24severn - issue 13

NEW HOMES REPAIRS COMMUNITY

ISSUE 13 | WINTER 2015

www.svhs.org.uk

NEWS ANNUAL REPORT

MEET THE TEAM

STAKEHOLDER SENATE

CUSTOMERFOCUS

COMPETITIONs

AnnualReportp14 - p17

Are you

internet savvy?p3

Knit and

Natterp13

Meet the

Stakeholder

Senate p5

Tel: 01684 272727Email: [email protected]: www.svhs.org.ukDownload our app from your app storeShannon Way, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury,Gloucestershire, GL20 8NDFollow us: www.facebook.com/severnvalehousing

@SVHousing

8.30am - 5.00pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday10.30am - 5.00pm Wednesday8.30am - 4.30pm Friday

Report an emergency repair on0800 783 4348.Pay your rent on the AllPay automated payment line on 0844 557 8321.

If you or anyone you know would like this publication translated into another language, in large type or audio format please contact us on 01684 272727.

Welcome to24/Severn

Hi and welcome to the winter issue of 24/Severn magazine. It’s a busy time of year for us all as we look to the future and work out where we can make improvements. We’ll make sure we keep youup-to-date with anything new, so remember to check out our website for new developments. One thing we’re focussing on in the ICT team is working out ways to allow you to communicate with us quickly and efficiently. That means exploring new technologies and systems to provide smoother, quicker access to your rent account for example. If you’d like us to communicate with you more via email, then please send us your email address to [email protected]

In this issue we have a lot of exciting news and updates. Over the page you can find out all about our new Computer Buddy service that we are launching for 2016.

On Page 5 you can meet the new Stakholder Senate - a group who will be working together to shape what we do.

We also have the latest Annual Report.Turn to Page 14 to find out how we have performed from April 2014 to March 2015. On behalf of all of us here at Severn Vale Housing, we hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Stephen Bourne,Interim Head of Business Improvement and ICT

Tel: 01684 272727Email: [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH OPENING TIMES

OUT OF HOURS

LARGE PRINT OR AUDIO VERSION

WELCOMe

02 PAY YOUR RENT ONLINE WWW.SVHS.ORG.UK

Turn to Page 14 to find out how we have performed

last financial year.

Stephen Bourne,Interim Head of Business Improvement and ICT

Stephen

Annual Report

REPORT A REPAIR ONLINE WWW.SVHS.ORG.UK 03

Tewkesbury in BloomFloral enthusiasts celebrated in October as Tewkesbury was awarded a Silver Gilt award in this year’s UK Britain in Bloom awards. Earlier in the year the town also won gold in the regional in Bloom awards for the second year running.

Tewkesbury in Bloom chairman, John Badham, who was commended by the judges for using a drone to give an aerial view of the town in the presentation DVD, said: “We were totally amazed at winning the category, so well done allyou bloomers.”

Following the national competition results John commented “I’m delighted for everyone. A lot of people put their heart and souls into it.”

Several organisations, including us,Willmott Dixon, Natwest Bank and Tewkesbury Borough Council released employees to enable them to work on projects in the town centre, including painting railings and bollards.

“The biggest achievement by volunteerswas the painting of the footbridge which leads to Ham, which saved the County Council around £100,000. This impressed the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) judges who like to see both community spirit and projects which offer a range of volunteering opportunities.”

The Bell Hotel in Tewkesbury, also won a gold award in the hotel and pub gardens category as well as the Abbey Tearooms.

Still not internet savvy? You need a computer buddy!Have you noticed how much has changed in recent years with regards to where to find information, buy the best deals, and get things done? We hear so often how frustrating it is becoming for people who are not yet able to access information online when almost all services across the country are going ‘digital by default’! Like all organisations, Severn Vale Housing is having to look at the way we communicate with our customers and find quicker, more cost effective ways to connect. Over the coming months and years this is going to make it ever more important for all of our customers to have internet access in order to get the best level of service from us. Recent research tells us that there are at least 560 of our

customers who do not yet have any access to the internet. If this is you, or a family member or friend of yours then we would urge you or them to take the plunge into the digital world, and we have set ourselves a challenge to help you do just that. Between January 1st and March 31st 2016, we aim to offer at least 100 customers the opportunity to take their first steps towards becoming a regular internet user with one-to-one support from a computer buddy. Computer buddies are tenants just like you who have recently trained to work with nervous novices and help them to take their first steps towards using all kinds of web-based services.

