Cornwall Housing Tenants Newsletter DECEMBER 2013

Tenants’ voice Cornwall Housing Tenants Newsletter DECEMBER 2013

At the end of September father and son John (left) and Matthew (right) Harris from Launceston both graduated from the Open University, being presented with their degrees by Sir Terry Pratchett.

Many congratulations to them both. John’s story is below.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE family or just never had the If, like John, Matthew, your TO LEARN... opportunity. editor and many thousands of other people who have taken On Saturday 28th September 2013 Now, thanks to that great advantage of the Open a soon to be 54 year old mature institution the Open University University’s courses over the student gained a degree. It had men and women, people from any years, you are inspired to try it taken six years of hard work, but and all backgrounds, regardless of for yourself, you can check out after the hundreds of late nights, the usual social and economic the possibilities at early mornings and any time in barriers which still blight our www.open.ac.uk between when an odd half hour society, have made the decision to studying period could be squeezed plunge into the world of learning, in I found myself up on a stage in open our minds and realize our Also in this edition: Portsmouth's Guildhall shaking potential. It’s not easy - in fact it's hands with the vice chancellor of damn hard work, but whether it's ! A spring garden in the university and collecting my to get a job, promotion or just for St Kew Highway degree. the fun of it at journey’s end you too will be smiling like a Cheshire ! Meet the Tenant As I sat in the magnificent hall cat. Engagement Team beside my son, who was also ! Prize Competition graduating, I looked around at all There's a vast community of like the other graduates, many of them minded fellow students out there ! Meet Kate Foster well over 30. I saw ordinary who, just like me and maybe you ! have found it's never too late to News from people just like me who never Community Rooms went to university but instead went learn. straight out to work, started a John Harris Send all correspondence to: Hazel Tearne (Newsletter Editor) 34 Leanway, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 4SU Email: [email protected] This lovely garden at Whitehall, St Kew Highway, used to be just grass, but two residents, Henry and Neil, have turned it into a lovely garden after renting the land from the Council. It looked so beautiful last spring that one of their neighbours was inspired to write this poem:

THROUGH MY WINDOW I lost my last big blue cat in July. Within a couple of weeks a friend came to see me with a cat basket held at a funny angle. When I asked her what she had in there she invited me to have a look. And there in the bottom of the basket all curled up was the prettiest kitten I had ever seen! She was cream and beige with a brown tail On opening my eyes this morning and ears and blue eyes - a special I spied a host of golden daffodils breed called a Rag Doll. I was not in Wordsworth Country Could I be in a dream, or walking in my sleep? Now she is a member of my No, all I saw was the largest amount of flowers that I had ever seen. family. The teenagers, that's my The golden flowers danced in the breeze black boys, think she is wonderful Like jewels in the morning sun. and lie on the floor to let her run Like lots of little children having so much fun! all over them. They are also These are no stately gardens, where you have to pay a fee. teaching her to stand up for herself Just come down to where Henry lives at the bottom of but there are no screams or Whitehall squeals. I forgot to say her name is For the most beautiful sight that I can always see. Dolly, very appropriate. Pat Falzon Carbon Dioxide is alarming! PRIZE COMPETITION Every Cornwall Housing tenant QUESTION who has gas heating gets an annual check and has now been issued with a CO2 alarm, which To enter the competition please means we can all sleep easier write your answer on a postcard knowing that if there are any and send it to the editor at the leaks of this invisible poisonous address on the front page, to arrive Dolly with one of the ‘boys’ gas we will be woken before it is by January 31st 2014. The first too late. Don’t forget, though, correct entry drawn will win a Please remember the Tenants Voice that if you have gas appliances cheque for £25. is here for you, the tenants, so if which were not provided by you have any questions or Cornwall Housing you do need The question: comments, stories or pictures to get them checked regularly please do not hesitate to drop a line yourself. Which afternoon does the to our Editor. We are still aiming to Manley Close ‘Knit and Natter’ support our Tenants with help from group meet? you. Pat Jago MEET YOUR TENANT ENGAGEMENT OFFICERS

Cornwall Housing now employs three tenant engagement officers, who are the people responsible for direct contact with tenants and encouraging them to take an active interest in the management of your local area, housing estate or the company itself. There are many ways for individual tenants to get involved, ranging from just completing occasional surveys, through being an area representative on the Tenants Forum Committee or forming a Tenants and Residents Association, to becoming a member of the Board of Cornwall Housing. If you want to get involved, telephone 0300 1234 161 and ask for your Tenant Engagement Officer by name.

