SPRING 2011 THE SOUTH ESSEX HOMES NEWSLETTER

West End star Lee Mead tells Insightabout singing the national anthem atTwickenham , his new solo album and his memories growing up in Southend(See page 3)

PAGE 2 | Sheltered housing winsmajor award

PAGES 8 & 9 | A day in the life of a resident involvement officer

PAGE 11 | Just for fun

> I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

To learn how, turn to page 5.Also, all Insight readers can geta fantastic 10% off at GarriiBailey Hairdressing until 1 June 2011!

Welcome to the spring 2011 issue of your new-look Insight Magazine,providing you with the latest news, information and entertainment from South Essex Homes!

Chats with the Chair

Good com-municationwith residentsis very important toSouth EssexHomes, whichis why I'mvery excited

about the fresh new design and layout of Insight Magazine, with itsbrand new regular features, and thelaunch of South Essex Homes'Facebook and Twitter pages.

In this issue of Insight, you can lookforward to an exclusive celebrityinterview with Southend-born WestEnd star Lee Mead as he tours

around the country with his liveshow, an introduction to how youcan sign up to Facebook and Twitterand a special Mother's Day competition to give all you dedicatedmums out there the chance of winning a new hairstyle, courtesy ofGarrii Bailey Hairdressing. What'smore, all Insight Magazine readerscan get 10% off a haircut! What better way to get the new seasonunderway than with a fresh newlook?

This issue also containsCommunity News, an interview withtwo of our resident involvement officers, a Just for Fun section, pluslots of useful information about local

services and support provided bySouth Essex Homes and its partners.

I very much hope you enjoy yournew magazine and look forward toyour views (let us know what youthink by getting in touch with us viaone of the methods at the bottom of this page).

Happy Easter!

Best regards

Phil LyonsChair of South Essex Homes

Organised by the charity ElderlyAccommodation Counsel, the awardsrecognise the best sheltered accommodation across the UK asvoted for by the residents themselves.

The Gold award improves on theSilver award which Great Meadreceived last year. Sheltered housingofficer for the complex, Angela Wisken,said:“I was delighted that Great Meadwas nominated by our residents onceagain and that we've gone one betterthis time and clinched the Gold! Ourresidents are also winners of thisaward too because without theirenthusiasm and support, Great Meadwould not be the special place it hasbecome.

“I hope that next year will see more

of our residents putting their schemesforward as South Essex Homes' sheltered housing is definitely some ofthe best in the country.”

The Great Mead sheltered schemewas built in 1986 and comprises 46one-bedroom apartments. It is justone of the 22 sheltered housingschemes that South Essex Homesmanages on behalf of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.

The award reflects the importanceSouth Essex Homes staff place onempowering their residents to liveindependently for as long as theychoose in their own homes. Staff atthe organisation's sheltered housingschemes provide guidance and support to help their residents maintain an independent life which

includes providing extra care, or evenhelp with food shopping, gardeningand learning new skills.

Your Community,Your NewsGold for South Essex Homes' sheltered housing scheme!South Essex Homes has struck gold at the National Housing for Older People Awards 2011 wherethe Great Mead sheltered housing complex was named 'Best Retirement Home in the UK' for its size.

Award-winning team - (from left to right) CouncillorNigel Folkard, South Essex Homes Board memberMargaret Hutchings, sheltered housing officer AngelaWisken, residents of Great Mead Mrs Val Wilson andMrs Jean Childs and a representative of PeverelRetirement

Get in touchTo send in your story ideas for future issues of Insight

Magazine, or to provide feedback on something you've read,contact the Editor via the following methods:

Insight Magazine, 49 Alexandra Street,Southend on Sea, SS1 1BW

Phone: 01702 214 254Email: insightmagazine@acceleris-mc.com

2 | CHATS WITH THE CHAIR

MORE COMMUNITY NEWS ON PAGES 4 AND 5...

Southend StarsSouthend-born Lee Mead rose to fame when he won BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do.Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength, with long stints in hit West End musicals Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Wicked. He has also produced two solo albums, toured the UK and is due to make a third album.

When Insight magazine spoke to Lee, he was just getting back to normal after singing thenational anthem to a crowd of 83,000 at the England v Italy rugby match at Twickenham.

How was the experience, Lee?It was such a proud moment. It’s thebiggest crowd I’ve ever performedto. The second biggest was at theWembley Stadium Diana tribute concert in 2007 which was over60,000!

