Specialising in Housing, Care & Support for over 55 …...EAST BORO Specialising in Housing, Care & Support for over 55 years News Spring 2016 Inside this edition • Christmas Party

EAST BORO Specialising in Housing, Care & Support for over 55 years

News

Spring 2016

Inside this edition• Christmas Party Gallery

• Sheltered Housing Trips

• How to beat phone scams

• News & Events

EAST BORO www.ebht.org.uk

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Spring 2016

East Boro Housing Trust is a Charitable Registered Society under the Co operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014 No. 16946REAST BORO

Inside this issue

Page 1 All that glittersPage 3 Keeping warm this winterPage 5 New Voice for LD

page 7-8 Christmas Gallery

Your new look East Boro News is filled with news, events and useful information. If you have any comments or would like to contribute to the next issue, please email Sue Hole, [email protected]

EAST BORO

Page 9 Sheltered Housing Trips ListingPage 12 What we are PlanningPage 13 Word Searchpage 14 Arts Group success

Another of our tenants from Holland Road, Lucy Knott, was also dazzled by bright llights. This time at the Bridgwater Carnival on 7th November, which was a feast of

colourful floats along many themes, but all brilliantly presented during the procession. Lucy, who went along with her support worker Loraine, was mesmerised and loved every moment of her trip.

All That Glitters... may not be gold, but can give you some golden memories!

And that was the destination for one of our Weymouth tenants, Jackie Powell from Holland Road. She couldn’t wait to get up to London to drink in the amazing atmosphere of the festive season. Jackie wanted to share some memories of her visit with East Boro News, so here are some photos of Jackie and her key worker, Karen.

The end of last year supplied some great opportunities for glitter and glitz. Christmas, of course, comes ready-packed

with shiny baubles and sparkling lights and nowhere does it better than the shopping streets of London.

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East BoroFaulkner House31 West Street

WimborneDorset

BH21 1JSTel: 01202 883 [email protected] www.ebht.org.uk

Weymouth OfficeUnit A2

83 Lynch LaneWeymouth

DorsetDT4 9DN

Tel: 01305 750 [email protected] www.ebht.org.uk

Reassurance line 01202 888 584

The Reassurance line is available

5pm to 9am Monday to Friday.

Out of Hours Maintenance

For emergencies please call

Spectrum Property Care 07977 014 950

Out of Hours Gas Emergency

Spectrum Property Care 07977 014 343

ContactAll That Glitters... may not be gold, but can give you some golden memories!

Welcome to 2016!

Hello everyone and a belated Happy N e w Ye a r. A l l t h e s t a f f a t E a s t

Boro hope you enjoyed the Christmas festivities: the Sheltered Housing Tenants Lunch at the Canford Magna Golf Club and the Christmas parties in Weymouth and Poole for our Assisted Living tenants. You will find some photographs of these events in this newsletter.

This year is going to be an interesting year for Housing Associations with the new Housing Bill being presented by the Government. There are going to be many changes and, where our tenants are affected, we will make sure you have all the information available. Peter Sparks, Housing Support Manager, has arranged meetings in all sheltered schemes so that our tenants will be informed about any changes to the delivery of our Support Services.

This years Sheltered Housing Tenant Conference will be held at Allendale House, Wimborne on 12th April 2016. We will be explaining and further examining the changes and hope that many of you will join us. Transport can be arranged. We will send individual invitations to you nearer the time but you may like to keep the date free in your diary!

There will be a speaker giving us an update on the National Policy and what it means to YOU. Sarah Ball, our Finance Manager and Cara Lewis, our Maintenance and Compliance Manager, will be giving short presentations on your Service Charges and Repairs and Maintenance respectively. This will be followed by a nice buffet lunch provided courtesy of East Boro.

Although a certain amount of change is coming our way, please be assured that Chief Executive, Kevin Hodder and his Management team are doing their very best to keep the services at the high standard you are used to and we will keep you updated on any further changes the Government might decide upon.

Dorothy Allen, Customer Liaison Manager

East Boro Residents ApprovedTenants Handbook

EAST

BORO RESIDENTS

APPROVED

Our Sheltered Housing Tenants Handbook has been designed and is awaiting final changes to the National Policy from

Central Government before being sent to print.

