contact magazine winter 2012

7/30/2019 Contact Magazine Winter 2012

1/24

WIN!50

inHigh StreetShoppingvouchers

contactcontact

Winter 2012

Howarewe doing?

Yourbenefits

are

changing


2/242 I Contact Winter 2012

General news

You could be a winner with our competition andgrab some high street bargains with our highstreet shopping vouchers. We have four 50vouchers to give away.

new welfare reform changes?3 Approximately how much ofyour heating escapes through un-insulated walls?Send your answers, along withyour name and full contact detailsto: Contact competition,Charter Housing, Exchange House,High Street, Newport, NP20 1AA.Call 01633 212375 or [email protected]

The closing date forcompetitions is as stated. Termsand conditions as follows: No cash alternative. No correspondence will

entered into. Proof of posting is not proof

of receipt. No responsibility can be

accepted for entries lost ordamaged in the post.

The judges decision is final. One entry per household. Details of winners will be

available after the closingdate by writing to us.

Winners will be drawn atrandom after the closingdate.

Competitions are not open toCharter Housing employees,their families or associates.

Competition Rules

MoneyboxwinnersSince winning their 50high street shoppingvouchers these tenantshave been happilyspending ........

Are you feeling lucky?

To be in with a chance to win,answer the following correctly:1. What is the name of the pre-tenancy training programme foryoung people applying forhousing in Newport whichlaunched this winter?2. If you have 2 or more sparebedrooms and are on housingbenefit, what percentage of thebenefit will you lose under the

Closing date is Friday 25th January 2013

Susan from Newport

Tracey from Newport

Mrs Christopher fromMonmouth was also awinner.

David from Blackwood


3/24Contact Winter 2012 I 3

Welcome

people find themselves gettinginto debt to be able to pay for it. Itmight sound silly, but as soon asthis Christmas is over, why notthink about planning ahead for thenext one? Credit Unions can helpyou save regularly, and can lendyou money when you need it atmuch more affordable rates thandoorstep lenders such as theProvident, you could save yourselfa fortune in interest. Have a look atpage 18 for more information,Credit Unions can help you saveand borrow at any time of the year,so why not find out more?

On the 21st November, we held anawards ceremony at RodneyParade in Newport, to recognisemany of you who do great thingsin your communities, as well as to

reward the brilliant gardenersamongst you. The event was agreat success, even though Imissed it sadly, and we're lookingforward to building on it next yearand getting lots more entries. Have

a look at the categories, and whynot give some thought to applyingyourself, or nominating someoneyou know next time?

This edition also has, amongstmany other things, a 'spotlight' onthe SerenLiving Lettings Agencyteam. Charter has branched outinto letting homes in the privaterented sector, to try to make iteasier for people to get a home inthat sector, and to try to improvestandards overall. This is inrecognition of the fact that wehave nowhere near enough sociallyrented homes to go around, andbecause more and more peopleare unable to buy a home andneed to look at renting privately asthey have no other option. As ever,I hope you find this edition of

Contact magazine interesting,entertaining, and above all, helpful.Have a wonderful Christmas, and afantastic New Year, with bestwishes from everyone here atCharter.

Christmas is almost upon us, and if, like me, you findit's a time of year when you pile on a few extrapounds, then help is at hand! Have a look at our tipsfor eating more healthily this Christmas, you don'thave to follow them all, but every little helps!

Christmas is also a time of course when a few extra pounds would bewelcome, provided they're off the round and shiny variety. It's anexpensive time of year that stretches many of us, and more and more

to the Winter edition of Contact magazine

Get in contactOur address:Charter Housing Association,Exchange House, High Street,Newport, NP20 1AATel: 01633 212 375Fax: 01633 245930

Our office on the High Street inNewport is open 8.30am to 5pmMonday to Thursday and 8.30am

to 4.30pm on Friday

Our Christmas opening times:We close at 4.30pm on Friday 21stDecember 2012 and reopen at8.30am on Wednesday 2ndJanuary 2013.

If you need to report a repairwhile we are closed for Christmasplease call our out of hoursmaintenance number.

Our out of hours maintenancenumber is 01633 381 111

Or visit us atwww.charterhousing.co.uk

If you have a great idea on atopic we should cover in thenext edition please let us know.Submit your ideas or articles bypost to the address above, call01633 678503 or [email protected]



General news

Serens

Reception Area

Are you on Facebook?

Our reception service wasassessed duringAugust/September by tenantassessors who were very positiveabout the service. The purposeof the review was to ensure wecontinue to improve andmaintain a professional serviceto our customers at all times.

Our Tenant Assessors said:The Reception Area has a lovelyambience, the nicest of any wehave seen previously (otheroffices/reception areas werevisited locally). There is a goodrange of facilities and the staff arevery knowledgeable and helpful.Its worth noting that a largequantity of customers left with asmile on their face! There is a lotof information in reception on awide range of subjects. Reception

welcomes visitors from a diverserange of backgrounds and we feelthe service offered meets withtheir needs.

Ways to improve: the childs gate in the play area

had no lock on there should be more signage the system for accepting

deliveries could be better

What we have done: due to have a lock or catch put

on the gate very soon ordered some display hangers

to advertise more information The kiosk in reception is now in

use and visitors can use this toaccess the Seren website, localcouncil websites and accessHome Options and place bids

Future plans for Reception willinvolve a separate Meet & GreetArea where a member of staff willbe able to greet you to help withall types of enquires, for examplereporting repairs, placing bidsetc.....

Our staff feel very proud towork in such a nice receptionenvironment. If you have anyideas or suggestions that youwould like to take forward withus around our reception service

please contact either AngelaKerison, Reception Manager, orClaire McGoldrick, ReceptionCustomer Advisor, on01633 212375 or alternatively

please [email protected]

You can now find the Charter Community Team on Facebook!

Check out our new page to keep up to date with all our fantasticcommunity events and projects.

www.facebook.com/chartercommunityteam

Maybe you are looking for theperfect Christmas gift for thefamily or you fancy starting theNew Year with a new hobby.Charter has teamed up withComputer Recyclers UK who are

offering refurbished computersfrom as little as 99 and laptopsfrom 135.

Their prices include VAT, freedelivery, 12 month warranty,Microsoft Office 2007 (basic)and Microsoft SecurityEssentials. A number ofupgrades are also available.

Call Computer Recyclers UK on01443 434675 for more details.

You can also call our DigitalInclusion Officer, Louise, forhelp or advice with your new

purchase on 01633 678514.

Get digital this Christmas!