Hi, I'm Frankie Addey and I am Hi, I am Jemma Warburton, the Hi, I am Jo May, the Tenant the Tenant Engagement Officer Tenant Engagement Officer for the Engagement Officer covering that covers the 'Mid Area' of the area including Liskeard, Looe, Bodmin, Wadebridge, Padstow, County (the former Carrick Polruan, Polperro, Torpoint, Camelford, Stratton, up to District that includes Falmouth, Saltash, Callington and Kilkhampton, and all the little rural Penryn, Truro, Perranporth etc). Launceston. I cover all the little villages in between. I am here to I currently support nine tenants villages in between where we have support you and would love to visit and residents groups in this area, council housing. I can support you you and have a chat about how you as well as helping out with with forming a recognised Tenants can become involved in shaping consultations, focus groups, and Residents Association, or give the services we deliver to tenants. fundays, community events and advice if you would like to find out projects etc. more about becoming an area In the next few months we are representative. particularly planning to target If you currently live in the 'Mid Torpoint, Millbrook, Bodmin and Area' and would like some I would be happy to visit you and Rural North Cornwall, to see if information on how you can get tenants in your area to talk about there are any tenants who would involved in improving your how you can be involved in like to find out more in becoming neighbourhood, housing services working with us to improve the a member of Cornwall Housing or anything else, please 'give me services we provide. Call me on Tenants Forum. Please get in touch a shout'. the number given above. if you are interested.

The Tenants Voice is written and produced by the To contact your tenant tenants of Cornwall Housing Limited. If you have engagement officer, or any comments to make or stories to tell us, please any other member of the write to the editor at the address on the front page. Cornwall Housing team, call 0300 1234 161 and We look forward to hearing from you and ask for them by name or receiving your suggestions. by department. CALLINGTON COMMUNITY CENTRE held their Marie Curie Strawberry Tea in August. The weather was amazing, the food was delicious and more than 30 people attended. The total sum raised, including from the raffle and selling off the remaining food at the end of the afternoon, was £200 - nearly double the sum from the year before. Congratulations to them.

Kate at the helm BEACON COMMUNITY In her late eighties, Kate Foster first became a Tenant Rep and then RESOURCE CENTRE in still leads a very active life, in 2003 a Tenant Board Member of Falmouth had all its windows playing an important role in the Carrick Housing. And here I am, decorated for Halloween. Tenants Forum. She lives in a still, enjoying every challenge that small village on the coast of the the change-over to Cornwall Roseland Peninsula. This is her Council has produced so far. It story: keeps me very busy, but I still value the moments I can look out I can remember, as if it were to sea and remember the first time yesterday, the first time I reached I saw it. the small brow of the hill coming Now, whenever I find myself at into Portscatho and saw laid out Pencabe point, I think of the old before me Gull Rock, Nare Head days and remember the MANLEY CLOSE and Dodman and the sea, for miles Harbourmaster, Morley, "trolling" and miles and miles. That was over COMMUNITY CENTRE, quietly in his dinghy so as not to Liskeard, has a Craft Group on fifty years ago and my heart still disturb the sea bass before he had skips a beat at the sight. Monday afternoons and a ‘Knit a chance to catch them. And and Natter’ group on Tuesdays. Although I have lived in Charlie, who taught me how to Pictured below are some of the Portscatho a long long time, I did establish my own particular items they have produced for their not become a Council Tenant until "mark" - those who fish at sea will Christmas charity sale. just over twenty years ago, when know what I mean - so that I was my late husband left me behind to never short of mackerel for tea. I live out the rest of my life without had my own little 14ft launch him. So here I am, still, today, in complete with a small Stewart my smart little Bungalow at the inboard engine - my pride and joy top of the village, the village to although the carburettor would which I came to share my life with keep oiling up if I remember him. correctly. It's now such a long time ago, but it’s still all “there” for me. A couple of years after moving in to the bungalow I decided it was Later I learned to sail and that took time to rejoin the human race and me into the Mediterranean on GOT ANY PICTURES FROM to put something back in return for occasions, helping my late all the help and support I had YOUR COMMUNITY GROUP? husband to skipper rich people's SEND THEM TO THE EDITOR received from the then Carrick yachts, but that’s another story. District Council. So it was that I AT THE ADDRESS ON THE Kate Foster FRONT PAGE.