28910 unity customer magazine issue 33 - …...unity is here to give you a range of advice and...

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Issue 33 | Summer 2019Customer Magazine

What’son thisSUMMER

STAYING

SAFEonline

Unity Customer Magazine2 Unity Customer Magazine2

Through July & August, Chester Storyhouse is presenting a programme of 12 family-friendly

lunchtime concerts completely FREE of charge. Whether it’s over lunch, whilst browsing books or simply relaxing in the library, there’s a chance to listen to some fabulous FREEmusic. See the Storyhouse website for dates and times. www.storyhouse.com

You told us you’d like to seemore ideas for FREE thingsto do in . There’s plentygoing on for families acrossthe North West this summer…here’s some ideas to inspire you, whether it’smusic, sport or museums that take your fancy!

Watch out for activities as part of this year’s Summer at the Dock programme at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock. From August 4 through to September 8, there will be a range of free activities, including story time, free football coaching sessions

and film screenings. You’ll also find Tate Liverpool art gallery, the Museum of

Liverpool and more in the dock area, all FREEto enter. Visit the Albert Dock’s website for more details. albertdock.com

Children’s talent show Joytimereturns to Vale Park, New Brighton. The shows are running Monday to Friday (2pm to 5pm) throughout the summer holidays. So bring the children down for some traditional seaside entertainment!

Listen out for regular FREE music in the park events in Congleton Park every Sunday throughout the summer. And don’t forget Congleton Paddling Pool is open for the summer season until September 8.

In North Liverpool, Stanley Park is the place tobe for FREE family activities every weekend.

These include Open Goals with the LFC Foundation on Saturdays at 11amat the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, junior parkrun on Sundays at 9am on the formal terraces, or family yoga on

Sundays, 9.30am at the bandstand.

These include Open Goals with the LFC

Sundays, 9.30am

Welcome to the summer edition of Plus Dane’s magazineUnity is here to give you a range of advice and information that is relevant to you – including money matters, tips for the home, community news and how your feedback shapes the services we provide.

We always want to make sure the magazine features stories that are interesting and useful to you, and it is always good to know what you think.

Email us at: [email protected] write to us at: Unity magazine, Plus Dane Housing, 13-15 Rodney Street, Liverpool, L1 9EF.

Things

todo

Issue 33 - Summer 2019

In this edition of

3

4 MONEY MATTERS Money advice from RAISE

Support for managing your Universal Credit

Do you need help getting away from a loan shark?

Pension credit update

6 IMPROVING OUR SERVICES FOR YOU Smart living solutions for residents

Tell us what you think

8 MORE THAN JUST A LANDLORD Supporting you and your community

Taking our skills out to you

Staying safe when shopping online

11 OUT IN YOUR COMMUNITY Young at heart of a community

Photos of a new life

Our housing heroes

Community hub remembers Irene

Three of the best

17 TOP TIPS FOR YOU & YOUR HOME Electrical fire safety

What to do about pests

20 NEW HOMES FOR YOU Homes available now

If you do not wish to continue receiving Unity magazine please let us know by emailing: [email protected] or calling 0151 728 2974

Download our FREE App by searching Plus Dane in the App Store or Google Play.

@plusdane

facebook.com/plusdane

Get in touchwww.plusdane.co.uk

13

15

RAISE is an independent charity which provides free, confidential and high quality advice about benefits, debt and managing your money better.

4 Unity Customer Magazine

Moneyadvice

Money Matters

Plus Dane is one of the housing associationsthat funds RAISE, which means that ourtenants can make the most of their services.You can contact them via a form on their website, www.benefitsadviceteam.co.uk orby phone on 0151 482 2475.

Citizens Advice now runs a support scheme to help you throughevery step of making a Universal Credit claim. This is funded bythe government.It offers the comprehensive and practical support you need to get your first payment on time, and be ready to manage it when it arrives.

The scheme provides advice and assistance to help you manage your claim, with a focus on budgeting advice and digital support.