This year our review is called Meeting the Challenge Together.It describes exactly the way we like to work. Never has it beenmore important to recognise the value and importance ofworking in partnership. We know that, more than ever, ourability to deliver for our communities is about the fantasticpartnerships we have. This review puts the spotlight on some

of the things which have been achieved this year that, with ourpartners, we can all be very proud of.To see the review log on to www.seren-group.co.uk/review/

Have you navigated Serens Annual Review?



Charter is continuing to fund and support the very popular radiotraining courses with Newport City Radio. The training programmeis a fun way to find out about and get involved in NewportsCommunity Radio.

The radio skills, includebroadcasting and presenting,

social networking and learningabout the different forms ofmedia used in radio. Thecourse is run over 8 weeks andcan be accessed by adults ofmixed ages, backgrounds,interests and abilities.Newport City radio iscommitted to providing anonline community radio service.The training can help you tobecome more active, meet new

people and have fun. It alsooffers opportunities to gainqualifications and accessvolunteering which is perfectfor building skills for futureemployment. The trainingprogrammes cater for a widerange of interests and a

Tuned In Community Radio Training

continual training programme iscurrently being developed

which may include softwarespecialities, lighting and sound,DJing, MC ing, and organisingcommunity events.Lana Parker who is a formertrainee said, Its a fantasticcourse and the staff are verysupportive and friendly. I had alot of fun during the trainingand I would recommend it toanyone, just got to give it a tryand see for yourself.

We are very easy to find andare currently based at theSEWREC building in theNewport city centre. Allparticipants also receivesupport into finding other localtraining and communityprojects.

To find out more about theradio project start dates and toregister for this and othertraining opportunities, callKerry Duke on 01633 678514 or07837 033194. Alternatively

you can email [email protected] can also register an interestfor the Tuned In radio trainingonline atwww.newportcityradio.org andall you need to do is click onthe bottom of the training pageto fill in the online form.

A free pre-tenancy trainingprogramme for young peopleapplying for housing in Newportwill launch this winter.

MyPad is a course of four, two-hour group workshops in centralNewport that run from a Tuesdayto Friday at set times throughoutthe year. Sessions include experttraining on budgeting, setting up

Free practicalyouth trainingcourse on housinglaunches inNewport

home and living alone for the firsttime, plus a practical cookingworkshop.MyPad is available to applicantsaged 16 to 24 who are applyingfor social housing on Newportscommon housing register.Participants will receive breakfast,certificates of achievement and ahouse-warming gift on completionof the course.The courses take place at 11 DevonPlace, Newport; each session runsfrom 10am to 12.30 daily.Workshops are delivered by

housing professionals and are amix of discussion, games and film.MyPad is a partnership projectbetween Newport City Council,Charter Housing, Newport CityHomes, Melin, Linc Cymru andSupporting People.MyPad Co-ordinator Kelly Majorcan be contacted [email protected] 07557 3717 for referrals andmore information.

Over recent months TorfaenCounty Borough CouncilsHomeseeker team has workedclosely with the local RegisteredSocial Landlords to implement anew Homeseeker policy. Thenew policy will see extra helpfor those current tenants ofBron Afon, Charter HousingAssociation, Hafod HousingAssociation, Melin Homes and

Linc Cymru who will be affectedby the changes in welfarereform.With the introduction of a newpriority band, the Homeseekerteam will ensure tenants livingin the Torfaen area that areaffected by under occupationand housing benefit changesare able to downsize to moreaffordable accommodation ifthey wish.

If you are going to be affectedby under occupation and youare worried about how you are

going to afford to pay yourrent from April 2013 please

Changes to Torfaen Homeseeker

& Under Occupationcontact Charters Lettings Teamon 01633 678517 so we can talkabout your options throughTorfaen Homeseeker.


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out limited information, so thenumbers that we arecomparing ourselves againstcan vary. In Wales, we try also

General news

6 I Contact Winter 2012

getting better or worse across arange of measures, and thathelps to show us where we needto focus time and attention tomake sure we are doing the best

job that we can.

What we dont know from thatinformation is how ourperformance compares to

other Housing Associations, dothey do better or worse thanwe do? To try and understandthat, and to see if we can learnfrom people who might dothings better, we sometimeslook at other HousingAssociations to see how theyperform. We call thatbenchmarking, and it can giveus a helpful additional pictureof what good or bad

performance looks like.Weve taken some keyperformance indicators fromthe end of 2010/2011 and the2011/12 financial years, andbenchmarked them againsttwo sets of information. Oneset includes Welshcomparators, and the other,bigger set, includes both Welshand English comparators. Not

all things are measured in bothEngland and Wales. Also, not allHousing Associations give outtheir information to be able tocompare, and some only give

Charter regularly producesperformance information whichtells us how we are doing onimportant areas of service deliverysuch as repairs, collecting rent,letting homes and so on. We cansee from that whether we are

How are we doingcompared to others?

All organisations over2,500 units

Current tenant arrearsas % of total amountcollectable

Former tenant arrears(as % of total rent

collectable)

% of rent lost dueto propertiesbecoming empty

Average no of daysto let homes

Charter

Wales 1.66% 1 1.98% 3 4

Wales

WalesOnly

2010-11

0.78%

1.03%

3

3

0.70%

0.71%

2

1

4

4

Ranking2010-11

2011-12Ranking2011-12

No insample

Wales &England

1.71% 61 2.00% 53 102

Wales

Wales &England Only

33.7 3 26.9 2 4

34.00 141 30.66 76 116

So what does the benchmarking tell us?

All organisations over

2,500 units

Percentage ofrepairs completedright first time

Percentage ofappointments made

Percentage ofappointments kept

Percentage ofdwellings with a validgas safety certificate

Charter

Wales &England

only

Wales &England

only

Wales &England

only

2010-11

41

148

106

1

87

128

22

100%

92.4%

99.52

96%

101

Ranking

2010-11 2011-12

Ranking

2011-12

No insample

Wales &England

Only

to compare with HousingAssociations that are of asimilar size to us.



Charter celebratestenants achievementsOn Wednesday 21st November we held an awards ceremony torecognise and celebrate the achievements of our tenants. This yearthe Charter in Bloom gardening competition joined forces with our

new Charter Awards (advertised in the Summer edition of Contact).

Thank you to those who enteredor nominated individuals orgroups for these awards. The

judging panel, consisting of staffand tenants, found it hard to picktheir winners and insisted onrecognising runner ups in mostcategories.The ceremony was held at RodneyParade, Newport and below is alist of the winners and runner upswith photos from the ceremony(Charter in Bloom winners werelisted in the Autumn edition).

