TO

P 100 EMPLOYER

Welcome to Vibe- the staff magazine for plus dane group

inside this issue: see the Vibe... staff away days, comic relief and moref fashion show... how colleagues helped choose new uniforms f live your dream... career daysf sky diving challenge f Vibe news f my passions f celebrity look-alikes f Vibe family & friendsf me and my pet f Vibe recommends f babies, weddings and lots more staff news u

Issue 2 f June 2009

we’re in fashion...The fashion show event was organised to show staff therange of new options for workwear.

The styles came in navy blue, black and grey and staff were allowed to choose their favourites - which were greyand black.

The brave models on the plus dane catwalk on the dayincluded Alan Ormesher, Stephen Feeley and Kiel LaCruise, all from the Liverpool-based INES unit, and Dee Blake, Tim Edwards, Lee Saxton, Paul John, James Burndred and Chris Holdcroft, who all work in the property maintenance department in Cheshire.

Those who attended on the day also had the opportunity to see new designs for the livery of plus dane vans.

The dedicated followers of fashion at plus dane enjoyed a great day out at Congleton Town Hall -eyeing up the very latest trends in workwear!

Phil Pemberton Lee SaxtonJames Burndred Chris Holdcroft

we’re in fashion...The dedicated followers of fashion at plus dane enjoyed a great day out at Congleton Town Hall -eyeing up the very latest trends in workwear!

Dee BlakeTim EdwardsLee Saxton Paul John

plus dane’s Liverpool ONE apartments are being snapped up by customers loving thesestunning new homes at the exciting city centre location.

Within weeks of becoming available, the Hanover Street apartments have all been taken.Only 15 apartments are now available at College Lane and four at Paradise Street. A further23 apartments, within the final phase at Manesty’s Lane, will complete the package.

Our Liverpool ONE lettings team of Ben Kavanagh, Joanne Morfee, Alison Relph and Katie Davies has worked flat out to meet the high levels of demand. Half the College Laneblock was let in just over four hours on a busy Saturday afternoon open event and recordnumbers of queries are being handled by the team.

plus dane signed an innovative deal with Grosvenor to lease and let almost 100apartments within the £1.2 billion Liverpool ONE development. Residents can enjoy shops, restaurants, bars, a 14-screen cinema and five-acre park on their doorstep.

plus dane colleagues can apply to rent at Liverpool ONE, please contact the lettings team on 07890 073 966 or 07971 277 452 or visit the City Living page at www.liverpool-one.com for more details.

Loving it at Liverpool One

The Enterprise team and PinehurstNeighbourhood team led on a visit toLiverpool on behalf of Liverpool City Councilhosting delegates from 10 Europeancountries on 7 and 8 May.

The 21 visitors were all members of CoNet,a European Cohesion Network whichLiverpool is also a member of, sharing best practice at a neighbourhood level. This visit was an opportunity for networkingand examining the theme of ‘integratedservices’ in Liverpool.

The visitors enjoyed two days in the city,visiting key projects and examples of closeagency working at a neighbourhood level.

The Pinehurst Estate in Anfield is the subject of a CoNet pilot project tacklingworklessness led by plus dane.

As well as visiting work-related venues and organisations, the European visitors enjoyed spending time in Liverpool, seeing the sights.

plus dane welcomes EUROPEAN VISITORS

For further information contact Sonia Bassey-Williams, Head of EnterpriseDevelopment e sonia.bassey@neighbourhoodinvestor.com t 0151 703 2010

VibenewsBaby news...Lynsey Dusterloh, PA to Group Chief Executive, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Isabelle Mimi, on Thursday 19 March. Baby Isabelle weighed 8lb 3oz. Congratulations and well done Lynsey.

plus dane become Stonewall championsThe group has recently joined theStonewall Diversity Championsprogramme, reflecting itscommitment to lesbian, gay andbisexual people.

The Stonewall Diversity Championsprogramme offers a forum foremployers who are working topromote lesbian, gay and bisexualequality in the workplace, inspiredby their slogan - ‘people performbetter when they can bethemselves’.

They can engage with otheremployers, share best practice,maximise networking opportunitiesand also access specialist adviceand research on related issues.

For more details on the Stonewalland the Diversity ChampionsProgramme, go towww.stonewall.org.uk/at_work/

If you would like to speak tosomebody within plus dane formore information, please contact our Stonewall Diversity Champion,Chris Mather, 0151 708 4626.