Support for managing your

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“ We offer independent and confidential advice to millions of people every year, and have already helped nearly 150,000 people with Universal Credit. We’ve seen first-hand what can happen when people struggle to make a claim and their payments are delayed.”

“ We welcome the opportunity to provide even more people with the help they need with Universal Credit, and deliver a consistent service through the Citizens Advice network.”

Visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit to get started. You can also use the website to find your nearest Citizens Advice, or call their special Adviceline on 03444 111 444available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (except for public holidays).

from

They work across Merseyside and Runcorn, and will visit you at your home. Whatever the initial reason for contacting RAISE, the adviser who visits you will complete a full review of your money, looking for ways to help make life easier.

Did you know?Citizens Advice isnow the place to gofor help and advicewith Universal Credit.

Issue 33 - Summer 2019 5Issue 33 - Summer 2019 5

MoneyMatters

The team can assist with a rangeof enquiries including income maximisation, budgeting, signposting for specialised debt advice, applying for further assistance/grants, benefit issues & appeals.

Stop Loan Sharks is a government agency that can investigate, prosecute and even put loan sharks and illegal money lenders in prison.

Do you need help getting away from a loan shark?

Pension credit update

You canreport a

loan sharkor an illegal

money lender in confidence

without having to leave your name.

You can report a loan shark or illegal money lender to their team in confidence and completely anonymously if you wish, and they will be able to support you through the whole process.

You can call them any time on 0300 5552222or report online at www.stoploansharks.co.uk.

In the last edition of Unitywe explained changes to pension credit

that could have an impact on couples of mixed age.The changes came in May, and if they affectyou and your partner you only have a few more weeks to claim any backdated money you maybe owned.

Now, new pensioners whose partners are younger than the state retirement age can no longer claim pension credit, and instead need to claim Universal Credit alongside their younger partners until they also reach retirement age.

This only affects people making a new claim – but it could make a significant difference to the household incomes of those who are, as it has been estimated this could leave some couples as much as £7000 a year worse off.

You have until August 13 to make a backdated claim to pension age Housing Benefit going back as far as May 14 this year, which was when the changes came in.

Plus Dane customers concerned about the change for mixed-age couples can contact our financial independence team via email at [email protected] by telephone on 0800169 2988.

Anyone concerned about any aspect of the benefits system, including Universal Credit and pension credit can contact Citizens Advice atwww.citizensadvice.co.uk/benefits.

plusdane.co.uk

Issue 32 | Spring 2019Customer Magazine

Love Your Neighbour with

LIVERPOOL

CARESGardening Top TipsFOR SPRING

Unity Customer Magazine6

Improving Our Services For You

Smart livingsolutions for residents

We are soon to begin installing wall-mounted tablets in every room of our schemes, enabling room-to-room video calling, video door entry and faster call connection times. It will also mean the schemes will be wireless hotspots, allowing residents to access the internet anywhere without needing to pay for a traditional broadband subscription.

It’s part of our commitment to digital inclusion for older people, which will make it easier for people to stay in touch with friends and family – and so reducing social isolation. And for those who use emergency alarms, in your home or on your person, connection to the monitoring centre will be quicker.

We have appointed a specialist technology company, Appello, to do the work, which will start later in the year. It will be rolled out across all 12 of our older people’s accommodation in Merseyside and Cheshire.

Appello say 8 out of 10 residents feel that the connection speed of digital systems gives them greater reassurance, 9 out of 10 feel safer and half say their overall wellbeing improves.

Chris Birch, our Older Person’s Technology Lead, says, “It’s important to us that our residents benefit from up-to-date technology. We know WiFi access is important and providing these kind of services can help reduce social isolation.”

8 out of 10residents feel thatthe connection speedof digital systemsgives them greater reassurance.We are working on making sure that all residents living in our older people’s accommodation have Wi-Fi access in their own homes.