If you, or a family member or friend would like to sign up for help from a computer buddy in your area, please contact the Community Involvement Team as soon as you can on 01684 272726 to book a place.

Are you living with a long-term health condition?Connect, is a charitable organisation working with individuals with long term conditions, have developed ‘peer to peer’ led activities and isputting people with long term conditions in touch with othersfor mutual support, to share information and provide a socialand fun supportive session.

The befriender’s role is to share their experiences of living with a long-term disability, to offer support and rebuild confidence.

“We help develop drop-in sessions, offer a befriending service for those who might like a friendly visitor and encourage you to work with us and train others in what it’s like to live with your condition.

We are also looking for volunteers who have time to spare, want to develop skills and experience in the caring, social and health professions and want to give a helping hand to members of the community.

We will match you up withindividuals in the community who want to get involved with the activities mentioned.

Full training is provided and all your expenses covered including a generous mileage allowance foryour car if you use it.”

Find out moreIf this sounds interesting, contact Sarah Fortheringham, Connect’s Peer Support Officer, on07941 545503 or email: [email protected]


NEWS

Marriage allowance - find out what you’re entitled toIf you’re married or in a civil partnership, you might be able to get up to £212 a year in your pocket with the new marriage allowance.

So what is it?It’s a new way for couples to transfer a proportion of their personal allowance (the amount you can earn tax-free each tax year) between them. It may not sound a lot but it could amount to £212 if you’re eligible.

Who can get it?Only people with these specific circumstances will be able to apply:• You’re married or in a civil partnership• One of you needs to be earning

£10,600 or less • The other one of you needs to be a

basic-rate taxpayer• Both of you must have been born after

6 April 1935.

How to apply?To apply for the marriage allowance online, you will need to confirm your identity through the Government’s ‘verify’ service. For this you’ll need a valid UK passport or UK photocard driving licence, along with information about your finances like a recent bank, credit card, loan ormortgage statement.

To find out more, contact HMRC on 0300 200 3300.

Following a rigorous recruitment process over the summer, the brand new Stakeholder Senate was officially formed in September. The Stakeholder Senate is all about customers, staff and stakeholders working together to shape what SVHS does. The Senate will take the place of what was the CCG (Customer Consultative Group) and Scrutiny Panel.

Along with Laurence James, Board chair, the group has 12 customer members and seven members representing a variety of partners, which include members from Green Square, Tewkesbury BoroughCouncil, Gloucestershire Fire Service, Turning Point, Gloucestershire Furniture Recycling Project, Tewkesbury School and Tewkesbury Job Centre.

The Senate will be led by SVHS customer Debbie Midwinter and vice leader Richard Carey who is also a SVHS customer. The group will be meeting at least four times a year, acting as a link between SVHS, our customers and partners.

STAKEHOLDER SENATE

MEET THE NEW STAKEHOLDER SENATE

During the Senate’s induction and first meeting Claudia Cobban, Governance and Strategy Director gave an overview of the housing sector and explained more about SVHS. The group received further presentations from staff and offered ideas and suggestions which have all been taken back for further discussion.

During November, members were given one-to-one support from an independent advisor which has helped members to identify their training and development needs.

Stakeholder Senate Customer Members

CUSTOMER FOCUS


Fearless Kath jumps for charity

Keep on running

Fearless granny Kath proves you’re never too old to try something new. Kath, who lives in Tynings Court in Churchdown travelled to Devon with family and friends earlier this year to courageously jump out of a plane to raise money for charity.

Daredevil Kath has already taken part in two loop-the-loop airplane stunts, at the age of 62 and 72 years old. Now 83 she took up the challenge after hearing about the work of FAST UK, a charity that supports work to eliminate poverty, deprivation and discriminationin Romania.