You’ve also recently given a performance at the SouthendCliffs Pavilion - how did it go?I jump at any excuse to come backand perform here! (Laughs) So I wasproud to be chosen as the guest ofhonour by the Leigh Orpheus malevoice choir. They were a lovely bunch- we did a small set but the responsefrom local people was great. Similarly,when the tour started last year inMay, by pure coincidence Southendwas the first location - what a placeto start, right in my home town!

You currently split your timebetween London and Kent but doyou get chance to come back toSouthend?I try to, as I love coming back, and myparents and my best friend are basedhere. My schedule does make it difficult though, especially West Endshows which can run for manymonths.

Your ‘big break’ was winning theBBC series ‘Any Dream Will Do’ –do you have any tips for youngpeople wanting to pursue acareer in musical theatre?Stay focused and be passionateabout what you do. The trick is to beyourself, and try not to take thingstoo seriously. It’s also vital to have asolid support base and I’m glad tosay my family and friends have beenfantastic from day one.

What are your favourite places inSouthend?Hadleigh Castle is one of my

favourites – I love the views over theThames Estuary. I also used to get thetrain from London and fondlyremember the first glimpse of theSouthend Pier that encapsulated the‘I’m nearly home’ feeling.

Congratulations to you andDenise (Van-Outen) on the arrivalof your daughter Betsy last May –how are you managing jugglingbeing a father and your busyschedule?Having a job and being a parent atthe same time is something that youhave to make work – it’s an adventure! It’s been a calmer start tothe year than 2010 when I went froman Oscar Wilde play, to Wicked, plus alot of my own live shows and it wasnon-stop. So now I’m enjoying having the chance to ‘play daddy’ toBetsy – which is proving absolutelywonderful!

What do your live shows involve?They’re a mix of West End hits, somegreat classics and my own solo work.It's great to interact with audiencesas myself too as I'm so used to being'in character'. I have a fantastic bandand a very special guest artist too.

What future projects are you particularly excited about?Production on my third album is dueto start quite soon. I’ll be taking thisaround the UK with a live tour, andthen I’ve got my first internationaltour starting in December. The firststop is Japan – so I’ve got just undera year to learn the language, slightlyambitious I know! (Laughs) That’squite exciting. I haven’t really tappedinto potential fan bases outside ofthe UK and I look forward to seeingwhat the response is like.

Are you able to pick a career highlight to date?

It was a great honour to sing for mycountry at Twickenham and theopportunity to play such huge WestEnd roles is fantastic. But I would saythat, from the very first stage roles Idid ten years ago, it’s always been apleasure to do what I love as a job - Icouldn’t ask for more.

Lee’s next UK tour promoting histhird solo album starts in October2010. For more information, live dates and to buy tickets, visit:www.leemeadmusic.com

SOUTHEND STARS | 3

Chiltern resident Victoria Aquilina has become a published wordsmith after entering a poem aboutdomestic abuse into a competition last year.

Her evocative poem,‘Stranger in the Mirror’ was chosenas part of an anthology called ‘Power of Poetry’, which isproduced by United Press. This is available at your locallibrary and can be purchased in bookstores worldwide.Well done to Vicky - keep up the good work!

As South Essex Homes is dedicatedto tackling ASB on its estates and tobuilding safer communities, we werevery proud when executive directorMario Ambrose was invited to be amember of a panel at the annual conference of the Social LandlordsCrime and Nuisance Group (SLCNG),the leading industry body for dealing

with ASB. Mario’s role on the day wasto answer questions from the audience and give his views on howto best tackle potential problems.

There was also a key note speech byJames Brokenshire MP, theParliamentary Under Secretary forCrime Reduction, in which he set out some of the new Coalition

Government’s ideas on tackling anti-social behaviour following theSpending Review.While these are yetto be confirmed, they include providing more Police CommunitySupport Officers to work alongsidecommunity groups and the localNeighbourhood Watch.

While Mario welcomed the proposals, he raised concerns that following cutbacks to essential services as a result of the SpendingReview, there may not be enoughresources for these plans withoutdiluting essential crime reduction services elsewhere. He asked for theGovernment to demonstrate how thiswill be done (we will include more onthis topic in the next issue of Insight).