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for your Health & Safety

Keeping warm this winter

The Cold weather can affect your health. The Met Office provides the weather forecasts on radio and TV so listen to these bulletins regularly to keep up to date

with the weather. Severe weather warnings are issued on the Met Office website. You can ring the Weather Desk FREE on 0870 900 0100.

Follow these tips to keep yourself warm and well in extremely cold weather

• Draw your curtains at dusk and keep your doors closed to block out draughts.

• Have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during the winter.

• Wear several light layers of warm clothes (rather than one chunky layer).

• Keep as active in your home as possible.

• Wrap up warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside.

• If you have reduced mobility, are over 65, or have a health condition such as heart or lung disease, you should heat your home to at least 18oC. It’s a good idea to keep your bedroom at this temperature all night and make sure you wear enough clothes to stay warm. During the day, you may prefer your living room to be slightly warmer.

• If you’re under 65 and healthy and active, you can safely have your house cooler than 18oC, if you’re comfortable.

As always, you are advised to ensure that you have a smoke alarm on every level of your home and that you test it regularly.

• Electric heaters: keep away from curtains and furniture and do not use for drying clothes. Always unplug when you go out or go to bed.

• Electric blankets: do not use a hot water bottle, even if the blanket is switched off. Unplug blankets before you go to bed, unless they have thermostat control for safe all-night use.

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These fake Police Officers claim to be investigating a fraud which they say the person has been a victim of. They will then request the bank cards and PIN numbers of the victim and claim these are needed for investigation purposes.

If the first contact was made by a phone call, the fake Police Officers will tell the victim that someone will be over to collect the evidence. In one case the victim was instructed to attend their local bank and withdraw all of the money from their account. The fake Police Officer was left alone in the victim’s house whilst the victim carried out the instructions.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said similar scams were being attempted in Dorset - including a recent spate of calls from withheld numbers with the caller claiming to be phoning from Dorset Police. He added: “Please remember never give out your PIN number or bank details to anyone who calls you, no matter where they say they are from. Never send cash via a courier or taxi or send bank cards anywhere - always keep them with you. A Police Officer or staff member will never ask you to give them money.”

If you receive a phone call from a Police Officer, ask for their name, force and number and tell them you will call them back. Wait at least ten minutes for the phone line to clear and then use 101 to call the Police. If you prefer, you can call 101 immediately using another telephone. The Police will never ask for your PIN or passwords. Do not give this information to anyone. The Police will never request that you withdraw or transfer any money to them.

If in any doubt just hang up the phone. It’s not bad manners to do so. If you think you have been scammed tell fr iends or family and call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk

S ue Por ter and Michelle Woodward recently arranged two workshops at Directions, Adult Education Centre in

Weymouth.

They enlisted the help of East Boro tenant, David Austin, who not only helped them to set up the stand, but was also available to explain to the public what supported living was really all about. David shared his experiences outlining: what is important to him; the tasks he needs support with; how he stays safe at home and how he has become more independent and confident to do things on his own.

Police warn of phone scammers!DORSET Police is renewing i ts advice on

fraudsters in the light of fresh warnings about fake police officers. Action Fraud, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, has issued an alert after a recent spate of incidents involving conmen phoning or visiting the homes of elderly members of the public, claiming to be police officers.

A BIG THANK YOU to David

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People with learning disabilities

1lb minced beef1 eggbreadcrumbs2 small onions2 tins of chopped tomatoestomato pureedried spaghettimixed herbssaltand pepper

Mix the egg, water breadcrumbs, one small onion finely chopped, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Break the minced beef into chunks and add to the mixture. Shape into small meatballs.

Gently fry the meatballs, once browned, add the other finely chopped onion.

Boil the water and add the spaghetti.

After 10 minutes add the chopped tomatoes and puree, a pinch of chilli flakes and mixed herbs to the meatballs.

Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.

Serve & Enjoy!

Spaghetti

& Meatballs

... have a new voice

P eople First Dorset (a charity supporting people with learning disabilities) are delighted to announce that two members from

its Friendship Club project will be sharing their insights in the Dorset Echo every Tuesday in their new column called ‘Our View’.

