MelinnewsAutumn 2009 www.melinhomes.co.uk

editi

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Competition – Win a hoover!

Education bursary, Benefits advice, Development update,

Residents’ Panel news, Christmas saving tips and More!

...All Aboard!the melin bus

Inside

Melin news

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Welcome...to your latest copy of Melin News

Lots has been happening over the Summer and we are delighted that so many of you have taken part in and supported our community activities. These have included lots of trips and events for our younger residents, litter picks and fundays.

We are very excited to announce the delivery of our new community information bus – this will help us bring services, information and advice directly to you and provide a focal point at events.

We’ve got lots of good news to celebrate. This includes two successful funding applications which will enable us to provide employment opportunities for young people aged 18 – 24 and upgrade over 350 of your homes to make them more energy efficient. We have also reached the final of the UK Housing Awards.

Other news includes our latest education bursary and resident incentive scheme winners, our latest new housing developments, how you can help us reduce our repair costs and lots of money advice and saving tips.

You will also find an update from your Residents’ Panel Committee who have chosen the first winners of their Youth Achievement Award. They have also introduced an Adult achievement award in recognition of all the excellent work going on in our communities. See page 17 for details.

In addition to our regular estate visits you can expect to see more of us as we’ll be out and about with our new bus, please come aboard and have a chat. Mark

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Contents03. UK housing award & Future Jobs Fund

04. Melin Bus

05. Staff fundraising & Benefits advice

06. Education bursary success

07. Digital switchover & Heads of the Valleys work

08. Reducing repair costs

09. Development news

10. Development news

11. Saving money and energy & Changes in housing benefit

12. Christmas saving tips & Debt hotline

13. Reward me incentive scheme

14. Sheltered scheme update & Competition

15. Melin task force

16. Understanding your rent statement & Maintenance update

17. Residents’ Panel update

18. Community development update

If you need the information in this newsletter in large print, Braille, on CD, or explained in your own language, please contact Helen on 01495 745920.

If you have any suggestions about how we can improve Melin News please let us know. You can write to us at the address on the back page, call 01495 745920 or email editor@melinhomes.co.uk

Melin news

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We have recently been successful in a joint bid with Torfaen Council to provide jobs for young people via the Government’s £1 billion Future Jobs Fund.

As a result we will be providing employment for at least six months to 12 young people, aged between 18 and 24, who are finding it difficult to find employment.

We will be taking on these 12 posts between September 2009 and March 2010.

The individuals will be working in a range of our departments and, in addition to valuable work experience, they will receive training and development opportunities and all will be offered the opportunity to take the Chartered

Institute of Housing qualification at levels 1 and 2.

It is anticipated that around 600 new jobs in total will be created for young, unemployed people in Torfaen thanks to this government initiative.

For help and advice on jobs and training you can visit your local Job Centre Plus.

Alternatively you can contact A4e (Action 4 employment) on 01495 769112 or call into their offices at Ty Clarence, Clarence Street, Pontypool.

Creating jobs for young people

Melin has reached the final of the UK Housing Awards 2009 in the ‘Outstanding achievement in housing in Wales’ category.

The ‘Golden Thread’ concept, developed by our Community Investment team, aims to invest in activities that can help you access work and training, help you with financial difficulties and take steps to tackle social exclusion.

Our Chief Executive, Mark Gardner, is thrilled to be in the running for this national award. He said: “We hope that our Golden Thread concept will have long-term benefits for individual residents and their wider communities.

To reach the final demonstrates what a huge difference our Golden Thread approach is already making to all involved.”

The winner will be announced at a special award ceremony in London in November.

Melin shortlisted for national award

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All aboard!

Information and advice will be available on a wide range of subjects including:• Housing• Money matters• Benefit claims• Job and training opportunities• Recycling

The bus will also be our focal point at events such as:• Community visits• Resident sign-ups• Out-of-hours surgeries• Fun days and much more

We are delighted to introduce our brand new information bus.

The aim of our new bus is to ensure that we can deliver our services directly to you and be a real, visible presence in all of our communities.

Fitted with tables and chairs, everyone is welcome to come on board to have a chat and find out how we can help.

We will also use the bus to transport residents to events. Our information bus will be coming soon to a community near you. Look out for more details in the next edition of Melin News.