“I didn’t feel frightened at all,” said Kath, “it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do and knowing I was raising money for charity helped me to feel strong.” Through sponsorship Kath has raised over £2,000 for the charity. The money raised will go towards supporting projects that promote a route to self-sufficiency through education and improvement in living conditions for needy families.

For now Kath’s keeping her feet firmly on the ground and is kept busy with her seven grand-children and 12 great-grandchildren, attending church and baking cakes for a local church group.

Tewkesbury resident Norman may have hung up his running boots, but when you’ve run 51 marathons, and 75 half marathons since 1981 who can blame him! Norman, who started running at the age of 58, has run all over the world – New York, Benidorm, Moscow, Hong Kong and Boston to name but a few! “Running the New York marathon in 1985 was fantastic” claims Norman, “but myfavourite has to be Boston. However running the London was pretty special too.”

At the age of 73 Norman ran his last marathon in Boston but then went on to run shorter races until 2005 when he ran a seven mile race in Norfolk.

Now in his nineties, Norman enjoys a slower pace of life, gardening, attending flower shows and walking into town to see friends.

If this inspires you to dust off your running boots the Tewkesbury Half Marathon will be taking place in May next year!


Bandaging up the Blitz95 year-old Phyllis Macdonald-Ross, who is a resident at Rushworth House in Cheltenham, had been writing notes about her life, including her journey to become a wartime nurse since the late 1960s; however she had no ambition to see this published. “No-one will want to read about me” claimed Cheltenham resident Phyllis. But after reading his grandmother’s notes, grandson Ian was more and more amazed about her life - surviving the war, training to become a nurse and meeting her husband all to the backdrop of air raids and uncertainty.

Convinced that other people would enjoy the read too, and with his grandmother’s approval, Ian took the memoirs away to preparefor press. “I can’t believe my life story has been published in a book!” said Phyllis, who has nine grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. “It will be a lovely memory for my family to read and hopefully other people will be interested too.”

Bandaging the Blitz was published by Sphere (£7.99) earlier this year, Phyllis’ ninety-fifth year, a year that also marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Blitz.

Development NewsOn these pages you will find an update on the new homes we are building on sitesaround Gloucestershire.

Brockworth, GloucesterWe’re working with David Wilson Homes to build 26 new homes on this site in Brockworth. 13 will be ready in December – six 2-bed flats for shared ownership, three 2-bed houses, two 1-bed flats and two 2-bed flats all for rent. The remaining 13 will be ready in spring 2016.

Deopham Green,Kingsway, GloucesterWe’re working with Abbey Homes to build 14 new homes in Kingsway. There are six 2-bed flats, two 3-bed houses, four 2-bed houses and two 4-bed houses, all for rent. These properties will be ready in January 2016.

NEW HOMES


Snetteron Heath, Kingsway, GloucesterWorking with Persimmon Homes we have two 3-bed semi-detached homes ready in December with the remaining 10 available for rent in spring 2016, comprising of three 1-bed flats, six 2-bed flats and one 3-bed house.

Fauld Drive,GloucesterWe’re working with Taylor Wimpey to build 15 new homes at this site in Kingsway. There are two 2-bed flats, four 2-bed houses, two 3-bed houses and four 4-bed houses, all for rent. There are also three 3-bed houses for shared ownership. One 2-bed flat (over a garage) will be ready in December with the remaining homes being ready for rent in summer 2016…watch this space!


Ready in December we have eight 2-bed houses, three shared ownership and five for rent.

Robinswood Close, Brockworth

Repairs


Plug it in safelyMost people have extension leads in their homes, often using 4-way bar adaptors to increase the number of appliances that you can plug into a wall socket. Although there is space to plug in four appliances, this does not mean it is always safe to do so. Different electrical appliances use different amounts of power. To avoid the risk of overheating and possibly fire, you should never plug into an extension lead or socket appliances that together use more than 13 amps or 3,000 watts of energy.

