Colchester Borough Homes

🏳️‍🌈 Our colleagues are really proud to support Pride this weekend.
This week, Colchester Borough Homes held a Sketch & Drag Lunch with tasty treats, creativity and a raffle, raising a fabulous £125 for Colchester Pride. Colchester Pride

🏳️‍🌈 We're also sponsoring Colchester Pride's event at Firstsite this Saturday (17th). Come and say hi and enter the prize draw! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

📚 Have you got a teenager getting ready for the new school year?

If your teen is continuing in education or training, don’t forget to extend your Child Benefit claim! 💡 Make sure you don’t miss out on up to £1,331 next year—it's quick and easy update your details online or through the HMRC app.

👉 https://ow.ly/VPv550SwWCS

🚨 Did you know, as a Council tenant or leaseholder you DO NOT automatically have insurance for fire, theft, or water damage to your personal possessions.

We do make it easy for you to insure your belongings under a special household contents insurance scheme. This insurance is arranged with Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance plc and is available only to Council tenants and leaseholders.

🔗 Find out more: https://cbhomes.org.uk/help-advice/money-advice/insurance/

Calling all green fingered tenants! 🌿 Nominate yourself (or a friend) in the Best Garden category at our Good Neighbour awards. 🏆 Any size garden is eligible, and uniqueness is encouraged!

🌻 Find out more about this as well as our other awards: https://cbhomes.org.uk/good-neighbour-awards-24

Great to see so many people stopping by our market stall on Culver St today! 🙌 Some of our team and engaged tenants were out helping people with all sorts of information, enquiries and questions.

We were also letting people know about our Tenant Satisfaction Measure Survey, where you get a chance to tell us how we're doing. 💬✨

👉 Have your say here: https://arpsurveys.co.uk/cbh/f

🔙🏠 Back to the Floor, with our new Director of Assets, Chris Wait!

Chris believes in getting out and about with staff in order to build his knowledge of CBH and understand what goes on at the grassroots level. Here's what he had to say:

"Today I joined Claire Warne and Dave Allen (Void Supervisors) who took me to visit some of our newly vacated void properties and one that was recently completed and ready to let. It was great to see how well organised and passionate both Claire and Dave were about turning round empty properties quickly, to a great quality. Together they manage over 400 voids per year and help ensure we provide safe, warm and secure homes for our residents. Managing communications, contractors and expectations is a huge task for all housing providers and it was great to see we have an experienced, helpful team working hard to ensure we deliver a great service."

👍🔑🏡👷‍♂️

😊We're excited to announce that we’ve awarded £19,757 in grants to 25 community groups, including three amazing youth projects, through our latest Community Fund round! 🏆✨

We're thrilled to be able to support initiatives that benefit Colchester residents. This latest round of funding focuses on projects addressing the cost-of-living crisis and enhancing the lives of CBH tenants and the wider community. 🌟

Among the recipients are fantastic organizations like

🏫 St Annes Youth Club
🕺 Underdog Crew
🧸 St Andrews Stay & Play
🍽️ Colchester Food Bank
🎭 Packing Shed Theatre
🎗️ Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation
🌱 Greenstead Gardening Group
☕ Colchester Community Cafe
🏠 Haven Project

A big thank you to our panel of five dedicated customers who judged the applications and made these grants possible. 💬🗳️

We’re proud to support these initiatives and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on our community! 🌍❤️

Colchester Youth Festival is coming! 🎈🎉 Join us on 20 August for a day packed with FREE activities across Colchester. From martial arts and parkour to skateboarding and art sessions, there’s something for everyone!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Highlights Include:

🏛️ Fun activities at the Town Hall and Crouch Street
🎯 Exciting sessions at Urban Xtreme, including axe throwing
🥋 Martial arts classes and parkour at Castle Park
🏢 Information stalls at Lion Walk
🛹 Free skateboarding and basketball at Firstsite, plus creative workshops

This festival is perfect for families looking for a fantastic, budget-friendly day out. Create wonderful memories without spending a penny!

📅 Date: 20 August 2024
📍 Location: Various spots in Colchester

Our Community Market stall is back in Lion Walk next Friday 🙌

See how you can get involved in making a difference, or just pop along for a chat! 😊 We also would love to tell you about our Tenant Satisfaction Measure Survey - you can find it here: https://arpsurveys.co.uk/cbh/f

🌞 What a brilliant day out! 🌞

We're really pleased our first round of Community Funding could help pay for a wonderful trip for 95 Greenstead Residents to Maldon yesterday. The weather was perfect for enjoying the splash park, rides, animal park, and just chilling. So many great memories were made!

