Winter - Halton Housing Trust

REACH HALTON HOUSING TRUST NEWSLETTER WWW.HALTONHOUSING.ORG

Winter 2016

Merry Christmas

FROM everyone at Halton Housing Trust!

also inside > P10 Transforming a Young Girl’s Life P13 A Man of Many Talents

Hello and welcome to INSIDE THIS ISSUE the latest WINTER 2016 edition of REACH! COMMUNITY 6

It may be getting colder outside but you can always rely on a warm welcome to the latest edition of Reach. As always, it’s been a busy few months at the Trust. As you may have seen from the numerous signs outside our sites, we are working hard to build new homes across Runcorn and Widnes and meeting the targets of our ambitious development programme. Since January 2016 we have built or are at the final stages of building 241 new homes, totaling an impressive £27 million. Since 2008 we have built more than 800 homes through our investment of over £90 million.

The Trust is all about Improving People’s Lives. A really good example of this is through aids and adaptations. Read how they’re helping to transform lives on page 10.

You can read more about our latest activities on page 6 as well as our exciting new home on page 12 which will bring us closer to our communities. Ever wondered what our Estate Services Caretaking team do? If so you can find out more about what they got up to this autumn, (we couldn’t possibly fit everything in!) on page 7.

Customer feedback showed us that you wanted to read more about the people who live in our homes, so check out the interview with Billy on page 13. He’s a true inspiration!

Many of us look forward to Christmas and all the excitement that the season brings. However, for others the festive season can be a difficult time. Many of our most vulnerable customers will struggle to keep warm over the colder months. You can be rest assured that our teams will be working hard to reach those customers who are most in need. If you need a little extra help over Christmas, on page 16 we’ve listed food bank locations throughout Runcorn and Widnes, as well as a list of handy contacts where you can access additional support on page 17.

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We hope you enjoy reading this edition and if you have any feedback please email [email protected] or [email protected]

Wishing you all the very best for Christmas and the New Year. Nick

REACH WINTER 2016 WWW.HALTONHOUSING.ORG

Victoria House Underway 7 Transforming your Communities 8 Staying Well this Winter /Adverse Weather 15 Festive Events/ Fundraising for Charity 16 Foodbanks/Flu Jab 17 Help at Christmas/Opening Hours

HALTON PEOPLE 11 Social Media Savvy/ Community Group Funding 13 Meet Customer Billy 14 A Day in the Life of an Apprentice

HALTON HOUSING TRUST 3 4

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Bulletin Board Universal Credit/ United Utilities-Help with your Bill 5 Customer App Success/Ways to Contact Us 9 Lifekit-your Online Customer Toolkit 10 Improving Customer’s Lives through Aids and Adaptations 12 Our New Home

HALTON HOUSING TRUST

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n The Tr r scooping brating afte orthern N e th team is cele awards at s u io ig st re Awards but two p f Marketing o te u it st In on ‘Best In Chartered The team w . er b m ve o t Digital (CIM) in N am’ and ‘Bes Te g n ti ke ar House M ampaign’ Marketing C ition stiff compet beating off trusts. S H N categories, d ookers an L m o fr s ie ! from entr to the team gratulations A huge con

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We’re disability confid

ent

Halton Housing Trust is proud to be recognised as a Disability Confident employer. There are nearly 11.5 million working age people in Great Britain with a disa bility or health condition and Halton Housing Trust shares the government’s vision of empowering disabled people to realise their aspirations and fulfil their potential, and the recent awa rd as a Disability Confident employer acknowledges our com mitment in this area.

INVESTORS

IN PEOPLE

Here at the Tr ust we place a huge importa on our employ nce ees and recogn ise them as ou greatest asset. r We are Invest ors in People accredited an d work hard to re tain this status. Trainin g and personal development is a big part of this and we’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate th e following employees on their recent co mpletion of th CMI L3 certific eir ate in First Line Management. Well done to Da ve Guilfoyle, Tr acey Morris, Je Brian Gill, Suza an Williams, Al nna Anslow, Ha f Bean, zel Lea, Dawn Ste Taylor. Som Burke, Ste Tem e of the group perley and are shown toge ther in this ph otograph.

t over Christmas Contacting the Trus January 2017. re-open at 9am on Tuesday 3rd and er

emb We close from 12pm on 23rd Dec ir or pay your rent. The Trust fully 1 to report an emergency repa try You can still call 0303 333 010 e life a little easier in 2017 and s on 3rd January. Why not mak re-opens for all other enquirie here d to contact us. Downloa using our new and improved app


DON’T LEAVE IT TO L K

Since the last issue of Reach, you may be aware that a benefit cap reduction came into place on November 7th. The benefit cap is a limit on the total amount of certain benefits you can get if you are of working age. The benefit cap will only affect you if you are receiving Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.