Issue 33 - Summer 2019 77

Tell us what you thinkOur Engagement Team have been very busy over the past few months gathering feedback from you on how we can improve some of our services.

Nearly 300 of you have shared your views with us by completing short surveys online, via email, over the telephone and through the post. We really want to know what you think about our services and how we can make them better, regardless of which way you’d prefer to tell us. We’ve recently been talking to you about how you can tell us how satisfied you are, how we communicate with you and our repairs services. There’s more on that last one further down this page, and we’ll update you on the others in a future edition of Unity.

Listening to you – Repairs

We recently asked for your views on our repairs service so that we can continue to improve this area of what we do. Over 100 of you gave us your thoughts and suggestions.

One of the most common issues you highlighted was that daytime appointments aren’t always

convenient for you, especially if you work or have other commitments during the day.

Having taken your views on board, we are trialling appointments on Saturday mornings and one evening per week (up to 8pm). We will seek your feedback on this trial at a

future date.

Another thing you asked for is thatwe provide an ‘odd jobs’ service.This might include putting up curtains and blinds for you, as well as other smaller jobs around your home.This is something we are working hard to provide for you, and we

will be looking to trial this in thecoming months.

Lastly, another thing you asked for was for Plus Dane to produce some ‘how to’ videos, to help you complete simple tasks around your home.We are in the process of producing these and they will be available to view on our website and our YouTube channel before the end of the summer. These videos will help you do things like reset your boiler and bleed your radiator without the need to wait for one of our team to come and do it for you.

Giving us your feedback not only helps usto improve our services, it could also win you

£50 worth of shopping vouchers!

Take part to win

You Said

We Did

services and how we can make them better, regardless of which way you’d

and we’ll update you on the others in

Another thing you asked for is thatwe provide an

hard to provide for you, and wewill be looking to trial this in the

coming months.

Nearly 300of you have shared your views with usby completingshort surveys

Carol Tilly from Alsager gave us her opinion about how we can improve our repairs service and won £50 worth of shopping vouchers.

Carol said: “I was happy to give my views on the repairs service because I always feel Plus Dane listens to their customers. I think it’s important to let people know they are doing a good job but equally important to let them know if there is room for improvement. I hopeI encourage more residents to get involved.”

Angela Hayward from Runcornwon £50 worth of shopping vouchers after she took part in one of our surveys.

Angela said: “I’ve always been impressed with Plus Dane. I can’t fault them I’ve had a very positive experience and I thought I would like to give them feedback through Plus Dane Voices to tell them that. I’ve been a tenant for a long time and recently moved to another Plus Dane property and the repairs team have been great.”

Issue 33 - Summer 2019


Supporting you& your community

More Than JustA Landlord

As part of our ‘more than just a landlord’ offer, we provide support and services to help you manage

your money, find work, start businesses and stay healthy. This section gives a flavour of the things we

achieved last year.

Perfectpartners!

We are grateful to our contractors Novus Solutionsand Travis Perkins, who went above and beyond for our customers, donating their time and resources to projects in our neighbourhoods.

This includes the complete refurbishment of the Irene Milson MBE Resource Centre (see p15), and a contribution to the New Life Church food bank in Congleton.

We provide good quality homes for our customers, but we don’t just stop there.

This included setting up new wellbeing activities in our sheltered housing schemes, and a successful

healthy families project to support 50 low-income families during the summer holidays. This proved so

popular, we are doing it again this year - see p12 for more details.

Working with partner organisations, we also ran a major winter campaign providing more than 1700 customers

with help and advice.

We delivered a range of activities to help more than 250 customers and their families to improve their health & wellbeing.

Health & wellbeing


Taking our skills out to you

Examples include:

• Our finance team helping community groups with their accounts.

• Our plumbers and electricians supporting a community-run laundrette.

• Our electricians doing repairs to community centres and providing a new kitchen.

• Providing asbestos advice and installing two kitchens for a local domestic violence support centre.