Melin news

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Members of staff have been doing their best to help beat cancer in the past couple of months.

Tom Reardon, our Trainee Technical Surveyor, had his head shaved at the end of July and managed to raise nearly £400 for Cancer Research UK.

Also, our Business Improvement Assistant Clem Hillman took part in Cancer Research UK’s Race 4 Life event in Hereford back in July and managed to raise around £350.

Well done to both and thanks to all those who sponsored them for such a great cause.

In August Melin’s football team took part in a charity match against players from Blaenau Gwent Council.

Although beaten, the team played a great game at Cwmbran Stadium and were only defeated 4 – 0 in the end. A much better score than last year’s!

The team also managed to raise around £60 in the process for our Youth Sports Initiative. Melin’s Youth Sports Initiative aims to get our younger residents active by offering them the opportunity to take part in a wide range of sporting activities.

Between April and October this year we hope to have helped residents claim at least £29,000 in additional benefits thanks to our work in partnership with Shelter Cymru.

All Melin residents can access independent benefit advice from Mike Bailey, a case worker who works for the housing and homelessness charity.

Mike has helped many residents ensure that they are claiming all the benefits to which they are entitled. Last month Mike helped one resident gain a single back payment of housing

benefit for £1,600. With Mike’s help they were able to clear their arrears completely.

Mike works at our Pontypool office every Thursday and Friday from 9.30am – 5pm and you can come in and see him, speak to him over the telephone or book an appointment for him to visit you at home.

Mike can offer advice on a whole range of benefits, debt and rent arrears. Please get in touch with him if you think he can help you by calling 08453 101102.

Staff fundraising

Helping residents maximize their income

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The lucky recipient of our 2009 education bursary programme has now been chosen.

This year we will be supporting Esther Griffiths from Beaufort. We have awarded Esther a lap top and printer which will allow her to do the coursework required for her part-time IT degree at home rather than during restricted periods at college.

Esther is studying for her degree at Brynteg Youth Centre in Ebbw Vale. She has already completed 60 credits of the 120 she needs to pass despite leaving school at 15 with no qualifications, working part-time and bringing up a family.

Esther is delighted to be this year’s winner of our education bursary. She said: “This lap top will be of so much help to me. I hope that by having a degree I will be more employable in the future and, as I have a family, being able to complete my coursework in the comfort of my own home rather than college will make things much easier for me. I’m so grateful to Melin for all of their help and support.”

Our education bursary programme provides up to £3,000 per year to help residents pursue further education or personal development goals. It has helped previous recipients pay course fees, buy books and computers and fund travel expenses to or from universities and colleges.

Education bursary

Esther can complete her IT degree thanks to our bursary

Melin news

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Improving energy efficiency

We have recently received £1 million to help us improve the energy efficiency of over 350 of our homes.

Funding of £500,000 was provided by the Heads of the Valley’s (HOV) programme and this was match funded by British Gas. This will enable us to install environmentally friendly items in around 350 of our homes and four of our sheltered schemes in the Heads of the Valleys area.

A pilot project has already been carried out in Pontnewynydd. This involved fitting solar thermal panels to residents’ homes. Following their installation the Taylor family let us know that they didn’t have to use gas to provide them with their hot water for more than six days.

Mr Taylor is very pleased with these results. He said: “I never expected that we’d save so much energy by having our solar panels fitted. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised!”

He added: “The solar panels will help us make cost-savings too since, as a family of five, we use quite a lot of hot water for things like baths and doing the washing-up.”

These early indications show that our programme will help us meet our carbon reduction targets and help to reduce incidents of fuel poverty.

Here are some tips to help you reduce your energy bills:

• Switch off your appliances completely – by not leaving them on standby you could save up to £37 per year.

• Turn your thermostat down by 1°C and you could save up to £65 on your heating bill.

• Fit all the lights in your home with energy saving lightbulbs and you could save up to £50 per year.

The digital switchoverBy March 2010 all Welsh television services will be completely digital.

This means that the old analogue television signal will be switched off and you will only be able to continue watching TV via a digital signal.

Many of you will need to check that your televisions can receive digital TV before this date. Everyone should receive information in the post shortly about the options available for going digital from Digital UK – the organisation responsible for the digital switchover.