The total amount a couple or family can claim in benefits is now £384.62 per week and the total amount a single person can claim is £257.69 per week. If you are currently receiving more than these amounts, your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit will be reduced so you don’t get more than the benefit cap limit. We’re here to help. We’ve produced an online budget calculator to help you stay on top of your finances to check the impact that any changes may have for you personally. The calculator can be found on Lifekit by clicking the ‘Lifekit’ tab in the top right hand corner of our website. If you need further help or advice and want to speak to our specialist team, call 0151 510 5024 or email [email protected]

Support with your Water Bill If you struggle to pay your water bill, a fantastic scheme has been launched by United Utilities that can help you reduce your payments. To be eligible for the United Utilities Support Tariff 2016/17 you need to meet certain criteria:

You must have built up previous water charge arrears You do not use large volumes of water, for example for a large pond Be in receipt of one of the following benefits: Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.

Have you Verified Online? GOV.UK Verify is the new way to prove who you are online. It gives safer, simpler and faster access to government services. It takes about 10 minutes to verify your identity the first time you use GOV.UK Verify, and a couple of minutes any time after that. For more information visit GOV.UK/verify

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To learn more about the scheme and for an application form, visit the United Utilities website Support Tariff page at

www.unitedutilities.com/support-tariff


WE’RE MAKING A FEW MORE CHANGES...

How our Customer App can improve your life My name is Chris Noon. I’ve been an ‘Involved Customer’ of Halton Housing Trust since 2015. I’m a retired nurse but continue to fundraise and to date I’ve raised over £750,000 and I also have a passion for the homeless. I’m a co worker for Mother Theresa’s Shelter in Liverpool and also a Street Pastor in Widnes. As well as this, I am a Street Rep for my area, where I take resident’s concerns on board and act on them. I’ve been using Halton Housing Trust’s customer app and I find it a really useful resource. I help people to download the app which assists them with contacting the Trust anytime, day or night. There’s so much you can do through the app; check your rent balance, book in repairs, access Lifekit, the online customer toolkit, and much more – you’ll be surprised what you can do!

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It’s great that you can use the app from your armchair. If you don’t have a computer and you meet the right criteria, the Trust can supply a tablet to you - one of the team can help you to download the app, register and get you started. Using the app has given me the confidence to become an involved customer and I now pass my skills on to others. Being online has also meant that I can enjoy Facebook, meet like minded friends and Skype to keep in touch with relatives and friends. You can also download Reach magazine, and search for and apply for properties on Property Pool Plus, all from the comfort of your own home.

DOWNLOAD THE APP HERE


From January 2017 onwards, our office reception will be self serve only

Our kiosk service will be open 9am - 5pm

ES CHANG

E H T R O F ER

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The digital kiosk enables customers to self serve, check rent account and raise requests via our web portal

ing

Monday - Friday

Cottage Hospital home transformation underway Work has started on the transformation of Victoria House, the former cottage hospital in Runcorn. The £2.9 million project will see the creation of 28 new homes on the site on Holloway, and will involve selective demolition and conversion of the existing building combined with a complimentary new build. Working with John McCall Architects, Bardsley Construction, Aecom and the Alan Johnson Partnership, the scheme will be completed by winter 2017. The 28 home scheme will bring new life to the disused Runcorn landmark, creating six two bed houses and 22 one and two bed apartments – nine of which are duplexes. Nicky Harris, the Trust’s Development Manager said: “A renovation of this kind will be a first for the Trust and we’re looking forward to bringing new life to the former cottage hospital yet still preserving its heritage. We have fantastic architects, builders and engineers working on the project and we’re confident that the development will be a success.”

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The £2.9 million scheme was grant funded by the HCA (Homes and Communities Agency) and forms part of the Trust’s ambitious development programme. Since January 2016 we have built or at the final stages of completion of 241 new homes, totaling an impressive £27 million. This includes our largest development to date in the Tan House Lane area of Widnes – a 175 home mixed tenure site of apartments and houses, some of which have already been handed over. We’ve also started on site another 233 homes for completion in 2017 and 2018, investing an impressive £26 million into new home creation. Since the summer the Trust has completed sites around Runcorn and Widnes including Queens Avenue, Crossways, Crow Wood Lane and Brentfield, as well as building its first self-build-Grange House in Runcorn.