South Essex Homes fightscrime and nuisanceIn November, South Essex Homes participated in a major event for social landlords toaddress issues such as crime, nuisance and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Grand slam – (from left to right) (back) tenniscoach Lynn with Jacey-Ann Harbour, Freddie

Harbour, and (front) Holly Gash and Sophie Gay

Vicky becomes published poet

The course, funded by South EssexHomes and Southend Tennis andLeisure Centre, gave youngsters theopportunity to try out the sport free-of-charge, in the hope they may wantto pursue tennis in the future.

South Essex Homes will be lookingto fund more sports taster sessionsthroughout 2011. For further

information about these activities andother free events across the borough,why not sign up to ‘Shout About It’ -our mailing list for those aged 18 andunder.

This year, we will also be holding freeadult swimming lessons!

For more information please call Sam Elliott on 01702 236135

Sports Taster Sessions A group of young people aged eight to 14 years had great fun and learned new sporting skills during a six-week tennis course at the end of 2010.

No stranger to the publishing world – Vicky Aquilina

4 | YOUR COMMUNIT Y, YOUR NE WS

Question time – (from left to right) Brian Rowntree, chairman of Northern Ireland Housing Executive,Bryan Healy, strategic advisor on community safety with Glasgow Housing Association, chief executiveof the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Sarah Webb, CIH corporate director Kathryn Edwards and (farright) South Essex Homes executive director Mario Ambrose

The Southend Crime and DisorderReduction Partnership’s (SouthendCDRP) Community Safety Roadshowvisited Southend Central Library to fitelectronic security tags to bicycles, andto hand out crime prevention materialto members of the public.

Eighteen bicycles were tagged andnumerous personal attack alarms,purse chains and UV property-markingkits were handed out during themorning session.

Chris English, spokesman forSouthend CDRP, said:“The partnershipis committed to providing members of

the public with practical and useful advice to ensure Southendremains a safe place to live.Everyone can benefit by comingalong to one of our events.”

Southend CDRP has teamed upwith Southend Libraries to offerthese free sessions as part of itsCommunity Safety Roadshow.A similar event was held atThorpedene Library in Shoeburyin February.

For more information, please visitwww.southendcdrp.co.uk

Bicycles tagged at Southend Central LibrarySouthend residents had a valuable insight into crime prevention at a free event atSouthend Central Library in January.

South Essex Homes has teamedup with local salon Garrii BaileyHairdressing to bring all you hard-working and devoted mums outthere a very special treat.

All mums who are residents of SouthEssex Homes can enter our Mother’sDay competition for a free hairmakeover to get spring – the seasonof new beginnings – well and trulyunderway!

To enter, ask one of your children,your partner, or another family member to write a short paragraphabout why you deserve a Mother’sDay Hair Makeover and send it to usvia one of the contact methods onpage 2, with ‘Mother’s Day Hair

Makeover’ as your letter’s subject.Please include a photograph of

yourself, your full name, postal addressand contact telephone number andsend your entries to us by 4 April2011 for your chance of winning.

We will then select the winning testimonial and get in touch with youto let you know how to claim yourfree wash, cut and colour. Your familytestimonial and fantastic hairmakeover photos will also appear inthe next issue of Insight!

Garrii Bailey is also offering a 10% discount on a cut and colour transformation for all South EssexHomes residents, valid until 1 June2011. Simply take a copy of this issue

of Insight into the salon where a stylistwill sign the voucher below for you.This offer is valid for a maximum of two people per household.

Garrii Bailey Hairdressing has nowentered its third year of business andthe salon is definitely the one to watch for 2011, with major involvement in London Fashion Weekthis spring.The team has already beenbooked for a wide range of events,thanks to their expertise in creatingthe most stunning looks, from glamour to avant-garde.

The salon is known for its quality of hairdressing and now it could beyour chance to experience it first-hand.

Mother’s Day pampering!

YOUR COMMUNIT Y, YOUR NE WS | 5

Mrs Nicholson of Westcliff provides details to PCSORichard Trueman who helps security-tag her bicycle

Tel: 01702 432322 Email: info@garriibailey.com

67 Hamlet Court Road,Westcliff on Sea, Southend on Sea

Stylist Signature (customer 1)

Stylist Signature (customer 2)

!

COMMUNITYThis year’s hotly anticipated annual free Community Tie-in event, with lots of fun activities and

information for the whole family, will be held at Southchurch Park on Weds 3rd August 2011, from 11am to 3pm.

