Lancashire
Investment update
At Great Places we’re committed to making housing that meets the needs of our customers - now and in the future.
Investing in our existing 24,000 homes is a crucial part of this and it’s been busy few months for the teams involved in delivering this year’s improvement works programme.
Alongside the major projects such as Bowland House in Blackburn, our Lancashire programme has seen us work with newly appointed contractors, Simmons Construction on 42 homes at our Hatfield Gardens scheme in Fleetwood. The £300,000 project included new kitchens and bathrooms, external doors and intercoms, as well as improvements to communal areas and outside improvements to enhance overall kerb appeal.
The reaction from the customers was extremely positive and is a real testament to the Simmons Team who went the extra mile to accommodate customer requests as in the case of Millicent Lord, who had adaptations made to her bathroom but wanted to keep her shower.
Great Places was also able to put a smile on the face of an Accrington customer, who with the help of contractor’s John Southworth made improvements to their wet room at our Spindleberry scheme in Blackburn.
The customer said: “The staff were always pleasant and have a smile on their face, I’m so happy with the work. Absolutely love everything and all workmen were very polite, clean and tidy.”
Investing in our homes
At Great Places we’re committed to making housing that meets the needs of our customers - now and in the future.
Commenting on the improvements Milicent’s fellow customer Linda Slattery, who is delighted with the work in her bathroom and kitchen, said:
“I love my new kitchen and bathroom. I was given choices so I could have a kitchen to suit my taste and the workmen did a really good job, so I’m very happy.”
Building greatness in the Red Rose county
Great Places is continuing to build greatness across Lancashire with our £45 million affordable development programme.
In Blackburn, we’ve several sites including Shakespeare Way, Shorrock Lane, New Wellington Street and Bowen Street.
In Hyndburn work is progressing on 53 new homes in partnership with MCI developments on former John Wood Steel Drums site on Victoria Street, while in Accrington we’re building an additional 19 homes in the latest phase of the multi-million pound Project Phoenix development.
Across the county in the Ribble Valley, we’ve developments Petre Wood, Oak Leigh Gardens and at The Brooks, while on the Fylde Coast we’re building in Lytham St Annes as part of our work to deliver a range of much-needed affordable homes with more sites due to start in the coming months.
Great Places making an impact in the Valley
The ribbon was recently cut on the latest phase of our Petre Wood development in Langho Ribble Valley.
Mayor Tony Austin officially opened Phase 3 along with VIPs and guests including Great Places Housing Group CEO Matt Harrison. The development of 31 affordable two and three-bedroom houses and bungalows for shared ownership and rent was made possible in part through a £1.1 million cash boost from Homes England, which assured all of the properties would be affordable.
Ribble Valley Mayor Tony Austin, with (left to right) Mick Moorhouse of Hargreaves Contracting, Petre Wood tenant Sonia Neville, and Matthew Harrison, Chief Executive of Great Places Housing.
Great Places customer’s Blackpool Community group achieves charity status
Counselling in the Community, a Blackpool community group set up by Great Places’ customer Stuart Hutton-Brown, is continuing to go from strength to strength thanks in part to Great Places’ Community Investment Team.
As part of its ongoing support, our Lancashire team has helped secure funding and advice to help Counselling in the Community recently realise its long-standing ambition of achieving charity status.
Counselling in the Community began life in 2018 to address the crucial need for mental health counselling services in the region. Despite a shaky early start in securing vital funding, post-lockdown demand for their support has been massive. Prior to the pandemic, the service was helping around 80 people but now helps an estimated 120 people per week and they have 60 voluntary counsellors across the two sites.
The Blackpool service has also recently set up a second base in Waterloo Road in the town and teamed up with the Blackpool Centre for the Unemployed and Welfare Rights (BCU) to provide additional advice and support services in one location. The welcome recognition that comes with being a registered charity will go a significant way to help Stuart and this team with future fund-raising, growth and expansion.
Looking to the future, Stuart also shared big plans for the Waterloo Road centre.
“We want to bring in more partners to add real value to the people we help. People can’t just move on with three months help – it just isn’t that simple. We want to help people with their nutrition and how to live a healthier life so they can be healthier mentally and physically. We need a lot of money to do it, but we will keep working to make sure we can help people the best way we can."
Commenting on recent developments Stuart, who also won the coveted Tenant Innovator of the Year prize at the Housing Hero Awards in 2020 for his work in the community, said:
“It’s been an incredible journey and we are helping more people than ever across the two centres. Thanks to our collaboration with BCU, we are able to help people with their mental health, employment and housing issues. In an area of deprivation, one effects the other and the partnership has been very beneficial.”
For more information on Counselling in the Community, or access their services, email counselling.community@outlook.com or call 0808 1963483.
Improve your employment chances through More Positive Together
Great Places’ More Positive Together (MPT) team continues to help to transform the lives of our Lancashire customers, improving their skills and employment prospects thorough access to life changing training and employment opportunities.
Support is available for any of our customers who are unemployed and aged 16 or over. The programme offers one-to-one advice and practical support plans to help customers reach their goals and overcome the barriers of getting into work.
MPT’s range of opportunities for personal development activities include environmental and arts projects and training programmes to establish new skills or access to valuable work experience opportunities. The programmes is delivered working with various external agencies such as mental health organisations, training providers and activity providers.
Our team can also work with non-customers, so if you know a family member or friend who isn’t in a Great Places property, but may benefit feel free to point them in the direction of the MPT team.
If you’re interested can find out more and speak to a member of team by contacting mpt.referrals@greatplaces.org.uk Alternatively talk to your Neighbourhood Services Manager who can help put you in touch or call 0300 123 1966.
Chit Chat team cooking up a storm as Tulloch Court café reopens its doors
A group of customers at our Tulloch Court extra care scheme in Blackpool have redonned their aprons to get their successful community café back up and running.
Tulloch’s regular culinary crew of Maria Tunney, Geraldine Deakin, Sue Hardman and Ken Oldfield have worked hard to get their Chit Chat Café reopened for business after the lockdown restrictions were eased. Another resident, Irene Pearce has also come onboard after successfully completing her online food hygiene training, provided through our More Positive Together programme.
Along with the food hygiene courses, two of the team have also gone on to do more online training around COVID-19 essentials including infection prevention and COSHH training for cleaning to ensure the café is as safe as possible for returning diners.
Sue, Maria, Geraldine and Ken with their new aprons at the Chit Chat Café.