Adam said “It’s wonderful. Now I have a voice through the medium of these columns”. William added. “As far as we know it’s the first regular column written by anyone with a learning disability in the United Kingdom, so we are really excited to get this opportunity.”

Adam and William are being supported in their editing by Laura Kerr of People First Dorset. Editor of the Dorset Echo, Diarmuid MacDonagh, said the Dorset Echo said: “I am delighted to have Adam and William writing for us. They have proven themselves to be thoughtful, witty and popular writers with our audience.”

The column can be read either online or in print. Visit the Echo website: http://bit.ly/1RBdbAJ

People First Dorset Speaking Up GroupsFriendly meetings for local people who have learning disabilities

Come along and make new friends, learn new skills and tell People First about things that are important to you. You may bring someone to support you.

• Weymouth Library, Gt George Street 24th February, 30th March, 10.30am - 12noon.

• Tom Browns, 47 High St, Dorchester 26th February, 18th March, 6pm - 7.30pm. Refreshments provided.

For information about both venues contact Lisa 07902 528895 or [email protected]

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Fire Fire, House on Fire!

R ecently East Boro staff received some Fire Training at Faulkner House delivered by David Armstrong

from UK Fire Consulting Ltd. The first session took place in the Board Room where we were told about the causes of fire and what to do in an emergency (and what NOT to do!).

Then the fun bit started when we went into the car park and were taught how to use the different types of fire extinguishers. It was quite difficult to choose the correct colour extinguisher for the different types of fire and learn how to use them but after a bit of practice we all got the hang of it.

Overall, it was an interesting experience and we all went home feeling a bit safer with our newly acquired knowledge!

EBHT still... simply the best!

A s housing providers go, we have an excellent reputation. Our Board members’ business skills are second to none and they look after the finances with a caring

attitude towards our tenants’ needs.

Our support staff are amazing and always work ‘over and above’ the jobs they are meant to do. Our Sheltered Housing Officers are kind and caring, and our maintenance staff are always happy and polite.

We still organise Christmas Lunches and Parties and those Supported Living tenants who live too far away to attend a party get a present. Here is a photo of Spencer Sturmey from The Albany in Sherborne happily receiving his Christmas gift.

The current Government will be making a lot of changes, but Kevin Hodder, EBHT Chief Executive, and his team are totally committed to giving our tenants the best we can give.

You can share your opinion with us by completing the survey which will be distributed shortly.

Dorothy Allen, Customer Liaison Manager

Members of our ‘Supported Living’

Tenant Consultative CommitteeThe TCC meets once every three months on Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. We discuss all sorts of issues important to our tenants and give information as well as ask for their opinion.

If you would like to join this group please contact Dorothy Allen, your Customer Liaison Manager on 01202 830965

L to R: Stephen Kelly, Rachel Allen, Peter Hawkins, Doreen Willis & Alex Ridealgh. Tom Richards & Kevin Baker are also members.

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Now the party season is over and we can pack away our dancing shoes until the next time. But to remind you, here are a selection of photos from our Supported Living tenants parties.

Supported Living Christmas Parties

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Thursday February 4th Moreton Tea Rooms for afternoon tea Thursday March 3rd Highcliff Castle grounds and Tea Rooms Thursday April 7th Guys Marsh Prison for Lunch Thursday May 5th Jurassic Coast Day Trip from Weymouth

to Bridport. Lunch in Abbotsbury & Afternoon Tea

Thursday June 2nd Upton House grounds and Tea Rooms Thursday July 7th Wareham River Cruise on Dolphin Boat Friday August 12th Drive to Tyneham. Lulworth Castle

for lunchThursday Sept 1st Shopping trip to SalisburyThursday October 6th Bournemouth Flying Club for lunchThursday November 3rd Christmas Garden Centre afternoon teaThursday December 1st Christmas Shopping in Street

Trips out and about

A s promised in the last edition of East Boro News, here is the list of planned trips for our Sheltered Housing Tenants. I am

pleased to report that we have successfully managed to book the Age Concern bus every month from January to December 2016.

Please note that some trips are subject to change due to availability and booking restrictions. All trips cater for twelve people except the Dolphin boat trip which caters for ten. Places will be on a first come first served basis, so if you would like to go, let your Sheltered Housing Officer know as soon as possible.

