Cowgate NewsWelcome to the fourth issue of Cowgate News!July 2010

You might have seen quite a bit of activityaround the estate in April when we did our thirdfortnight of action, and here are some of thethings that were happening.

• Dr Tony Thick was out and about doing‘Street Doctor’ on the streets of Cowgateoffering health checks and promoting thesurgery/walk-in centre on Ponteland Road.

• A few streets were brightened up withhanging baskets and residents wereencouraged to take time to tidy up gardensand remove bulky rubbish through theCouncil’s Envirocall service

• We also had a delegation of Dutch visitorswho were very interested in finding out aboutthe work that is happening in Cowgate andthe regeneration that is taking place

• A group of volunteers from ATiC (All Togetherin Cowgate) along with officers fromNorthumbria Police, the Council and Placesfor People, gave up a morning to startclearing up the old school field removing 15 bags of rubbish

• Unsightly graffiti was removed on the estategiving it a cleaner look

Watch out for our next week of action that’scoming up during 19-23 July when we’ll belooking for more community support andinvolvement to make Cowgate a better place to live. For more information call ShamsunChoudhury on 0191 277 1827.

April Fortnight of Action

Cowgate News Competition Winner!Congratulations to Mrs Ilo, the winner of our April Newsletter competition.

Mrs Ilo won £25 of Morrison’s vouchers, so make sure you enterthe competition in this issue and you too could be a winner!

Following on from last year’s successfulprogramme of activities, a similar series ofevents is being planned for this summer!

Organisations who are involved in deliveringthe programme are:

Active NewcastleArts Development teamATiC groupCatch 22Community Development teamCowgate Neighbourhood Centre staffFamily Health and Community ProjectNACRONational TrustNewcastle FuturesPlay ServiceRookie SportsSt Peter’s PartnershipScotswood Area StrategyYouth Service

The programme will include art activities,family fun days including trips out to parksand beaches, and much more. There will alsobe activity sessions for children aged 5-12years, outdoor family activities such asfishing and sports, pamper sessions,outdoor water sports at Kielder, training forvolunteers and young people as well as manyother exciting opportunities. There really willbe something on offer for all ages and interests.

Further information will be available at anevent to be held at Cowgate NeighbourhoodCentre, Houghton Avenue on Sunday 25 July,and a programme with the dates and times ofall the events and activities on offer will bedelivered to each household before thesummer holidays.

If you would like any further information,please contact Ed Marley on 0191 277 1441, or emailed.marley@newcastle.gov.uk

Cowgate Decided!The Udecide Team have been out and abouton Cowgate for the last 6 months, working in partnership with the local police team, the Area Based Regeneration Team andcommunity facing workers from all sorts oflocal organisations and community groups –the first part of the project was completed onSaturday 23rd May when the results of localresidents voting were revealed at the Big Dayat Cowgate Neighbourhood Centre...

In total 286 local people had taken part in the decision making, ranking 7 differentsets of projects in order of preference todecide which 3 they would allocate £30,000of funding to. The funding was provided bythe Northumbria Police Authority and wasgiven to help build community spirit in thearea. Local people could find out about thedifferent projects on offer by reading aboutthem in a brochure or watching a DVD.Voting took place on a roadshow from theYour Homes Newcastle bus and also at theBig Day.

The projects which grabbed your votes were:Summer Holiday Activities, ActiveCowgate Sports Club and PositiveActivities for Young People.

Casting your votes is just the start of thework though - putting the ideas into practiceand getting local people involved is the nextstage and we'll be working hard to keep thepace and excitement going by deliveringthese projects and linking in with other thingsthat are already going on or are in thepipeline.

We are looking forward to welcoming somenew organisations into the area and tobringing some new opportunities your way –look out for our publicity and for our articlesin forthcoming newsletters!

If you want to find out more about Udecide or about any of the projects that have beenfunded then please telephone the team onFreephone 08000 73 17 80 or send an emailto alison.lamb@newcastle.gov.uk

Summer fun in Cowgate!

Warm welcome: Jane JohnstonMy name is Jane Johnston and I am the new YHN Housing Officer for Cowgate. I have beenbased in the area since the beginning of April 2010, having previously worked in the East Endfor about 4 years.

I am enjoying working in the Cowgate area as I find it challenging and rewarding. In my role as Housing Officer I manage all rent accounts, carry out estate inspections and also deal with anti-social behavior. Overall I am responsible for managing all the properties and looking afterall YHN tenants in Cowgate and hope that I can improve the lives of tenants whilst dealing with any problems that occur.