The digital signal can be picked up either by aerial, satellite, cable or broadband.If you live in one of our general needs properties you will need to adapt your TV if it currently does not receive the digital signal.

If you live in one of our homes served by a communal aerial you will be able to receive digital TV after the switchover as we have already upgraded the aerials so they can receive the digital signal.

For more information about the switchover and the digital options available for you, please call the Digital UK helpline on 0845 650 5050 or visit www.digitaluk.co.uk

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Help us reduce repair costs

We carry out approximately 12,000 repairs or upgrades to your homes every year.

Over 10,000 of these jobs are for repairs which are reported by residents and cost nearly £750,000.

We plan our work to be as cost effective as possible and we also aim to give you plenty of notice so you know when a repair will be carried out. However, some residents fail to keep the appointments we make which results in a lot of time and money being wasted.

Missed appointments costs us approximately £15,000 each year, this money would enable us to install five new kitchens! Please keep your appointment or call us to rearrange.

We also receive a lot of calls for ‘emergency’ repairs which require our engineers to attend out of hours, on weekends and bank holidays.

A significant number of these ‘emergencies’ are found to be relatively minor when the engineer arrives and could be dealt with during normal working hours appointment, yet cost twice as much to attend.

Therefore please think carefully when you ring us to report your repair. Is it an emergency? Has your heating stopped working because you have run out of gas? Has your light bulb blown and caused the electric to trip? Often we can offer advice and a remedy over the telephone during office hours.

Remember – the less we have to spend on reactive repairs the more we can invest in providing improvements for you including new kitchens, bathrooms, showers, windows and doors.

We were delighted to welcome the first residents to Lavender Gardens in July – our £1 million Extra Care scheme built in partnership with Monmouthshire County Council.

Lavender Gardens is Monmouthshire’s first Extra Care scheme. It has 21 modern one and two-bedroom apartments and provides accommodation for people over 55 who need care and support that will help them to continue to live independently. Shared facilities include a communal lounge, hairdressing salon, laundry, scooter store and visitor accommodation. Support workers are available on site to deliver individual care packages for residents.

Maria Findley, age 83, was the first resident to move in. Prior to this she lived in her own home but needed daily visits from carers due to mobility problems. She is delighted with her new home and the security and independence it has given her.

She said: “I can now get up and make myself a cup of tea in the morning, whereas before I had to wait for carers to call and help me downstairs. It’s

lovely to have my independence, but also to know that there is help on-hand should I need it. I’ve already made friends and you couldn’t find fault with the staff or the carers here even if you tried.”

Maria’s carer Nivia has already seen a big difference in Maria in the short time she has been at Lavender Gardens. She said: “Maria’s confidence has really improved and her care needs have reduced by 50% in just four weeks. She’s regained her independence and it’s made a noticeable difference to her well-being”

For further information and to register your interest in applying for a home at Lavender Gardens, please contact Andrew Burford, Abergavenny Community Care Team, on 01873 735900.

Melin news

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New affordable homes

We were joined by Jocelyn Davies AM, Deputy Minister for Housing, in July to meet the first people to move into our new, affordable homes in Ebbw Vale.

We were able to buy 3 three-bedroom homes at Cae Ffrwnais thanks to financial support from the Welsh Assembly’s Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF). We also self-financed two three-bedroom townhouses on the Redrow site which is made up of 68 homes.

Jo and Andy and their two young children moved into one of our homes at the site. Speaking about their new home, Jo said: “It’s even better than we could have wished for! It’s so spacious, there’s plenty of room for the children to play outside and the neighbours are lovely. It’s made a huge difference to our family.”

Lavender Gardens opens its doors

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Partnership working

Work gets underway on more affordable homes for Torfaen

Work is underway on 24 much-needed affordable homes in Llantarnam thanks to a successful partnership between ourselves, Torfaen Council and national housing developer Barratt Homes.

Barratt are building the homes and, once complete, the site will consist of 12 three-bedroom houses, 4 two-bedroom houses and 8 one-bedroom flats which will be available for rent and low-cost home ownership.

The development follows the success of another recent development by Barratt and ourselves which helped 13 families to buy their own homes at St Joseph’s Meadow, Llantarnam, thanks to Help2Own – the low-cost home ownership scheme that we run in partnership with Torfaen Council. The remaining 11 homes on the site are rented.