Community Champion:Winner Robert MuzaRunner up Frances Griffiths

Inspiring Young Person:Winner Joe KellyRunner up Caitlin Brockway

Good Neighbour:Winner Mark SmithRunner up Merril Morgan

Adult Learner:Winner Becky TaylorRunner up Francis Gumbo

Innovative Community Project:Winner Cefn Glas Tenants andResidents Group

Tenant Involvement Champion:Winner Peggy Doidge

Best Interior Designer:Winner Erol Dwyer

Unfortunately, we didnt receiveany nominations for the mostunusual pet and Nathannominated his granddad for thebest grandparent award but sadlyhe wasnt eligible to win. However,the judges were so impressed

with Nathans letter about hisGranddad that they invited bothof them to the ceremony.

We look forward to morewonderful nominations next year!

Robert Muza

Mark Smith

Cefn Glas Tenants

and Residents

Group

Erol Dwyer

Joe Kelly

BeckyTaylor

Nathan and hisgrandad Tony

Are the results good or bad?Rent Arrears we have fallenbehind our Welsh comparators,but improved against the

bigger Welsh and English groupfrom 61st to 53rd out of 102.We are doing a lot of work totry to prevent people fallinginto arrears at the moment,particularly because of plannedchanges to benefits and theway they are paid.

Rent Loss due to Empty Homes weve improved here too, but

we know from looking at whatmany English HousingAssociations are doing that wecan do better. We are doing abig piece of work currently tolook at improving the way wemanage empty properties.

Repairs most of theseindicators are good, but one ofthe areas we need to look athere is the number ofappointments not kept. This isdue in part to our workforcebeing pulled away from anappointment to deal with anemergency, and also in part topeople missing theirappointments. Were thinkingof introducing texting to helpavoid that.

With gas servicing, the

differences in performance arevery marginal, and we dontpropose any changes here.


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theteam infocus

Serenliving is a new kind of housing company offering a unique rangeof housing to buy or rent.


We provide lots of different typesof housing. including sharedownership and intermediate rent,as well as providing access toaccommodation in the privaterented sector through our LettingAgency, Bond Scheme andHouseshare Wales project.

Our Letting Agency team provide

bottom to top is:Matthew, Lucy, Charlotte,Rochelle, Joe

Charlotte Farley,Letting Agency ManagerI am the Team Manager forthe Serenliving LettingAgency. Along withmanaging the team, I workwith private landlords to letand manage their properties

for them and oversee themanagement service that weprovide.

What is your favouritehobby?I am an avid rugby fan andfollow the Cardiff Blues. I lovethe international games andgo as often as possible.

What do you most enjoyabout your job?The thing I most enjoy ishelping people to find andmake a home. It is alsorewarding working withlandlords to raise propertystandards in the privaterented sector.

Tara Gibbons,Lettings NegotiatorI carry out viewings and signtenants up to their newhomes. This involvesverification checks such asreferences and credit checksas well as ensuring that theproperty is ready on time. Ialso carry out end of tenancyand quarterly inspections

and deal with day to daytenancy issues.

What do you love doing?I love nothing better thancurling up with a glass of red

Tara

Focus on SerenLivingand manage homes atintermediate rents (below marketbut above Charter Housing rents)as well as managing properties ofall types and prices on behalf ofprivate landlords. Heres a bitmore about the letting agencyteam.


9/24Contact Winter 2012 I

wine and watching a TimBurton Classic!

Any pets?I have a very moody cat, calledAlan.

Rochelle Saunders,Letting and ManagementOfficerI work with Landlords from

providing them with rentalvaluations, information onrequired property standardsand safety certificates throughto letting the property. I carryout viewings, verificationinterviews, complete propertyinventories and sign up newtenants. For any tenancies thathave started I work withtenants to ensure that the rent

charge is paid on time as wellas dealing with the day to dayissues that living in any homebrings.

What do you most enjoyabout your job?Honestly? I love this rolebecause of the job satisfactionthat I get when I am able tohelp someone....and of course Ialso love the teams Fridaybacon roll run!

Any pets?I have three adorable puppiesthat I enjoy taking for walksand spending time with.

Lucy Rosser,Lettings NegotiatorI am the Lettings Negotiator

for the Welsh HousingPartnership. This partnership isa new way of funding andproviding affordable homes. Ivisit properties that are for saleand help decide what will need

to be done to turn them intogreat rented homes. Once theyare purchased I arrange for thehomes to be let. This involvesworking with Local Authorities,marketing properties,conducting viewings andsigning up new tenants.

Interesting fact about meI have travelled the world! I waslucky enough to go travellingsome years ago. I stored all mybelongings, gave up my joband set off on my adventure.

What do you most enjoyabout your job?I love it all but most of all I lovemeeting people.

Matthew Golebiowski,Team AdministratorI am responsible for producingthe advertising for availableproperties, over the internet,via Local Authority CommonHousing registers and throughour reception window. My dailyduties revolve around themaintaining of tenancies and

assisting customers in findingthe right home. I especiallyenjoy assisting customers faceto face.

Interesting fact about meI was once the star of aSlovakian TV commercial forfried cheese.

My Favourite HobbyMy hobbies are outdoororientated and I can regularlybe seen walking Pen Y Fan and

Snowdon.

Joe TamblingI have recently joined the team.I have an extensive backgroundin sales and alongsideconducting viewings foravailable rental properties, I amresponsible for co-ordinatingthe marketing of the

Serenliving brand.

My favourite hobbyDefinitely clay pigeon shootingclosely followed by a dram ofSloe Gin.

What do you most enjoyabout your job?My favourite part of the job ismeeting a future tenant for thefirst time, conducting a viewingand seeing the process all theway through to handing overthe keys to their new home.

Lucy Rosser, Lettings Negotiator



diversity

An impressive 87% of tenants aresatisfied with the overall serviceprovided by Charter. This is asignificant increase from oursurvey in 200 where 77% weresatisfied.

The biggest influences on tenantsoverall satisfaction were Qualityof home which has increased from78% to 83% satisfied and Repairsand maintenance.

Repairs and maintenance hasincreased slightly from 68% to 69%,but the interesting change is theincrease in the percentage whowere very satisfied, which has goneup from 24% in 2009 to 39% in2012. Which shows that for thosetenants who are satisfied a higherproportion than before are verysatisfied, and we are delighted thatour continued effort to improve ourservices has helped.

How have we done?

Charter Tenant Survey 2012Areas with the highest dissatisfactionlevels are repairs and maintenanceand final outcome of query. Theseare areas that we want to investigatefurther to try and understand thereason for this and see if there isanything we can do.