241 new homes, totaling an impressive £27 million, PLUS ANOTHER 233 homes for completion in 2017 and 2018


Above and below - A vision of Victoria House for the future

Transforming Your Communities Have you walked around lately and noticed an improvement in your neighbourhood? It’s because our Environmental Services Estate Caretaking team are working hard to tidy your communities, especially communal areas such as grassed areas and shop surrounds. Halton Lodge Tidy Up – October 2016

West Bank Clean Up Success – October 2016

An incredible 12 van loads of rubbish were collected by the Trust’s Environmental Services Estate Caretaking team last week, as part of a clean up in Halton Lodge, Runcorn.

It was all hands on deck in October as West Bank in Widnes was treated to a spruce up as part of a community clean up. The Trust’ along with partners including Halton Borough Council, West Bank Academy, Girlguiding UK, Jiggy Childcare, CREATE and Widnes Boat and Angling Club worked together to clear the West Bank area of rubbish, as well as collecting unwanted household furniture free of charge.

The team also filled four skips, collecting unwanted items from local homes.

Skips were filled to the brim with scrap metal, bricks, timber, rubble and soil, hard plastics and small electricals, whilst the local Girl Guides transformed a garden and Widnes Boat and Angling Club cleared the water of rubbish. Organised by Councillor Pam Wallace, the West Bank Big Clean Up ran for a week, combining rubbish clearance activities and awareness raising sessions.

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Back on the tools for our Group Chief Executive, Nick Atkin – September 2016 Nick Atkin swapped his suit for steel cap boots to experience a day working with our Grounds Maintenance team. He tried his hand at all sorts of tasks ranging from tree maintenance to garden clearance to experience first-hand what it’s like to work in the heart of your communities.

AFFORDABLE WARMTH

As temperatures drop, it’s important to stay well by keeping warm. Living in a warm home will help protect your health, from preventing colds and flu to more serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia. Cold weather, and cold homes can have a significant impact on your health and there is help and advice available if you have concerns about paying for your heating.

Winter Fuel Payment If you were born on or before 5 May 1953 and receive the State Pension a Winter Fuel Payment will be paid to you automatically. If you aren’t receiving this payment but think you should be, visit www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment or call 0345 915 1515.

Further help The Energy Saving Trust (EST) has advice on how to reduce bills and make your home more energy efficient. They can also advise on grants and schemes available around the UK. You can find out more by visiting their website energysavingtrust.org.uk or calling 0300 123 1234.

Other useful numbers: Cold Weather Payments This may be available to you if you receive certain benefits. You’ll get a payment of £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between certain months. Find out more at: www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment

•S ave Energy Advice Line 0800 043 0151 •W arm Home Discount Scheme 0345 603 9439 • Age UK 01928 575 400

Staying safe during Winter Although we’ve had mild winters for the last couple of years, we all know there’s no predicting the British weather, and it’s always best to be prepared. Bad weather can cause disruption for the Trust when undertaking daily services but also to you, both in your home and when travelling around. We have some tips to staying safe during any bad weather:

In your home It’s important to keep warm. Try to leave your heating on low. Stock your food cupboards with tinned food and the essentials.

Going away Turn OFF your stop tap and run any water out of your pipes. Either let the Trust or your neighbours know in case of emergency.

Going out / travelling in snow Is your journey essential? Could you travel by public transport? Carry an emergency kit in your car consisting of: torch, batteries, blanket, snacks, water, gloves, boots and first aid kit.

Neighbours In partnership with Green Star Energy, My Home Energy is offering long term competitive tariffs and affordable renewable energy options for our customers. To find out more, simply call freephone 0800 0014 706 or go to myhomeenergy.org.uk with your postcode and a current energy bill.

Could you spare ten minutes to check on your old or vulnerable neighbours?

Insurance Do you have contents insurance? The Trust is not liable for incidents such as burst pipes and this can cause a lot of damage to your valuables. If you’d like to speak to us about contents, please use the digital methods available.

Our Services Please be aware our services may be reduced in periods of adverse weather and we ask you for your patience in this.