Mr and Mrs Hayes recently bought a two-bedroom townhouse at St Joseph’s Meadow. They had been looking to buy a home of their own for the past five years but could not findanything they could afford.

Commenting on their new home Mr Hayes said: “We are absolutely delighted, especially with the quality of the building and the service we received from Melin. The whole process was really easy and we are now paying less per month for our mortgage than we were paying in rent and we own a beautiful flat.”

Help2Own is a scheme where buyers only pay for a percentage of the total house price. Buyers do not have to pay any rent; they just need to meet their monthly mortgage payments.

Melin has invested over £16 million in building new homes for rent and low-cost sale in Torfaen over the past 12 months. This has resulted in 63 new homes in the county with a further 87 new homes planned over the coming year.

Melin’s properties at Llantarnam Mews will be ready for occupation in March 2010. For more information please call Melin’s Home Ownership team on 01495 745928 or email homes@melinhomes.co.uk

Melin news

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Extra help for families

If you are a family with children, you may be entitled to extra money towards your rent and council tax payments from October

2009.

From this date, your council will no longer take into account the money you receive for child benefit when calculating your

housing and council tax benefits. Great news!

If you already receive housing benefit your council will automatically update your benefit award.

For more information please contact us on 08453 101102. Alternatively you can contact your local council.

Torfaen County Borough Council Tel: 01495 766349 / 766430

Monmouthshire County Council: Tel: 01633 644650

Newport City Council:Tel: 01633 656656

Blaenau Gwent Council:Tel: 01495 350555

Powys Council:Tel: 0845 602 7032 / 01597 827462

Small changes to the way you use energy can have a noticeable effect on your household bills and CO2 emissions. Here are some tips to help you save both money and energy:

• Switch off your appliances completely – by not leaving them on standby you could save up to £37 per year.

• A third of all food bought in the UK ends up in the bin. Make sure you only buy the food you know you will eat.

• Turn your thermostat down by 1°C and you could save up to £65 on your heating bill.

• Fit all the lights in your home with energy saving lightbulbs and you could save up to £50 per year.

• If you’re on a water meter, fixing your dripping tap could save you over £18 a year.

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth – a running tap wastes around 6 litres per minute.

Save money and energy

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Christmas saving tipsChristmas is a time of giving. But you don’t want to give yourself a headache in the New Year with bills you can’t afford.

Planning, budgeting and organisation are key to avoid getting into debt at Christmas. With only 14 weeks to go, here are some tips from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau to keep you on track.

When buying goods be wary of extended warranties as the cost of the repair could be

less than the cost of the warranty

Remember that rent, bills and other existing debts still have to be paid - and the consequences can be

severe if they’re not

Manage expectations as to what you or Santa

can give and budget accordingly

Whatever the deal, don’t borrow from unauthorised lenders. The initial savings

and convenience will undoubtedly prove

to be a false economy and you’ll end up

paying a lot more back

If you borrow money don’t forget that it won’t be long before you have to make a payment. Make sure

you pay on time, even if it is only the minimum, or you could face additional

charges

Shop around and try as many different places as

possible to find the best price

Launch of housing debt hotline

A new housing debt helpline has been launched to provide free, independent advice to tenants and homeowners in Wales.

Fully-trained debt counsellors can provide confidential advice to anyone with mortgage or rent arrears or threatened with eviction or repossession. They can also advise on a range of other housing-related debt issues.

In the current economic climate, more and more people are struggling to meet their mortgage and rental payments. It’s important to realise that you are not alone and support is available.

For more information please call 0800 107 1340 between 8am and 8pm Monday - Friday or visit www.housing-debt-helpline-wales.org

Melin news

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incentive scheme

Tina Hughes from Pontypool was one of the winners. She said: “It’s so nice to have won. I never win things! There are so many benefits to Melin’s RewardMe scheme and I’m so pleased to be a lucky winner of this particular reward. I’m looking forward to spending my £150 vouchers on a new TV or maybe a laptop.”

Mrs Edmonds from Caldicot, Mrs Bennett from Monmouth, Mr Reese from Chepstow and Mr Lloyd from Cwmbran were also lucky winners.

Our RewardMe scheme aims to reward and encourage positive resident performance.