Chris Mather

Anne Ward commended as a Housing HeroCongratulations to Anne Ward, Chief Integration Officer at plus dane,who has been 'highly commended' inthe UK's Housing Heroes Awards.

The Awards - organised by Inside Housing and the CIH - attracted hundredsof entries from across the UK. They aim to highlight the very best in the social andaffordable housing sector. Anne wasshortlisted to just six in the Chief Executiveof the Year category.

Anne and colleagues from plus danetravelled down to London on June 10. The ceremony was held at the Hilton Hotel. At the event, Anne was delighted to hearthat she had been highly commended.

Her shortlisting and commendation camein recognition of Anne's achievements with Dane Housing Group, and now plus dane.

She successfully led Dane from its original stock transfer roots, and worked hard withher team at Shepherd's Mill to transform the image of social housing. Anne hasalways placed tenants at the heart of herwork, and continues to use her experienceand skills for the new group following themerger last year.

Ken Perry paid tribute to Anne's leadershipskills and passion, calling her 'the originalNeighbourhood Investor'.

VibenewsTerms & ConditionsAll plus dane staff should now havereceived details through the post ofthe new terms and conditions ofemployment.

If anybody still has any queries,please contact a member of the HR team, who will be pleased to help.

Some issues, such as implementingthe 35-hour working week forCheshire staff and introducingflexible working, are still underdiscussion, and details will becirculated as and when appropriate.

Moving on up…As part of the new group widestructure within the Property andProcurement team, AdrianPennington has been appointed as Commercial Business Manager.

Adrian will beresponsible forbusinesssupport,procurement and customerexcellence within the team.

Martin Gladwinhas also joined the team as Head of AssetManagement. He will beresponsible fordelivery of ourasset management strategies and delivery of the £8m investment and planned programmes acrossthe group.

Every Penny CountsStaff from Shepherd's Mill organiseda successful event called EveryPenny Counts. Held at CongletonTown Hall, it helped residents withfinancial issues such as debt,income maximisation and how tosave money by switching energysuppliers. The event was open to allplus dane residents, and featuredtalks, workshops and a dramapresentation.

Steve McNicholas, Operations Manager at INES, was presentedwith his very own Oscar.

It might not have been inHollywood, but the RiversideOscars at the ContemporaryUrban Centre in Liverpool were just as exciting for those involved.

The event was held to say‘thank you’ to the differentpeople and organisations whoare working to improve life in theRiverside ward. Steve receivedhis Public Champion Oscar forthe years of hard work anddedication he has put in to helpingmake the Riverside neighbourhoods cleaner and greener places. He said: “It was a great night, and I was really pleased to get theaward.”

Different awards were given on the night, including the YouthChampions Award, which celebrated the work of four groups who have delivered projects and activities for children and youngpeople in Riverside, with the support of the Neighbourhood Fund,plus dane, Vicinity and City and North Neighbourhood ManagementServices.

The Community Champions Award was also presented to localresidents who work tirelessly to help make the ward a better place.

and the Oscar goes to…

Martin

Adrian

don’t forget…As a plus dane employee, you have accessto two extra schemes which may help you out financially. The HealthSure scheme isopen to staff after six months service, andprovides help towards the costs of dental andoptical treatment, as well as other therapies,treatments and consultancy. For a fee, youcan also upgrade, or add another adult. If you want to upgrade or make a claim,

go to www.healthsure.co.uk or call 0800 0856636.

Busy Bees childcare vouchers are also available towards the cost of approvedchildcare provision - using them can result in a saving of up to £2,392 perfamily per year. More details are available on www.busybeesvouchers.com oron 08000 430860.

VibenewsOn the trail…

Due to popular demand, PhilLillywhite and Julie Walker arereviving the pub treasure trail/quiz!

The evening will start at around 6pm, on Friday 24 July, ending with a light buffet and prize giving in thefinal pub.

We will be organising a coach for our Cheshire colleagues to bringthem here and take them back, sothey too can enjoy the delights ofLiverpool's ‘finest’ pubs!

You'll need to keep your wits aboutyou, because, along the way, you willneed to answer various questionsand also collect certain items tobring back. The judges will decideon the points awarded for the mostimaginative items returned. Onefurther requirement of the evening isthat you ‘must’ have a drink in eachpub. Some may find this difficult, asone is generally not enough!!

Embarrassing photos are certain toresult - and they may appear in thenext edition of Vibe !