This South Essex Homes funded event is organised by the Southend Tenants and Residents Federation and theTenants Voice Association.For more information, please contact Mike Chapman, Chair of the Committee, on

01702 308620 (answer phone) or the South Essex Homes Contact Centre on 0800 833 160 (freephone)

Did you know that there is a specialist service right here inSouthend to help all thosewho want to kick the habit?The South East Essex Primary

Care Trust Stop Smoking serviceis there for anyone who wantsadvice or support to stop smoking.They offer impartialinformation to help you thinkabout stopping and run specialistclinics and groups for those thatare ready to quit.

The service does not tell you tostop smoking but it will informyou of the health benefits ofchoosing to stop. It is run byhighly-skilled and experiencednurses and specialist advisorswho are there to pass on all thepractical skills, hints and tips thatmake an attempt to quit morelikely to succeed.You can alsofind out about all the differenttypes of nicotine replacementtherapy and other medications.

The Stop Smoking Team are atelephone call away on 01702313705

Pick up the phone and find outwhat you need to stop smokingtoday. And remember, you aretwice as likely to quit just by getting support.With medication, you are FOUR times more likely!Good luck!

South Essex Homes is completing arecruitment drive for a new TenantBoard member, to help bring a resident’s perspective to how weoperate.

South Essex Homes manages over6,000 council homes in Southend.Our Tenant Board members give residents a direct say on the servicesthey receive.

Once appointed, the new memberwill join an experienced Board of 14other people and will play a vital role

in shaping housing delivery, as wellas bringing a personal view on the development and future of the organisation.The position has a three-year term of office.

South Essex Homes tenant andBoard member, Bill O’Callaghan, said:“Without tenants on the Board noone would know about the issuesthat matter to the people on theground; we provide a link betweenreal people and those making thedecisions. As a tenant as well as a

Board member you have a responsibility to question decisions made about the community you live in and our viewsare always heard.”

The training which Tenant Boardmembers receive from South EssexHomes also helps them develop new skills, such as understanding government legislation, public speaking and reporting on complex issues that affect tenants.

Key performance indicators are performance figures which are collected by all housing organisations.

The figures are sent to Board membersof South Essex Homes every month andare also reported at committee meetings.The Board members can raiseconcerns about any performance indicator which is not meeting the target set or ask why this has happened.

Sometimes a good performance is

shown by a figure which is higher thanthe target figure. For example, we wantto answer as many calls to Careline within one minute as possible. Butsometimes a good performance isshown by a figure which is lower thanthe target figure, such as keeping theamount of rent arrears as low as possible.

Look out for more performance information in the next edition ofInsight!

Our performance6 | INSIGHT INFO

How are we performing? Key Performance Indicators

In the last edition of Insight, we reported our most recentresident satisfaction figures to you. In this issue, we wouldlike to report on some key performance indicators across aselection of different services.

The chart below shows our figures for February 2011.

Percentage of calls to Careline which are answered within one minute

Quality of call handling at the Customer ContactCentre (percentage of calls which are rated as'good')

Current rent arrears,shown as a percentage of the rent due

Void turnaround time (empty properties)

Anti-social behaviour cases successfully resolved

Tenants satisfied with completed repair jobs

Percentage of properties which have a current,valid gas safety certificate

Complaints responded to within ten working days

99.2% (98.5%)

96.1% (90%)

1.96% (2%)

27.7 days (26 days)

87.5% (77.5%)

97.3% (96%)

100% (100%)

100% (100%)

INDICATOR PERFORMANCE(TARGET)

ARE WE MEETINGOUR TARGET?

Do youwant tostopsmoking?

Giving residents a say

✓✓

✓✓

✓✓

✓✓

✓✓

✓✓

✓✓

✓✓

If you would like to attend one of our inspections or require more information, please contact us on freephone 0800 833 160. The types of repairs carried out following inspections include works to pathways, entrance doors, graffiti and grounds maintenance issues.We also post the results from all the completed inspections on our website: www.southessexhomes.co.uk

INSIGHT INFO | 7

What’s the state of your estate?In each edition of Insight, we list the inspections for the coming months.