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AND HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT Have you visited Lifekit? It’s a website created and managed by the Trust, full of information about saving money, health and wellbeing and living well. It’s full of really handy stuff! You can find it by clicking the ‘Lifekit’ tab in the top right hand corner of our website. There are a few ways that you can use Lifekit – by either selecting information that’s relevant to you or just skipping this step to browse. We add a new article most weeks so make sure you check in regularly so you don’t miss out!

Your Money This section contains our really handy budget calculator so it’s well worth visiting! There’s also information about welfare benefits to help you get your head around this complex topic.

You and Your Home How to live better within your home and make it work for you.

Improve Your Job Prospects CV hints and tricks, types of interviews and how to find a job are just some of the resources if you’re looking at getting back into work.

Get Online There are so many reasons why you should get online, and here we outline the benefits of using apps, how to stay safe online as well as lots of other information.

Save Money Saving money for a special treat, a rainy day or to pay bills is a great feeling, but it’s not always that easy. This section is full of information on how to live a good life on the cheap.

Health and Wellbeing *NEW SECTION!* This is our new section and we think you’ll find it really handy. We work closely with Halton Borough Council’s Health Improvement team and Active Halton, so you’ll find the most up to date health news here. The importance of flu jabs, stopping smoking, Healthy Start vouchers-it’s all here.

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a g n i m r o f s n a r T e f i L s ’ l r i G g n u Yo HALTON HOUSING TRUST

Katie-Ellen, 13, is a lovely young lady who has a rare condition called Pallister Hall Syndrome which affects her every activity. Katie-Ellen is ventilated and oxygen dependant. She also has a gastrostomy and colostomy and is profoundly deaf. If this wasn’t enough to cope with, she has chronic renal failure and Epilepsy and uses a wheelchair to mobilise – but despite all of this she is a happy, loveable young lady.

Katie-Ellen was living in a three bed bungalow in Runcorn with her Mum - Kerry, Dad – Stephen and younger brother Tom. Unfortunately, the layout of their home wasn’t suitable and it wasn’t feasible to adapt it to meet all of Katie-Ellen and her family’s needs. Mum and Dad were providing the 24-hour care that she needs, taking it in turns to sleep in her room. They had the option of overnight, paid-for carers but the home layout meant this would disturb the rest of the family. The bathroom was very small with just a shower over the bath, which meant that it was difficult for her to be transferred in and out of the bath safely. The doors and corridors weren’t wide enough for her wheelchair and other equipment to be used. Cherrie Walker from the Trust’s Housing Options team was allocated the case in September 2015 and worked closely with Occupational Therapist (OT)-Anthony McDonald from Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Housing Trust, the Trust’s Property Services and the family to establish the type of property and adaptations that were needed as well as a suitable location. After identifying a potential property, Cherrie worked with Knowsley Housing Trust to find a suitable home for the outgoing tenant. OT Anthony viewed the house, confirmed its suitability and recommended specialist suppliers to make the changes. Although it meant uprooting the family from Runcorn to Widnes, Katie-Ellen and her family were happy with the house and its location.

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Everyone at the Trust works hard to meet our mission by Improving People’s Lives. In this edition we learn how Katie-Ellen’s life was transformed through aids and adaptations.

After receiving the property in August, the Trust began work to ensure everything was in place for the move. Changes requested by the OT included: a specialist high-low bath, ceiling track hoist, changes to the electric supply, external lighting and additional hardstanding for parking. We also provided a new family bathroom, plastered, painted and decorated throughout and cleared the overgrown garden. Dave Partington from Property Services co-ordinated a team of people from different trades who pulled together to get their new home ready as quickly as possible. The family moved in two months later, in September, and their new home has already made a big difference to their lives. Katie-Ellen now has her own room and her parents can now arrange for overnight carers so they can have a good night’s sleep. The hoist allows Katie-Ellen to use the bath with her Mum and Dad able to help safely.

Katie Ellen

The move was mainly about meeting the basic needs of Katie-Ellen, but it did impact on younger brother Tom. Although Tom had to leave his school and friends, he never complained and was happy and excited for his big sister. He loved that the garden was big enough for his Christmas wish list-a trampoline. The Trust gave him a big (and well deserved) surprise when he moved in, as sitting in the garden was a brand new trampoline and enclosure – Christmas had come early for Tom! The move has made such a huge difference to a deserving family. Mum Kerry said she couldn’t thank everyone enough who had worked so hard to make it happen.