NWHS and plus dane UPDATE plus dane has recently startedworking with North West HousingServices (NWHS) to offer gasservicing and maintenance contractsto NWHS clients.

This follows the successfulimplementation of arrangements toprovide Energy PerformanceCertificates by the Plus Vibrantpartnership.

NWHS will continue to purchase plus dane’s HR, Development andHardware Support Services.

Maurice Evanshas a long-standing relationship with plus dane - in fact, he was involved before Dane even existed!

Currently chair of the Dane Housing Board,he was approached to become involvedbefore the stock transfer took place in 1998.

He says: “I had not previously considered becoming involved in housing, but had always been interested in the subject. I remember my grandfather, back in the 1980s, refusing to exercise his right-to-buy on his council bungalow because of his firmbelief that good quality housing stock needed to remain in the hands of the council, or as now a social landlord such as plus dane, to make sure that decenthousing opportunities were available to all.”

Maurice has worked in banking for the whole of his career, and has three grown-upchildren - one daughter and two sons.

As well as his involvement with the Board, Maurice enjoys golf, reading and triathlon.

In fact, last year he successfully completedthe gruelling Ironman challenge in Dorset - a 2.4m swim, 112m cycle and a 26.2m run,which he freely admits was ‘one of thehardest days of my life’. Despite all that,Maurice plans to do it all over again inIronman 2009 in Bolton this August!

Meet the Board

Friends & Family

In this new column, we ask the extended plus danecommunity - friends, family,children - to say ‘hello’,helping us all to get to knoweach other better.

Vibenews

and a Big welcome to:Our latest new starters:

Victoria McAdam Trainee Reception Admin Jessica Smyth Trainee Reception

Admin Lucy Campbell Enterprise Consultant (ICT) Paris Angeli, Gas Engineer

Stacey Walls Apprentice Gas Engineer Brian Critchley, Gas Engineer

Joan Santangeli Community Support Officer Robert Evans Gas Engineer Anthony Meir Cleaner

James Draper Trainee Environmental Ranger David Fagen Trainee Environmental Ranger

News from HomesHub

HomesHub is building on itssuccess as Local HomeBuy Agentfor Merseyside as it now expands its services into Cheshire.

The HomesHub team of Ben Clay,Angela Cohen, Joanne Morfee, Julie Jackson, Julie Pilling and Sally Watson secured plus danegroup’s status as Local HomeBuyAgent following a competitivetender process run by the Homesand Communities Agency (HCA).

Ben Clay, Head of HomeOwnership, told us:

“This is great news for HomesHub, thewider group and ourcustomers. The teamunderstands thatfinding an affordable

home can be adauntingprocess for ourcustomers.However,

we can help with a wide range ofproducts to suit individualcircumstances. The team’sgenuine concern and support forcustomers really helped us to winthis bid.”

HomesHub acts as a dedicatedpoint of contact for people lookingto buy a home through thegovernment’s full range ofHomeBuy products. The teamworks with developing housingassociations and privatehousebuilders across Merseysideand Cheshire to help customersexplore the wide choice availableto them. HomesHub will also helpto deliver the government’smortgage rescue initiative, helpinghomeowners who facerepossession in the currenteconomic climate.

If you, or a customer you areworking with, is interested inaffordable home ownership and intermediate rent options,please contact HomesHub on 0845 603 4559 or visitwww.homeshub.co.uk

Here we meet Emily Perry, who tells us all about her life, her ambitions, andher very important Blue Peter badges! If you would like to introduce a specialperson to your colleagues, let us know, and we’ll do the rest.

What is your name and age?

My name is Emily Perry and I am 11 in June, although my little sister calls me Edu!

What is your connection to plus dane?

Ken Perry, he’s my Dad!

What are you interests?

I like to do lots of things, but my favourites are playing the keyboard, drawing, listening to music, watching Hannah Montana and doing street dancing.

How would you describe what plus dane does?

Everyone works really hard to help people, like wheneveryone went to check on people over the winter to make sure they weren’t too cold. I also know they buildand look after houses and try their best to keep neighbourhoods nice.

So, you’ve won two Blue Peter badges - what didyou win them for?

I am very concerned about the environment andthe state of our planet and so are the people atBlue Peter, so I thought I would design a poster to encourage people torecycle. I sent the poster to BluePeter and a few months later I gota letter from them with a specialgreen Blue Peter badge and one oftheir 50th Birthday badges! I can nowget into loads of really cool places for nothing with my badge although my Dad will still have to pay if he comes with me because he hasn’t got a badge!.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

At the moment I would like to be a receptionteacher at school or maybe an actor.

