• We’re on the move – we’ll soon be relocating from Devon place to…
• The big lunch – Imagine a summer’s day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together
• Come dine with Charter – Are you a keen cook or would you like to improve your cooking skills?
• What’s on in your area?

All these plus a whole lot more. You can download the latest edition below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file – get it here.

Over the next couple of months Charter has come up with its own version of the popular TV series, ‘Come Dine With Me’. Eight lucky tenants have the opportunity to learn how to cook healthily on a budget. After the meal has been cooked, tenants will discuss how different ingredients could have been added to the food or how it could have been cooked differently.

Over the next couple of months tenants will be cooking all sorts of meals based on different themes. Tenants have the opportunity to put forward their ideas and come to a decision on what they’d like to cook next!

The first session kicked off on Monday, 9 August with an Italian theme –Spaghetti Bolognese. The session went well and tenants thoroughly enjoyed themselves. So much so, the tenants are and are really looking forward to the next cookery session, which will be held on 27 August, at Malpas Court between 2.00pm-4.00pm. They’ve agreed to cook a Chinese meal where the heat is on to rustle up an authentic Chicken Stir Fry!

The event, themed around the environment, money matters, community safety, health, well being and diversity saw organisations such as Age Cymru, RNIB Cymru and the Pension Service offering advice and information to tenants and representatives from four local authority areas.

Alun Thomas, Head of Review, Examinations & Policy at the Older People’s Commission in Wales, opened the event, said, “Since the Commission began it’s work, older people have told us it is often difficult to obtain information about services in an accessible form that can be understood and acted upon. The Commission is therefore delighted to be involved in events such as this Older Person’s Independence Day, which helps to address gaps in this key area.”

Amanda Davies, Chief Executive, said, “When people get older it is not always easy for them to access the information they need. Older people are important to the Seren Group, so much so that earlier this year we launched ’50 and up’, a range of housing and support solutions specifically designed around older people. Building on the success of today’s event, we will continue to do all we can to help promote and maintain older people’s independence.”

The feedback from residents who attended the event was also positive with comments including: “very enjoyable” – “I had lovely time” – “great atmosphere and very interesting.”

• What your landlord must do to comply with the Regulatory Code. This code was developed by the Assembly in its role as regulator of housing associations and all registered housing associations must comply with it.
• Any standards that are considered to be good practice which your landlord should normally comply with.

The Guarantee is important. You can use the Guarantee to find out what you can expect and to check that you are getting the service that you should be getting from us as your landlord. It tells you what to do if you think we are not honouring the Guarantee.

English and Welsh versions of the document have been made available by the Welsh Assembly.

• Monday 2nd August at Newport, YMCA
• Tuesday 3rd August at St Julian’s School and the Newport Centre
• Wednesday 4th August at Malpas Court.
• Thursday 5th August at Alway Community Centre.

At each workshop, refreshments and a buffet will be provided, and there will be a chance to win £50 worth of ARGOS or HMV vouchers.

If you are interested in attending please contact Julia Osmond Principal Public Health Practitioner on 01633-261448 or julia.osmond@wales.nhs.uk.

Download the Poster and Form here: HNA Pack (9)

Charter’s Moneysavers, Andrew Desmond and Mike Rosser, are pictured with their finalist certificate in the ‘Best New Initiative’ category.

They fought off stiff competition from entries from all over the UK and scooped the award for their innovation and dedication in establishing Moneyline Cymru – a community development finance initiative offering affordable loans and financial advice to people who would otherwise turn to high interest lenders, often borrowing at rates of more than 250% APR.

This groundbreaking initiative has seen five pilot outlets opened across South Wales in Pontypridd, Newport, Cardiff, Cwmbran and Bridgend and to date, these outlets have saved customers over £700,000 in debt interest alone.

The Moneyline Cymru steering group is made up of the following people:

• Bron Lloyd, Charter Housing Association
• Richard McQuillan, Hafod Housing Association
• Clare Williams, Community Housing Cymru
• Simon Dawson, Bron Afon Community Housing Group
• Shane Hembrow, Wales and West Housing Association,
• Malcom Wilson, RCT Homes.
• Nigel Draper, Valleys to Coast Housing Association

Bron Lloyd, Charter’s Head of Community Regeneration said “We were thrilled to win – it’s been a great partnership and it just shows what we can achieve when we all work together to tackle an evil which affects our customers like doorstep lenders do.”

Clare Williams, Financial Inclusion officer at Community Housing Cymru said: “Financial exclusion is a huge problem in Wales. Over 150,000 people borrow from doorstep lenders, with an additional 15,000 falling prey to illegal money lenders. The steering group is made up of housing professionals who, for the past two years have worked tirelessly to develop a holistic approach to provide affordable lending and accessible financial services for those currently considered financially excluded. It’s all been worth while to ensure customers have access to services appropriate to their needs, including basic bank accounts and affordable loans.”

Nigel Draper, chair of the Moneyline Cymru steering group added: “The group has been dedicated and worked extremely hard to get the five pilot outlets off the ground. Over a thousand people have accessed services provided by the outlets and it’s imperative that this initiative is extended Wales wide in order to help more people in financial need. Thanks must be given to all the staff in the Moneyline Cymru offices who are working hard to ensure the continued success of the project.”