Katies his tra brother enj mpolin e! oying

TRUST

SUPPORTS

On 25th August the hugely popular Victoria Park Experience (VPX) held in Warrington for the past nine years, was brought to Victoria Park, Widnes, as an additional event thanks to PCSO Victoria Titherington and her colleague Karen Graham. The event, which was attended by over 1000 people, was part funded by Halton Housing Trust’s community sponsorship fund, receiving £1450 after Cheshire Police put in an application which was approved by the Trust’s Customer Forum. In applying for funding from the Community Fund, applicants must be able to demonstrate that the project meets one of Halton Borough Council’s priorities or one of Halton Housing Trust’s five priorities. Given the success of the Warrington event it was clear that VPX Widnes fit the funding criteria, as the aim of the event was to provide a variety of free sporting activities in a safe environment for the local community to try. The event also increased local club membership and tackled anti-social behaviour which peaks during this period of the school holidays. There were plenty to do for all ages and it was completely free for anyone to attend. Games and activities included rugby and football games, a climbing wall and bouncy castle as well as stalls offering healthy eating, arts and crafts and information points manned by the police, fire and search rescue teams. This is just one of the many projects that has benefited from Community Funding. To find out more about how our community sponsorship fund can benefit your local event or initiative, contact Debbie Jameson, Customer Engagement Officer, on 0151 510 5185 or Hannah Ireland, Customer Engagement Assistant on 0151 510 5181.

PCSO Titherington said: “The funding we received from the Trust has helped massively in allowing us to make VPX a free event open to everyone in the community and due to the success of the first Widnes VPX, we are planning to run it every year”.

Time to get Social Media Savvy Worried about using social media? Concerned you’re not up to speed with the channels your children are using? Check out the latest social media guide, brought to you by our Customer Social Media Group. Our Customer Social Media Group have been working hard in the lead up to Christmas to create a fascinating guide to social media. The guide aims to advise customers how to get the best out of social media and give people the confidence to use it, safe in the knowledge that they are following best practice principles. The guide includes a number of useful tips on how to use social media, as well as tips for parents in keeping their children safe online. A couple of top customer tips include: * Don’t give out your phone number, home address or email address * Be safety conscious when uploading photos of children or vulnerable people * Remember you always have the option to block somebody or report them if you find their comments offensive * If it sounds too good to be true it normally is. Don’t fall for online scams that offer gifts or money * Don’t accept random friend requests

Click here to read the rest of the guide Thanks again to our Social Media Group, who volunteered their own time to create this really useful guide.

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We’re moving home We’ve taken the decision to move our two offices under one roof - and we have some very exciting plans to create our own purpose built new home to suit our very individual culture! Our new home, developed in collaboration with Russel Construction, is being built on the site of our largest new-build housing development to date; Tan House Lane. With the project due to be completed in late summer 2017 we aim to be in our new home by September. With state of the art facilities, collaborative working spaces and the necessary digital technology in place, our new home is designed to be a future proof working environment that sends a statement of our digital intent.

Keep an eye out for regular updates!

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A Man of Many Talents When it comes to keeping fit and staying healthy, you don’t need to look any further for inspiration than to 81 year old customer, Billy Bennet from Wallace Street, Widnes. While most of us are still tucked up in our beds, Billy, a retired builder, puts on his coat at 5am, gets out his trusty bike (which he’s owned for longer than he can remember), and heads out for his daily 30 mile bike ride, frequently venturing as far as Leigh, Chorley and Southport. In the summer months when the horse racing season is in full swing, Billy even hits the road on his bike to Chester Races, feeling rather pleased with himself as he passes the hoards of traffic heading in and out of the city. Being so fit and healthy certainly helps him. After a recent ride out to pick conkers for one of his many grandchildren, Billy picked up a puncture and had to push his bike all the way back home from Penketh. But this doesn’t put him off-after all, his bike very rarely lets him down. He laughs as he recalls the time when a friend of his needed to move an armchair further down the road. Ever the helpful neighbour, Billy came to his rescue; he strapped the rather large armchair to the back of his bike (and him) and off he went! Born in Broughton Cottages, Ditton Road, Widnes, Billy has always been a big contributor not only to his neighbourhood but to the local area as a whole. After his time as a chef in the army, Billy worked at the Golden Wonder factory in Ditton, then later as a builder on the Jubilee Bridge, the Thelwall Viaduct, (and prior to his retirement) on Churchill Mansions, where he was always the last man on the job, trowelling up before he could join his workmates for a well-earned pint at the end of the day. One proud moment for Billy was when he and his wife met Princess Alexandra at the opening of the Jubilee Bridge in 1961, on which he’d worked. With each of his five children in their arms, Billy and his wife eagerly awaited the arrival of the Princess, and the wait was certainly worth it when she stopped to talk to them personally. To top everything off, Billy along with his workmates were awarded a day off with pay, plus a bonus, in recognition of their hard work.