Ben Clay

Jackie Connollydoes her bit forRed Nose Day

Park Road Staff ‘slip’ into comfy footwear

Cuddling up:Ben Carpenter, Marc Bright& Lindsey Atherton

Cheshire staff get cosy for Comic ReliefAmy Sickler, Jo Fynney, Pauline Pace, Emma Sneyd, Andrea Drumm & Charlie Fildes

Behind you all the way:Liverpool ONE sales team, Bridget Waters, Joanne Morfee,

Ben Kavanagh, Alison Relph & Katie Davies

Staff took part in various fundraising activities for ComicRelief; including coffee mornings and wearing theirslippers or something red to work. Over £460 was raised!

Red nosed reception staff Top L-R Sue Prendergast & Lesley Jensen

Bottom L-R Gill Lysons & Jess Smyth

Hats off to Clare & Anna

see the Vibe

Congratulations to Clare Mawdsley-Geogheganwho tied the knot with partner Sue in May

Congleton staff took part in a swimathon to raisemoney for the local Rotary Club: Top L-R Carl Walklet, Dan Precious, Paul Crisford & Sam NewtonBottom L-R Caroline Scholfield, Amy Sickler & Jo Fynney

All together, staff enjoy Housing Heroes Awards: Jayne Phillips, Anne Ward, Sue Brown & former PA Gill Bourne

Enterprise Away Day, Carden Park, Chester: Top L-R Dennis Lally, Hayley Pover, Lucy Cambell, Stephen Doyle, Martin Gladwin & Joe Feeley

Bottom L-R Anna Abbie, Claire Feeney & Steve McNicholas

Karin Webster as a gingerbread lady, created by Andrea Drumm on the Cheshireneighbourhood staff away day at Cranage Hall

Please send your pictures for the next issue of Vibe to vibe@neighbourhoodinvestor.com

The Happy Couple:Hayley Hulme (nee Sheard) & husband Andy

live your dreamNi Careers Day

This April, three INES Environmental Rangers - dressed as superheroes - travelled to Cockerham in Lancashire and each did a 14,000ft sky dive to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Richie Leahy, John Irvine and Alan Ormesher raised over £2,000 for the charity- dressed as Batman, Spiderman and Iron Man!

In the recent staff survey, some people felt they didn’t have a clear enough careerpath within the group.

Taking this on board, a series of special career days will be taking place across theorganisation this year.

A variety of local colleges, training providersand plus dane staff will be giving talks, as well as using case studies of staff memberswho have moved around and progressedwithin the company. There will be workshops,which will focus on completing applicationforms and interview skills. There will also besome fun elements!

You don’t have to attend for the full day, you

can drop in and out as you please - however you must book in advance to attend the workshops.

A full programme will be circulated shortly.

For your diary, the dates of the sessions are as follows;

Tuesday 7 July, Park Road

Wednesday 15 July, Shepherds Mill

Tuesday 10 November, Park Road

Thursday 19 November, Shepherds Mill

For further information, please contact Amy Bowd, Learning and DevelopmentOfficer on 0151 708 4659.

Is it a bird, is it a plane…no, it’s the lads from INES!

Richie, Environmental Ranger Supervisor, said: “Words can’t describe how you feel when you’re about to jump out of the ‘plane. So many feelings are rushing round your mind. I would recommend it to anyone, if you want to do something that lets you know your alive,then sky diving does the job!”.

The lads enjoyed it so much, they’re already planning to do it again!

This year I completed my first marathon - the LondonMarathon - and was overwhelmed at what a fantasticexperience it was. It was unbelievable from start to finish, andI will definitely be doing it again!

When I was growing up I was reasonably interested in sportslike football and table tennis, but then when I went off touniversity, I lost interest in pretty much anything other thandrinking and having a good time! That phase didn’t last toolong though, and when I was about 23 I got back intoexercise.

I found that I really enjoyed running - its great exercise, a bitaddictive, and also you can have a good social life through itespecially if you are in a club. I am a member of TrenthamRunning Club and it is really good fun.

I did some half-marathons, including runs in the Potteries,Congleton and Leek, and in 2008 I was accepted to run inthe London Marathon. Unfortunately I picked up an injuryand couldn’t do it. I was gutted but deferred my entry until2009.

I run all year round, but I suppose I started serious trainingfor the marathon in about October. It was hard work, butworth it if you have a goal like this.