5th April

6th April

7th April

12th April

13th April

14th April

19th April

20th April

21st April

27th April

28th April

Brutton Avenue, Dunster Avenue, Cheddar Avenue, Martock Avenue, Charles Close, Mendip Crescent,Mendip Road, Bridgewater Drive

Thistley Close, Treelawn Close, Treecot Drive, Hurst Way, Stonehill Road, Stonehill Close

Sandhurst Crescent, Tiptree Close, Harridge Road, Harridge Close, Picketts Avenue, Elmsleigh Drive, Fostal Close

Grampian, Brecon, Blackdown

Blenheim Chase, Randolph Close, Flemming Crescent, Woodleigh Avenue, Rayleigh Drive

Beaver Tower, Mansell Close, Hudson Crescent, Riverstone

Danescroft Drive, Danescroft Close, Irvington Close, Birch Close, Croft Close, Shannon Close

Eastwood Road North, Woodfarm Close, Leighwood Avenue, Bellhouse Lane, Little Fretches

Snakes Lane, Brendon Way, Prince Avenue, Broomfield Avenue, Highbank Close

Hunters Lodge, Norfolk Avenue, Manchester Drive, Pavillion Drive, Kent Avenue, Surrey Avenue, Suffolk Avenue

Yantlets, Westbourne Grove, Arterial Road

4th May

5th May

10th May

11th May

12th May

17th May

18th May

19th May

24th May

25th May

26th May

31st May

Cecil Court, Jones Close, Victoria Avenue, Hardwick Court, Burr Hill Chase,

Saxon Gardens, Woolpack, Viking Court, Cluny House

Northville Drive, Queen Annes Drive, Carlton Avenue, Fairview Drive, Rochester Drive, Colemans Avenue,Richmond Avenue

North Avenue, York Road, Portland Avenue, Heygate Road, Quebec Avenue, Baltic Avenue

Barringtons, Christchurch Court, Nursery Place, Chinchilla Road

Palmerston Road, Mornington House, First Avenue, Burleigh Court (Exterior Only)

Fairfax Drive, Gainsborough Drive, Cleveland Drive, Springfield Drive, Claremont Court, Inverness Avenue,Roots Hall Avenue, Elm Cottages

St Mary's, Boston Avenue, Princes Street, Avenue Road, Prittlewell Chase

East Street, Sutton Road, 81 - 101 East Street

Ruskin Avenue, Sycamore Grove, Wordsworth Close, Chestnut Grove, Bronte Mews, Betjeman Mews, Elliott Mews,Kipling Mews, Browning Avenue

Peartree Close, Pantile Avenue, Cokefield Avenue, Lornes Close, Lewes Road

Byron Avenue, Shelley Square, Bournemouth Park Road, Royston Avenue, Dickens Close, Tennyson Avenue,Cedar Close

AREADATE

1st June

2nd June

7th June

8th June

9th June

14th June

15th June

16th June

21st June

22nd June

23rd June

28th June

29th June

30th June

Bradfordbury, Rothwell Close, Eastwood Old Road

East Street Leigh, Eaton Road, Olive Avenue

Lundy Close, Western Approaches, Neil Armstrong Way

Cluny Square, Norwich Avenue, Norwich Close, Westbury Road, Weybourne Close

Crouchmans, Kestrel House, Great Mead, Longmans

Adams Elm House, Senier House

Mussett House, Furzefield

Bishop House, Scott House

Buckingham House, The Brambles, The Mulberries

The Jordan, Maple Square

Trevett House, Southchurch Rectory Chase

Keats House, Nayland House

Nicholson House, Norman Harris House

Steve MacAdden House, Westwood, Trafford House

Where are the two of you based?Both - Our time is split 50/50 across the office at CheviotHouse in Baxter Avenue, and out and about meeting residents and resident representatives.

What does your job involve?Clare - Our main goal is to talk to residents about the services they receive, so we can help make continualimprovements.This helps residents have their say, whetherit’s one of those rare occasions a contractor doesn’t turnup on time or anti-social behaviour in the local area.Wevisit residents’ associations (read more about these onpage 7), attend resident meetings, and generally get toknow people. Depending on the situation, we often get intouch with the caretaking, tenancy, estate management oranti-social behaviour teams, to resolve matters directly.Sam - Generally our team works to involve residents inevery service area provided by South Essex Homes.Wealso assist with resident-led projects which aim toenhance quality of life for residents, whether it’s improvingthe environments on our estates, providing support forthe community, or involving younger residents.