Over the last few years we havespent considerable time and effort inimproving our processes whentenants get in touch with us. So weare very pleased that the satisfaction

levels for ease of getting hold of theright person and helpfulness of staffhave both improved.

There are also some differences insatisfaction depending on wheretenants live and if they have adisability or are from an ethnicminority. This is an area we will lookto investigate further to make surethat our services are reaching allmembers of our communities and are

appropriate for our tenants needs.

BulliesOut provides much neededhelp support and information toindividuals, schools, youth andcommunity settings affected bybullying. The charity wasestablished in May 2006 and the

determination and tireless work ofits team ensures that thousands ofyoung people are helped andsupported through this cruel acteach year.

A series of core programmes havebeen designed in direct response tothe needs expressed by schools,stakeholders, children, youngpeople, parents and carers.

BulliesOut recognises that barriersto learning, such as bullying, canprevent people from recognisingand achieving their full potential.Their vision is for all young peopleto recognise their self-worth andpotential and to flourish in apositive, caring environment freefrom oppression and abuse.

Congratulations to Caitlin Brockwaywho lives in Newport who has beenchosen to be a BulliesOut

Ambassador. Her role will be tospread the BulliesOut message sothat everyone knows that its notcool to bully.

For more information log onto

www.bulliesout.com

BulliesOut

Caitlin Brockway, youngambassador for BulliesOut

This survey was based on 875 responses with a margin of error of +/-2.2%at a 95% confidence level

Winners of the prize draw from completing ourprofiling exercise have been picked out from a hat .

First prize went to Mrs J Roberts of Newport, whichshe was awarded at our tenant awards ceremony.

Runner-ups were Mr J Watkins, Miss L Lambert, Ms PSalmon and Mr Chidebo. Congratulations to all of youand a big thank you to everyone for participating inthis exercise.

87% satisfied with overall services

6%satisfied with the way repairs and maintenanceare dealt with

86% thought Charter staff were helpful

83% satisfied with quality of home

7% found it easy getting hold of the right person

8% think the rent is good value for money



In England and Wales to get adirect payment you must beone of the following:

a disabled person

a carera person with parentalresponsibility for a child witha disability.

You must also be aged 16 orover and assessed as needingcommunity care services orservices as a carer. You mustbe willing to have and be able

to consent to having directpayments and be able tomanage these payments(alone or with assistance).You cannot be forced to have

direct payments.

In England and Wales, directpayments have beenextended to people who lack

the mental capacity to agreeto and manage directpayments themselves payments can now be madeto a willing and appropriateperson on the disabledperson's behalf.

You cannot have directpayments if you are subject

to criminal justice legislation.

What are

direct payments

for care?

Payments to family membersIn England, Northern Ireland

and Wales, direct paymentscannot normally be used topay for services from yourspouse, partner or a closerelative (or their spouse orpartner) living in yourhousehold, other than inexceptional circumstances

agreed with the localauthority. You can use your

direct payment to employ arelative if they are not livingwith you.

Local authorities pay individuals directly in order for them topurchase their own care. This enables individuals topurchase the assistance or services that the local authoritywould otherwise have provided. Direct payments supportindependent living by enabling individuals to make theirown decisions and control their own lives.

You cannot use a directpayment to purchase servicesfrom the local authority.

How much are you paid?Local authorities must makedirect payments at a rateequal to their estimate of the

reasonable cost of the serviceto meet your assessed needsand fulfil your legal obligationsif you employ your carer/s (egnational insurance payments,employers liability insurance,holiday and sick pay). If you

choose a more expensive wayto meet your assessed needsthan is reasonable, you will

have to pay the extra costyourself. Payments made willnot affect your benefits.

You may be asked tocontribute towards the cost ofyour care. The amount of your

contribution will be calculatedusing the same charging rulesas for care arranged by thelocal authority.

For more information log onto Wales.gov.uk orwww.disabilityrightsuk.org/factsheets.htm


12/24

the environment

Charting a new courseto energy efficiencyWe at Charter know how much you, our tenants have to spendon keeping your home warm. So far, we have done lots ofthings to help, like replacing old central heating boilers withnew energy efficient combination boilers, draught proofingwindows and doors as well as installing wall and loftinsulation. Like all responsible landlords, we know we need to

spend more on these improvements but in these difficulttimes, it is hard to achieve everything we would like to.

None of theseimprovements will cost youany money.

When we are in your areawe will be in touch with you.This is a big job, but pleasebe patient and dont think

we have forgotten you, butwe need to deal with someproperties as a priority.

There is some good news!We have tapped in to fundsfrom Central Government,which will allow us to carryout lots more work of thistype.

The biggest problem with un-

insulated walls is that theyresult in increased heatingbills, especially propertieswhich are solid brick orstone.

Did you know that almost35% of all your heating,escapes through un-insulated walls?

Over the next 2 3 years, wewill be looking at your hometo see if it could benefit fromwall insulation. This may beinsulation on the inside or theoutside. We will continue toreplace old boilers, draught-proof windows and doorsand top up loft insulation

where we can. We are hopingthat this work results in morejobs and trainingopportunities in the area.

In the meantime,remember:

Turning down yourheating, even by

1 degree, will save youmoney

Alter your time switchto come on later and gooff earlier. Dont forgetto alter your time switchwhen the clocks change

Dont overfill the kettle Use low energy light

bulbs Thick curtains will

prevent warm airescaping

Dont leave electricalappliances on stand-by

If you have a hot watercylinder make sure thejacket is at least 5cm(2 inches) thick. If itsnot let us know




safer community

Tenancy fraud has become a hot topic in housing over the past year.There have been TV documentaries and the National and WelshGovernment are looking at how the law can be changed to tacklepeople who commit fraud and impose harsh repercussions.

What is tenancy fraud?Tenancy fraud is the illegal use ofsocial housing. It can happenthrough unlawful subletting whichis where a tenant leaves theirhome, allows someone else to livethere and takes a rent from them

without getting permission fromtheir landlord. It is also whensomeone obtains a social housingtenancy by making falsestatements when they apply, bywithholding information or lying.It is also where someone doesntuse the property as their mainhome; they may live elsewhereand only use their socialhousing tenancy as apostal address. Sometimes,tenants leave and sell their

key to another person whothen moves in. All thesethings mean the propertyis not being used for theperson it was intended for.

How big a problem is it?It is estimated that over 50,000housing association and localauthority properties across theUK are occupied by people thatshould not live there or have

gained the property by deception.Charter had a case of tenancyfraud recently and had to go tocourt to end the tenancy. It costus over 3,000 in lost rent, stafftime and court costs.

