R1001 SILVA SPRING 19 FLIPBOOK-NEW2

Spotlight

Issue 45 / spring 2019
The newsletter for customers of Silva Homes

Pioneering new
modular homes
in Crowthorne

Our first modular homes
are being built in
Buckler’s Park, as part
of our 21 family homes
at the Crowthorne
development.

See page 8 for details

Inside this issue

Safety Money Investing Your invitation to our
at home matters in homes customer partnership event

Contents Spring is in the air
Money matters -
find out about pension This edition is packed with news of our latest homes
credit changes and being built which will be available to rent or buy with
benefits advice p4 shared ownership, our planned improvement programme,
safety advice, money saving and benefits tips, the usual
An invitation p5 wordsearch and recipe.

Play your part in p6 We also have your invitation for the customer partnership event
safety at home (see page 5).

Investing in homes p7 If you have any comments or articles you would like to send, or if
you have any feedback, please contact us or fill in the feedback
Building new homes p8 box on the wordsearch on page 12.

Supporting young New
people p10

Western Peninsula opening hours: online

Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm services
for you
We make every effort and endeavour
to ensure that accuracy of content We are launching more online from customers and colleagues
is correct at the time of print. services in the next couple of over the last few months. This
Please visit www.silvahomes.co.uk months. There will be a new Silva should significantly improve the
for updates and more news. Homes website with an upgraded customer experience to access
Many thanks to our contributors. customer portal which will give services and find information.
you access to your rent account It is more visual with less text
Silva Homes is a charitable registered society under the and enable you to book repairs and the portal will be easier to
Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 appointments, and much more at register and more functional so
registration number 30230R Registered Provider L4513 your convenience on your mobile, you can save time and access
tablet or computer. It’ll take less more of our services without the
Get in touch than two minutes to sign up for need to call.
an online account. Check www.silvahomes.co.uk and
Silva Homes, Western Peninsula, The look and feel of the website our social media for latest news
Western Road, Bracknell, have changed thanks to the input and updates.
Berkshire RG12 1RF

Telephone: 01344 382800

[email protected]
www.silvahomes.co.uk

For enquiries about housing benefit,

street lighting, gritting, street care,

social services, please contact Linda Wells is retiring
Bracknell Forest Council:

01344 352000 Linda Wells, our Executive Director (Customer

CstiohpcesicaaklnmoduenrdeiwwaefhboosrimltaeetaesnstdFnoewllso,@wsilvuoShaefoshruAvospiimcrneiglesf)ison, liltsohwreeiBtnirgrainacgkdnfiesrtollimnagrSueiialsv.haedHo4m3 eyseaart the end
career in

If you would like this newsletter in Linda will be well known to many generations of customers having
large print, braille, on audio tape or started as a trainee with the Development Corporation, then serving
CD, please contact 01344 382800. with Bracknell Forest Council and taking a lead role on the stock
transfer in 2008. After transfer, Linda became the housing and
Português | Espanol | Polski community services director with Bracknell Forest Homes, now
known as Silva Homes. Linda’s knowledge and passion for housing
and customer service will be greatly missed. We are looking to
recruit a new executive director and will keep you updated with
appointments on our website and in future editions of Spotlight.

2 FolFloolwlowuuss @silvahom

Welcome to the spring edition

Spring came early with the warmest February on record, and
we’ll be hoping for bright and warm weather to continue as the
clocks go forward.

We continue to develop our plans for investing in existing and new homes.
We are still working hard to ensure we have accurate data on all existing
homes so we can publish longer term programmes of major repairs and
improvements. In the meantime our 2019/20 programme is on page 7. We are
continuing to build new homes and should complete 184 this year including
innovative modular homes (see page 8). The board has also approved a new
five year programme to deliver another 1,100 new homes from April 2019.