We will ask for your feedback at the end of every trip, so that we can make any appropriate changes in the future.

Coffee Mornings, open to all residents from all schemes, will be announced soon. Contact your SHO if you would like transport arranged.

Justine Thorpe, SHO/Activities Coordinator

EAST BORO

Just before Christmas, children from Mudeford School joined residents

from Trafalgar Court to ask questions about the older generation and to entertain the residents by singing some festive songs.

I t was a lovely oppor tuni t y for the children to listen and understand what the older generation had experienced during their lifetimes. The lovely singing was much appreciated by the residents.

Sing-a-long and Stories

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Digby Court and Prince George House fielded a worthy team at the Mencap Quiz night on Friday 16th October. The event was

held at the Wessex Hotel in Dorchester to raise money for the local Mencap group that supports the running of the Mencap charity shop in Dorchester.

The shop is a popular asset to the local community and also offers the opportunity for some of our tenants to gain work experience. Mencap believes everyone with a learning disability should have the chance to have a job and they have a long history of helping people with a learning disability into employment. Their work and training service Employ Me enables people to develop the skills they need for the workplace. For more information on how Mencap is challenging attitudes to learning disablity in the workplace, visit their website www.mencap.org.uk/employment

The Mid Dorset Mencap Group is looking for committee and fundraising members. If you are interested please email Gill [email protected] for further information.

Gill J

oslin

A day in the life of...

W ell my title may sound very grand but the senior in my job title refers as much to my longevity at East

Boro (being the longest serving member of the current team aside from Sarah the Finance Manager) as my ‘rank’!

From small beginnings six years ago when the Finance Department consisted of just two part time staff - Sarah and I - there are now six of us. So this just goes to show how the Trust has grown.

My main task in the team is to oversee and allocate all the money coming into the Trust, whether that is from Tenants, Local Authorities or Customers of all of the other Services the Trust provides. Much of my time is taken up with the Always Help at Hand Service, raising invoices and ensuring that they are paid.

I am responsible for the accounting records of three other small Housing Associations who have Service Level Agreements with the Trust. I also get to spend the money as I am responsible for preparing the payments for bills ready for signature. So I have got most things covered!

As I have been in the Finance Team for nearly six years now, I am also able to help and support my colleagues as I have performed most of the roles to a certain extent over the years! I enjoy my job very much as I am fortunate to work with a really great team of people – that is my immediate colleagues in the Finance Department and in East Boro as a whole.

In answer to the question there is no typical day in finance but as someone once said, “All Roads lead to Finance”, so we are always busy!

Mary Selby, Senior Finance Officer

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Signs of limescale include:

• deposits of scale around taps or basins

• layers of scale in kettles, which can flake and lead to chalky particles in hot drinks

• a thin layer of white film on glassware or items from dishwashers

• flakes in water drawn from taps

• floating white film or scum on boiled water (this may pick up colour from tea etc).

You are more likely to see scale in water boiled in plastic kettles than metallic ones because they are smoother and hold the scale less firmly. To reduce scale:

• empty the kettle and rinse out frequently, every day if necessary

• gently brush the insides of the kettle with a stiff nylon brush to dislodge the scale

• fill the kettle with a solution of vinegar or fresh lemon with water and leave it for four hours. The kettle should be rinsed, boiled and rinsed again before reuse

• use a descaling solution available from most large stores - please follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Some water filter jugs can partially soften water to reduce the formation of floating scum. If you choose to use a filter jug, please check that the replaceable cartridge is designed for softening and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Tackling Limescale . . .head on

If you’ve ever looked inside your kettle chances are you’ve probably

spotted a tough, stony, off-white crust at the bottom of it. As you’ve probably noticed throughout your own home, limescale will often cover taps and hard surfaces with an unsightly layer which can be difficult to remove.

This year, EBHT will again be organising the East Boro in Bloom competition, when we

judge potted plants, borders, hanging baskets and scheme gardens. We might also start a ‘Best Vegetable’ competition this year as many tenants have started to grow their own vegetables.

Judging will take place in July so when the weather turns then it will be time to start planning how you are going to dazzle the judges! Winners will be announced in the summer when certificates and prizes will be awarded at your summer parties.

Application forms will be sent out to all tenants individually in April 2016.