The knock on effect for us is thatwe cannot let properties toresidents that are in desperateneed. There are thousands ofpeople on the waiting lists in the

areas where Charter has homes.We treat all cases of tenancyfraud seriously. We arecontinuously working to ensurethat our properties are occupiedby the correct people but do

require support from ourresidents to report any suspiciouscircumstances. If you suspectanyone is committing tenancyfraud, let your NeighbourhoodManager know.

What are we doing about it?In response to this, Charter havebeen developing a TacklingTenancy Fraud policy. We want tochallenge housing cheats headon. As part of this we will beworking with a credit referenceagency to carry out a tenancyaudit. They will help us identify

tenancies where there is ahigh likelihood of thefraudulent activity describedabove. They do this by

matching information aboutour tenants with nationaldata bases such as theelectoral roll and credit

information. We will then use thisinformation to investigatetenancies where we suspect afraud is being committed. Bytackling tenancy fraud we canmake sure properties are being letto the right people from thehousing register as well as making

sure that tax payers money,which partly funds the building ofsocial housing, is going towards amore worthy cause. We want ourtenants to be reassured thateveryone in our homes has theright to be there and that no oneis making a profit from holding atenancy that they dont reallyneed.

Tell us what you think about ourapproach to tackling tenancyfraud. Do you think we should bedoing more to tackle housingcheats? Email us [email protected]

Tackling Housing Cheats

Christmas is upon us!

Every year there are 1,000incidents relating to Christmastrees that result in a visit tocasualty. 350 incidents involveChristmas tree lights, theseinclude falling whilst hanginglights, electric shocks, burns

and children swallowing lights.

To avoid a Christmas trip tocasulty, use the following tips:

If you have old Christmas lights,seriously consider buying newones that have had the latestsafety tests carried out. OlderChristmas lights burn muchhotter and are a higher fire risk.

Choose Christmas lights thathave been tested and deemedsafe.

Inspect your Christmas lights oldor new for damage, both bulbsand cables.

Never change bulbs whilst thelights are switched on.

Do not use lights on a metal tree.The tree can become chargedwith electricity from faulty lightsand any person touching abranch could be electrocuted.

Dont use lights designed forinside useage outside, buyspecial lights designed for this

use. When fitting lights to the treeensure that if you are using aladder, you are using it safely andtry to avoid climbing on furnitureor balancing on other items.

Lights can generate a lot of heat,do not place them near otherdecorations or household objectsthat could be flamable.

Avoid cables becoming a triphazard.

Keep lights out of reach ofchildren. Children may like to play

with them or bite them, thinkingthey are sweets.

Should the unimaginable happenand a fire breaks out, ensure youhave an emergency plan to getout of the house.

Finally when leaving the house orgoing to bed make sure all lightsare turned off.

Importantly, make sure you havea safe and happy Christmas!



safer community

Using CCTV to protect

There is some confusion about the legal obligations ofthose installing CCTV and the legal rights of thoseliving nearby and/or those going about their lawfulbusiness in the area.

Hopefully, you will find thefollowing questions andanswers useful.

Q: My neighbour hasinstalled a CCTV cameraand it is pointing towardsmy house/garden. Is this abreach of the DataProtection Act 188?

A: If your neighbourscamera is installed on their

residential property andbeing used for their ownpersonal domestic use,they are unlikely to bebreaching the DataProtection Act. This isbecause the use of CCTVcameras for domesticsecurity purposes isexempt from the dataprotection principles. Thisapplies when a person usesCCTV to protect their

home from burglary, evenif the camera overlooksthe street or other areas

near their home. The DataProtection Act onlyapplies to businesses andorganisations and NOT todomestic property. It iscrucial that peoplerecognise that distinction.If your neighbour is usingCCTV for businesspurposes they will need to

comply with the Act. Ifyou are concerned aboutthe use of domestic CCTVit may be worthcontacting your localpolice.

Q: Are there anyoccasions when I couldbe breaking the law usinghome CCTV?

A: While Home CCTV

Increasingly people across the UK are installing CCTVcameras in their homes in order to protect their propertyand also because of specific issues around neighbournuisance or anti-social behaviour. However, CCTV is notalways the answer and installing CCTV in your homecould make matters worse with neighbours generally butparticularly those with whom you are already having

problems.

Systems do not fall underthe jurisdiction of the DataProtection Act, if the homeinstallation has not beencarried out correctly or isbeing used for a purposeother than for which it was

designed, then anyoneaffected may have a casefor taking further actionagainst you under totallydifferent laws.

For example, if you have acamera which is pointeddirectly at another personsproperty, they might have acase to take action againstyou under legislationcovered by the HumanRights Act. They mighthave sufficient grounds tosay that they have hadtheir privacy violated, thatyour home CCTV system istantamount to harassmentand even voyeurism.In such cases, they can get

the police involved if you'renot able to come to someagreement with regards towhat the camera(s) cancapture and to makemodifications to theinstallation, if necessary.

However, this is unlikely tobe the case if only a small

part of a neighbourshome/garden is covered by



your homeyour camera in the act ofproviding protection foryour own home.

Users of small systems orhome systems whichcontain less than 3

cameras, which are notremotely operated i.e. theycannot be moved left/rightand zoomed from acontroller away from thecamera, and theinformation gathered ispassed to no-one but thePolice, have norequirement to registerwith the UK InformationCommissioner (DataProtection Act 1998), norplace signs, keep taperecords etc althoughplacing signage can assistas a deterrent.

Q: Could my rights as atenant of Charter Housingbe affected by a

neighbours CCTV camera?

A: There may be veryspecific instances whenthis could be the case. Forexample, if your neighbouris a Charter tenant and isclearly filming yourgarden/home and/or youand your visitors going

about your lawful businessin the vicinity of yourhome.

This could be considereda breach of their tenancyagreement in that it couldbe deemed as behaviourlikely to cause a nuisanceand annoyance and/oramounts to harassment.

However, for Charter totake action against atenant in suchcircumstances thefollowing points need tobe taken into account:

It would be necessaryfor us to prove thecamera is pointing atyour property.

Charter has no legalright to enter a tenantshome in suchcircumstances withoutinforming the tenant inadvance, i.e. we wouldhave to make anappointment.

If satisfied they arefilming you/your homewe would have to givethem the opportunity ofmoving the position oftheir camera.

If a tenant refuses tomove their camera it ishighly unlikely that

Charter couldsuccessfully pursue thematter through court,

unless we werepersonally able to seefootage of film from thecamera that proves they

are filming you/yourproperty or it is veryobvious from theposition of the camerathat it is filmingyou/your property.

If the person filmingyou/your home is not atenant of Charter our

options are even morelimited.