Play your part As I mentioned in the last edition, we have launched our new customer
partnership. As part of this we have recruited seven customers from a
in safety range of diverse backgrounds to serve on the new customer partnership
board. You can read more about the customer partnership board and
We are acutely aware of the early work they have been doing on page 5.
customer and colleague safety We’re also hosting another customer partnership event in May, details
and take our responsibilities are on page 5. This is all part of our continued work to strengthen
very seriously – that’s why we engagement with our customers and making sure their voice is heard at
carry out annual gas safety all levels in the business. We know we don’t always get it right but we
checks and are now also are making a lot of changes to put our relationship with our customers
installing carbon monoxide at the centre of everything we do.
detectors in all homes. Please
play your part in keeping safety Annual report and accounts
a top priority by reporting things
you see and always allowing our Our full annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2018 is
teams access when needed – available at www.silvahomes.co.uk and we will now be working on the
failure to do so puts you, your report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2019. This is a big piece
family and your neighbours of work, but the accounts should be ready to publish in the summer.
at risk. There is more safety It is important to note that we are a not-for-profit housing association,
information on page 6, and don’t which means we don’t pay dividends to shareholders and all the surplus
forget there are regular updates we make each year is reinvested the next year – it doesn’t accumulate
on our website and social media. and sit in the bank, contrary to speculation on social media. It gets
spent on services for customers, repairs and improvements to existing
This year marks the 70th homes and providing much-needed new homes. We also have to pay the
anniversary of the designation interest on the money we borrow.
of Bracknell as one of the We received around £38 million in rent in 2017/18 and after deducting
first generation new towns our costs and interest we were left with a surplus of £8.2 million which
created by the 1946 New has been re-invested in homes and services. After re-investing the surplus,
Towns Act. We’re looking for we spent a further £7.4 million on improvements and new homes. This
any customers who have lived meant we had to borrow more money and that increased our net debt (the
in Bracknell since the first difference between any loans and cash we hold) by £7.4 million.
estates were built. We’d love Any surplus we produce in 2018/19 will also be reinvested. The
to talk to you and share your association is financially strong and uses its resources wisely to raise
experiences and how you’ve money for investment without putting your homes at risk. The regulator
seen Bracknell change. Contact recently gave us the highest grading possible for financial viability.
[email protected] to This will be particularly important as we enter uncertain times with
share your story. the economy post-Brexit and we have plans in place to cope with
significant adverse changes if they do come along.

Alan Ward, Chief Executive

www.silvahomes.co.uk 3

MONEY MATTERS

Pension Credit
rules are changing

Currently couples can claim older should check their benefit be affected by the change. If you
Pension Credit as long as one entitlement before 15 May. If you try to claim after the deadline it
partner has reached pension are entitled to Pension Credit and will be too late and you will have
age (65 years old at the claim it before 15 May you won’t to claim Universal Credit instead.
moment, though this is gradually
increasing). On 15 May 2019 If you have a current claim for Pension Credit,
the age criteria will change, so you will not be affected by this change.
couples will only be able to claim
Pension Credit when both have As well as missing out on Pension Credit, qualifying couples who
reached pension age. fail to take up Pension Credit before 15 May will be affected
This means all couples where one by other working age benefit rules, like the under-occupation
person is over 65 years old or charge, from which pension age claimants are exempt.

Support for three or Money
more children advice

From 1 February, Sometimes customers do not realise what they are
families with three entitled to or are too embarrassed to ask for help,
or more children but we’re here to help you.
will be able to One 80 year old customer didn’t like to ask for any financial
claim for Universal help but after an initial conversation we found she could
Credit, and won’t apply for Attendance Allowance which is for people over
be able to make 65 years old who would benefit from extra help with
a new claim for washing, dressing or eating, due to illness or disability.
old-style benefits like working tax credits, She was delighted when she was awarded £57.30 a week.
housing benefit and income support. We supported a couple whose circumstances changed and
Universal Credit is a single monthly payment they needed help understanding what they were entitled to.
and includes various elements to help We found they were entitled to more help with rent so
support you. helped them to apply for Universal Credit as they are of
Claiming Universal Credit is not always the working age. They were delighted as they were awarded a
best solution as you could be worse off housing element which covers their full rent and they got
when compared to the old-style benefits. the standard living allowance element and a child element.
You should be aware there is usually no We also helped them with Personal Independence Payment
going back to your previous benefits once a claim, which is non-means tested so will be on top of their
claim for Universal Credit has been made, Universal Credit award.
so get advice if you are considering this. If you are unsure about your entitlement and want some
The only people who must claim Universal advice, please contact our money advisors.
Credit are those who are looking to make a
new claim for one of the benefits Universal Amelia Rowe and
Credit is replacing such as: Jean Mulqueeny,
• Housing Benefit Money Advisors
• Tax Credits
• Income Support
• Income-Related Employment and
Support Allowance
• Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance.

4 FolFloolwlowuuss @silvahom

Introducing the new
customer partnership board

Following a robust recruitment process the From l-r:
new customer partnership board has now Top; Caroline Egglestone, Kirsty Taylor-Smith,
been formed and during January and February Peter Tobin, Robert Taylor.
they’ve been very busy undergoing training Bottom; Bill Bridges, Naheed Ejaz, Jo Smith.
and induction.
They have been focusing on team
building, learning about the housing
sector generally, and about how Silva
works. The customer partnership board
has been set up to strengthen the
customer voice at a strategic level and
to ensure decision making in relation
to homes and services is influenced by
customer insight and engagement. The
first formal meeting was held on
14 March.
Regular updates on the work of the customer
partnership board will be on our website and
reported to the next customer partnership event
[details below].

