Sovereign South+West Press Release
Date: 29 February 2012
Award for All grants community growth
Residents of sheltered housing schemes in West Berkshire who want to grow their own food and develop their gardening skills have been given a helping hand, thanks to a lottery grant.
Sovereign Housing Association and the Growing Together Project have been awarded £9,958 from the Lottery grants scheme, Awards for All (A4A).
The funding will be used in five sheltered housing schemes to develop residents’ practical skills in maintaining their communal gardens and growing their own fruit and vegetables.
“We believe this investment will lead to a stronger community as the residents’ interaction increases, as well as having a beneficial effect on their health and wellbeing,” said Lee Dillon, Sovereign’s Resident Involvement and Neighbourhood Investment Co-ordinator.
“We asked all schemes if they wanted to take part and then chose five, all sheltered accommodation, based on the interest residents showed and the suitability of the schemes.”
The five schemes selected to take part in the project are: Windmill Court, Mortimer; Gilbert Court, Thatcham; Speenhamland Court, Newbury; Leslie Southern Court, Newbury; and Springhurst House, Greenham.
The grant will cover a wide range of expenditure to help the communities’ green-fingered ambitions come to fruition, such as plants, seeds, compost and construction materials for raised beds.
There will also be 20 one-day practical courses to teach residents how to make raised beds, and how to grow and care for their plants.
Lee Dillon adds: “Our next step is for residents to meet up with the Community Furniture Project and our estates team to work out where they would like their raised beds, what they should look like, and what kind of vegetables and plants they would like to grow.”
The grants scheme recognises local community-based projects around the United Kingdom that strive to improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. The scheme was set up in 1994, and has raised more than £25 billion and over 317,000 grants have been awarded. In England the grants range from £500 to £10,000. Sovereign received the grant on the 19 December 2011.
Notes to Editors
* For more information on the Awards for All, visit: http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/index.html
* Sovereign Housing Association is a charitable body. It comprises Sovereign South+West, Sovereign Twynham, Sovereign Kingfisher and Sovereign Vale, which were merged into a single legal entity in October 2011. Sovereign Housing Association includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited. Sovereign is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.
* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk
Wednesday 29 February 2012
Monday 6 February 2012
Additional safety services offered to leaseholders
Sovereign Kingfisher Press Release
Date: 06 February 2012
Additional safety services offered to leaseholders
Following the success of Sovereign Kingfisher’s Home Health and Safety Check, gas safety checks are now being offered to leaseholders and shared owners at a preferential rate.
The service, which covers gas, solid fuel and oil servicing, asbestos and water condition surveys, portable appliance as well as smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector testing was introduced in 2009. Over 100 leaseholders and shared owners have now taken advantage of the latest offer to have their gas servicing carried out at a preferential rate.
“These are important steps to make more people aware of the potential dangers of carbon monoxide in the home. I welcome Sovereign Kingfisher’s important work on this,” says Maria Miller MP, former chairman of the government’s Gas Safety Group.
This time of year is a known high-risk period when the majority of carbon monoxide incidents occur. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer and is the number 1 cause of unintentional poisoning death due to faulty heating appliances. (1)
“It’s important to service your gas boiler annually,” John Dyson, Sovereign’s Building Services Manager explains, “not only to avoid the unexpected breakdown but to ensure your gas boiler is working efficiently and safely-it could save your life!”
Under the terms of their tenancy agreements all of our residents are responsible for the servicing and maintenance of their gas boiler or other gas appliances. These should be checked regularly to make sure they are working safely and efficiently. Under the Home Health and Safety Check, each resident receives an annual visit from Sovereign Kingfisher’s contractor, Central Heating Services (CHS).
Leaseholders and shared owners may be asked to provide us with a copy of the gas safety certificate but now we can arrange for our ‘Gas Safe’ registered engineer to carry out the gas service, taking the onus off of the resident.
If you are a leaseholder or shared owner with Sovereign Kingfisher and would like to have your boiler checked at a preferential rate by our contractor, Central Heating Services (CHS), please contact your leasehold services officer on 01256 464114 or 0800 988 4858.
www.sovereign.org.uk/kingfisher
http://www.gas-safety-trust.org%20/ (1)
Notes to Editors
* Sovereign Housing Association is a charitable body. It comprises Sovereign South+West, Sovereign Twynham, Sovereign Kingfisher and Sovereign Vale, which were merged into a single legal entity in October 2011. Sovereign Housing Association includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited. Sovereign is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.
* For further information please contact Debbie Down, External Communications Advisor on 01256 302307 or email debbie.down@sovereign.org.uk
Benefit boost for Didcot family carers
Sovereign Vale Press Release
Date: 06 February 2012
Benefits boost for Didcot family carers
A family in Didcot in which a son and daughter are caring for their elderly mother had a pleasant surprise when a diligent tenant support advisor from their housing association realised that they had not received benefits they were entitled to.
The family, who do not want to be identified, received £14,500 in backdated payments.
The family consists of a son, 47, and daughter, 51, who look after their 88-year-old mother. The daughter had to leave her job eight years ago when their father passed away to be able to stay at home to look after her mother. Later, the son became unemployed, and the family encountered growing financial difficulties.
They always managed to pay their weekly rent of £62.67, but struggled to meet their other financial responsibilities.
“We received a phone call from Sovereign Vale,” the son explains, “and they asked us why we weren’t able to keep up with the bills. We explained the situation and they sent a housing officer around to talk to us about the situation and try to find alternative ways to approach the situation.”
Tenant Support Advisor Peter Coombs realised the family had not applied for Carers Allowance during the years the daughter had been looking after their mother. This amounted to an extra £55.55 per week.