In circumstances whereCharter is satisfied that atenant is using a CCTVcamera to cause nuisanceand/or to harass aneighbour Charter willnot hesitate, with the

support of thoseaffected, to takeappropriate action.



Council Tax Benefit is changing.From April 2013 more people willhave to pay towards their CouncilTax. As part of its plan to reform

the welfare system the UKGovernment has cut the fundingfor Council Tax support availableto local authorities. In addition ithas asked local authorities todevise their own schemes forpaying the benefit. The WelshGovernment is working on thedetail with local authorities(including Newport, Torfaen andMonmouthshire). The Council willwrite to you as soon as they havemore information (this is not likely

to be until early December).

From April 2013, if you live in acouncil or housing associationhome and you have one or more

spare bedrooms, your housingbenefit may be reduced.

This could affect you if:- you are 16 to 61 years old- you only receive a small amountof housing benefit for example,if you are working- you are sick or disabled.

You wont be affected if:- you live in a one bedroom flat orbedsit, or ifyou or your partner are oldenough to receive pension credits.In April 2013 the pension creditage will be around 61 years and 6months.

managingyourmoney

Under the new rules if you havemore bedrooms than theGovernment says you need, youwill lose part of your housingbenefit. The new rules mean youwill be allocated one bedroomfor:- each adult couple- any other person aged 16 or over- two children of the same sexunder the age of 16- two children under the age of 10regardless of their sex- any other child- a carer (who does not normallylive with you) if you or yourpartner need overnight care.

It does not matter how the spare

bedroom is used, the new ruleswill apply even if:- you and your partner need tosleep apart because of a medicalcondition- your children mainly livesomewhere else, but you have aspare room for when they staywith you.

If you have one spare bedroomyour housing benefit will be cut by14% of the full rent and servicecharge on your property. If youhave two or more sparebedrooms, you will lose 25%. Ifyour benefit is cut you will have topay your landlord the differencebetween your housing benefit andyour rent.

Changesto Council

TaxBenefit

Howmany bedrooms

doyou have?

What is a spare

bedroom?

What happens if

you have a spare

bedroom?



If you are of working age, have a

disability and need a sparebedroom so that a carer can stayovernight, you should contactyour local council now so thatstaff can help you keep more ofyour housing benefit.

If you are worried about beingable to afford to pay your rentfrom April 2013 you should ask foradvice now. If you dont pay yourrent you could lose your home, sotalk to Charter about differentways to pay.

You can also:- Talk to Charter abouttransferring to a smaller home ortaking in a lodger.- Contact your council to askabout extra financial help.Councils have a limited amount ofmoney available to makediscretionary payments towardshousing costs. Your council mayprioritise your claim if you have adisability and your house has beenadapted.- get in touch with your localcitizens advice bureau(www.citizensadvice.org.uk) orother local advice agencies.- make sure you are claiming allthe benefits you can, for example,money to help with the costs of adisability.- try to find some paid work toincrease your income.

Charter staff will be making

contact with everyone who wehave identified as under-occupying their property. We willtalk to you about the optionsthat you have and provide youwith advice and assistance.

Mr and Mrs Bell

Mr and Mrs Bell live with theirtwo teenage boys, aged 13and 15, in a three bedroomhouse. Their rent is 100 perweek and they receive 10 perweek in housing benefit.Under the new rules their

children will be expected toshare a bedroom and so theywill be treated as having onespare bedroom. Their housingbenefit will be reduced by 14%of 100 (14), and so they willlose all their housing benefit.

Mr and Mrs Smith

Mr and Mrs Smith live in a two-bedroom flat costing 70 perweek in rent. At the momenthousing benefit covers the fullcost of their rent. Under thenew rules they will have onespare bedroom. Their housingbenefit will be reduced by 14%of their rent (14% of 70 =9.80) Their housing benefitwill be reduced by 9.80 to60.20 per week. They will haveto pay 9.80 per week towards

their rent.

Limits on benefits

From April 2013, the overallamount of benefit you can receivewill be capped.

The Government will add up howmuch money you get from arange of benefits, including:housing benefit, jobseekersallowance, income support,employment support allowance,child benefit, child tax credit and

carers allowance.

If the total comes to more thanthe maximum amount allowedyour housing benefit paymentswill be reduced.

The maximum amount of benefityou will be able to receive fromApril 2013 will be:- 500 per week for singleparents- 500 per week for couples with

or without children- 350 per week for single peoplewithout children.

This will not apply to you if:- you get pension credit orworking tax credit- a member of your household isclaiming disability livingallowance, attendance allowance,industrial injuries benefits or thesupport element of employment

support allowance.

For more information visitwww.yourbenefitsarechanging.co.uk

Doyou havea

disability and need

overnight care?

What shouldyou do

ifyou are

under-occupying?



Who is Smart Money?We are a non profit organisation regulated by the Financial Authority and we providea straightforward, affordable and friendly financial service to our members.

Newport Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial co-operativeowned and operated by the

people of Newport and open toany individual living or workingwithin the city. We specialise insavings and low-cost loans formembers and are fully regulatedby the Financial ServicesAuthority. We are also membersof FSCS (Financial ServicesCompensation Scheme) and allsavings are guaranteed safe.NCU runs collection andinformation points in many parts

of the city including Bettws,Ringland, Gaer, Maesglas,Rogerstone, Share Centre, Pill, StJulians and Church Road. We arealso at the Information Stationtwice a week and our head office

Newport Credit Union (NCU)in Market Arcade is open five daysa week. It is easy to join us justbring along 2 forms of ID and 2

(1 joining fee and 1 minimumsavings). You can save with us forChristmas in a special accountwhich is locked every year untilNovember 1st or just save for arainy day. Children are mostwelcome to join also (free ofcharge).Loans of up to 5000 areavailable to savers at verycompetitive rates. If you have nosavings with us, you can apply for

a loan of up to 300.

For terms & conditions and anappointment please contact headoffice on 01633 214913

How can we help you?

Secure savings (regulatedby the FinancialStandards Authority)

Free Life Assurance Low interest rate loans Loan protection provided

at no cost to the member Volunteering

opportunities

Pop into one of your localservice points:

Malpas C1st OfficeOlliphant CircleMonday 9.30am-11.30am

Somerton Hope CentrePopular RoadTuesday 11.00am-12.00pm

Newport East MoorlandPark Community CentreWednesday 9.30am-10.30am

You could save yourself asubstantial amount ofmoney by choosing a creditunion loan. Unlike the loansoffered by many otherlenders you will not besubject to any hiddencharges and will benefitfrom built in life assurance

managingyourmoney

As an example, a loan of500 with NewportCredit Union will cost11 per week for a yearat a cost of 62.47 ininterest. The same loanwith the Provident willcost you 410 in interestover the same period.

on your savings and loans.Credit unions do not seek toprofit from their members;any surplus is eitherreinvested in the creditunion or returned tomembers in the form of adividend.