• Supporting a variety of community groups to set up and fundraise to deliver local projects – including Young at Heart in Sandbach – read more about them on page 16!

Over the past year, our staff have helped a number of community groups and social enterprises when they have needed additional support.

We have a wealth of talented staff who are keen to go the extra mile.

Employment & training

We’ve worked with a group of partners and trusted organisations that have a proven track record of enabling people to improve their lives.

Each offers dedicated one-to-one support to overcome barriers to finding employment, helping with things like completing job applications, interview skills, accessing the right training and improving self-confidence.

Through volunteering programmes such as the Give Get Go project, customers who have been out of work a while have been able to get a job.

We have also been working hard with our contractors to deliver extra for you. Last year, Penny Lane Builders, our contractors for the Welsh Streets development in Liverpool, took on three local people as apprentices, including two Plus Dane customers.

Over the last year we have helped 83 tenants into work or training.


1 Only use trusted websites - Many people are put off shopping online because they think it is not safe. When shopping online, make sure you only use recommended, secure websites and try to stick to well-known brands or high-street names

2 Look for the lock symbol - look for the small padlock symbol in the address bar and check the website starts with https - the ‘s’ stands for secure - to make sure it’s safe.

3 Beware of links - You should always enter the address manually rather than follow links. Typing the full URL (the website address beginning ‘www.’) into the address bar will

protect you from phishing, a fraud technique where fake websites are set up to try and tempt you to enter sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. Often these sites pretend to be the sites of banks or big high street retailers.

4 Keep all your receipts - save all youronline transactions including receipts,order confirmations and reference numbers.The more records you have of a transaction, the better position you will be in if something goes wrong.


Staying safe when shopping online

The internet is the new high street…As more and more people do their shopping online, we want to help you to avoid the pitfalls. We invited Marc, a community banker from our partners Natwest to share his top tips.

Many people

are put off

shopping online

because they

think it isn’t

safe.

We will be working in partnership

with Marc and Natwest over the

coming months by hosting a

number of workshops across our

neighbourhoods to share tips and

advice on keeping internet savvy.

KEEPING INTERNET SAVVY


Residents group Young at Heart have been meeting at the Union Street Community Centreevery Tuesday for the last 18 months.

The Sandbach group first came together when a new car wash opened at the end of the road, bringing with it frequent traffic, noise, fumes and spray. The group originally formed to discuss what could be done about this issue, but focus quickly turned to giving the local residents something positive to look forward to.

“ We decided to organise a Christmas party, to cheer everybody up and bring a nice end to what had been a difficult year.”

Says Sue, one of the founding members of the group. “We put on a buffet and one of the residents is a singer, so she did a few songs for us all. We had a lovely time and got to know a lot of new people from the area.”

After the success of the Christmas party, more new members joined the group, and they began to think of what else they might be able to arrange.

So far, the group have arranged indoor games afternoons, knitting groups, painting sessions, historic talks, computer tutorials, bingo and cards. They also hold a weekly cookery afternoon on a Saturday afternoon, where they take it in turns to cook a home-cooked meal and serve it to local residents in the community centre.

Youngat heartof a community

“ Some of the residents are too old or not mobile enough to cook themselves a proper meal, so this is a lovely opportunity for them to get out of the house, come and eat something tasty, and meet new faces.” Says group member Jacqui.

Plus Dane is looking to refurbish the centre, including the installation of a new oven in the kitchen to help the group run their cookery afternoons.Plus Dane has also put the group in touch with local partners like Macclesfield College to run some of the activity sessions for the group. The centre will soon become a wellbeing hub for the area, and will host cookery tutorials, first aid classes and a talk with local police about home security.

The group also have plans to put on a regular film night, some tea dances, and recently put on a special party for a couple celebrating their 70th anniversary (see p14).