Rewards include a £10 voucher when you arrange to pay your rent by Direct Debit, discounted B&Q vouchers, entry into a monthly prize draw, plus much more!

For an application form or further details, please contact Customer First Assistant Rose Matthews on 08453 101102 or email:rose.matthews@melinhomes.co.uk.

One of our lucky winners is presented

with their vouchers by Melin staff

This level of the scheme is open to all Melin residents who apply for membership.

This level is automatically awarded to residents who have been members of rewardmeplus for at least twelve consecutive months.

This level is open to all residents who apply and meet our qualifying criteria.

We recently presented five members of our resident incentive scheme with

£150’s worth of vouchers. The lucky winners are RewardMe Plus members

of the scheme and as such qualify to be entered into a monthly draw

with the chance to win a £150 prize.

There are three levels of membership:

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Residents at Aneurin Bevan Court, Pontypool, have been celebrating the 10th anniversary of the sheltered housing scheme this year.

To mark this milestone, residents have enjoyed numerous activities and outings each month. These have involved several theatre trips, a short holiday to the Isle of Wight and visits to the beach.

There are also many more events to come in the months ahead including a trip to Tenby, a New Year break in Torquay and a trip to Holiday on Ice at Cardiff International Arena.

Waterside Court, Cwmbran, were visited by the Risca Salvation Army band at the start of August who gave residents a lovely open-air concert. The band will be returning to the scheme in November for a carol service. The scheme also held a jewellery party at the end of July and raised £335. This money will be put toward their future social events and trips.

Residents at Victoria Court, Abergavenny, will be visited by the British Red Cross this month to listen to a talk about emergency first aid and the adaptations and implements that people can buy to help them around the home.

Would you like to nominate your home for a prestigious award?

If you live in one of our sheltered homes you can nominate your scheme for an EAC Housing for Older People award. The aim of the awards is to celebrate the best in housing for older people and help shape the future of housing in later life.

The deadline for completed applications to be returned to the EAC is 31 October 2009. For more information, please speak to your Scheme Manager.

Bowling winnersNeil Hopkins from Magor and Gladys Felkin from Baneswell won family tickets to Bowlplex, Cwmbran, thanks to our Summer competition.

Their prize entitled them to a couple of games and a meal at the centre which opened last year. Well done both!

Competition, Win a Hoover! This month we’re offering you the chance to win a hoover worth £130!

To enter, simply answer this question:Name one event where you may see our new information bus? You can find the answer somewhere in this newsletter! Send your answer, name and address to Freepost, Melin Homes, RRJZ KYKH YLAE, NP4 0XJ or email editor@melinhomes.co.uk by 9 October.One of our lucky winners is presented

with their vouchers by Melin staff

Sheltered scheme round up…

Melin news

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Helping communities A number of Melin staff spent a day at George Street Primary School, Pontypool, back in July to help pupils with their gardening project.

Teachers at the school have been keen for the early years’ department to be able to grow their own vegetables. Melin helped them achieve this by providing a team of six staff members who built three wooden raised beds.

Head teacher Julie Woods is thrilled with the results. She said: “We are delighted with the work carried out by Melin. The children can’t wait to start growing their own vegetables and we look forward to the day when our home-grown produce can be served in the school canteen.”

Timber for the beds was kindly donated by Robert Price Builders Merchants and local building company AP Waters provided wheel barrows on the day to help transport the four tonnes of top soil needed to fill the beds.

George Street Primary school are delighted with their new garden

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Understanding your rent statement

Below are three of the most common questions we are asked about rent statements. We hope you find the answers helpful. If you are at all concerned about your rent account, please contact your Housing Officer.

My rent account is showing that I’m in credit. Can I have a refund? Your rent should be paid weekly or monthly in advance. If you pay weekly then a refund will only be issued if your rent is more than one week in credit. If you pay monthly then a refund will only be issued if your account is more than one month in credit.

I’m on housing benefit. So why does my account show arrears?Housing benefit is paid every four weeks in arrears. Therefore your account will show arrears until the next housing benefit payment is received. Please contact your Housing Officer if you have received notification that your housing benefit entitlement is changing.

I’m entitled to Supporting People Grant (SPG), but it isn’t showing on my account. Why’s this?SPG is usually received on a quarterly basis then credited to your account. This is why it doesn’t show on regular rent statements.