The Editor of Inside Housing, Stuart Macdonald, said: “The housing sector is characterised by the commitment, passion and flair of the people who work in it. They are dedicated, innovative and creative individuals and teams. That’s why we run these awards – to shine the spotlight on those ‘unsung heroes’ so others can learn from them. I was amazed by the number of entries we received this year – more than 300 – and the overall calibre. The standard was really high.”

The £1.6m Arbed grant will help to fund a £2.3m programme of energy efficiency improvements to both Charter’s 124 homes and other private/public sector housing in Markham. Proposed Arbed measures include cavity insulation, insulated external render, solar hot water and photovoltaic panels. Additional funding is being sought by Warm Wales and NPower from the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) to pay for other measures, including home energy assessment surveys, loft insulation, new gas connections and central heating systems for solid fuel properties, upgrades for existing heating systems, and real time energy use display units.

The Markham project will run from April 2010 to March 2011, and will help to support current Charter projects focusing on increased tenant participation, digital and financial inclusion. The project is also seeking to create training and employment opportunities for local people, including three Community Energy Wardens, funded via the Future Jobs Fund.

‘Arbed’ (meaning ‘Save’) is a £30 million fund sourced primarily from the Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) and the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (the initiative is also known as the ‘Strategic Energy Performance Investment Programme’). Phase 1 of Arbed is focused specifically on energy efficiency improvements to homes in economically deprived communities within the Heads of Valleys area.

Key facts:

• Total properties in Markham: 624
• Total Charter units in Markham: 124
• Total number of proposed measures: 2,154
• Total cost of programme: £2,320,598
• Total Arbed funding granted: £1,600,000
• Additional funding from Community Energy Savings Partnership (CESP), Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), and Charter contribution.
• Total potential energy bill savings to homes in Markham: £169,129 per annum
• Lifetime CO2 saving as a result of improvements to homes in Markham: 24,738 tonnes

Downloads:
Arbed Flyer Warm Wales Assessment Form

The house, based at The Turnstiles in Newport was built in the 1980′s is one of 87 social housing units across the UK that the TSB have funded as part of the “Retrofit for the Future” programme.

Why is the work necessary?

Housing accounts for 27% of UK carbon emissions. 80% of the houses that will be present in the UK in 2050 have already been built. Therefore, the performance of existing housing stock must be dramatically improved to meet the UK’s target of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

Lots of energy is currently being wasted at The Turnstiles house, as a result of heat loss through the building fabric and through draughty windows and doors. Due to lack of poor natural lighting, tenants need to put lights on during the da, their appliances are not energy efficient and hot water is not heated or used efficiently.

What is being done to the house?

The design of the house will be improved in order to reduce energy demand, reduce draughts and improve natural daylight. Living and amenity space will be increased to improve the occupants comfort and the house will be fitted with ~ triple glazed windows and doors, instulated internal walls, including extra storage, roof insulation, a ground source heat pump to extract heat from the ground to heat the house and energy from the sun will be used for hot water to generate electricity

These works will take 8-9 weeks to complete.

Who is involved in the retrofit?

Naturally, the most important people involved in the retrofit are the residents. They have lived at the property for 20 years and need to feel comfortable in their home during and after the retrofit has been completed. They have been asked to maintain a diary so that their satisfaction and comfort can be monitored throughout the whole process and they will learn how to use their new energy efficient equipment effectively.

Members of the project team include :

• Charter who own the property and will undertake the building work and maintenance and,
• The Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University, who will undertake the design and remotely monitor the property for two years to establish what impact it will have on the environment and the lives of the tenants.

What will the impact be?

Computer modelling has calculated that there will be an 83% saving on current carbon emissions, equated to a saving of £230 on the resident’s fuel costs. The property will become a more pleasant place to live with improved thermal comfort, natural lighting and increase living and storage space. The successful elements of the prototype retrofit will be rolled out across Wales and throughout the UK.

For further information please contact: megan.smith@charterhousing.co.uk

Every three months Fairview community house will host a drop-in coffee morning for residents giving them the opportunity to get to know their Councillor, local Police Officers and their local Community Development Officer. Residents will be able to report problems and discuss any issues that are causing concern in their local community.

Kate Aspinwall, Community Development Officer at Charter said “This is a great way to bring together three organisations under one roof. It’s a one stop shop for Fairview residents who can come along to air their concerns about all sorts of issues.”

Advice and information will be on hand about community safety, crime, community and tenancy issues, local services and how to tackle money and debt advice. Free refreshments are available and there are plenty of activities to entertain the children.

Community Drop-In sessions will be held at Fairview Community House every 3 months between 10am and 12noon, on the following dates:

• 15th July
• 14th October
• 16th December

Councillor David Poole added “The drop in will allow organisations, communities and individuals to work more closely together at a local level. Often, it is the residents themselves who come up with the solutions to their problems, whilst others simply want reassurance that things are being done. I urge residents to come along, have a cup of tea and share their concerns, no matter how great or small.”

PC Bethan Sturgess of the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said “If anyone has any local community issues, then they are welcome to come along and have a chat with us over a cup of tea or coffee. We also have a range of crime prevention advice and products to hand out to local residents. We are looking forward to seeing them there”.