INSIDE 10 year InTouch special Issue 41 DontDont getget lockedlocked outout ofof youryour homehome page 5 ‘King‘King ofof Comedy’Comedy’ returnsreturns toto PlymouthPlymouth forfor pantopanto page 7 Residents’Residents’ AwardsAwards page 8 year Anniversary edition Welcome Welcome to this special edition of In Touch, which marks ten years of Plymouth Community Homes as a housing association. I joined the Board in 2017 when PCH had largely completed its journey to being a dynamic independent organisation and also delivered on its transfer promises. This was achieved under the previous Chair Elaine Pellow and the initial Chair Peter Ebsworth and I want to pay tribute to them and all the staff and Board Members involved. You’ll receive a special keepsake supplement in this issue which highlights our milestones over the last decade and focuses on stories from our tenants. We hope you like it. Part of the role of Chair is to attend events with other housing associations. I always return thinking how much better PCH is than others, Plymouth Couple really living up to our values rather than acting like a large faceless organisation as so many do. are TV regulars The Board and staff are committed to putting tenants at the heart of what we do and our staff are out there on the ground on a daily basis. And let’s not forget the back office staff who provide essential support to our frontline teams. It was also inspiring at the recent Beacon Awards to see how our tenants support their communities and take opportunities to develop themselves. Read our special report about this. To show we haven’t forgotten about Christmas, we’re giving a lucky reader a family ticket to the Theatre Royal’s pantomime, Cinderella. Read page 7 to find out how to enter. Have an excellent festive season and a prosperous New Year! Peter with Al Murray Next time you’re watching a panel or quiz show, take a close look at the audience to see if you can spot this couple. Austin Farm husband and wife Peter and Maggie Gray are regular audience members on TV sitcoms and panel shows. And it doesn’t end there - think of a modern-day comic and you can almost guarantee that Peter and Maggie will have seen them live. Tim Vine, Lee Mack, Michael McIntyre, Al Murray, Sarah Millican, Katherine Ryan, Jimmy Carr and Josh Widdicombe are just a few of the household names the Grays have seen over the years. They’ve been in the audience of Not Going Out, QI, Pointless, and Open All Hours to name just a few. Peter said: “I love to interact! Dara O’Brien is really good at interacting if you’re in the front row. Even at the sitcoms and game shows the presenters and actors talk to the audience. On Not Going Out, Lee Mack is very good at interacting between takes. “On Pointless, the bit you don’t see on TV is that once a couple has been eliminated, they stop filming to unscrew the podium. While that’s going on, there are lots of jokes from Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman.” Peter’s bushy beard is guaranteed to get him a mention – he’s been called Captain Bird’s Eye and Father Christmas by some comperes. Maggie said: “I’m fascinated by the mechanics of TV and how it’s all put together. That’s the bit you don’t see on television. “The down side is you have to queue for ages to get in. You need to be there early. Tickets don’t always guarantee entry – they always oversubscribe as people often don’t turn up.” Although many shows only appear on our screens for 30 minutes, the Grays have spent up to 90 minutes in the studio due to all the retakes. The couple, who have lived in a PCH home for more than 20 years, have been interested in live shows, theatre and recordings since they got married 47 years ago. Peter with Tim Vine 33 Top honours for keen gardeners Hard work by residents to keep their green spaces looking colourful and attractive has seen them win Outstanding awards by top gardening judges. Gardens and open spaces at West Hoe and Morley Court Flats and the Pembroke Street Estate have won the top honour in the South West in Bloom: It’s Your Neighbourhood award. The ‘soul bike’ outside West Hoe Flats has been spray painted by our Rangers and filled with flowers, prompting people walking past to pose for selfies in front of it. Resident Anne Moore said: “Doing this keeps us active and we really enjoy doing it. We didn’t expect to win. We all love to garden. My husband made the window boxes, which look really good. Next year we want to go bigger and better.” Brian Parker, Environmental Services Supervisor, said: “This is wonderful news. I’m pleased for all involved.” Ranger Adrian Vasnic spent a lot of time working on the bike and nicknamed it the Soul Bike after a similar one in Jamaica. Fellow Ranger John Hamlyn picked up old plants from the North Prospect regeneration and replanted them at West Hoe. Housing Officer Marissa Maloney said: “It has been a team effort across the Homes and Neighbourhoods department working in collaboration with the residents of West Hoe to get this great result.” Morley Court residents were recognised for their unique roof garden in the heart of the city centre. The garden includes play area, a greenhouse and raised beds, with flowers, fruit and vegetables grown – these are picked and distributed to residents. Pembroke Street residents won the award for the outdoor spaces at their estate. Will Watts, Pembroke Estate Management Board Manager, said: “The award is for the whole estate and recognises the efforts of staff and residents. It’s something we enter each year and have been seeing our score improve year on year.” 8 Top honours for keen gardeners Ian Clark Face of the fixers What’s your name and It’s interesting and I’m always Don’t get what do you do? learning something new. locked out I’m Ian Clark and I look after Are there any unusual / water hygiene for PCH. funny calls you’ve ever had while at PCH? of your home! How long have you been working at PCH? I was once called to rescue someone’s pet rat – it had dis- There’s nothing more annoying than misplacing your keys and I’ve worked for PCH (and the appeared down the toilet (I soon finding yourself locked out of your council before it) for 30 years in flushed it out!) house or flat. January. What do you like doing when When tenants move into one of Have things changed much in you’re not working? our homes, we give out two sets that time? of keys. Outside of work my interests are Things are a lot more efficient cars, socialising and spending We always recommend you get than they used to be. There’s time with my great nephew and spare sets cut as we don’t keep more technology now too. niece, Eli and Jessie. copies of any keys for our homes. What attracted you to And finally, are you doing As we manage more than 15,000 the organisation? anything to celebrate your properties, we’d need a building 30 years with us? the size of an aircraft hangar to accommodate them all! I was self-employed before and was attracted by fixed hours and At Plymouth City Council, when If you call us asking us to gain paid holiday. you’d reached 20 years, you used entry and change the door lock to have a cup of tea with the Lord barrel, we’ll have to charge you. How many visits / jobs do Mayor and cucumber sandwiches. you do a day, I’ve been dropping a few hints – This will normally cost around £70 approximately? I’m not that keen on sausage rolls (rising to £95 out of hours) so it’s but I quite like a ham sandwich! definitely worth having a spare set I visit approximately 15-20 homes cut and keeping them somewhere a day. safe to save yourself money. What are the best parts of your job? We’ve opened our show homes at Briarwood – our second to last phase of the North Prospect regeneration. Briarwood – also known as Phase 5 – is due to be completed in the spring and will boast 143 new homes. Of these, 31 will be allocated for shared ownership sales through SO Living, 46 will be available for affordable rent and 66 will be sold on the open market. Two Briarwood show homes were unveiled at an event earlier this autumn. PCH Chief Executive John Clark said: “We’re pleased to be able to continue the nationally-acclaimed regeneration of North Prospect by providing much-needed energy efficient and affordable homes at Briarwood. “It’s brilliant to now have the show homes and marketing suite open, so local people wanting to buy their own home have a range of options available to them in a great part of the city. “We’re grateful for the funding support we’ve received from Homes England and Plymouth City Council and we look forward to working in continued partnership with them, Kier Living and others to deliver the final phases of this vital regeneration programme.” SO Living Sales and Marketing Manager Tracey White said: “The Briarwood development has generated plenty of interest already and the lovely show homes will give people an idea of the layouts and space of the homes.