Fond farewell: Denise GrayIt’s farewell to Denise Gray, YHN Housing Services Manager, who has just left the patch.Denise had been working within the Housing division since 1983, and had been with YHNsince 2005. She will be missed!

Warm welcome and fond farewell

Advice and support on the estateAre you:

• Missing out on benefits?

• On a low income and not claiming tax credits?

• Struggling to pay your rent or Council Tax?

• Needing help to apply for AttendanceAllowance or Disability Living Allowance?

• Juggling to pay credit cards and store card bills?

• Needing advice on which fuel company to choose to cut your fuel bills?

• Worried about being in over your head with debt?

Newcastle Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Newcastle Welfare Rights Service offer free,independent and confidential advice.

Every year billions of pounds worth of benefitsand tax credits go unclaimed and they could helpyou understand what you are entitled to and helpsort out any money worries.

The CAB is open at the Cowgate NeighbourhoodCentre, on a Monday and Friday from 10am –2pm. You don’t need an appointment, just call in.

If you would like a free benefit check fromWelfare Rights, call 0191 277 2627.

More information is also available online at www.newcastlecab.org.uk andwww.newcastle.gov.uk/welfarerights

Cowgate Tenants and Residents Group

Help us plan Cowgate’s first official bonfire andfireworks display. We wantto put Cowgate on the mapfor hosting a greatcommunity event whereeveryone has a safe andenjoyable time.

Your input will be crucialin making this a success. If you would like to helpplan and organise thisevent contact KarenBrown, the CommunityDevelopment Worker for Cowgate on 0191 277 2459 or e-mailkaren.n.brown@newcastle.gov.uk

Firstly, we would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the tenants and residents who camealong to the open meeting held in June.

At the meeting, tenants and residentsidentified some issues that they would like the group to work towards improving.Priorities highlighted were:

• Anti-social behaviour

• Environmental issues

• Repairs Service

• Modern Homes Work

• Lettings

• Traffic on Ponteland Road

• Discretional Allowance Scheme (linked to YHN’s modernisation programme)

The committee is keen to make sure that the group represents the views of all the localresidents and would like people to attend theirmeetings from across the estate.

If you have any ideas on how you would like to see this happen, would like moreinformation, or if you would like to beinvolved in the management of the group,contact Karen Brown from CommunityDevelopment on 0191 277 2459karen.n.brown@newcastle.gov.uk or Corrina Cothill from Newcastle TenantsFederation on 0191 232 1371corrinac@newcastletenantsfed.org.uk

Left : Jane Johnston

Right: Denise Gray

Bonfire night – We need you

There are some ways to get rid of your unwanted items and helpthe environment...

Unwanted furnitureYou might not want your three piece suite anymore, but here are a few ways of gettingrid of your unwanted furniture.

Community Furniture (part of Community Transport)Community Furniture re-use and recycle furniture. If you’re updating your home then why notdonate your unwanted items to them? The team can pick up any unwanted items you havewhich are in good condition and it’s a great way to recycle resources to help the environmentand others at the same time. Community Furniture can also do house clearances, removalsand furniture storage.

Call Community Furniture on 0191 265 9267

Bulky rubbishYour bulky rubbish can be collected by Envirocall and each property can have up to 4 free collections a year.

You can have your unwanted fridges and freezers removed at the cost of £15 per item.

You can also contact Envirocall about bin collections, fly tipping, graffiti, litter and street cleaning, street lighting, road and footpath repairs, grass and shrub maintenance, gritting and snow clearance, pest control, traffic signals and trees.

Call Envirocall on 0191 274 4000

RecyclingRemember your recycling day is TUESDAY and collections are done once a fortnight. By recycling we can help protect the environment by reducing the amount of items that go to landfills. Your blue recycling bin should be put out beside your green bin. Please makesure the bin lid is fully closed when it is put out for collection and don't leave anything besidethe bin as it will not be collected.

Bin dayYour bin collection day is TUESDAY, and remember to take back your bins once thecollection’s been made.

Thinking of having a spring clean?

The main building is closed to the general public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, otherwiseit is open between 9am and 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Neighbourhood Centre relies heavily on volunteers to keep it open, so we’re alwayslooking for new people who have some spare time on their hands to help out on a voluntarybasis.