Contact us on 029 2088 3751 or email:[email protected]



Weekly collection points in:Risca TuesdayMarkham WednesdayTrinant and Blackwood Friday

Credit Union is for everyone. Save before you borrow (12

weeks) so you KNOW youcan afford your loan.

Choose your weeklypayments.

See your savings grow. Yourfamily is better off

Free life insurance on savingsand loans.

Our loans are charged at just 1%

interest per month.For example, 200 paid backover one year = weeklyrepayments of 4.10. Total to pay= 213.24 and the cost of theloan = 13.24 in interest.

Tel 015 222832 for detailsOr visit: www.islwyncu.co.uk

Authorised and Regulated byThe Financial Services Authority(Firm No 213367)

Islwyn CommunityCredit Union

Save through the year with our Christmas Saver Account. Will youneed to borrow this Christmas? Call us now!

Loan example:Borrow 500over 1 year,Repay 10.83 per week,Interest paid 63.32. 26.8%APR.Tenants/ benefits welcome.Lower interest rates onlarger loans.

Itll soon be Christmas!Relax and enjoy it this year!

With our Christmas Saver

account, Gateway memberssave through the year, as littleor as much as they choose andcan plan their Christmasshopping wisely. No moreexpensive catalogues orhampers, no unpaid bills inJanuary. You can save bystanding order, cash, paymentcard, or direct from yourwages or benefits.

Gateway Credit Union is yourlocal, ethical savings and loansco-op. We are run by ourmembers and are FSAregulated, so your money issafe, unlike with local

Christmas clubs. We lend to

people in your community, oftenat rates hundreds of poundscheaper than they can getelsewhere. We pay a dividend onyour savings, decided each yearat the AGM and offer free lifeinsurance on our savings andloans to give you peace of mind.

If you havent saved for thisChristmas why not see us abouta loan?Were not just for Christmaseither. Our savings and loans aregood value all year round.We have offices open across

Monmouthshire and Torfaen, oryou can call us on 015 750020.

Well give you a helping hand to startoff your savings. If you open a creditunion account we will top up yoursavings by 10 and pay the joiningfee. Simply take the 10 voucher toyour local credit union. They will openan account for you, let us kow and wewill forward 10 plus any joining feesto your account. Your account will becredited once the Credit Union has

received the monies. If you alreadyhave an account and did not takeadvantage of the voucher in previouseditions then take the voucher alongand we will add 10 to your savings.Only one voucher per householdallowed and only one top up of 10per household allowed.

This voucher entitles you to 10 plus the joining fee when you open a

Credit Union account with Gateway, Islwyn or Newport Credit Union.

Open a Credit Union Account andwell top up your balance by 10

YOUR 10 VOUCHERName:

Address:



keepingfit &healthy

Find out how you can cut 500kcal from your traditionalChristmas dinner without sacrificing the taste.

Healthy Christmas Meal

Turkey - is a good source ofprotein and, without the skin, islow in fat. It provides B vitamins,which you need for energyproduction. The skin on a turkey,or any other roasted poultry, iswhere most of the fat is. If youremove the skin you can save

around 40kcal per portion. Lightmeat also has slightly fewercalories than dark meat, sochoose breast instead of leg orthigh.Before you cook your bird, prickthe skin to allow the fat to drainout. Cook it on a trivet orupturned ovenproof plate so itsnot sitting in the fat.

Stop: 100g of butter-bastedturkey, with the skin on, has

146kcal, 4.9g fat (2g saturates).Swap: 100g of skinless turkeyhas 104kcal, 2g fat (0.2gsaturates).Save: 42kcal.

Stuffing - Chestnuts are low infat and a good source ofpotassium, which we need forhealthy kidneys. Choose achestnut or fruit-based stuffinginstead of sausage meat.

Stop: 100g of sausage meat

stuffing has 252kcal, 16g fat (7gsaturates).Swap: 100g of cranberry, orangeand roast chestnut stuffing has162kcal, 0.8g fat (0.1g saturates)Calorie saving: 90kcal.

Roast potatoes - Potatoes are agood source of carbohydrateand are almost fat free (beforethey're roasted in oil or fat).Baked potatoes are just as tastybut much better for you.

Stop: 100g of potatoes roastedin oil have 149kcal, 4.5g fat (0.5gsaturates).Swap: 100g of baked potato has109kcal, 0.1g fat (0g saturates).Calorie saving: 40kcal.

Gravy - To make low-fat gravy,pour the turkey juices into a jugand wait for the fat to rise to thesurface. Then carefully pour orspoon off the fat before using the

juices to make gravy. Gravy canbe high in salt. Too much saltmay increase blood pressure. Ifyou have gravy, try not to addsalt to your meal.

Bread sauce - Use semi-skimmedmilk to make your sauce, and adda clove of garlic to the milk toadd flavour.

Stop: 100g of luxury bread sauce

mix has 355kcal, 6.4g fat (3.3gsaturates).Swap: 100g of bread sauce madewith semi-skimmed milk has93kcal, 3.1g fat (1.4g saturates).Calorie saving: 262kcal.

Vegetables - Brussels sprouts area good source of folate (a Bvitamin) and vitamin C, whichmay help to protect against heartdisease and cancer. They containfibre, which helps to keep thedigestive system healthy. Serveplenty of vegetables as they're

low in calories and fat, but dontsmother them in butter.

Stop: one teaspoon (5g) ofbutter adds 37kcal, 4.1g fat (2.8gsaturates).Swap: use chopped fresh herbsor lemon zest to add flavour. Theyhave almost no calories.Calorie saving: 37kcal.

Christmas pudding - is fairly lowin fat and high in carbohydrate. Itprovides some fibre, B vitamins,potassium, iron and calcium. Buthave just one small portion afterlunch as it is high in sugar. Youcan boost your calcium intake byeating it with low-fat custard,made from semi-skimmed milk.Or have fat-free Greek yoghurtinstead of brandy butter ordouble cream.

Stop: 1tbsp (15g) of brandy

butter has 81kcal, 5.8g fat (3.9gsaturates). 2tbsp (30g) of doublecream has 133kcal, 14.2g fat (8.9gsaturates).Swap: 3tbsp (45g) of low-fatcustard has 27kcal, 0.6g fat(0.54g saturates). 2tbsp (30g) of0% fat Greek yoghurt has 16kcal,0g fat.Calorie saving: 117kcal.