The Electrical Safety Council has created an easy to use calculator where you can plug in some typical household appliances to see the effect on the load. The calculator is intended to help you understand how you can avoid overloading your sockets and reduce the risk of fire.The calculator can be found on their website at www.dsfire.gov.uk

Top tips for plugs and sockets

• Watch for signs of dangerous or loose wiring such as: scorch marks, hot plugs sockets, fuses that often blow, circuit breakers that trip for no obvious reasons and flickering lights.

• Don’t overloaded sockets - plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating.

• Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug to themselves, as they are high powered.

• An extension lead or adaptor will have a limit to how many amps it can take, so be careful not to overload them to reduce the risk of fire. Appliances use different amounts of power - a television may use a 3amp plug and a vacuum cleaner a 5amp plug for example.

• Look out for signs of badly wired plugs - any coloured wires sticking out could come loose and debris could also get into the plug making it a fire hazard.

Don’t miss your appointment

Over 20% of customers missed their gas servicing appointment during October.

Was this you? If you can no longer make your appointment, let us know as soon as possible so we can reallocate the time to another customer and book you a more convenient time.

We now text customers to remind you of your appointment a week before the time, so if you have recently changed your mobile number please make sure you inform us by calling 01684 272727.


The smart way to see your energyAs part of its plan to update the UK’s energy system, the Government wants every home in Britain to be fitted with a smart meter by the end of 2020. These meters are a new kind of energy meter and will replace your existing meters and send electronic readings to your energy supplier automatically, which will mean your supplier always has an accurate reading.

These new type of meters are being rolled out across the country in stages and your energy supplier will contact you directly when they’re ready to replace the meter in your home.

They come with in-home displays, which will give you real-time feedback on how much energy you’re using and what it’s costing. There are both gas and electricity smart meters and will be fitted by your energy supplier.

What are the benefits?• More accurate bills – smart meters will mean an end to

estimated bills, and the end of overpaying (or underpaying) for your energy.

• No one has to come to your home to read your meter – readings are sent automatically.

• Better oversight and management of your energy use with a real-time data display in your home. This will help you understand what appliances are using.

• Easier switching – smoother and faster to switch suppliers to get the best deals.

• Some suppliers will be making it easier to pay for your energy too by introducing.

• Smart Pay As You Go – this will allow you to top-up your meter anywhere – on your smartphone app, online or over the phone, you will also be able to set alerts and track your balance online or on your app – meaning no surprises when your bill arrives.

Do you have a solid fuel/wood burner in your home?Poorly fitted burners in your home could create a fire or risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Installation of solid fuel/wood burner appliances must always be carried out by a registered HETAS approved installer. It must also be regularly serviced and maintained.

According to our records there are a number of appliances in our properties – if you are one of these customers you should have received a letter in August with an important form to return. The information provided will make sure we have the correct information on our database. Thank you to those who have returned the form, but if you haven’t yet sent it back please do so as soon as possible. If you haven’t received a letter, or lost your form, contact Maria Wells on 01684 272703 and we’ll send one to you.

We are not currently giving permission for any new requests to install solid fuel/wood burning appliances. Please note that it is a breach of your tenancy agreement if you install such an appliance without permission.

COMMUNITY

Our employee volunteering scheme has been going for nine months now and it’s fantastic to see staff out and about in our communities, making a real difference to the areas we work in.


Over 650 hours have been given by staff, 250 in their own time and400 during normal work time. In the last few months staff have supported the following projects:

• Local summer fetes – supporting the Northway, Kingsway and Churchdown communities

• The Gloucester Furniture Project – upcycling furniture

• Tewkesbury Hospital fete

• Priors Park Edible Garden allotments

• The Garden Mentor Training Garden

It’s great to receive positive feedback about the time staff spendwith projects, such as this from the Furniture Recycling Project (FRP).

“The FRP would like to say a massive thank you to the SVHS Give and Gain volunteers who donated their time to help in our workshop. The volunteers were really helpful and were more than happy to ‘get stuck in’ to the painting work we gave them. We would recommend the scheme to others and hope to work with them again in the future.” Ellie Smith, Furniture Recycling Project, Gloucester. September 2015.

“This is truly exciting news. What an amazing scheme! Such a fantastic commitment from SVHS to help grow local communities that are inclusive and connected.” Tewkesbury Local Area Coordinator for the NHS.