Joan, another group member, says:“ We’ve also got a company coming in to give us pension advice, and we’re planning a summer charity BBQ, some quizzes and even a day trip.It really helps to get people out of their houses,to stop them feeling lonely and isolated. If you’d like to join us, just come in and say hello!You don’t even need to take part in the activities if you don’t want to, just come and have a cup of tea and a biscuit and a chat!”

Out in Your Community

A group ofSandbachresidents areworking togetherto keep theircommunity active.

“It really helps toget people out of their houses, to stop them feeling lonely and isolated”


WINNERS

of the Support

& Care Team

of the Year

Award!

Nominated for Best Regeneration Project in the National HousingAwards!

A number of fun and practical sessions will be delivered, helping families to learn how to cook healthy meals from scratch and enjoy a free lunch. There will also be activities for children, linked around healthy lifestyles.

The sessions will help parents to;

• Be more aware of healthy lifestyles

• Be confident in following recipes

• Be confident in preparing healthy mealsfrom scratch

The project will be running in Middlewich, Congleton, Runcorn and Toxteth. There will be various dates, for more information or to book your place then please contact the team on Engagement&[email protected] 01260 288422 or 0151 7282976

Following the success of the first project, we are excited to be bringing back Healthy Familieswhich is available to parents and their primary school aged children during the school holidays.


We are delighted that our regeneration of the Welsh Streets has been shortlisted for a major housing award!

It is up for Best Regeneration Project in the National Housing Awards, taking place later in the year.

The Welsh Streets project is seeing at least 127 existing terraced properties in the area being transformed into 99 high-quality, modern homes. We’re proud that the redevelopment is 100% affordable, including social rent and shared

ownership options. And of course, dedicated community spaces like the Irene Milson MBE Resource Centre (see p15) are at the heart of building a supportive, vibrant neighbourhood fit for every kind of family.

It is a £17million investment by Plus Dane, Liverpool City Council and Homes England,and the judges have had this to say about it:“ Reversing years of decline of vacant and poor-quality homes, this sympathetic refurbishment is breathing new life into this mixed community.”

Regenerationsensation

TheHealthy Families

project returns

Helpingfamilies to

learn how to cook healthy meals from

scratch.

13Issue 33 - Summer 2019

Working in partnership with local support charity SHAP, our refugee resettlement team co-ordinates Halton Council’s programme to rehome families fleeing their war-torn home country.

The moving photo exhibition, which was put on display in Halton library, focused on the personal experiences of the women building new lives in the UK. They shared images of their homes in Syria completely destroyed, and described their fears they may never see close relatives again.

Photos ofa new lifeWe recently supported an exhibition of the photography of a group of female Syrian refugees who have settled in the region.

Laura Stanley, our senior refugee resettlement co-ordinator, said: “What these ladies have lived through does not bear thinking about - we’re delighted to have been able to support them to settle into a new life here with their families.The exhibition is the culmination of their hard work and is a chance to share their journey with thewider community.”

The exhibition has now finished, but we hope to display the photographs again in other locations – keep reading Unity or follow us on social mediafor updates.

a new life

female Syrian refugees who

Laura Stanley, our senior refugee resettlement

They were recently named ‘support and care team of the year’ at an awards ceremony dedicated to the ‘unsung heroes’ working in our sector.

Working with families from the moment they arrive in the UK, the team offers help and support day

and night as they integrate into a new countryand culture.

Ahmed, one of the refugees the team has supported, said: “Plus Dane SHAP cared for usthe moment we stepped off the plane. We wouldbe lost without them.”

An out of hours Arabic-speaking point of contact is provided at all times in case of an emergency, but all families are also provided with English lessons to enable them to settle more quickly.

Our executive director Andrea Howarth said:“ These people are like no others Plus Dane work with. It is unimaginable to contemplate the personal horrors they have experienced, the lives and families they have had to leave behind and the enormity of the step they took to flee their own countries. I’m incredibly proud of the fact that we are able to play a part in helping these families to find a new home and a new life, and grateful to the teams involved in this programme, who do sucha wonderful job.”