If you make all these food swaps, you can save more than

500kcal and cut down your fat intake, which will help tostop the festive weight gain.

For more helpful hints visit www.nhs.uk



Tenant corner

thewindow

Mrs Olive Allnatt grew up in Rhiwderin, Newport and left the areafollowing her marriage to Fred. They moved to Pant-Celyn shelteredhousing Scheme in June 187 when Fred became ill and they neededsecurity and support.

Olives hobbies include sewing,knitting and baking for schemeevents. She has raised a lot ofmoney over the years for Sparkle,Help 4 Heroes and other charities.

When Olive lost Fred in 1998 shejoined the T.A.P.S. group and didlots of interesting things includinggoing to Llandudno andLlandrindod Wells for awardceremonies.

Olive likes it at Pant-y-Celynbecause it is secure, friendly andshe has companionship here. Olivehas lived at Pant-y-Celyn longerthan any other tenant.

Raising money for a good causeTenants at Pant-y-Celynarranged a fundraising event inaid of Macmillan. Family and

friends were invited and theladies worked very hard tomake the day a great successraising over 300.

The tenants enjoy arrangingfundraising events and a groupof them, who do some very fineknitting at the craft class heldweekly on Friday afternoons,have sent garments for thebenefit of underprivileged

children.

We will be holding anotherfundraising event in the nearfuture, everyone is invited!

Footprint

Matters 2UFootprint Matters 2U is a freeservice for the removal of all oldelectrical / gas goods from yourpremises. All you have to do isring this number 01633 294000with the details of what you needremoving and leave your addressand they will arrange a day withyou when they are in your areaand come and take the itemsaway free of charge.

The service is environmentallyfriendly so please use the serviceand do your bit to help theenvironment.

No need to dump, use the serviceprovided.

Keep your area clean and tidy.

For more information email:[email protected]

Olive enjoys knitting


22/24

thewindow


Choices provide domestic help, shopping, low levelmaintenance and nail cutting in: Blaenau Gwent, Caerphillyand Newport. Nail cutting is also available in Monmouthshire.

All profits from Choices are donated to Age Cymru Gwent.

Useful telephone numbers for Older People Newport in

BloomStratford House CommunalGarden came 2nd in theChampions section in Newport inBloom. Tenants, Gladys Stone,Christine Brennan, MargaretFoster and Lee Walker havecontributed to the achievement ofgaining the award by doing theirown planting in certain parts ofthe garden. Also, Lee Walker

came 3rd with her pots andcontainers. The presentation tookplace at St Julians ComprehensiveSchool and the winners werepresented with gardeningvouchers from the Mayor ofNewport.

Lee received her award from theMayor of Newport

Margaret received her awardfrom the Mayor of Newport

Chiropody Service 01633 615225

Dental Helpline 01633 8838

FirstStop Advice (Care home Fees etc) 0800 3777070

Pension Service (Swansea) 085 6060265

NHS Direct 085 6 7

Gas Safe Register 0800 08 5500

NEST (Heating and Insulation grants) 0800 512 012

SE Wales Energy Agency 0800 622 6110

Mail Preference Service 085 7035

Telephone Preference 085 0700707

Gwent Police 01633 838111

Home Fire Safety Check 0800 16 123Tax Help for older people (TOP) 085 601 3321

Consumer Direct 085 00506

Care and Repair Agencies:

Monmouthshire 01873 8515

Caerphilly 015 23533

Newport 01633 656656

Social Services:


Caerphilly 0808 100 2500

Newport 01633 656656

All Citizens Advice Bureaus in Gwent 08 772020

Age Cymru Gwent Services:

Information and advice 01633 2010

Insurance and products 01633 201

Hospital Discharge Services, for peopleliving in:


Caerphilly 015 22703

Newport 01633 238311

Community Support Services, for people

living in:


Newport 01633 2013

Choices 015 36015 or 01633 656371



Stratford House

updateStratford House tenant MrGraham Long, ex serviceman ofthe Korean War, raised over 100selling poppies at Charter offices,Stratford House and HillsideResidential Home. Graham wantedto help all the people in the forces.

Scheme Manager, Jill Pitman,organised for this to happen withgreat success and they hope to dothe same in the future.

Tenant Mary Short celebrated her80th birthday with cake and wineat a Monday night bingo session.Marys daughter, Christine helpedSocial Fund members with thebirthday cake and refreshments.To make Marys birthday completeshe won at Bingo!

thewindow

Mary with her daughter,Christine

Graham selling poppies totenant Margaret Foster

Graham selling poppies totenant Marian Lee and Jean

Tinkler (Community memberof the Social Fund)

Top tips for keeping well and warm this winter

1. Get your free flu jab. If you are aged 65 or over, pregnant, havecertain medical conditions, live in a residential or nursing home,or are the main carer for an older or disabled person.

2. Keep warm by setting your heating to the right temperature (18-21C 65-70F), you can keep your home warm and your bills as

low as possible.3. Look after yourself - layer your clothing to stay warm and wearshoes with a good grip if you need to go outside.

. Food is a vital source of energy, which helps to keep your bodywarm. Try to make sure that you have hot meals and drinksregularly throughout the day.

5. Get heating and cooking appliances checked, flues and chimneysswept ensuring ventilation points are not blocked.

6. Good hand hygiene can help prevent the spread of norovirus.7. Learn a few simple first aid steps; such as how to deal with strains

and sprains or broken bones, as trips and falls can increase in icyweather.

8. Check the forecast and ensure you have enough food andmedicines.

For more information visit www.nhs.uk


24/24

Christmas quizThe questions

This quiz is all about Christmas. How much do youknow about this season?

1. Which saint became known by the name SantaClaus

2. Where does the Christmas tree in TrafalgarSquare, London come from?

3. Whats the missing word Twas the night beforeChristmas, when all through the house not acreature was stirring, not even a .......?

. What is another name for a reindeer?

5. In which country do they call Santa BabboNatale

6. What type of tree is traditionally used atChristmas?

7. What is the name of the reindeer with a red nose?

8. Who was top of the music charts last Christmas(2011)?

. How many reindeer pull Santas sleigh?

10.What kind of Christmas is Bing Crosby dreamingof?

2.Norway

3.Mouse

4.Caribou 5.Italy

6.FirTrees(evergreens)

7.Rudolph

8.MilitaryWives

9.8

10.White

If you have a just for fun quiz you would like to see in thenext edition of Contact email your questions and answers to:getinvolved@charterhousingco uk

justfor fun

contact magazine winter 2012

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