You are invited to our Yes, I would like to come to the Silva
customer partnership Homes customer partnership event
event Customer name(s)
.................................................
6pm to 9pm | Tuesday 21 May 2019 .................................................
Address
Hilton Hotel, Bagshot Road, Bracknell, RG12 0QJ .................................................
.................................................
• Join Silva Homes' employees and fellow customers for buffet Email or phone number
dinner and refreshments .................................................
Special dietary requirements
• Hear updates from Silva and the customer partnership board .................................................
• See our new website Question for executive board
• Put a question to our executive board by filling in the form .................................................
.................................................
(opposite). .................................................
Spaces are limited so please book early. .................................................
We look forward to seeing you there. .................................................

RSVP online, email [email protected]
or please cut out and return the slip by Friday 3 May to
Silva Homes, Western Peninsula, Western Road,
Bracknell, RG12 1RF.

www.silvahomes.co.uk 5

Play your part in safety

Hazards are all around us and may be anything Stairlifts
with potential to cause harm or adverse
health effects on people. Our aids and adaptations team
assist many of our customers
Areas in and around our estates with various adaptations to
can be vandalised or have help stay independent in
general wear and tear which their home. This includes
may create hazards. We have stair and step lifts. These
plans and work programmes to items of machinery should be
periodically inspect all our public inspected regularly so we have
areas and spaces. maintenance contracts in place
for them. Whilst we have these
We invest in maintaining and agreements in place and make
repairing these areas, but this sure all items are maintained,
does not mean that all potential we’re aware some customers
hazards are identified. The safety may have had these items
of our customers, colleagues installed themselves.
and anyone using these spaces Any stair or step lift installed
is paramount. If you see a by Silva Homes will be
hazard or a need for a repair we covered by our maintenance
encourage you to report it. arrangements but if you have
privately fitted your own
Self-closing stairlift, please tell us and
devices provide details - you should
arrange maintenance services
and appropriate certificates
or maintenance reports must
be sent to Silva Homes so we
can ensure the maintenance
is in place.

Self-closing devices are often installed on fire doors in blocks of flats
and commercial buildings. They are a vital part of the fire protection
to a building by limiting the spread of smoke and fire. Surface
mounted fire door closers can suffer from damage and develop
defects over time.
Self-closing devices may also be fitted to communal area doors in
buildings. If you notice any self-closing device is not working, please
contact us immediately so we can arrange to fix it.
Please do not tamper with or disable a self-closing device if you have
one fitted - it is there for your protection.

To report any safety concerns please contact us

[email protected] 01344 382800

Daniel Hooper, Health and Safety Compliance Manager

6 FolFloolwlowuuss @silvahom

Investing in homes

We are investing £37 million over the next five years
to repair, modernise and improve homes.

We’ve been looking at some of For 2019/20 (April 2019 to March 2020), we will complete:
our larger blocks of flats to see
what the whole building needs • 130 new kitchens
to maintain it for the next • 95 new bathrooms
30 years. We’ve put together • 80 roof replacements
a programme which, over the • 250 heating upgrades
next five years, will mean we • 115 door replacements
are going to spend £24 million
on refurbishing them. We will be • Major refurbishment works at Woodmere and
talking to all of our customers Thornhill, Great Hollands
in these blocks about what
and when the work will be Installing carbon
taking place. monoxide detectors
We are also investing in relocation in all properties
of bin stores, installing door entry
systems and improvements to We take safety very seriously and carry out annual gas safety
emergency lighting. checks. We have a partnership with Honeywell Detection
and are funding a project to install carbon monoxide (CO)
Iveagh Court detectors in all our properties which have a natural gas
update supply. Your CO detector will be fitted at the next gas
service and the engineer will show you how it works.
Significant improvement works
at Iveagh Court, Harmans The units require no maintenance and have
Water, continue and are a 10 year battery life that is guaranteed
estimated to complete in by the manufacturer. If a fault occurs
September 2019. The works with the unit, the orange fault light will
include major renovation illuminate. If this occurs, please call Silva
and repair to balconies, new Homes to report the fault. In the event
heating, windows, doors, that the unit detects carbon monoxide the
redecoration, and modernising ventilate light will illuminate and the main
and improving security for
customers. unit will display ‘ALARM EVACUATE
The works are very disruptive CALL 800 111 999’.
and we really appreciate
customers’ patience whilst We are installing carbon monoxide alarms
they are taking place. for safety so once your alarm has been
installed, please do not tamper with it or
Ian Kennedy, remove it.
Head of Property Investment

www.silvahomes.co.uk 7

New homes coming soon

Our development team is very busy creating new homes across Bracknell
Forest, East Hampshire, Hart and Wokingham districts. We have plans to
provide 184 over this financial year.