If you are involved in any community projects locally who need an extra pair of hands to volunteer, let us know as we may be able to help. Contact the Community Involvement Team on 01684 272726 or [email protected]

During 12 – 18 October we delivered over 40 Get Online Week events across Gloucestershire. It was great to see so many people attending. Events were open to anyone across the county and were aimed at teaching basic computer skills to get more people using and understanding the internet and what it has to offer.

A big thank you to everyone who helped put together an intensive programme of events. Our Get Online Week partners included Gloucestershire County Council Libraries, Cheltenham Borough Homes, Gloucester City Homes, Stroud District Council, Green Square, GRCC, Age UK, Social Telecoms, TCV Employment and Training Services and Two Rivers.

Age UK brought along a giant tablet and also several differenttablets to events which gave everyone the opportunity to have ago and do something new. One of our residents at Atherton Courteven managed to successfully use Facetime (video call) for thefirst time.

Social Telecoms used the giant tablet to show residents at Pullar Court how to surf the internet. It’s hoped that the tablet will now be installed in the communal area of the retirement scheme for everyone to use.

Feedback from the events has been very positive, with over 200 attendees taking part in activities.

If you or someone you know needs help with using the internet, get in touch with the Community Involvement Team on 01684 272726 to discuss options.

Get Online Week 2015

It was great to see so many residents at the Garden Mentor’s Training Garden event in September. The training garden offers opportunities for local people to develop their wildlife friendly gardening skills, and to train mentors who support our customer’s gardens. Garden Mentors is an innovative project between the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and ourselves. It aims to marry up volunteers with people who are unable to tend to their garden due to poor health, age or disability for example.

“The Garden Mentors project is hugely successful – it offers support to elderly, ill or disabled SVHS customers who are struggling to look after their garden. Local volunteers give their time to help look after the gardens, in return for learning more about gardening with wildlife in mind.” said Jo Worthy-Jones, the Community Wildlife Officer for the Trust.

“It’s so important for projects like this to be valued not only for their social and wellbeing benefits but also the fact that we can make the gardens wildlife friendly too for species like birds, bees and hedgehogs. We applaud SVHS for being forward thinking and thanks to local volunteers we have worked on over 20 gardens in the last two and a half years.”

The garden, which is located at 103 Queens Road, Priors Park, Tewkesbury is open to anyone who would like to learn how to garden with wildlife in mind, giving them skills that they can then either utilise at home or pass on to other people.

To find out more, contact the Community Involvement team on01684 272726 or email [email protected]

Chance to knit and natter for a good causeIf knitting projects for charity is your thing, then look no further than the K2Togs group which is a friendly charity and community knit’n’natter group which meets in the newly refurbished Roses Theatrein Tewkesbury.

Every Wednesday morning between 10:30 – 12:30pm the group gather to knit for community events and charity. You might have seen some of their previous stitches covering the horse sculpture on the roundabout in Tewkesbury or as props at previous pantomimes at the Roses’ Theatre.

The group welcomes knitters of all skill level. Even if you haven’t knitted before why not give it a go – more experienced members of the group will be happy to show you how. Everyone is welcome – all you need is the enthusiasm to knit for a good cause.

“At the moment we are knitting for a couple of projects – leaves, bugs and pumpkins for the Roses’ performance of Cinderella, beanie hats for soldiers, tiny hats for the Innocent Drinks/Age UK campaign and knee blankets for nursing homes in Gloucestershire.” said Angie, K2Togsgroup organiser.

“I really enjoy coming to the group” explains Helen who’s new to the area, “it’s a great way to meet friends and catch up every week aswe knit.”

Do you have any spare wool, knitting needles or crochet hooks? The group would welcome any donations to help them continue with their charity work.


Digging together in Priors Park

Welcome to our Annual Report where we review how we did and what we achieved in the 12 months between April 2014 and March 2015. So take a look over the next few pages at a selection of statistics to show you how we’ve performed.