On the day down in London I just couldn’t believe what afeeling it was. The weather was absolutely perfect, and itwas a great day out for the spectators as well. I hadn’tanticipated just how many people come and watch. Iexpected there to be a lot of people at the start and the end,but all the way round there were deep crowds cheering you

on and encouraging you. I’d put my name on my T-shirt sothere were all these kids shouting out my name and reachingout to touch my hand and cheer me onwards - it really wasmoving.

By about 20 miles you are near hysterical with emotionanyway, I just wanted to stop and cry it was all so amazing -a real high.

In the end I completed it in three hours 15, which is what I’daimed for, so I was really pleased.

I’m already thinking about doing it again!

weekend VibeYou would expect a health andwellbeing officer to have an interestin keeping fit - and Sam Newtonreally is leading by example, as he explains here…

awards success for CastlefieldsThe multi-million pound regeneration of Castlefields,Runcorn was represented at the inaugural Homes andCommunities Agency (HCA) Academy Awards on4 June. The Castlefields Regeneration Partnership,made up of Halton Borough Council, HCA, plus dane, LHT and the North West Development Agency, wasshortlisted for the prestigious Leadership of Place award.

plus dane’s Caesar’s Close development, built inpartnership with Cruden Construction, has also beenrecognised by the 2009 LABC North West Region BuildingExcellence Awards and North West Regional ConstructionAwards 2009. The development of 50 new homes recentlymade the shortlists for the Best Housing, 11 Units or MoreCategory at the LABC awards, for the Business award atthe North West Regional Construction Awards.

Caesar’s Close has been built using innovative LeanConstruction methods, designed to improve quality,reduce waste, deliver faster build times and reducedisruption to residents.

Sam, far left with his running friends

plus dane teamhelps to develop managers of the future

In May, a team of six staff from both Merseyside and Cheshire joined students from Sandbach Boys’ School in Cheshire to help deliver a Business Enterprise Day.

Earlier this year the Connexions service invited a variety of local businesses in Cheshire to volunteer teams of staff to give young people a taste of being in a business environment. We responded to this invitation and put forward a team of staff to help with this challenge.

The programme, called Tomorrow’s Managers Today, saw teams of young people compete against each other in a bid to be the best car manufacturer. The process mirrored that of a real car industry where deals had to be made, strict qualitycontrols needed to be met and products delivered on time and to budget.

Young people were given key business roles and were challenged to make real decisions against the clock. In terms of supporting young people, plus dane staff were assigned ateam each and were responsible for mentoring and guiding their group, taking a back seat when necessary so that students were always driving the challenge and making their own decisions.

Emma Sneyd, Ian Mellor, Chrissy Ison, Sharon Smith, KirsteenSmith and Kath Smith all took part in the first sessions.

Emma Sneyd, who pulled the staff team together, said: “This fits perfectly with our promises. Staff really enjoyed the day and we look forward to supporting Connexions and Alsager High School at the next Enterprise Day in July.

I would urge any staff member who is keen to be involved in future opportunities to contact me. No special skills arerequired; all you need is enthusiasm and a desire to shareyour knowledge and experience with young people.”

plus dane takes your health and safety at work seriously,and a lot of work has already been done to establishconsistent arrangements for managing health and safetyacross the group.

The health and safety working groups which werepreviously in place at PLUS and Dane have been joined upto form a new working group, bringing together a full rangeof skills and experience.

The working in group is led by Rachel Cook, Health andSafety officer, supported by David Eagle, Health and SafetyConsultant who brings an expert independent perspective.

The members of the working group are:

An early priority has been to carry out a review of healthand safety at all sites to inform an action plan. The plan will now be delivered and monitored by the working group.Alongside this action plan, an important issue has been to put in place a new plus dane Health and Safety at Work Policy.

This was recently approved by the Human ResourcesCommittee who also recognised the good progress which has been made with health and safety so far. A copy of the Policy will be put on the intranet shortly (hard copy if required) for you to read and acknowledgeyour understanding of it.

The Policy covers everyone’s responsibilities for health and safety and it is important that we all ensure thatprocedures are being followed. It is the employer’s duty to ensure everything reasonable and practicable is done to protect the health and safety of employees, residents,contractors, visitors and the general public. It is equally the duty of employees to act responsibly and do all theycan to prevent injuries to themselves and others.