If you’re interested in finding out more about volunteering please callClaire Cowell on 0191 277 1767 or 0781 776 5806 on Mondays, Tuesdaysand Wednesdays.

For space/room hire call 0191 277 1775.

Cowgate Neighbourhood Centre

Monday10am – 2 pm Citizens Advice Bureau

1.30 – 4pm Nurse at Sure Start

4.15 – 5.30pm Boys Group 11-15 yrs. Term time (Family Health Project)

4.15 – 5.30pm Girls Group 11-15 yrs. Term time (Family Health Project)

Tuesday11am – 2pm Community PaybackScheme

1.30 – 4pm Nurse at Sure Start

4.15 – 5.30pm Youth Forum 13+yrs. Term time (Family Health Project)

Wednesday9.30 – 10.30am Credit Union

11.30am – 1.30pm Allotment Project(Fortnightly)

1.30 – 4pm Nurse at Sure Start

4 – 7pm Youth Café Term time (Family Health Project)

Thursday1.30 – 4pm Nurse at Sure Start

Friday10am – 2pm Citizens Advice Bureau

1.30 – 4pm Nurse at Sure Start

4 – 5pm Councillors Surgery (3rd Fri in month) in Café

4 – 5.30pm Girls Group 5-12 yrs. Main Hall

4.30 – 5.30pm Urban dance

8.30 – 10.30pm Saudi Society

Saturday and Sunday(Specific Bookings taken depending on volunteer’s availability)

Cowgate Neighbourhood Centre is located on Houghton Avenue and you’ve probablyseen that there are works going on at the Centre and here’s an update on what’s beenhappening.

The dining hall of the old school which was retained has now been refurbished. Final checksand finishing touches are being made to the hall, ready for it to be opened any day now. Therefurbishment has allowed for a large size hall (for up to 300 people), a large size trainingkitchen (with 4 work stations), and fully accessible toilet and grassed ‘spill-out’ picnic areaoutside. The hall will be a multi-use area and will also offer a focus for the young people of Cowgate to come together for activities and meetings.

Work has also started on rooms behind the old main hall, within the main part of the Centre.These works will create a formal training suite and a fully equipped family room, and a fullyaccessible toilet. Work will also be carried out to the main hall including audio and visualequipment systems.

The Centre currently has a range of activities going on and includes the following:

Science City is making its mark in Cowgate.Dramatic science experiments have beentaking place across the estate ranging frommaking bath bombs and lip balm to naturewalks in search of the estate’s wildlife.

We’ve got a Community Science Grantto bring science to life in Cowgate and youcould get your hands on it.

Small grants from £1,000 up to £12,000 areavailable to community groups who want todeliver events, activites and projects in theircommunity to raise awareness about science.

The options are endless – you could do aproject on healthy living, organise a trip to a science centre, find out how to be moregreen at home, grow your own veg or dosome training to help find a job.

Debbie, Oli and Ravi from the CommunityScience team are on hand to help you comeup with ideas, fill in the application form and even deliver the project.

More information and an application form

can be found at www.newcastlesciencecity.com/community or call 0191 406 0293. RhianneDixon can also offer advice and you canemail her at rhianne.dixon@centre-west.com.

Science in Cowgate

• You look after a child you live with (you are a parent or guardian)

• The child is in school years 3 to 9 (usually aged 7 to 14)

• And you get free school meals, or incomebased Jobseekers’ Allowance, IncomeSupport, Child Tax Credits with income under£16,040, Guaranteed Pension Credit, incomebased Employment and Support Allowance,or certain immigration support.

• You don't already have a computer from the scheme

This is just a summary of the rules. You can getfull details and a claim form from the "HomeAccess Grant" on 0333 200 1004, from schoolsor Newcastle Welfare Rights on 0191 277 2627.

Get a free computer – It’s not too late!The Government will fund a computer and a year's free internet access for you if:

All Together in Cowgate (ATIC)

The ATiC group are keen to get people to use Cowgate Neighbourhood Centre as a socialmeeting place for the residents of Cowgate. We are currently organising a big family event for 25 July to celebrate the 2 year countdown to the Olympics in 2012, and there will be lots of activities for all the family.

ATiC are also opening the Community Café at the Neighbourhood Centre on Mondaymornings from 9.30 to 11.30 - come along and have a bacon ‘sarnie’, full breakfast or a cup of tea and a chat. Please support us, as your input and ideas are useful and it is a good wayfor you to meet other residents who live on the estate.

