grapevine Summer 2015 Inside this issue: Shaun in the City and Brunelcare Brunelcare do care! Emmanuel Court Develop ments Chestnut activities and much, much more. Shaun in the City and Brunelcare This year Brunelcare are sponsoring a Shaun in the City sculpture called ‘Sparkles the Unicorn’, part of the Bristol ‘Shaun in the City’ trail from Monday 6th July to Monday Sparkles pictured with our CEO Paula Kennedy 31st August. (left) and Emily Golden (right) the designer The flock of 70 sculptures appear in iconic Brunelcare are finding ways to involve friends, locations and green spaces all over Bristol, family, residents and our local communities in before being auctioned to raise money for the sponsorship, along with looking forward to Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal, the seeing Sparkles in the Bristol trail this summer, Bristol Children’s Hospital charity in located at Horfield Common! October. Our thanks to staff and residents for knitting 100+ little Shaun's. They will be sold in aid of This is a great opportunity to raise the The Grand Appeal. Here is one of the first profile of Brunelcare, along with raising knitted Shaun’s that his owner, Lucy Davis, in money for Bristol Childrens’ Hospital. Brunelcare’s Finance team, took with her to Nick Park CBE, creator of Shaun the Sheep, complete the London sculpture trail! Aardman Animations says: “ “It’s been a busy year for Shaun, he has just launched his first movie and now he has his very own arts trail! Shaun is such a well- Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation. Charity no. 1043603 loved character with so many fans around Shaun the Sheep & Shaun in the City ©& ™ Aardman the globe, I am sure many will flock to Animations Ltd 2015 Bristol to be part of the fun.” “ To find out more please visit www.shauninthecity.org.uk 2 grapevine Summer 2015 Brunelcare do care! We sometimes hear that Brunelcare don’t care. We do care. Over the last couple of years we have been asking tenants questions about our service and we have been adapting our way We also make referrals to and liaise with GPs, Social Workers, Care Direct, Mental of working, to put you at the Health, Chiropodists, Opticians, Home Care heart of what we do. Agencies and many more bodies to help improve the health and welfare for you, our tenants. Brunelcare can provide aids and One of the main things you told us was that adaptions for your home to help you the sites were too quiet, with little or no maintain your independence. This can activity. Of course this varies from site to site range from a grab rail to a level access but we have been trying to facilitate a range shower. of activities on sites i.e. bacon butties, Some tenants need help with difficult issues flexercise, quizzes and cream teas. such as hoarding and alcohol abuse. We are We thought it would also be of interest to continually developing our knowledge to you all to know the other areas of support help us work together with you to overcome we offer: difficult times. Over the last 12 months we have received Wills and funerals are not an easy subject to over £8,000 in charity grants to help tenants discuss but we are available to advise and overcome financial difficulties, along with 10 point you in the right direction to set this up. Crisis Prevention Loans. This is to help with Marigolds is an in-house service that offers debt management and to ensure that help with all household chores including everyone can manage financially. one-off spring cleans and escorting to and On behalf of tenants, we have applied for from hospital appointments. and been successful in securing several benefits: This is just a summary of the work we • Attendance Allowance: 34 undertake on your behalf. • Carers Allowances: 4 If you have any issues or concerns or would • Housing Benefits and Council benefit with help from us please don’t Tax relief: 174 hesitate to speak to any member of the • Disability Living Allowance/ team. We would like to reassure you that Personal Independent Payment: 12 everything you discuss with us is treated in • Blue Badges & Bus Passes: 12 the strictest of confidence. grapevine Summer 2015 3 Tenants Voice 6th Anniversary Tenants Voice celebrated its 6th Anniversary in February this year. The group, which was originally formed in 2009, has gone from strength to strength during this time and has recently received interview training to help in the recruitment process for new members of staff. They volunteer their time each month to help Brunelcare improve its services so that they are appropriate and required by tenants. Don’t forget to look out for the Chairs report If your site does not have a Tenants Voice in Grapevine for more information on what Rep and you would like to find out more the group are currently working on, or check please contact Debs Holvey on the minutes from their meetings which are 0117 9144 233 or email put up on site notice boards. [email protected]. A Blast from the past at Cherry Tree Close David Hancock Back in 1963 when I was 15 years old, most Saturdays I worked for a butcher in Fishponds Road by the name of S.M.Church. Dave Parsons and myself delivered meat to people’s houses. Dave Parsons had a van and we delivered to Cherry Tree Close. There was 2 monks and they had 2 big dogs. We open the door. One monk was very tall about did bring big bones for the dogs and meat for 6ft 1” and the other monk was about 4ft. The the monks. The community room in Cherry Tree tree in the community garden was there in Close was the house that they lived in and there 1963. When I came here to live with my wife, was an archway to enter the yard and you Pamela, in 2010, I knew I had been here needed to ring a big bell on a rope, for them to before. 4 grapevine Summer 2015 The Call System Staff Awards and Centra Last year Brunelcare ran Tenant The call system installed in Community Awards your home is not just there and included a category for emergencies, although it for ‘Outstanding Staff is the quickest way of Member’. raising an alarm. This was done so that tenants had an opportunity to recognise the hard work of the Brunelcare staff who are unsung heroes on sites. The staff who won were Denver Jones, Jean Cierocki and Karen Hulton. We would like to offer a big well done to all three members of staff for their hard work, diligence and care. You all help people make the most of their lives. It is also there as a communication method for you to report things like: property faults, for contacting staff when they are on site, if you have lost Easy ways to your keys and can’t get in, you can ask pay your rent a neighbour to pull their cord. You can also pull the cord to report issues with No need to go out in all strangers on your site. The call system is monitored by Centra who are there weathers to pay your rent, you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year waiting can just ring Allpay on to help you. You can test your system anytime you like, just pull the cord and 0844 557 8321 anytime day or when Centra answer just let them know night and pay via the Automatic you are only testing the system. They Account Payment System. won’t mind; they would prefer you test the system regularly rather than All you need is your debit or credit card and waiting until you need it and then find your Allpay payment card. Call the number a problem. Don’t forget we also have and follow the instructions on the an out of hours maintenance team and automated system using your telephone key tenancy team available to assist you pad to enter your details, and that’s it. It’s should you need it, and the best way to quick and easy so why not give it a go. contact them is pull the cord. 0844 557 8321 grapevine Summer 2015 5 Childhood Memories My first Fag Age 9 - By I Cleaver Mrs Wilson shouted “Irene and Pearl come there. I looked at the inside window, she was over here.” Oh what does she want now eh? outside holding a small bag. I ran out “I need one of you’s to do my shopping”. shouting “what did you buy? ” Pearl said Pearl jumped in “I’ll do it for you Misses”. “Let’s walk down the road a bit”. “Ok”. We Myself and Pearl were standing outside the were in the park when Pearl opened the bag old lady’s door waiting for her to give us the and pulled out a box of matches. “Are we shopping list. “Isn’t it great Pearl” I gonny make a bonfire with these?” “No” she whispered. “We’re gonny get money for said and then pulled out fags, five sweeties today. “That’s what you think”. “Eh Woodbines. I looked surprised at her, I what do you mean by that Pearl?” “You’ll didn’t how to smoke. “Would you like to try see”. So we got the shopping for the old lady it Irene?” “Ok”. Then she opened the fag and she told us to keep the change.