Coombs and Welfare Officer Suzanne Key also found that for two and a half years the family had not received housing benefits and council tax benefits they were entitled to. This amounted to £14,500.
“It’s not only a relief that we are now up to date with everything. It’s such a nice, stress-free feeling knowing that my mum is no longer getting all the letters we used to, telling us how behind with payments we are,” the son says.
“Sovereign was very helpful, and Mr Coombs was there for us throughout the whole process, and still is. We couldn’t have done it on our own, and I hope that there are other people out there who will realise that there are ways to get back on track with your finances, even though it might look like you’ve got nowhere to turn to.”
Notes to Editors
* Sovereign Housing Association is a charitable body. It comprises Sovereign South+West, Sovereign Twynham, Sovereign Kingfisher and Sovereign Vale, which were merged into a single legal entity in October 2011. Sovereign Housing Association includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited. Sovereign is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.
* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk
Date: 06 February 2012
Benefits boost for Didcot family carers
A family in Didcot in which a son and daughter are caring for their elderly mother had a pleasant surprise when a diligent tenant support advisor from their housing association realised that they had not received benefits they were entitled to.
The family, who do not want to be identified, received £14,500 in backdated payments.
The family consists of a son, 47, and daughter, 51, who look after their 88-year-old mother. The daughter had to leave her job eight years ago when their father passed away to be able to stay at home to look after her mother. Later, the son became unemployed, and the family encountered growing financial difficulties.
They always managed to pay their weekly rent of £62.67, but struggled to meet their other financial responsibilities.
“We received a phone call from Sovereign Vale,” the son explains, “and they asked us why we weren’t able to keep up with the bills. We explained the situation and they sent a housing officer around to talk to us about the situation and try to find alternative ways to approach the situation.”
Tenant Support Advisor Peter Coombs realised the family had not applied for Carers Allowance during the years the daughter had been looking after their mother. This amounted to an extra £55.55 per week.
Coombs and Welfare Officer Suzanne Key also found that for two and a half years the family had not received housing benefits and council tax benefits they were entitled to. This amounted to £14,500.
“It’s not only a relief that we are now up to date with everything. It’s such a nice, stress-free feeling knowing that my mum is no longer getting all the letters we used to, telling us how behind with payments we are,” the son says.
“Sovereign was very helpful, and Mr Coombs was there for us throughout the whole process, and still is. We couldn’t have done it on our own, and I hope that there are other people out there who will realise that there are ways to get back on track with your finances, even though it might look like you’ve got nowhere to turn to.”
Notes to Editors
* Sovereign Housing Association is a charitable body. It comprises Sovereign South+West, Sovereign Twynham, Sovereign Kingfisher and Sovereign Vale, which were merged into a single legal entity in October 2011. Sovereign Housing Association includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited. Sovereign is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.
* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk
Friday 3 February 2012
Shared Ownership offers hope to first time home buyers in Wokingham
Sovereign Living Press Release
Date: 03 February 2012
Shared Ownership offers hope to first time home buyers in Wokingham
The housing situation in the South East is worsening. The average price of property in Wokingham is £312,545, which is 11.5 times higher than the average local income, £27,269.
However, shared ownership offers a low-cost way for people to meet their aspirations to buy a property of their own.
A government initiative, shared ownership allows you to part-rent and part-buy your property, making it much more affordable.
Entry levels can start from as little as 25 per cent, with the homebuyer paying a subsided rent on the remaining share; the bigger the share you own, the less rent you pay.
The other share of the property is usually owned by a housing association. At a later stage, if the property owner wishes, they can purchase a larger share of the home.
In a report published in December 2011, the National Housing Federation (NHF) warned that many families in the South East, as well as younger and older people, were facing huge difficulties in finding suitable places to live.
“As the NHF report showed, the average house price in Wokingham is now around £312,000, more than 11 times the average income; a whole generation risks being locked out of the housing market, and that ‘affordability gap’ looks set to grow as supply fails to keep up with demand,” said Tony Quigley, Sovereign’s Director of Home Ownership. “Shared ownership offers a way in and constitutes a fantastic opportunity for young local people to realise their aspirations to own their own home.”
Notes to Editors
* Sovereign Living is a non-charitable part of The Sovereign Housing Association Limited, a charitable body. Sovereign Housing Association Limited is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.
* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk
Date: 03 February 2012
Shared Ownership offers hope to first time home buyers in Wokingham
The housing situation in the South East is worsening. The average price of property in Wokingham is £312,545, which is 11.5 times higher than the average local income, £27,269.
However, shared ownership offers a low-cost way for people to meet their aspirations to buy a property of their own.
A government initiative, shared ownership allows you to part-rent and part-buy your property, making it much more affordable.
Entry levels can start from as little as 25 per cent, with the homebuyer paying a subsided rent on the remaining share; the bigger the share you own, the less rent you pay.
The other share of the property is usually owned by a housing association. At a later stage, if the property owner wishes, they can purchase a larger share of the home.
In a report published in December 2011, the National Housing Federation (NHF) warned that many families in the South East, as well as younger and older people, were facing huge difficulties in finding suitable places to live.
“As the NHF report showed, the average house price in Wokingham is now around £312,000, more than 11 times the average income; a whole generation risks being locked out of the housing market, and that ‘affordability gap’ looks set to grow as supply fails to keep up with demand,” said Tony Quigley, Sovereign’s Director of Home Ownership. “Shared ownership offers a way in and constitutes a fantastic opportunity for young local people to realise their aspirations to own their own home.”
Notes to Editors
* Sovereign Living is a non-charitable part of The Sovereign Housing Association Limited, a charitable body. Sovereign Housing Association Limited is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.
* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk
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