How would you describe a typical day at work?Sam - Our day normally consists of speaking to residentsand encouraging them to participate.We’re not totallyoffice-based so we’re able to meet residents at theirhomes. When we are in the office it gives us a chance to catch up on any admin and work on projects such asarranging positive activities for young people.The job

varies so much from day-to-day it’s difficult to describe a ‘typical day’!

How did you become a resident involvement officer?Clare - I started at South Essex Homes in 2006 supportingBoard members. I then went on to the customer feedbackdepartment, where I helped set up the compliments andcomplaints system as it exists today.Then the opportunitycame up for a resident involvement officer in 2008, andhaving worked a lot with residents in the past, it seemed a natural progression! I love the job.Sam - I joined the company in 2006 as an admin assistantin the Corporate Services Department; from there I movedto the Inspection Team and was subsequently secondedto Resident Involvement in 2007. I’ve found there are reallygood opportunities to progress within the company.

What would you say are the essential qualities you need to do your job?Clare - To be a good listener and see both sides to anystory. It’s important to consider the right thing to do forthe resident in question. And when you resolve a matterto their satisfaction, it’s very rewarding.Sam - You also need good communication andorganisation skills and to be committed to getting the job done.

What are the biggest challenges that you face on a daily basis?Clare - We will always do our best to reach a positive solution for all parties involved in a dispute, but as the oldadage goes,‘you can’t please everyone all of the time’, andsometimes confrontations happen.We also want to engage more with the younger generations as we find the majority of people we dealwith are mainly over 40. Perhaps our new Facebook andTwitter pages may be a good way for them to get intouch more with South Essex Homes? (Read more aboutsocial media on page 12).Sam - The team is introducing a number of new initiativesto involve residents so there will be a lot going on - themain challenge is fitting this all in to the working week!(Laughs)

At Southend Pier - Clare Harvey (left) and Sam Elliott (right)

A Unique Insight into……a day in the life of resident involvement officers Clare Harveyand Sam Elliott

8 | UNIQUE INSIGHT

In every edition of Insight, we speak to key employees or tenant representatives of South EssexHomes about their day-to-day role and how their contribution and hard work benefits the residents of South Essex Homes and the wider community.

For this issue, the Insight editorial team had a coffee with Clare and Sam to find out more about their job.

Continued on page 9

UNIQUE INSIGHT | 9

What is your favourite part of the job?Clare – I love meeting new people and attending resi-dent-led events and projects where you can really seewhere a difference is being made. Good examples of thisare the 30-year anniversary party of The Brambles, and theannual community award ceremony, both of which aregreat for bringing people together and rewarding thosewho look after their properties and community.We alsoreceive compliments and feedback directly from tenantsso we can gain an accurate picture of what they reallythink.This is where resident involvement officers becomepart of the community, as well as one of the faces of SouthEssex Homes.Sam – My favourite part of the job is completing a project which improves residents’ quality of life or makesthem happy. Being able to solve a problem which mightseem small to some, can make a huge difference to theindividual.

What do you do to unwind outside work anddo you have any holidays coming up?Clare - I go to the gym regularly, well, I try to! (Laughs) Ienjoy spending time with friends and family, plus holidaysare a major highlight of my year – this summer we’re hoping to go camping in western Spain and France.Sam - I like to relax with friends, watch films or stay athome with a good book. I haven’t got anything set instone for holidays yet. I love camping and watching greatbands so I normally go to music festivals - probably notmany people’s idea of a great holiday, but it’s certainlymine!

How would you describe Southend in threewords? Clare – History, culture, community.Sam - Full of surprises!

What is your hot beverage of choice?Clare – A latté.Sam - Definitely a nice cup of tea!

If you could do any other job in the world whatwould it be?Sam - A couple of years ago a job was advertised on thenews as ‘The Best Job in the World’, which involved beingthe caretaker of a tropical Australian island. I think I’d bepretty happy with that.Clare – I would have to say that as we already work welltogether I would have to be Sam’s ‘right hand girl’ on thisone! (Laughs)

Who was the last famous person you saw inthe street and what they were they doing?Clare - Gary Lineker, Christmas shopping in Harrods!Sam - Strangely enough I don’t think I’ve ever passed afamous person in the street - I normally have to pay lots of money to see them on stage!

Thank you to Clare and Sam for taking part in this interview! Next issue we will talk to Angela Wiskenabout being a sheltered housing officer.