A big thank you to Waitrose for topping up the coach fund and to Tesco for supporting the lunch bags. We're proud to be part of such a supportive community. 🚌💚

📷: Greenstead Community Centre

🌞 Feeling the heat? Here are some simple tips to keep your home cool and stay comfortable:

Close windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun to block out the heat. 🏠

Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and refreshed. 💧

Stay safe and enjoy the summer! 😅

Wow 🤩 What an amazing addition to Grymes D**e Court! ✨🎨

We're excited to reveal a beautiful new mural of Celtic warrior queen Boudica at Grymes D**e Court, one of our sheltered housing schemes. 🏺👑

Created by CBH employee Sarah Jones in her spare time, this vibrant artwork took four months to complete and was designed in collaboration with residents. The mural features Boudica against the historic Grymes D**e, celebrating the area's rich history. 🖌️🌿

The mural was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Colchester, Lesley Scott-Boutell, and it highlights CBH's commitment to engaging with local communities and creating a welcoming environment for residents. 🌟👑

🌟🌟Our 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey is now live! Take a moment to share your thoughts and you could win one of ten £100 shopping vouchers. 👍

https://arpsurveys.co.uk/cbh/f

🌟 We're proud to support The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation with a donation of £1,350 from our Community Funds. 🌟

We're pleased to contribute to such a meaningful cause, helping young people with cancer and their families in their times of need. 🎗️

The foundation shared a story that highlights the impact of our support. Aiden was diagnosed at 14 with osteosarcoma, and his journey has been challenging, with multiple surgeries and extensive chemotherapy. Thanks to donations like ours, the Foundation has been able to fund vital physio sessions for Aiden, aiding his recovery. 💪

📷: Aiden, courtesy of the The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation

🎶 ...Everybody Needs Good Neighbours!

Do you have a brilliant neighbour who regularly helps others and makes a difference in your community? Nominate them for the Good Neighbour Awards and they could win £75 in vouchers! 🎉 All the pics are of our 2023 Award Winners! 🙌

🏆 Award Categories 🏆

Community Champion 🏅: For unsung heroes making our community great.

Older Persons Champion 👵: Recognizing tenants over 60 who go above and beyond.

Good Neighbour Award 🤝: For those always ready to lend a hand.

Younger Persons Champion 🌟: Celebrating young stars aged 5-18.

Home Carer Award ❤️: Honoring dedicated home carers.

Best Garden Award 🌺: Showcasing unique and charming gardens.

More info at cbhomes.org.uk/good-neighbour-awards-24/
Nomination Deadline: Sunday 25 August 2024

Let's celebrate the amazing contributions of our neighbours! 🌟 Nominate today and make a difference in your community! ❤️

🙌Shout out to the amazing volunteers from GoodGym Colchester - Ella, Denise, and Frazer - they've made a huge difference at Walnut Tree House! 🏡✨

At the tenants' request, they've cleared three garden bags filled with weeds and moss from the outside area of this sheltered scheme. 🌟🌳

Good Gym's efforts complement our grounds maintenance and bring extra sparkle to our sheltered schemes. They visit one of our 20 sheltered schemes once a month for a spring clean and tidy up. 🌸🧹

Thank you, Good Gym, for your dedication and hard work! 💪❤️

There's plans afoot to make changes to Castle Park's play area, and Colchester City Council are looking for feedback from anyone who uses it!

Have your say in the link below ⬇️

Meet Sydney the Tortoise! 🐢 An extra special resident at our sheltered scheme in St Edmunds House, a new property transferred over to Colchester City Council by another housing provider earlier this year. Sydney's a big fan of the communal gardens at the scheme 🌸🌿, and both Sydney and the gardens are well looked after by the tenants.

Great work, St Edmunds House! 🌟👏

😲 Wow! These new one bedroom maisonettes are nearly finished and looking amazing 🏘️!

These properties in Prospero Close are really fantastic! We'd love to speak to anyone thinking about downsizing their existing property who might be interested.

Downsizing frees up bigger homes for families who need them, and we can offer incentives so everyone involved comes away with a big smile on their face. 😊

🍴 More free cookery classes, funded by us! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳 These ones are for pre-schoolers in Greenstead. Take your pick from 🍜 noodles or 🍰 cheesecake. We wouldn't say no to either!

📅 Book here:

Mon 15th July: https://portal.cookstars.franscape.io/class-overview/250
Mon 22nd July: https://portal.cookstars.franscape.io/class-overview/251

Whilst we work through the backlog of forms we've temporarily suspended the online repairs form. If you have an urgent repair, get in touch via e-mail, phone or in person. We hope to have the online form back in operation as soon as possible.