If you would like any advice or information on a health and safety issue please contact Rachel Cook or yourworking group representative who will be pleased to assist.The next Health and Safety Working Group meeting is on18th June and meetings are held every other month.

Rachel King Sara Prunty Hayley Pover Lynn Heyes Sharon Smith John Foster Hilary Birks Nicola AndrewsMichelle Davis

Mark Felton Jayne Phillips Mike Doran Ian Mellor Dawn StackhouseRachel Cook John Holdcroft Jason Stubbs

stay safe &healthy at work

Paula Ellis Anne Steel Gaynor Mellor Greg Allen Mike Dowse Steve McNicholasIan Richley Mark Davies

an eventful fewmonths...

The plus dane events team organiseda conference at Liverpool ConventionCentre, launching a new organisationcalled Engage.

The Enterprise team have been appointed asconsultants on Engage, which pulls together citycentre leaseholders and residents and gives them aunified voice in the decision making process, and represents them with partnerssuch as Liverpool City Council, Merseyside Police and British Waterways.

The conference, which was attended by more than 80 people, featured speeches by Louise Ellman MP, as well as key personnel from Liverpool City Council andresidents. It also marked the ‘going live’ of the website that accompanies Engage, www.liverpoolleaseholder.com

events diary16 - 18 June:Chartered Institute of Housing Conference, Harrogate

Friday 26 June: Muncaster Court, Castlefields - celebration and plaque unveiling event,

joint project with the HCA. Friday 3 July:Staff Event at Chester Racecourse - more details to be published soon

VibenewsDiverse success...

Congratulations to plus dane’sSonia Bassey-Williams and boardmember, James Klass, after beingnamed as two of the most influentialblack people on Merseyside.

The Diverse Magazine Top 50 Black Merseysiders was basedentirely on public voting, and aimedto demonstrate the way thatinspirational black men and womenhave contributed to the past,present and future of the area.Hundreds of people took part in the vote, and the full list appeared in the latest edition of the glossymagazine.

The list includes people such asWally Brown CBE, retired Principal of Liverpool Community College;Claire Dove, of Blackburne Houseand the Social Enterprise Coalition;poet, Levi Tafari; footballer, JohnBarnes and actor, Louis Emerick.

Sonia was placed at number 12 on the list, and an accompanyingarticle emphasised her impressivebackground in community work,particularly within Black and EthnicMinority communities, as well as her commitment to the arts.

Broadcaster and DJ, James Klass, was at number 40, anacknowledgement of his work onradio shows and as a well-knownclub DJ and MC.

Sonia said: “I was firstly surprisedand then proud to have my work in communities acknowledged inthis way. The community work I undertake gives me great reward as working with people and helping them to achieve is whatmatters most, and this in itself is my reward, so to be in the Top 50Black Merseysiders is something formyself and my family to be proud of.And congratulations to James, I amsure his family must be proud.”

A pat on the back for… Hayley PoverColleagues contacted Vibe to ask us to share the story of Hayley, Enterpriseadministrator at Rialto, and how she went out of her way to help an elderlygentleman who had taken a tumble.

Hayley was on her way to deliver a bid in Liverpool city centre when she saw a small crowd with the man, who was in his 70s or 80s. He had fallen off the kerb and smashed his face on the floor. Hayley immediately pulled over and went to assist.

Using her British Red Cross first aid training, she was able to assess his injuries, clean his wounds, and make him as comfortable as possible. She then waited with him until an ambulance arrived, and handed him over to the care of paramedics. Then - covered in blood! - she continued on to deliver the bid!

She says: “I was glad to be able to put the first aid to use, but I would always have stopped to help anyway - I always think that could be a member of my family, and I’d always want someone to take the time to stop for them.”

Do you know a plus dane colleague who deserves a pat on the back? For going the extra mile, helping others, or just being an all-round good egg? If so, let us know.

What’sKenbeenup to?

By Julie Surridge

Since I started to work as PA andExecutive Assistant to Ken Perry inJanuary this year, I have regularly been asked: “So what does he do then?”

I have to admit that before I started towork for Ken, I had often wonderedmyself! With other colleagues, who youwork with directly, it is easy to see justhow busy they are, and how they arecontributing to plus dane’s work.

Now I know just how busy Ken is - and ina regular update in Vibe, will be sharingthat with the group.

To start with, some background. As wellas the monthly one-to-ones for each ofthe Managing Directors in the group(eight in total), Ken is attending meetingsof each team across the organisation sohe can get to meet each one of you inperson, find out what you do, whatmakes you proud, and what frustratesyou. It will also give those of you who donot know Ken an opportunity to see thathe is human, just like one of us, butdoing a different job.