Over the past few months we have been busy organising a number of successful eventsincluding parties for the under 8’s and their families - we also took part in a community cleanup with other residents and local workers as part of the last Cowgate Fortnight of Action. This took place on the field adjacent to the centre with the aim of eventually bringing it backinto use. It was a successful day and over 15 black bags of rubbish were removed.

For more information about ATiC, contact Cowgate Neighbourhood Centre on 0191 277 1775or pop into the Community Café on a Monday morning.

How tall are your sunflowers?It’s been a few months since we sent you your packet of sunflower seeds in our attemptto turn the estate into ‘Sunny Cowgate’.

If you haven’t already planted them the sunflowers are really easy to grow with instructions onthe packet. You can either plant the seeds directly into the soil in your garden or in pots if youprefer. Make sure you water them regularly, especially if it’s a hot, sunny day! If you would likeany more sunflower seeds, we still have a limited number of packets left, so please ring AngelaBarker on 0191 277 1828 and we will get them to you.

Send us a photo of you with your best sunflower by Friday 24th September – the best photowill win a prize and be featured in an edition of Cowgate News!

Please send your photos, along with your name, address and a contact telephone number to:

Angela BarkerArea Project OfficerNewcastle City CouncilGosforth Customer Service CentreRegent Farm Road Gosforth, Newcastle upon TyneNE3 3HD

Alternatively, you can e-mail your photos and contact details to: north-central@newcastle.gov.uk

Unfortunately, we will not be able to return any photos that have been posted to us.

Useful ContactsCommunity DevelopmentKaren Brown0191 277 2459

Cowgate NeighbourhoodCentre0191 277 1775

Envirocall0191 274 4000

Family Health andCommunity Project0191 277 1762

Newcastle Futures Mark Simmons07918 704 454

Northumbria Police0345 604 3043Or in an emergency call 999

Places for People Deb Botcherby0191 211 3101

Sure StartCowgate Office0191 277 1771

Blakelaw Office0191 214 2460

Ward Co-ordinatorRob Gillie – 0191 277 3569

Your Homes Newcastle(YHN) 0191 277 1000

Udecide – 08000 731780

Youth ServiceEd Marley – 0191 277 1441

Play ServicePaul Moore 0191 277 2675

Area Based RegenerationTeamPaul Marshall0191 277 1644

Paul Whiston0191 277 1640

Shamsun Choudhury0191 277 1827

Angela Barker0191 277 1828

Identify Cowgate Project –New SignageGroups of young people in Cowgate havestarted work designing a new brand andartwork for the new sign at the neighbourhoodcentre.

Working with visual artist and graphicdesigner, Leanne Pearce, the groups havebeen looking at text and imagery whichsummarises Cowgate for them and alsolooking at how other groups in the communitycan be represented.

Artist and visual poet, Ira Lightman, will soonstart working on the estate with adults andolder people who are interested in having aninput to the new artwork which will representthe estate and also create new signage forthe neighbourhood centre. Anyone is welcometo join these workshops, if you are interestedplease contact Emily Crallan or Karen Brown.

The final stage of the project will occur overthe summer holidays. Designs and ideas fromthe initial workshops will be brought togetherinto final designs and the community will getthe chance to vote on their favourite.Workshops will be held on Monday morningsin the neighbourhood centre, with printmaker,Theresa Easton, who will be bringing thedesigns together and printing them with yourhelp ready to send to the manufacturers.

The pieces that make up the final artwork aregoing to be manufactured twice. The ideabeing that the additional pieces will be placedaround the estate as mini pieces of artwork –we also want your ideas on where they couldgo and there will be opportunities during thesummer to have your say.

For further details on the project pleasecontact Emily Crallan, Arts DevelopmentOfficer on 0191 2782961 or emailemily.crallan@newcastle.gov.uk.

Wanted! Yourmemories andphotos of CowgateHave you got old photos of life in Cowgate? Maybe of you,your family and friends orpictures of how Cowgate usedto look? If you do, we’d love to see them and help you toshare them with others on theestate.

You can email them to north-central@newcastle.gov.uk or bring them along to the

Olympic Big Lunch event on 25July at the Cowgate NeighbourhoodCentre, where we can scanthem onto a computer for you.

Please do not send us any of your original photos by postas we will not be able to returnthem. Let us know how youthink we should share thephotos with others, maybe on a website or a publication?