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East Boro is setting up a Scrutiny Panel to review the services it provides, and

is looking for tenants who would like to get involved with this.

There will be some training and quarterly meetings. I f you are interested, please r ing Dorothy Allen, Customer Liaison Manager, for a chat on 01202 830965.

If scrutiny is not your thing, what about joining our ‘Repairs and Maintenance’ Forum? They also meet every quar ter and look at our Policies and Procedures, how things work and what improvements can be made.

Again, please ring Dorothy Allen if you would like more information.

Planning proposal gets mixed reaction

An exhibition to view the proposed planning application for affordable

housing options in Cor fe Mullen was well attended by local residents. The exhibition, held at St Nicholas Church in Corfe Mullen on Tuesday 24th November, saw a steady stream of visitors between the opening hours of 3pm and 7pm.

Although many had come to voice their concerns and reservations, we were very pleased by the large number of young local couples and families who came to show their support for the proposal and ask how they could apply for one of the houses should the planning application be successful.

The proposal is to develop this site as a “rural exception site” and provide housing opportunities for people who live in Corfe Mullen. This proposal has been amended following comments from local residents at the previous exhibition.

The plans will be submitted to East Dorset District Council as a planning application in early 2016.

Af ter their submission, any comments can be made to the Counci l onl ine at:

www.dorsetforyou.com/planning/east-dorset

We have just submitted a Planning Application to build a two bed bungalow behind 119/121 Longfleet Road. This will be, similar to our Carlton Road South property and will provide accommodation for a vulnerable adult with learning disabilities and their carer.

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BEE

BIRDS

DAFFODIL

FLOWER

GARDENING

GOLF

GRASS

PICNIC

SKY

SUNSHINE

TULIP

WALKING

Enjoy our seasonal wordsearch...is in the air!

A In 1537, King Henry VII officially declared February 14th, St.Valentine’s Day.

A In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.

A In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine and wore their name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve.”

A Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.

A Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love. Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the late 1800s.

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Artists Gallery

Super Selfies

V isitors flocked to the Arts Group Open Day at the end of November to see a selection of the amazing drawings, paintings and other works of art the group

have produced over the past year.

Members of the group had all produced a self-portrait and it was up to the visitors to guess who was who, which was great fun, as some were fairly easy... some a little harder!

East Boro Housing Trust runs the Arts Group which is held twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Weymouth Community Fire Station and is open to all adults with Learning Disabilities. For further information contact Arts & Crafts Club Supervisor Mel Symes on 01305 750403

Card illustrated by Leigh Goddardfrom our East Boro Arts & Crafts Group, Weymouth

East Boro Housing Trust is a Charitable Registered Society under the Co operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 No. 16946R

EAST BORO

Head Office: Faulkner House, 31 West Street, Wimborne,

Dorset BH21 1JS Tel: 01202 883 503 [email protected] Office: Unit A2, 83 Lynch Lane, Weymouth,

Dorset DT4 9DN Tel: 01305 750 403 [email protected]

www.ebht.org.uk

Monkeying Around!

A t r i p t o M o n k e y World for some of

our Supported Living tenants inspired one of the Weymouth Art Group members to

c reate th is b r i l l iant painting of a monkey.

The clever group then made this into a Thank You card for EBHT Chief Executive, Kevin Hodder and his team. We love it!

Our Ar t Group at Weymouth has produced some fantastic work.

EBHT Christmas card for 2015 was illustrated by Leigh Goddard.

“We really enjoyed the excellent meal and service and hope next years will be as good. Thankyou

on behalf of all at John’s.”

The 2015 Sheltered Housing Christmas lunch was held at Canford Magna Golf Club on 1st December. The five course lunch was greatly appreciated by all who came

and we rounded off the afternoon with a free raffle. Here are some of the comments from some of the tenants who came to start the festive season with style...

“A very nice meal, very enjoyable occasion. Good

company, service and presentation”.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“The meal was very enjoyable and the

company excellent. It was so nice to

have pleasant folk to chat to.”

“We have thoroughly enjoyed our time today. The meal was excellent

and we enjoyed the company. We are looking forward to next years!”

Wimborne: 01202 883 503

Weymouth: 01305 750 403

[email protected]

www.ebht.org.uk

EAST BORO