Maintenance update

As part of our annual planned maintenance programme we have made the following improvements recently. We have installed 40 garden sheds. This is in response to your feedback as you told us you needed more external storage.

By the end of October we aim to install new windows in 80 of our homes. These will help reduce residents’ fuel bills over the winter period and reduce the noise that can be heard from outside. In partnership with our contractors we will also be carrying out £80,000 worth of landscape, fencing and external work. All of these improvements will ensure that your homes are maintained to the highest possible standard. Please note, all work is carried out on a planned basis. This is dependent on when your home was last upgraded and our budget for the year. We will contact you when work is due to be carried out at your home.

Back in April Melin’s Residents’ Panel Committee launched a new Youth Achievement Award. We can now reveal the first two award winners.

Resident Joseph Williams, age 12, from New Inn was the first lucky recipient. Joseph was picked because he regularly helps our Community Development Officers with tasks such as litter-picking and delivering flyers and he always takes part in their activity sessions. He is always enthusiastic and encourages his friends to get involved too.

Bethan Gould, age 12, from Cwmbran was the second of our young residents to receive an award. Bethan consistently helps out with our Community Development activities and regularly encourages all the young people in her area to take part. According to our Community Development Officer Karen Green, Bethan is “always cheerful and nothing is ever too much trouble for her.”

The winners will now be presented with a £50 voucher and commemorative shield at the Residents’ Panel Committee’s Annual General Meeting. This takes place at 6pm in the Wentwood Suite at the Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran, on Wednesday 30 September 2009. Well done Joseph and Bethan!

Our Youth Achievement Award recognises the special achievements of our younger residents. Winners are awarded every September.

Melin news

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Adult Achievement awardThe Panel have also introduced a new Adult Achievement award. The first lucky recipient is Mrs Donna Connor from Newport. Donna helps out with a range of our Community Development activities and regularly takes the young people from her street to our weekly sports sessions. She also takes responsibility for coordinating new activities that her whole community can take part in, including a day trip which 63 people plan to attend.

Member update if you want to contact the Committee our details are

on the back page

There have been a few changes to the Residents’ Panel Committee lately. Val Phipps, Pam Bartrop and Mike Brown have decided to step down. They have all worked tirelessly for Melin residents and their contribution to the work of the Committee will be greatly missed. We would all like to say a huge thank you to them for their time and commitment and we wish them well for the future.

Residents’ Panel Committe Update Youth award winners

Young residents rewarded

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Over the Summer our Community Development team were very busy providing lots of fun activities for our younger residents.

Summer holiday events included play sessions, beach trips, sports activities and days out. Children aged between 5 and 18 took part and parents and guardians generously volunteered their time and helped out with the activities.

In August, a clean-up and fun day was arranged at Hillside, Abergavenny. Working in partnership with ourselves, the organisations Tidy Towns, Tidy Local Communities, Communities First and volunteers from Hillside made an effort to improve the appearance of their community.

Everyone worked together to undertake litter-picks, organise items for recycling and collect rubbish. In fact, residents managed to fill three skips with their old items! A big thanks to everyone who helped out.

Also last month, a community pride day was held at Lime Crescent, Newport. This was a huge success and more than 90 people turned up – including Mums, Dads, Aunties, Uncles and children – and threw themselves into the spirit of the day.

There were games, competitions, face painting, a bouncy castle, disco and BBQ… to name just a few things! There was also a chocolate fountain which was a huge hit with everyone.

Alan Hughes, Melin’s Community Development Officer, said: “I must say a big thank you to everyone who took part in all of our Community Development summer activities. It’s always so rewarding to see our activity sessions so well-attended by residents of all ages.”

Could you help to organise a street fun day where you live? If so, please ring our office on 08453 101102 and ask to speak to Alan Hughes.

Education bursary

Our busy Summer programme provided lots of fun for all involvedYoung residents rewarded

MelinTy’r Efail, Lower Mill Field, Pontypool, Torfaen, NP4 0XJT: General enquiries: 08453 101102 T: Repairs: 0800 9753149E: enquiries@melinhomes.co.uk W: www.melinhomes.co.uk

Residents’ PanelT: 08453 101102 E: residentspanel@melinhomes.co.uk