If you would like to read a more detailed report on our performance over the year, please visit our website www.svhs.org.uk/vfm and download our Value for Money Self Assessment and Financial Statement Reports. Alternatively please contact us on01684 272727 or [email protected] and we will send you a copy.

of CALLS CONNECTED TO OUR TEAMS WITHIN 10 SECONDSCOMPARED WITH 85% LAST YEAR80%

OF 2,340 respondents were satisfied with the overallservice provided by SEVERN VALE HOUSINGCOMPARED TO 94% LAST YEAR

92%

135 FORMAL COMPLAINTS WERE MADECOMPARED TO 142 LAST YEAR

135 142

CUSTOMER SERVICES

43,954 CALLS were madeto the contact centre

COMPARED TO 42,292 LAST YEAR

43,9

54

42,2

92

ANNUAL REPORT

Let tings

283307 PROPERTIESWERE ALLOCATED

OF THEM WERE ALLOCATED THROUGHGloucestershire Homeseekers

was the average time between onecustomer moving out of the propertyand the next moving in

11.9 DAYS

Compared to LAST YEAR10.7 DAYS

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

238 Antisocial behaviour caseswere dealt with

COMPARED TO 230 LAST YEAR

238

230

OF 105 respondents weresatisfied with how ASBcases were dealt with

COMPARED TO 88% LAST YEAR

87%

10 injunctions/court undertakingsCOMPARED to 4 LAST YEAR

0 EVICtIONSCOMPARED TO 0 LAST YEAR

19,116 ALARM CALLS were RECEIVEDAT THE CONTROL CENTRE FROm

CUSTOMERS WITH THEHELPLINE ALARM SYSTEM INSTALLED

COMPARED TO 28,712 LAST YEAR

19,1

16

28,7

12

DEVELOPMENT

ELDERLY SERVICES PLANNEDmaintenance

67 NEW HOMESBUILT

Compared to 83 the previous year

COMMUNITY

The work we carried out toimprove and adapt customers’homes included:

8 BATHROOMS

66 REWIRES

246 HEATINGSYSTEMS

55 kitchens

167 MINORadaptations

(handrails, grab railsand lever taps etc)

134 CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN FORMALLYINVOLVED WITH CUSTOMER GROUPS

COMPARED TO 248 LAST YEAR

7 SERVICES WERE CHANGED,IMPLEMENTED OR WITHDRAWN

AS A RESULT OF CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENTCOMPARED TO 12 LAST YEAR

A Further 3,750 responsesto paper, phone and Sms

surveys were received this year

MONEY

MONEY

£18,898,000annual turnover

£896,000ESTAte services andmanagement

£5,391,000office management and

overheads

£1,672,000CONTRIBUTION TOWARDSCOST OF BUYING HOMES(DEPRECIATION)

£6,464,000interest costs

£4,291,000maintenance andrepairs to homes

£18,714,000TOTAL SPENT ONMANAGING AND

MAINTAINING HOMES

£6,769,000 spent on acquiring new homes for letting

HOW WE COMPARE

Satisfaction with Severn Vale services

Performance Area This Year Last Year Benchmark

Satisfaction with repairs service

Average re-let time (calendar days)

Rent arrears of total rent debit

92%

93%

82%

100%

12 days

1.41%

94%

95%

80%

100%

11 days

1.89%

87%

82%

93%

100%

24 days

2.88%

£5,558,000£864,000£5,414,000£4,347,000£1,535,000£17,718,000£6,338,000

£18,390,000

COMPARED TO LAST YEAR


With over 50 years of experience between them, the Human Resources (HR) Team at SVHS deal with a range of projects and initiatives including employee relations, learning and development, change management and recruitment. Geraldine heads up the team consisting of Kate, Carrie, Liz and Darren.

“I enjoy the day-to-day variety of my job – no day is ever the same,” states Kate, HR Advisor. “That does mean my day doesn’t always go to plan though, but when you’re supporting the wellbeing and development of over 100 staff you have to flexible.”

SVHS has 110 staff, 80 of which are based at head office in Tewkesbury and the remaining are based on-site at 13 retirement schemes and the repairs team who are on the road fixing customer repairs throughout the county.