The refugee resettlement team

are also celebrating being named Housing Heroes for their work.

WINNERS

of the Support

& Care Team

of the Year

Award!

Our housing heroes


Eric & Sheila Cotton, both 90, celebrated

their platinum wedding anniversary with a party organised

for them by local community group ‘Young at Heart’ at the Union Street Community Centre.

Eric & Sheila, who are both residents of Plus Dane Housing’s Union Street, have known each other all of their lives, having attended the same Sandbach primary school together, and then being dance partners when they were 14 years old. The couple got engaged at 17 and then married when they were 20.

Sheila was actually born in Union Street, while Eric was born just a few roads away. He was an engineer at Murgatroyds (now BP) and was a champion diver. Sheila worked at a local motel. Both were keen golfers, and both captained Sandbach Golf Club.

The couple were honoured to receive a special anniversary card from the Queen, congratulating them on their remarkable achievementand wishing them both well.

A Sandbach couple have celebrated 70 years of marriage with a party with friends and a card from

her majesty the Queen!

years anniversarycelebrations

anniversary with a party organised

Eric & Sheila celebratingtheir platinumwedding anniversary.

It hosts lunch clubs for older people, after school clubs where children and young people can enjoy an evening meal, and they do short trips away, helping to create some fun and laughter for the locals. But as well as all that, they also have a community café, a laundrette where people can wash, dry and iron their clothes for free, and most recently they have also turned into somewhat of a shopping centre providing three shops; groceries, baby goods and school uniforms.

Staff are passionate about providing these services for those that need them, while at the same time making sure they are not made to feel like they are receiving handouts. So when you visit one of the shops, you have the opportunity to browse the items and take them away in nice paper bags. Everything is brand new, sourced at knock down prices from money raised by the

centre, and available to anyone that is struggling at any point.

In the baby shop you will find all items ranging from bedroom furniture, car seats, prams, baby clothes, food and nappies! The school uniform shop stocks coats, shoes, boots, school uniform, PE kits, bags and swimming kits, and where the food shop is concerned there is fresh, frozen and cupboard items available including meat, vegetables and everything you would need to pull decent, nutritious meals together for the family. The centre can even help you with cooking workshops for advice on planning and cooking.

Every little helps

If you live in Liverpool and think the L6 Centrecould help you, contact our team for a referral at engagement&[email protected] call 0151 728 976.

The L6 Centre is based in the Everton area of Liverpool and is a community centre with so much more!


The Irene Milson MBE Resource Centre, in Kelvin Grove in Toxteth, has been renamed to remember a much-loved community champion who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Irene moved to the L8 area with her family in 1984, and dedicated her life to making things better in the neighbourhood, often working with the police, local councillors, and others to improve the facilities and upkeep of the area. She was awarded an MBE for Community Services in 2008 among many other accolades over the years, including a Long Service Tenant Representative Award from us at Plus Dane, and being named Citizen of the Year by Merseyside Police.

Our chief executive Barbara Spicer said:“ Irene will be sorely missed by everyone whoknew and worked with her. We hope that byre-launching the resource centre in her name, it shows acknowledgement and recognition of all the hard work Irene did in the community.”

Irene’s daughter Janine, who gave a heartfelt speech just before she officially opened

the centre, said: “My mum cared so much about this community, and spent a lot of time and energy fighting for the rights of the people who live here, doing whatever she could to make their lives’ better. This centre is a wonderful tribute to her legacy. She spent so much time here, talking to people, hearing their concerns and offering them whatever support she could and I really hope people within the community continue to make use of the facilities and services on offer here.”

Plus Dane has worked with Novus Solutions to refurbish the centre, including a new kitchen, décor and furniture.

Services that will be on offer include complementary therapies for women on Mondays; a community food market and money advice service on

Wednesdays and employment support on Thursdays. Local residents can drop in

to any of these sessions or make an appointment.