Alford Road, Sandhurst

Work is progressing well on our new site at Alford Road, Sandhurst.
This is a development with Bloor Homes, which will create 27 new
homes, with 19 for affordable rent and eight for shared ownership.
There are one bedroom flats, and two and three bedroom houses.
The first properties should be available in autumn 2019.

Amen Corner, Buckler’s Park, Crowthorne
Bracknell
We have completed our first properties at Buckler’s Park, Crowthorne,
We completed 24 one and two which is being developed by Legal & General.
bedroom apartments at Amen The first phase of affordable properties includes
Corner, Bracknell, earlier this 21 new homes with 15 affordable rent
year. Another 35 are due for and six shared ownership.
completion between now and
2021 and will be for rent and The rented properties are one and two
shared ownership to help people bedroom flats, two and three bedroom
get on the housing ladder. houses. The shared ownership properties
are two and three bedroom houses.

Anstey Gardens,
Alton

In March we took handover of
the first properties on our site at
Anstey Gardens, Alton, where we
will have 30 affordable homes
with 21 for affordable rent and
nine for shared ownership.

Some of the homes will be built using modular construction. The site was formerly a sports
Legal & General have set up a new factory in Yorkshire ground and the local authority is
to manufacture the timber panels which are assembled, East Hampshire.
delivered to site and craned into position. The units come
fully fitted with kitchens, bathrooms, central heating and
windows. This is part of a national initiative to modernise

the construction industry.

For information about shared ownership homes,
please visit www.silvahomes.co.uk

For information about renting a home, please contact the local authority and
register on their housing waiting list.

Charles Shaw, Head of Development

8 9 FwowlwFloo.sliwllovwauhusosmes.co.@uksilvahom

Ronald’s story

Ron Hindle from Crown Wood, Bracknell, saw fellow
veterans in last Spotlight’s Armistice events and sent
us his story…

After serving in the RAF from 1947 to 1949 as an air gunner under training, I
re-joined in 1957 to 1984 and served most of my life in various regiments in
different services, such as Navy, Army, Commandos, Paratroopers and the SAS.
I felt extremely privileged and honoured when I received an invite from the
Royal British Legion to attend the Remembrance Day service in London last
November.
The reason I was asked to attend was to carry the wreath because I was one
of the oldest veterans of the Tactical Supply Wing unit.
One officer who I met up with reminded me that I looked after him when he
joined the Royal Air Force in 1972 as a cadet and we had a lot to talk about.
I also met up with other colleagues who were
members of my team and enjoyed spending time
chatting over old times.
The Princess Royal was present and paid her
respects to the servicemen and women and I was
privileged to meet up with her once more, as I
have five times throughout my career.
It was a memorable day and I enjoyed the time
celebrating the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force with other colleagues.

Invite you to join us at ...

THE WEDNESDAY CLUB

Bracknell Forest Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm,
join us at Priestwood Community Centre
CIO 1153607

for entertainment, activities, tea and biscuits and a good chat
£3.50 donation (£1 carers). No booking needed.

For further details, please contact our Events Organisers Debbie and Cat on 01344 428074
or email us at [email protected]

10 FolFloolwlowuuss @sil9vahom

Supporting young people

Silva Homes has donated £800 to local Berkshire charity ABC to Read
to invest in the recruitment and training of volunteer mentors to
support young children in Berkshire who are struggling to read.

ABC to Read works with local Silva’s community grants are volunteers to benefit from the
primary school children who are open to customers of Silva scheme.
identified by their schools as Homes, voluntary groups and For more information or to
struggling significantly with their not-for–profit organisations book onto the next training
reading. working locally and must course, please visit
The grant will allow ABC to demonstrate the sustainable www.abctoread.org.uk
Read to recruit and train more benefit to Silva Homes’ or email
volunteers who will offer one- customers and communities. [email protected]
to-one mentoring and encourage Marcia Rowlinson, ABC to Read
children to access the joy of CEO, said: “Every volunteer
reading. ABC to Read trained changes the life of a local
mentors make reading fun for child. This grant will help us
the children, encouraging and inspire multiple children with
supporting progress in their ability a love of reading that will
while nurturing a genuine love of serve them for a lifetime.”
the pastime and setting them up ABC to Read is actively
for greater future opportunities. looking for new schools and

Tenancy reviews

Every year we meet all our new Do you know of a tenancy
customers and around 20 per cent cheat?
of our existing customers to stay
in touch, update our records, Help us ensure our homes are occupied by people who really
signpost any additional support need them and are legally entitled to live in them.
services if needed and see if there
is anything you need help with.