If you can think of a person you’d like to nominate for an interview in future, please contact us via the details on page 2.

Back in the office - Clare Harvey (left) and Sam Elliott (right)

Is sheltered housing for you?

Each issue of Insight Magazine now comes with a personal message to readers from Mike Gatrell, Chief Executive of South Essex Homes.

From the desk of the Chief Executive

It has been abusy start to2011 and thetough economic climate isbringing challenges forindividuals

and organisations alike up and downthe country. South Essex Homes is nodifferent - a very real demonstration ofthis will be in the financial year2011/12, in which we face a significantreduction in our own funding.However, we are confident that theclose working relationship we enjoywith residents will help us to minimisethe impact of the reductions and protect the front-line housing serviceswhich you have told us matter to youmost.

Equally, there will now be less funding available than originallyexpected for the Decent Homes programme, which has enabled us tobring thousands of homes acrossSouthend-on-Sea to a good standardover the last few years.There is goodnews for Southend tenants, however,who are set to benefit from a further£10.4 million in Decent Homes funding, bringing the total South EssexHomes has received to £34 million.This money, split over the next twoyears, will pay for a range of physicalimprovements to council propertiesthat will include the installation of newkitchens, bathrooms, windows andboilers.The work will commence on a‘worst first’ basis and will also includerewiring properties and replacing roofing where required. I am obviously

delighted that the council and SouthEssex Homes have received the funding that was applied for to investin the future of council housing inSouthend.This is really good news fortenants who will be able to see a continuation of the programme todeliver real improvements in the condition of their homes over the next two years.

Notwithstanding the challenges2011 poses, it's certainly not all doomand gloom and the year is bringingpositive opportunities for South EssexHomes. I want us to continue workingwith residents and Southend BoroughCouncil to further develop the range ofservices we offer - so watch this space.

As we move with the times,providing energy-efficient housing istop of our priority list.We are veryproud that council stock in Southendhas some of the highest energy-efficiency ratings in the UK, but wewant to do even better! Through retrofitting properties (read moreabout one of our pilot schemes onpage 5) with measures such as solarpanels and air-source heat pumps, wecan improve the energy-efficiency andreduce the carbon footprint of ourorganisation as well as helping tolower customers' fuel costs.

Meanwhile, we have recentlybecome the first housing management organisation of our typein the country to be assessed as 'excellent' for our equality practices,under the Social Housing EqualityFramework (or SHEF, for short). I amdelighted, both personally and forSouth Essex Homes, as this is an independent endorsement of how we

genuinely tailor our services to our12,500 customers. It may surprise youto know how diverse our residents are:44 per cent are over 60 years old, 30per cent have a disability and nine per cent are from a Black or Asian background. So, to know we are genuinely delivering our services tosuit the needs of a wide range of individuals is great news.

Many of you may know by now thatSouth Essex Homes has also launchedits own Facebook page and Twittersite to communicate with residents! I am very pleased that we are embracing the possibilities of socialmedia, as it reflects the increasinglymodern ways that our tenants talk toeach other, but also who we are as anorganisation - young, new, and forward-thinking. Social media is away that we can show we are not a'stuffy' or old fashioned organisation;part of why we exist is to get involvedin the community, and Facebook andTwitter are good ways of doing that(read more about how you can talk tous via social media on page 12).

As always, we value your feedbackon anything you read in Insight, so ifyou would like to comment on thisarticle, please get in touch using thedetails on page 2.

I would like to wish all readers abright start to Spring - I, for one, amlooking forward to some warmerweather!

Mike Gatrell

1 0 | FROM THE DESK OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Dear Residents,Hello and welcome to the early Spring issue of Insight, your new-look quarterly magazine!

Is sheltered housing for you?If this is something you have oftenwondered and want to know moreabout, then don't miss our shelteredhousing open days! These provide afantastic opportunity for you to seesome of our high-standard accommodation first-hand and to get

a feel for the great atmosphere amongour residents!

Upcoming dates confirmed so far are:Great Mead13th May, 10.30am - 12.30pm21st October, 10.30am - 12.30pm

We hope to see you there!

For more information about what you can expect at the open days, callSheltered Housing on freephone0800 833 160. Also, keep your eyesand ears open for further dates on our website:www.southessexhomes.co.uk

JUST FOR FUN | 1 1

So, how well do YOU read Insight?

