre – I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Left and below: Tenants and Broadland staff celebrating York Place’s 40th birthday, plus a VIP visit from 1986.
Community Improvement Fund brightens up gardens
Community Improvement Fund grants have funded improvements at several of our sheltered schemes this year, including items such a communal outdoor shed, garden furniture, parasols and bases repairs to raised beds, and patio improvements for tenants.
Our Community Improvement Fund is designed to help tenants set up their own community project. All applications are reviewed by a panel of Broadland tenants, who award funds to the successful bids. Applications must fall into one of the following categories:
- health and wellbeing
- community projects
- environmental improvements
The 2023 Community Improvement Fund opens in April.
2022 Gardening Competition results
We had some impressive entries in our 2022 gardening competition.
The panel of judges (including our Environmental Champions and Jane, our tenant ‘gardening guru’, pictured below centre) were delighted to be able to visit tenants and their gardens in person again this year, after judging the competition ‘virtually’ from photos in lockdown. Jane said she was thrilled they had received so many entries:
“This year’s entrants were of the highest standard, yet again making judging difficult. We were pleased to meet and talk with so many enthusiastic gardeners. Many said how much gardening had helped with their mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic.”
“Our Overall Winner was chosen because it is an exceptional example of an English cottage garden. All the sheds, pond and built areas are made from recycled materials. It has lots of plant propagation and seed sowing, with a good mixture of vegetables, wildflowers and perennials. Wildlife is well catered for and the whole garden is cared for by a very enthusiastic gardener.”
Watch the video of all the winning entries.