Since January, Ken has spent 35 hours in Management Team Meetings (whichincludes all MDs), 24 hours in boardmeetings (which includes parent andsubsidiary boards) and more than 60hours at evening meetings.

He also attends a lot of events andmeetings on behalf of plus dane - forexample, a ‘mayor-making’ ceremony inKnutsford! Ken’s role also includesexploring opportunities - for example, aninitial meeting with the Chief Executive ofthe Probation Trust in Liverpool led to ajoint away day with plus dane andprobation trust, with potential future jointworking.

The next installment will focus on theexciting and challenging few monthsthat lie ahead. If you’ve got anyquestions, please give me or Ken a call - we’d be happy to talk to you.

direct order...

plus dane communications team have launched a new online printordering system for stationery, business cards, marketing materials and consumables. The new site produced in partnership with our printsupplier Granthams can be accessed from Ni net home page.

The new site offers also allows you to order personalised posters and flyers for customer events or even order your office toner and paper fromthe consumables section.

The new site offers an instant online proofing system that saves on paper and makes it more efficient for staff to sign off, ensuring a quickerdelivery time - you can also get an instant price for your order.

The key contacts for each area of the site are as follows:

Shepherd’s Mill Michelle Marr or Sandra SayleSmithdown Road Claire Lloyd or Lisa Cover Rodney Street Gillian LysonsPark Road Sandra GrahamRuncorn Sara PruntyRialto Claire FeeneyEvolve Faye Williams

The site is developing all the time and if you would like to register or have any ideas for additional products to add please contact Liz Machin t 0151 708 4692 or e liz.machin@neighbourhoodinvestor.com

Charlie

Me and my petWe’re feline groovy here at Vibe, after looking at these gorgeous cat pictures sent in by staff.

Nicola Higham, Supported Housing Team Leader based at the Park Road office, was a dedicated ‘dog person’ until she was persuaded to adopt a tiny five-week old ginger kitten that had been abandoned and found covered in motor oil. He is called Buddy Onions - because he has been a real friend to them, and because hehas a habit of swiping onions fromkebabs! Nicola says: “Even thoughhe wakes me up every night at4am to get in the bed between meand my husband, sleeps on thefireguard, and immediately takesover any new piece of furniture webring into the house, he is well andtruly part of the family, and Iwouldn’t be without him.”

Charlie Fildes, Finance Officer based at Shepherd’s Mill, has two lovely cats -Spike and Scampi. Spike was a rescue cat, so they’re not entirely sure how old he is - but he’s been with Charlie for 12 years, so he’s definitely older thannew addition, Scampi, who is three. Charlie says: “Spike is really placid and laidback, and we weren’t sure how he’d react to having a new kitten in the house when we first took on Scampi. But he coped really well and they are the best of friends, as you can see in the pictures. Scampi is a really naughtywhirlwind - but I think he’d be lost without Spike!”

Do you have a furry friend that you’d like to show off in the pages of Vibe? If so, let us know!

Nicola

Scampi & SpikeBuddy

VibenewsCommunity Challenge!Eight members of staff from Cheshire gave up their Saturday towork on a Community Challengeevent at Cedars Court in Alsager.

Local residents had contacted plus dane looking for support with tackling derelict gardens in the area,which they felt could be turned intocommunal space.

So a team from Shepherd’s Mill - armed with power tools, shovels,bacon butties and a lot of energy! - joined up with residents on the first phase of the clear-up.

Tree roots, brambles and weeds were cleared, and there are plans to follow up by helping develop theplot further.

The staff who attended were EmmaSneyd, Adrian Pennington, LyndaDoukanaris, Derek Fowler, PaulinePace, Andrea Drumm, Sam Newtonand Jane Fox.

Emma said: “It was incredibly hardwork, but everybody contributedsomething - from Pauline’s baconbutties to Adrian’s major leaguegardening equipment to people who spent the day pushingwheelbarrows to and fro, filling two skips with waste. But it was alsovery satisfying, and a great way ofworking with residents in a practicalway, using the skills we have.”

Business Plan Briefing Follow UpBy now, most staff will have been totheir presentation by Ken Perry andAnne Ward on the Business Plan. As a follow up, Ken sent an e-mailencouraging people to get involvedin the challenges ahead.