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Having lived at Wallace Street for over 12 years, Billy is well known and extremely popular amongst his neighbours as he always loves to help out whenever and however he can, whether it’s pieces of wood he’s collected, picking up prescriptions or even a spot of gardening. Billy shows us a picture hanging on his wall, given to him by one of his neighbours, carefully handstitched is the wording ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’. If he’s not helping a neighbour in need, or cycling around the North West, you’re likely to find Billy in his garden. Billy was recently joint winner in the Trust’s Digital Garden Competition and it’s easy to see why. The hard work that goes into nurturing the wide range of flowers and plants includes making his own compost in a three stage process which starts with collecting the horse manure…on his bike of course. Billy’s ‘get stuck in’ attitude goes a long way back. For over seven years he worked tirelessly raising money for the charity Multiple Sclerosis, from collections at Alberts Walkaround to pram and trolley pushes. Whilst the fundraising may have stopped, Billy certainly hasn’t. His tip for anyone reading this? “You don’t need the gym or expensive exercise classes, be your own gym,” he says. “You can train with anything, it doesn’t need to cost-in fact save the money, give me the £10 and I’ll chase you round the block”. So, with Billy setting us all such a good example, we’ve no excuses have we?!


LEIGH

CHORLEY

CHESTER

SOUTHPORT

A day in the life of an ICT Apprentice

Fancy working at the Trust? Find out what it’s like to work for us from one of our ICT apprentices. My name’s Jonathon Provost. I’m 19 years old and I’m a First Line Support Technician Apprentice at the Trust. I’ve already completed a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in IT, and studying for an additional Level 3 BTEC in IT Software Web and Telecoms. Most of my training is done on the job, with observations from my college tutor to complete the college units.

For more complex, specialised problems we have the IT specialists who can help with issues that we can’t fix. Specialists are essential to both the helpdesk, as well as innovation and progress of the IT systems and infrastructure. A major focus of the IT department is the new ways staff can work with devices such as mobiles and IPads. We also manage the upgrading of older devices to make sure they’re compatible with all of the systems that our staff use.

I also run my own web and web app design and development business, which I started in 2012. I continue to run the business from the admin side, and my two employees run the rest of the operations. I’m passionate about motorsport and hoping to compete next year in the Ssangyong Racing Challenge 2017 (depending on finances)! I’ve been heavily involved in motorsport since 2009 and in the past year I’ve started training as a Clerk of Course with Motorsport Vision Racing.

The Trust is an amazing place to work, with a brilliant sense of family - everyone is friendly and always happy to help each other. I am thoroughly enjoying working here and hope that I’m able to stay here when my apprenticeship finishes.

There’s never a typical day in ICT at the Trust as there’s always different problems and jobs to complete. Throughout the day we are on the phones to answer any calls and as first line support, every support call will come through us. For the most part we log and fix calls, ranging from anything from account lockouts and session restarts to device requests and office changes. The helpdesk can receive anything from 10 to 50 calls a day. We ensure that all issues are resolved or handed to the relevant person to correct.

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If you like what you hear and you’d like to learn more, why not visit our job vacancy page on our website?


Baking up a Storm for

Winter

EVENTS IN YOUR AREA There are so many events in Runcorn and Widnes this winter to make you feel festive. Here’s just a few of our favourites.

Refuel the Reindeer Workshop

Customers living at our two extra care schemes have been supporting the Macmillan Biggest Coffee Morning.

Green Oaks Shopping Centre, Widnes 17th December greenoaksshopping.co.uk/ refuel-the-reindeer-workshop/

Two coffee afternoons were held at Naughton Fields and Barkla Fields on 30th September and 3rd October 2016 to raise funds for Macmillan. £364 was raised through kind donations of cakes and beverages, and staff and customers all put on their bakers hats and rose to the challenge of cake baking. Both events were very well attended by customers, staff and visitors.