Community hub remembers IreneThis summer we have been delighted to reopen a Liverpool community centre, with a new name in honour of a tenant who dedicated her life to supporting local people.with a new name in honour of a tenant who dedicated her life to supporting local people.

“My mum cared

so much about

this community…

this centre is a

wonderful tribute

to her legacy.”


Three ofour housingschemes forolder people have been recognised as some of the best accommodation of its kind in the North West.

Three of the best

Heath View extra care scheme in Congleton and Vienna Court in Old Swan, Merseyside each won silver awards, and Colwell Court in Dovecot, Merseyside won bronze at the Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) Awards.

The EAC awards celebrate the best specialist housing for older people. More than 19,000 residents, staff, visitors and volunteers acrossthe region voted for their favourite scheme.


Residents and staff from our schemes recently attended the awards ceremony in Manchester, with guest speaker Jennie Bond.

Andrea Howarth, our Executive Director neighbourhoods said:

“ We’re thrilled to have won these awards and had our schemes recognised in this way. Providing high quality accommodation that allows older people to continue living independently in their communities for longer is something we’re committed to as an organisation. Well done to all our staff who workhard to achieve these high standards and makeour schemes places where people want to live.”

John Galvin, EAC’s ChiefExecutive, said:

“ Specialist housing for older people plays an enormously significant role in helping them stay independent for longer. The security, support and great communities have a positive impact on individuals and reduce the need for NHS services.”

“ “Specialisthousing for older people plays an enormously significant role in helping them stay independentfor longer”


Top Tips for You & Your Home


Electrical fire safety

It’s an issue that has been thrown into the spotlight since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which was found to have been caused by a faulty fridge.

POWDER FOAM

• • DO buy reputable electrical goods.

Cheaper ‘unofficial’ electrical products such as phone chargers may not meet safety regulations, increasing the risk of fire.

• DO regularly clean tumble dryers filters and don’t forget to periodically clean behind fridge/freezers and tumble driers where fluff and dust can build up overtime and catch fire.

• DO check electrical items regularly to make sure plugs and wires aren’t damaged or frayed, as that can cause short-circuiting, which can result in fire or electrocution.If you suspect any electrical appliances are not working properly in any way; do not use them and arrange repairs or replace them.

• KEEP all electrical appliances not designed to operate when wet away from water – this may seem obvious, but is a real electrocution risk!

• AVOID leaving cooking unattended. Oven chips are safer and healthier options to chips cooked in chip pans or deep fat fryers.

• DON’T overload sockets by pluggingtoo many devices into one socket

• DO register new appliances so the manufacturers can contact you inthe event of any problems. Go to:www.registermyappliance.org.ukfor more information and to register your electrical products

Here are a few things you can do to help make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

Did you know faulty household appliances and ‘white goods’ like fridges, washing machines and tumble dryers are the cause of around60 fires a week in the UK?

What we will doAs your landlord, we are required to check your electrical wiring every five years as a matter of course.

Please let us in to your home to do these important checks and complete any repairs, so you know your home is safe; our qualified electricians will also check and if necessary replace your smoke detectors. As part of your annual gas service we also undertake checks on your smoke detectors.

In the event of a fire

• Immediately leave the property, closing doors behind you, warn others

• Call 999

• NEVER use water ona live electrical fire

• A multi-purpose, powder extinguisher (with a blue stripe on the canister) or foam extinguisher (with a cream stripe) can be used on electrical fires – NEVER use a water extinguisher of any kind. Make sure any fire extinguisher you have in the home meets the British Standard.

NEVER usewater on a live electrical fire!

Call999

Visit the website of your local fire and rescue for more advice and information.


DON’TRUSH!Thinkbefore

youFLUSH

Blocked drains are an unpleasant problem that can

cause serious drainage issues to

your home and those of your neighbours, whether you live ina house or a flat.

Pleasetake care.


No to…• Make-up wipes and baby wipes

Even ‘flushable’ ones can still get stuck!