For more information contactShamsun Choudhury on 0191 277 1827.

Competition Time!For your chance to win £25 worth ofMorrison’s vouchers, answer these 6questions (the answers can all be foundwithin the Newsletter!) and either emailyour answers to northcentral@newcastle.gov.uk or post them – with your name,address and contact telephone number to:

Angela BarkerArea Project Officer – North Area TeamNewcastle City CouncilGosforth Customer Service CentreRegent Farm RoadGosforthNewcastle upon TyneNE3 3HD

Answers must be received by Friday 20 August 2010.

Questions

1. What are the names of the 3 KentonCouncillors?

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2. Who is the new YHN Housing Officer for Cowgate?

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3. Name 4 of the organisations involved in the Summer Activities programme.

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4. What is the telephone number for theCowgate Neighbourhood Centre?

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5. What days is the Citizens Advice Bureauopen at Cowgate Neighbourhood Centre?

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6. What is the closing date for the ‘SunnyCowgate’ sunflower competition?

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Name: ........................................................

Address: .....................................................

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Telephone number: ....................................

Chatterbox – come and havea natter!Cowgate Older Persons Group has a new name:‘Chatterbox’.

Chatterbox meets every Friday afternoon, from1pm to 3pm at Highmoor Court, WhitethornCrescent, for various activities and opportunitiesto meet other local residents.

Bob and Dorothy, a couple who attend the club,enjoy the short trips that the group makes.Recently Chatterbox went on a trip to SouthShields to visit the places where CatherineCookson spent her childhood and used as theinspiration and setting for many of her books.

Wendy, who has been coming to the club since it started, said ‘It’s a very friendly and sociableclub – you are assured of a warm welcome’.

Chatterbox is open to anyone aged over 50 livinglocally and transport can be provided to help youattend. Contact Karen Brown on 0191 277 2459for more information.

This is your newsletterTell us what you would like to see in the next editionof Cowgate News.Send us your comments on any issues within the estate or even join our mailing list.

Email us at: north-central@newcastle.gov.uk or call 0191 277 1640.

If you need this information in another format or language please phone on 0191 277 1640.

Kenton Ward CommitteeFor details of meetings please contact theWard Co-ordinator on 277 3569.

Kenton Ward Co-ordinator

Rob GillieKenton Ward Co-ordinatorI am the Ward Co-ordinator for Kenton Wardwhich includes the Cowgate Estate. I workclosely with the elected Councillors for theWard to ensure that local issues and prioritiesare considered.

I arrange the Kenton Ward Committees whichmeet every two months and these give localpeople an opportunity to have their say aboutlocal services or issues in the community. TheWard Committee also has a grant aid budgetto support voluntary and community groups.

I work closely with a range of officers in theCouncil and also with external partners suchas the Police and co-ordinate the SaferNeighbourhoods Action Problem Solving(SNAPS) meetings to address crime andcommunity safety issues in the area.

Contact me on 0191 277 3569 or e-mailrob.gillie@newcasle.gov.uk

Ward CouncillorsCouncillor Ged Bellc/o Members’ Services UnitRoom 150, Civic CentreNewcastle Upon TyneNE99 2BNPhone: 0191 230 0399Email: ged.bell@newcastle.gov.ukLabour

Councillor Margaret Carterc/o Members’ Services UnitRoom 150, Civic CentreNewcastle Upon TyneNE99 2BNPhone: 0191 284 8088Email: margaret.carter@newcastle.gov.ukLabour

Councillor Stephen Lambert32 Ivy Road, GosforthNewcastle Upon TyneNE3 1DBPhone: 0191 213 1641Email: stephen.lambert@newcastle.gov.ukLabour

Councillors surgeries1st Saturday of each month(Except August and Bank Holiday weekends)Kenton Neighbourhood CentreHillsview AvenueNorth Kenton10.30am – 11.30am

1st Saturday of each month(Except August and Bank Holiday weekends)Kenton Bar Drop-in CentreMallowburn Crescent10.30am – 11.30am

2nd Saturday of each month(Except August and Bank Holiday weekends)Montagu Estate Residents Association(MERA) HallWyndley PlaceMontagu Estate10.30am – 11.30am

3rd Friday of each month(Except August and Bank Holiday weekends)Cowgate Neighbourhood CentreMoorview Crescent4.00 – 5.00pm

Kenton Ward