Swinging 60s Christmas at The Studio, Widnes


17th December – 15th January Tickets from £16 thebrindley.org.uk

Jellybeans Play Centre ChristmasParty, Widnes

18th December Free entry (Limited tickets) thestudiowidnes.org.uk/

19th December £10 per ticket. Food and drink included jellybeansplaycentre.co.uk

Staff at the Trust’s Runcorn and Widnes offices also took part in the event, raising £192.

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Cinderella at The Brindley Theatre

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre – Holiday Workshops

Widnes Superbowl Discounted bowling and Laser Quest

20th – 23rd & 28th – 30th Dec. Tickets from £4.95, Under 4’s free of charge catalyst.org.uk

24th & 26th Dec, 1st Jan Admission from £3 superbowluk.co.uk/widnes/ christmas/

Do you have:

Foodbanks

and how they can help you over winter If you find that you’re struggling over winter and need a helping hand there are foodbanks across the borough that can help. We’ve listed Christmas opening hours and locations below:

• A lung disease • Kidney or heart disease • Diabetes • Another long term condition • Or do you suffer from breathlessness?

Widnes

Cold weather can make you more likely to catch a winter illness that could become very serious. So even if it’s just a cough or cold, seek advice from your pharmacist before it gets more serious.

Runcorn and District

Monday 19th Dec Thursday 22nd Dec Friday 23rd Dec

12-3pm @ Deeper Life Bible Church, Bechers 11am-1pm @ St Mary’s Church, St Marys Road 10am-1pm @ St Marie’s Hall, Lugdale Road AND 1-3pm @ St Paul’s Church, Victoria Square

Saturday 24th Dec - Tuesday 27th Dec closed Wednesday 28th Dec Thursday 29th Dec Friday 30th Dec

11am-2pm @ Oak Meadow, Peel House Lane 11am-1pm @ St Mary’s Church, St Marys Road 10am-1pm @ St Marie’s Hall, Lugdale Road AND 1-3pm @ St Paul’s Church, Victoria Square

Saturday 31st Dec - Tuesday 3rd January closed Wednesday 4th Jan

Thursday 22nd Dec Friday 23rd Dec Saturday 24th Dec

open as usual @ Oak Meadow, Peel House Lane

1-3pm @ Christ Church, Castlefields 1-3pm @ 139 Church Street, Old Town 10am-2pm @ St Bertelines Church, Norton Hill

Sunday 25th – 27th Dec-closed Wednesday 28th Dec Thursday 29th Dec Friday 30th Dec Saturday 31st Dec

2-4pm @ the Rise Cafe Shop, Castle Rise 1-3pm, Christ Church, Castlefields 1-3pm, 139 Church Street, Old Town 10am-12pm, Bethesda Church, Palacefields

Sunday 1st January-Tuesday 3rd -closed Wednesday 4th Jan-open as usual @ The Rise Cafe Shop, Castle Rise

nhs.uk/staywell 16

Leyla Hannbeck, Pharmacist


Before you use the Runcorn and Widnes Foodbanks you should firstly call Halton Borough Council’s Discretionary Support Scheme on Freephone 0800 952 0016 as they may be able to assist you. To use foodbanks you need to be issued a voucher by one of the food bank local partner organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureau, your neighbourhood officer or tenancy support team.

Where to Get Help this Christmas

DOMESTICABUSE NOEXCUSE

For many of us, Christmas is a time of celebration and joy but for others it can be a struggle. We’ve listed some key organisations that can help. Drug addiction/domestic violence Changing Lives www.changing-lives.org.uk - also help with other issues

Homelessness – Housing Solutions, Halton Borough Council’s homelessness service – call 0333 000 4300 for out of hours emergencies

Mental Health Runcorn/Widnes Mental Health Crisis team – call 01925 666647 if you or someone you know needs urgent mental health care. Loneliness in Older Peoplewww.thesilverline.org.uk Silverline is a free 24 hour phoneline that provides comfort and friendship to older people call 0800 4 70 80 90

Contacting the Trust over Christmas

We close from 12pm on 23rd December and re-open at 9am on Tuesday 3rd January 2017. You can still call 0303 333 0101 to report an emergency repair or pay your rent. The Trust fully re-opens for all other enquiries on 3rd January. Why not make life a little easier in 2017 and try using our new and improved app to contact us. Download here

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DONʼT SUFFER IN SILENCE

0300 1111247 www.halton.gov.uk