The HR team work closely with managers across the organisation to assist with a variety of people issues such as absence, training,

performance management, recruitment and discipline. They also assist the senior management team to develop the culture of the organisation and have recently launched a ‘One Team’ approach across SVHS.

“One Team/One Vision, launched at the start of the year, was created to help colleagues at all levels to adjust to change and the concept of change,” explains Darren, Culture Change Facilitator. “It includes a set of shared values that we all believe in and support our corporate objectives as an organisation.” “One Team/One Vision ensures that we’re working together and appreciate the importance of what we all give to the organisation,” explains Geraldine, Head of Human Resources.

And when the team aren’t at work, they enjoy a wide variety of activities which range from dog walking and spending time with family to keeping fit, singing in a local choir group and writing children’s books.

MEET THE TEAM

HUMAN RESOURCES

For those of us who grew up listening to tales of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, our prickly friends are familiar and well-loved companions. However, today’s generation may not be so fortunate. Frightening reports that the hedgehog is disappearing faster than the tiger have inspired Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s latest campaign: ‘The Last Hedgehog in Gloucestershire?’

The days when the hedgehog was known as a frequent visitor to gardens are long gone, with only one in five of us reporting sightings today. Sadly, the facts speak for themselves – there has been a 52% decline in hedgehog sightings in the last 50 years, with a continued decline of 30%–40% over recent years. Some experts even suggest that the hedgehog may be extinct within 10 years.

What’s causing the decline?“Whilst we don’t know the exact reason why hedgehog numbers are falling,” says Dr. Colin Studholme of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, “one thing is certain, hedgehogs in the county are under threat. Intensive agriculture, loss of hedgerows and grassland, use of pesticides, tidier gardens and new houses (with hedgehog-proof fences) and new roads have all played their part. All these factors in Gloucestershire are isolating hedgehogs into smaller pockets making local extinction more likely.”

Ellie Harrison, the Trusts president and TV presenter has launched the campaign, “Our message is simple,” states Ellie Harrison, “we can save Gloucestershire’s hedgehogs but we really need your help.”

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has put together an online map, which already has over 600 records. We need to know if you’ve seen a hedgehog, dead or alive, and just as importantly if you haven’t seen a hedgehog as we try and find the gaps in Gloucestershire.

Spotted a hedgehog? Log it online at:www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/hedgehog

Trust warns Gloucestershire’s hedgehogs are under threat

“WE CAN SAVE

GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S

HEDGEHOGS”


WILDLIFE TRUST

Images © Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

COMPETITION TIME

Find 10 hidden words all about Winter for your chance to win a £20 Love to Shop voucher. Words can be read up, down, diagonal or even backwards.

Study the two pictures shown. There are 10 differences between the top and bottom image. Can you spot them all? Circle the changes on the bottom image and send your entry by Friday 22 January 2016 to:

24/Severn competition, Severn Vale Housing, Shannon Way, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury,GL20 8ND.

Or email your answers to [email protected] and you will be entered into the prize draw.

If you live on one of our retirement schemes, look out for the brightly coloured entry boxes in your communal areas.

Well done to Daphne Walton from Atherton Close in Shurdington who correctly answered the spot the difference puzzle winning an autumn hamper filled with jams, pickles and sweet treats.

And Sue Massey from Rushworth House in Cheltenham who correctly answered the word-wheel (answer: gardening) winninga Love to Shop voucher.

Complete the word search and return your entry before Friday 22 January 2016 to 24/Severn Competitions, Severn Vale Housing, Shannon Way, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury, GL20 8ND.Or email your answers to [email protected] and you will be entered into the prize draw.

If you live on one of our retirement schemes, look out for the brightly coloured entry boxes in your communal areas.

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone number:

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone:

Win a £20 shopping voucher

Win a HamperWINNERS FROM MAY

S N O W F L A K E S

P J K L R J D H A N

A R J K O K L M X E

R E O P S U T G H T

K K E Y T S K C H T

L C S J I J W H U I

E A J R I Q C K Y M

L R H Z X C O I U L

I C E N R F A I L K

N T H G L I T T E R

24severn - issue 13

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