It is vital that people from all parts ofthe organisation at every level andfrom all backgrounds come forwardto help shape our future.

If you are interested in taking part,please contact Jayne Phillips,jayne.phillips@neighbourhoodinvestor.com

Contact VibeIf you have any comments about this edition of Vibe, or suggestions for futureeditions, please let us know. We are always looking for people to share theirPassions and their Weekends, or to introduce us to their pets, family and friends.You can also nominate a colleague for a Pat on the Back, or recommend a greatrestaurant or day out. Contact us at vibe@neighbourhoodinvestor.com, orthrough debbie.johnson@neighbourhoodinvestor.com or 0151 708 4653.

Our staff celebrity doubles just keep getting better...

Joanne Morfee, HomesHub Sales &Marketing Officer is peachy about her look-alike Peaches Geldof.

“Night fever, night fever”... Roy Lea from the Cheshire Trades Team is the spittingimage of John Travolta in his hay-day.

If you have any suggestions for celebrity look-alikes please send them tovibe@neighbourhoodinvestor.com

MyPassionsby Lynda Doukanaris

look-a l ikesCelebrity

Produced by plus dane communications and printed on 100% recycled stockcontact us at vibe@neighbourhoodinvestor.com

Vibe recommends...Brunch in Woolton: Rachel Fox, Neighbourhood Officer at Runcorn, recommends Neighbourhood on Woolton Road,Liverpool. She says: “The food is made using local produce and is tasty and hearty. It is great any time of day, however I would recommend brunch on Saturdays, and would especiallyrecommend corned beef hash with poached egg!”.

Family Fun: Debbie Johnson, Communications Officer based in Rodney Street, recommends Wirral Country Park inThurstaston. She says: "It's perfect for the family or anybodywanting a great day out in the fresh air - beautiful walks in thecountryside and on the beach, all for free, as well as really goodvisitor centre and ice cream shop!". www.visitwirral.com

Trainspotting: Carl Thomson, Financial Inclusion Officer based in Shepherds Mill, recommends Churnet Valley Railway,Cheddleton Village on the A520. He says “Churnet Valley Railwayis set in the 1960s, you can travel the line from Kinsgley andFroghall to Leek Brook returning to Cheddleton. There are tearooms, shops and on the odd occasion you can even have a go at driving! It is great value for money and children love it”.www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk

Summer Walks: Sam Newton, Health and Wellbeing Officer based in Shepherds Mill, recommends walking inHanchurch Woods. He says “The woods are very accessible,have amazing scenery and are a lot less busy than areas such as Cannock Chase”.

I have recently returned from a trip to Singapore which is one of the most beautiful, cleanest and safest cities one could ever travel to.

I lived in Singapore for threeyears and whilst I was there Iwould take the MRT - a sort ofunderground train - out to theheartlands of the city to look attheir social housing.

Social Housing in Singapore didn’t exist until the very early60’s. Until then people lived mostly in overcrowded slumsbuilt out of a variety of things like attap leaves and boxes.They shared kitchens and toilet facilities which were oftenunsanitary to say the least. The story goes that there was ahuge fire in the city that wiped out about 16,000 homes andthe government managed to build enough flats to re housethem in only 8 months. They were then spurred on to do

more and started a land reclamation programme and whole new housing estates grew upover a very short time.

About 80% of Singaporeans live in flats with only the very rich living in landed houses.I have visited lots of estates over the island and they are all kept in pristine condition, nograffiti, no dumped cars, no litter. The Singapore government in general is very strict and theHDB - Housing Development Board - have very strict rules when dealing with tenancyissues but also with the allocations policy. Couples have to be married before they can behoused and because of the varied diversity of the city, the population being made up fromSingaporean Chinese, Mainland Chinese, Malays and Indians, they have quotas for eacharea. The tenants do have right to buy but if they decide to sell again they would have to sellonly to the ethnicity the apartment was bought under. This then keeps the quota’s the same.

Some of the newer property being built is to a very high standard and eco friendly withcentralised recyclable refuse chutes, solar panels and rainwater collection systems.

The MRT has recently been extended and so commuting into the city is no problem at alland you can travel from one side to the other in 40 minutes or so.

The central business area has some wonderful skyscraper building alongside some of thelovely old shop houses that are traditional and now much sought after for renovations intobeautiful housing or super bars and restaurants.

Check out the website if you would like to know more about social housing in Singapore.www.hdb.gov.sg

An old Shophouse which isnow a bar called Beaujolais

Singapore