• Nappies

• Cotton wool

• Sanitary products

• Paper towels

Be careful what you

flush!


To request a pest control visit in Liverpool, call 0151 233 3001 or visit www.liverpool.gov.uk.

Cheshire East Council’s Pest Control team will only treat issues of rats and mice; call 0300 123 5015 or visit www.cheshireeast.gov.uk to bookan appointment if you have issues with either.

For Halton Council’s Pest Control team call0303 333 4300 or visit www.halton.gov.uk.

For Cheshire West and Chester call 0300 123 7038or visit www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.

For Wirral Council’s Pest Control team call0151 606 2020 or visit www.wirral.gov.uk.

For Sefton, visit www.seftonpestcontrol.co.ukor call 0345 140 0845.

You can contact Warrington Borough Council’s pest control team on 01925 443322 or visitwww.warrington.gov.uk.

Each council’s pest control policies are different,so please visit the relevant website for information on what your local council can do for you.

What todo about...pests

Who yougonna call?

We receive a large volume of calls aboutpests in the summer months. These include issues with flies, wasps, ants, mice and rats.

While Plus Dane will always try to resolve the cause of the issue if it relates to a fault with your home, like filling a hole that is allowing mice to enter your property, we are not qualified to tackle the pests themselves.

If you are suffering an infestation, you should call the environmental health team at your local council. They will be able to send out pest control to deal with your little intruders.

WaspsOpen bins will attract greedy wasps looking

for a cheap, sweet meal. Keep your bins away from the house and make sure the lid is on

properly. NEVER attempt to deal with a wasps’ nest if you think you might be allergic to stings.

FliesFood should be kept covered. Put food waste

and other rubbish in the bin straight away, and move your bins away from doors and windows. Make sure your bins have tight-fitting lids and spray or dust them with a household insecticide in warm weather.

MiceKeeping your yards and gardens clean and

tidy, cut back overgrown areas and clear any piles of wood/debris. Cover any household waste that mice might get access to. Close

dustbin lids and cover compost heaps.

AntsDon’t leave food out, use plastic containers

to store foods when possible. Keep your sink clean and free of dirty dishes. Sinks can

collect food waste which might attract ants.

RatsEnsure that drain inspection covers are in a good state of repair. Cover any household waste that rats can get access to it, close

dustbin lids and cover compost heaps. If you feed garden birds, don’t do this to excess and use a bird table or feeder basket if possible.

Bed BugsVacuum and dust often, and keep your home clutter-free. Check your mattress, pillows and

nightstands for signs of bugs. Washing ona very high heat and tumble drying can

help to kill them off.

HELPFUL TIPS

………

Issue 33 - Summer 2019 20Unity Customer Magazine

Daneside Park, Congleton2 & 3 bed homes from £71,200 with Shared Ownership

Key Features:

• Contemporary properties set in a secluded, semi-rural location.

• Nestled between Forge Wood and the River Dane.

• A stone’s throw away from Congleton.

• Modern, fitted kitchen/dining room.

• Turf and fencing to the rear garden.

The Cross, SandbachA selection of 3 bedroom semi-detached homes from £74,000 with Shared Ownership

Key Features:

• Complete with tree-lined roads and landscaped gardens.

• In the heart of Sandbach.

• Contemporary kitchen /diner with utility.

• Downstairs WC.

• Allocated Parking.

Hampton Lea, MalpasThree bedroom semi-detached homes available from £48,750 withShared Ownership

Key Features:

• Modern, fitted kitchen.

• Located in the picturesque village of Malpas.

• Partial flooring & modern specifications.

• Downstairs WC.

• Turfed and fenced rear gardens.

New Homes For You

HomesAVAILABLE NOW

If you are interested in any of ournew developments, get in touchwith HomesHub today.

Sales: 0800 917 1066Email: [email protected]

28910 unity customer magazine issue 33 - …...unity is here to give you a range of advice and...

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