1. Which historic local landmark is oneof Lee Mead's favourite places inSouthend?

2. What is the name of the new website on hate crime that has justlaunched?a. True Cisionb. True Visionc. True View

3. Where will this year's CommunityTie-in Event be held?

4. Which major fashion event is GarriiBailey Hairdressing actively involved inthis year?a. London Fashion Week

b. Paris Fashion Weekc. New York Fashion Week

5. South Essex Homes has justlaunched new pages on Facebook andwhich other social networking site?

6. Where did one of South EssexHomes' resident involvement officersspot Gary Lineker at Christmas?

7. South Essex Homes was assessed as 'excellent' under the Social HousingEquality Framework - what was thisfor?a. Our education practicesb. Our employment practicesc. Our equality practices

8. One of South Essex Homes'

residents Vicky Aquilina recently had apoem published.What was the nameof the poem?

9. How many compliments letters areincluded in this issue of Insight?

10. This issue includes an insert with agreat range of courses that you canenrol on right here in Southend.Whereare these courses held?a. The BEST centreb. The BRILL centrec. The TEST centre

The winner of the prize draw will be named in the next edition ofInsight.

Just for FunFor your opportunity to be entered into a prize draw to win a £10 gift voucher,answer the questions below correctly (circlethe correct answer for the multiple choice questions),and send them to the contact details on page 2,with the subject‘Insight Quiz’. Be sure to include the best way to contact you (post/phone/email) when you get in touch!

Win a £10 voucher with Insight!

Send your answers to South Essex Homes with your name, age and address - all of these will be entered into a prize draw.This competition is for children under the age of 10.

Spot the difference!See if you can find and circle the five differences betweenthe two bees below for your chance of winning some fantastic coloured pens for your own artwork!

Many of our customers have sent ussome fantastic compliment letters overthe last few months thanking staff forthe services they've received, and wewanted to take this opportunity topublish some of them and to welcome

your feedback in future.If you have a compliment, suggestion

or comment you would like to featurein Insight Magazine, please send itthrough to us using one of the 'Get intouch' methods on page 2.This could

also include anything you've read inyour new-look Insight Magazine.What's more, if we choose yours as the Star Letter, you will receive a £10 gift voucher - it could be you!

Your Insight...

If you are one of the millions of people using social networking sites Facebook and Twitter and would like tokeep in touch with South Essex Homes and find out aboutnews and events, then why not visit our new Facebook and Twitter pages?

If you 'Like' our page on Facebook and 'Follow' us on Twitter, you'll be thefirst to hear about local news, events and updates and even have the chanceto enter some great local competitions!

Our page is constantly evolving and changing and we will have a lot ofinformative and fun developments to look forward to. If you have any ideas,comments or suggestions please do post on our Facebook Wall or send us a tweet on Twitter!

We've created these pages because we want to interact with you,so get involved! You can find us on Twitter here: www.twitter.com/SouthEssexHomes and on Facebook here:www.facebook.com/pages/SouthEssexHomes/171744876187375

The views and opinions of our customers are very important toSouth Essex Homes, which is why we are introducing a letters andfeedback section to Insight Magazine, called Your Insight...

Online InsightFollow South Essex Homes on Facebook and Twitter!

“The receptionist on the deskat Customer Services was reallyhelpful as they helped put meon the HomeSwapper Scheme- nothing was too much trouble for them!”Mrs B,Wharf Road

“Thank you to Lilian Britton in

Revenue Services for her letter

regarding the property I live in.

It was a pleasure to get a well-

written letter that explained

everything clearly. I can now

understand the rent and all its

ramifications.”

Mrs B, Great Mead

“Thank you to Steve Turner in the

Tenancy Sustainment department

for his consideration and sensitivity

towards the religious needs of

Jewish residents.”

A local Rabbi

“I am really impressed withRichard Martin and VictorGajewski,who arrived on time as arranged at 9.30am to install a Careline unit at my property despite atrocioussnowy weather.”Ms F,Grand Court West

“We would like to say a big thank

you to South Essex Homes for

the lovely carpets.Our communal

lounge is warm and homely

and the upstairs corridors are

so smart.”

Tenants at Nayland House

If you would like a copy of thisnewsletter in large print, on

audio tape or CD, in braille or on a CD rom, please phone

the above number

0800 833 160