Some of these visits are made by Please let us know if you think someone has:
appointment, some are carried • sub-let their Silva home to another person
out when we are in your area. • no longer lives at the property
If you receive one of these • has a home elsewhere.
unannounced visits, don’t panic, We will offer a reward for information that leads to the
they are routine. successful recovery of a Silva home.
You don’t need to prepare or do Reports can be made anonymously. Your call could help someone
anything but we will need to see in genuine housing need.
photo ID, for example a driving
licence or passport.

If you suspect benefit fraud, please report it to the National Benefit
Fraud hotline by clicking here or calling 0800 854 440.

Feel free to ask to see our ID, and if you are concerned about the Andrew McDonald,
identity of anyone claiming to work for Silva Homes, please call Housing Services Manager
01344 382800 to discuss.

10 FolFloolwlowuuss @silvahom

Discover parks
and the
countryside

We’re lucky in the area to have access to parks and countryside to visit.

To make the most of the scenes, there are a number of walking groups
catering for all ages and abilities.
Check out www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/parks-and-countryside for lots
of useful information and links to other organisations.
As the fair weather comes in and we have longer days, I’d like to
highlight one of my favourite walks, Lily Hill Park, which is just east
of the town centre adjacent to the Running Horse roundabout. There
are two car parks, one in Lily Hill Road (RG12 2RX) and one next to the
Running Horse pub (RG12 2UG).
There are a number of walks in the park, with direction boards at
the entrances. I like to visit at different times of the year to see the
change in the planting. For instance, snowdrops and daffodils in the
spring and fantastic rhododendrons and azaleas in May.
Some of these are featured in the wordsearch on page 12.

There is so much to see -
try it for yourself, take a picnic, you can completely forget

you are so near to a vibrant town centre.

Jacqui Wells, Customer

Secret gardener

After a mild winter there is plenty to do – weeding,
tidying the beds, dead heading the daffodils,
potting on seedlings but don’t plant out too soon in
case of late frosts. Even if you have a small garden
you can plant some vegetables in flowerbeds or pots
– there’s such a large selection of new and easy to
grow seeds from garden centres and supermarkets.
Hope we have a fine summer but not too dry and
be careful when having bonfires or barbecues if we
have a dry time.

www.silvahomes.co.uk 11

Time for a bit of fun
Find your local parks in our
themed wordsearch SAVERNAKE Find the 10 words in the box opposite, then
JOCKSLANE MILLPOND SOUTHHILL complete the form below and send your entry
LILYHILL PINNOCKSWAY STEVENSWAY to us.
LOOKOUT POPESMEADOW WESTMORELAND All entries will be judged and the winner will be notified.
Closing date Friday 10 May 2019.
The prize is £25 Love2shop vouchers.
Competition open to tenants and leaseholders only.

Name:

Daytime telephone number:

Address:

Please give us your feedback on Spotlight.
What do you like or dislike and what would you
like to see next time?

Would you like any information about benefits or
Universal Credit? Yes No

Send your completed entry to the news group,
c/o Silva Homes, Western Peninsula, Western Road,

Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1RF.

Congratulations to last edition’s competition winners: Mrs Attwell, Bullbrook, and Mrs Ponting, Church Crookham.

Recipe... Spring chicken in a pot

Things you need Prep: 20 minutes
1 tbsp olive oil Cook: 45 minutes
1 onion, chopped
500g boneless, skinless What to do
chicken thighs Heat the oil in a large pan.
300g small new potatoes Add the onion, gently fry for
425ml low-salt vegetable five minutes until softened,
stock add the chicken, then fry until lightly coloured. Add the potatoes,
350g broccoli, stock and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then bring to the
cut into small florets boil. Cover, then simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are
350g spring greens, shredded tender and the chicken is cooked. It can be frozen at this point.
140g petits pois Add the broccoli, spring greens, petit pois and spring onions, stir
bunch spring onions, sliced well, then return to the boil. Cover, then cook for five minutes
2 tbsp pesto more, stir in the pesto and heat through.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10052/spring-chicken-in-a-pot

12 FolFloolwlowuuss @sil1v2ahom