Keeping you safe .........................................................................p2 School’s out for summer .........................................................p3 Gardening competition ......................................................p4-5 Paying your rent .......................................................................... p6 Best Start Grant ...........................................................................p7 Energy Efficiency ........................................................................ p9 SUMMER 2019 NEWSLETTER 79 Ways to have your say .............................................................p10 JoinSave us the at our Date! AGM Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday 19th September 2019 at Dumfries House, Cumnock from 11am. The event is open to all our members so why not come along and join us to find out what we’ve been up to and tell us what matters to you? Being a member of the Association enables you to vote at the AGM and have your say on various issues affecting tenants. Becoming a member is simple, a short application form and £1 joining fee is all that’s required. If you would like to become a member or would like more information, please contact our office. Whilst tenants who are not If you are interested in joining us members are unable to vote in at the meeting and you require the formal section of the AGM, transport, please contact Jade tenants are more than welcome McLelland on 01290 421130 or at to come along and enjoy the day. [email protected]. It’s a great opportunity to meet You can also register to attend by with neighbours, have a chat with visiting our website at staff and get involved with your www.shirehousing.co.uk local community. We are also always looking for The event will start at 11am, with new members to join our Board food and refreshments followed to help us do the right things to by the formal AGM, prize draws continue to protect the interests and lots more. of our tenants. If you have a few The agenda will include the usual hours to spare each month and items such as the Chair’s Report, want to help influence what we do, the Auditor’s Report and election then why not consider joining our of Board Members. Board? We’d love to hear from you. Newsletter of Shire Housing Association Limited, Netherthird House, Netherthird, Cumnock, KA18 3DB T: 01290 421130 E: [email protected] W: www.shirehousing.co.uk facebook.com/shirehousing SHIRE HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED IS A REGISTERED CHARITY NO SC038664 Find us on Twitter: @shire_HA Keeping you safe… getting it sorted We want to thank the many tenants that will be doing and what you need to do to be ready for have assisted us in allowing access to your re wire. your homes so that we can carry out our We know there will be some mess and that you will be vital rewiring work so that your homes disturbed for the duration of the works. We know that you may have to undertake some redecorating and we remain safe and efficient for many years will help with this by contributing a £100 voucher. to come. Faulty electrics can cause fires and fires can ruin lives. We have to stress that this work must be completed – The work that we must carry out will take about 2 it is simply too dangerous not to do it and we need all days and you will be left with all new wiring, new and remaining households to work with us to allow access additional sockets and most importantly peace of to have the works carried out. mind for you and your family. Our contractor will visit you to assess what works will Call now to arrange your asbestos survey and rewire. be required, they will explain to you in detail what they GD Chalmers 0141 889 6233 Care & Repair Remember Shire Housing also provides the East TATTIE MODERN Ayrshire Care & Repair service on behalf of East EAST AYRSHIRE Ayrshire Council. BROUGHT TO YOU BY SHIRE HOUSING ASSOCIATION! Do you have family, friends or neighbours who are elderly or Tattie Modern East Ayrshire are proud disabled homeowners? If so, they to announce our hunt for talent. may benefit from this wonderful Can you produce a painting, a piece of art or a photograph service. that reflects your local community? If so, send us a picture of it Care & Repair offer the following: and it could feature on Shire Housing’s BRAND NEW Instagram – small repairs, safety/security page, website and all other social media platforms! installations, preventative works There are 3 age categories: and advice and assistance with There will referrals to Occupational Therapy. • 6 – 12 be first prizes for all winners Please contact Peggy-Anne • 12 – 18 • 18 – 175! in these Miller or Lucy Urquhart on 01290 categories 428013/428011 to find out how we Closing date 1st September 2019. can help. All entries should be emailed into John Giddings at [email protected] Please include your name and address and mark your email TATTIE Modern art competition 2 Shire News Summer 2019 School’s out forBut what asummer! spring we have had! At Shire we value our many skills to carry with them Wowwwww we have not stopped young people and have into their working lives. and let me tell you – it’s hard work • We donated kitchen equipment keeping up with these young guys been so lucky to work with and gals! several academies and so that Doon Academy could open their fantastic in-house This summer we are launching our primary schools across Barista Bar ‘food fantastic for changing food East Ayrshire. • We held a getting to know your lovers lives’ project and inviting • This spring we have launched community event with the kids academies to participate in our 4 more Learn4Work challenges at Catrine Primary School life changing ‘digitalising local in partnership with the Ayrshire communities – let the kids show Chamber of Commerce, • Supported Doon academy’s you how it’s done!’ project. digital learning week by Loudoun Academy, Grange We will continue to work with the Academy, Doon Academy and providing classroom sessions with a range of young people to Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, Stewarton Academy – these investing in young people to help challenges have produced explain what IT looks like in the workplace! support fantastic communities and brilliant results and have given make sure that our tenants of the the young people involved future are valued and empowered. Shire News Summer 2019 3 The Greatest Gardening and Growing Competition Do you love growing things as much as we all like looking at things growing? Do you have a garden, a communal garden space, a tub, a hanging basket or a veg patch? Do you want to know a secret? Shire LOVES all things green and this year we are going all out to celebrate the efforts that many of you make to encourage wildlife and all things beautiful into your community. 4 Shire News Summer 2019 We have a super duper list of Each of the main categories for you to consider categories will have a entering – you can enter as winner and a runner up. many as you like to increase • Winners will receive a your chances of winning. £50 gift voucher for a fabulous local garden Our categories are: centre • Best Garden • Runners up will receive • Best Veg Patch a £30 gift voucher from • Best Window Box, an equally fabulous Tub or Hanging Basket local garden centre • Best Communal Garden Our special category this year will have We will also choose an overall best just have 1 winner and no runner up, in show that will win a fabulous pair so we are expecting seriously high of tickets to the beautiful gardens standards, and will have the option of a at Culzean Castle! Seriously can you non-gardening voucher if they choose. afford not to enter, show off your amazing efforts and have a chance to • Best Young Gardener win a great prize? of the Shire! Entry forms will be available from our office, can be downloaded from our web site and Facebook page. You can even just send John Giddings Community Regeneration and Engagement office an email saying that you want to enter! Competition is open from 1st July 2019 and will close 15th August 2019. Contact John for more information on 01290 428 015 or email [email protected] Shire News Summer 2019 5 Paying your rent Your home could be at risk if you don’t pay your rent. We try to make it as easy as possible for You can pay: you to keep up to date with your rent • Online with a debit or credit card at payments, so there are lots of different www.allpayments.net ways you can make payments to your • By downloading the Allpay app, you rent account. can pay from your phone, anytime, It is always better to have regular, any place, any where scheduled payments set up, so that you For both of these methods you need the don’t have to worry about remembering reference number on your payment card. to make payments manually. This can If you do not have your card, we can be done by setting up a Direct Debit via help provide you with the number. our office or setting up a standing order with your bank. You can also pay using the following methods: There are many ways you can make one-off • Using your or additional payments rent payment to your rent account, at card at the a time and place that Post Office or suits you, 24 hours a anywhere you day, 7 days a week. As well as being see the sign convenient to you, they are cheaper • You can also make payments during for us, meaning we have more funds office hours either in person, or over available to invest in your homes.