🚨💻 If you've submitted a fault or repair via an online form in the last 3 weeks, an unexpected consequence of updates to our website mean there has been a delay in us receiving them and we may not have seen or actioned the fault yet.

If your repair is urgent or has escalated since you submitted a form, please contact us directly either by phone, e-mail or in person: https://cbhomes.org.uk/contact-us/

We expect to be able to work through the backlog in the coming days and weeks. Apologies for any inconvenience. 🙏

🎉 Celebrating Women’s Aid's 50th anniversary! At CBH, we're proud to support this milestone and highlight our ongoing commitment to helping victims and survivors of domestic abuse. 🏡💜

In the past year, we've made significant strides towards the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance Accreditation, demonstrating our dedication to this crucial cause. Our efforts align with Women’s Aid's "Come Together Campaign," and we're thrilled to join in using their hashtag .

🍰 To commemorate this special occasion, we recently held a cake sale and raised an impressive £276.39 for Women’s Aid! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who baked, bought, donated, and supported us on the day. Your contributions make a real difference.

For more information on how we support victims of domestic abuse, visit: womensaid.org.uk

🚨💻 If you've submitted a fault or repair via an online form in the last 3 weeks, an unexpected consequence of updates to our website mean there has been a delay in us receiving them and we may not have seen or actioned the fault yet.

If your repair is urgent or has escalated since you submitted a form, please contact us directly either by phone, e-mail or in person: https://cbhomes.org.uk/contact-us/

We expect to be able to work through the backlog in the coming days and weeks. Apologies for any inconvenience. 🙏

We're excited to announce our Community Market is back in Lion Walk this Friday 🙌

See how you can get involved in making a difference, or just pop along for a chat and catch up on what we're up to! 😊

🗓️ Date: Friday 5 July
⏰ Time: 10.30 AM - 2.30 PM
📍 Location: Lion Walk

🍳👩‍🍳 It's always a pleasure to fund these fantastic Cook Stars Colchester sessions taking place over the Summer Holidays. 🌞🍴 Completely FREE cookery lessons for the kids! Important skills & tasty food. 😋 Hurry though, they book up fast! 🏃‍♂️

🌞 Summer at Walnut Tree House! 🌸

These tenants at one of our sheltered schemes look after the raised flower beds in the communal garden. Their time and effort spent cultivating these flower beds mean they look absolutely splendid! 🌺🌿 It is widely known that gardening is good for well-being, and it has also brought this sheltered community together. 🤝

🎉🎂 A huge Happy Birthday to Worsnop House resident Hilda who turned 101 last Friday! 🎂🎉

Hilda is a much-loved and very sociable resident, attending events and joining the other residents daily for coffee mornings ☕ and afternoon tea 🍰. She is always keen to share her opinions on things, and remains very independent - still cooking all her meals for herself from scratch! 🍳

We hope you had a brilliant day, Hilda! 🎈🎁

😎Summer in our Sheltered Schemes!

Last week the residents of Grymes D**e Court marked the anniversary of the D-Day landings with a celebratory party. What a fantastic event! 🇬🇧

Turns out not a one-off after all! Back by popular demand!

Discount Cat Microchipping: Tuesday 25 June & Monday 15 July, 1-3pm

https://www.facebook.com/colboroughhomes/posts/875043827998166

🐱✨ This Friday: A special one-off event offering big discounts on cat microchipping!

From today, it is now a legal requirement to have your cat microchipped. Colchester Caring For Our Cats are offering this service at a heavily discounted rate at Greenstead Community Centre on Friday.

💸 Suggested Donation: £5.00 or a box of cat food
🐾 Requirement: Cats MUST arrive in a cat carrier. No carrier bags, in arms, or cardboard boxes allowed.

For those with mobility issues, home visits are available! Please call Greenstead Community Centre at 01206 791979.

📞 Please call ahead if you're bringing your cat to ensure there are enough micro-chips. Walk-ins also welcome!

📅 Date: Friday, 14th June 2024
🕙 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

📢 Join us for our "Holding CBH to Account" workshop and have your voice heard! 🗣️

🗓️ Wednesday 3 July 2024
⏰ 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Come and discuss what matters to you:
🔹 Customer Satisfaction
🔹 Fair Treatment & Respect
🔹 Performance & Transparency
🔹 Accountability

This is your chance to influence our services and ensure we listen and act on your views! 💬✨

Reserve your spot today by contacting:
📧 [email protected]
📞 Tel: 07773050341

Let’s make a difference together! 🤝