Resident Voice Panel Newsletter Resident Involvement & Wellbeing
June 2023
Hello, welcome to June y’s newsletter!
My name is Shamas, and I have recently joined Anchor as a Business Administration Apprentice. My apprenticeship journey has only just started and when I say I absolutely love it, I mean it! I work with the Comms and Marketing Team, but I spend my time mostly supporting the Resident Involvement and Wellbeing team. I love helping and ca ring for others, it doesn’t cost much to smile at someone and make their day. I have visited an extra care location in Pontefract for a Move into March event which was fabulous, and I met some amazing individuals and enjoyed the event. In May, just before the Coronation, I visited Wharfeside, a care home in Otley and we enjoyed the Coronation celebrations. The staff and residents there were so friendly and gave me such a warm welcome, I felt very special and would love to visit them again. My hobbies are photography, swimming, travelling & baking. You will see some of my photography in this newsletter.
Recently, I celebrated Eid with my family and friends. After completing the holy month of Ramadan, Eid is a celebration where Muslims get together and dress in their traditional wear and make delicious food for friends and family. I love it when Eid is around the corner because me and my family all go out together to shop for our Eid clothes and Eid day to me is very special because all the family get together and have a great time. Since joining Anchor, I have joined to Embrace Colleague Network to explore further opportunities and to see how Anchor is an inclusive employer. As part of my work with the Embrace Network, I am looking to speak to residents from a South Asian or Black heritage for a project later in the year. If you would be interested in getting involved and speaking to me, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me Tel: 07816089703 or via email at Syed.Shamas@anchor.org.uk, I would love to speak to you!.
Best Wishes
Shamas Syed
Meet the Resident Involvement & Wellbeing Team
• Sarah Turner - Resident Involvement & Wellbeing Manager
• Sally Lucas – Resident Involvement Specialist
• Lauren Smith – Resident Wellbeing Lead
• Rebecca Lynch – Resident Involvement & Wellbeing Officer
For all resident involvement queries ie; Resident Voice Panel, Involved Groups etc, please contact BeInvolved@anchor.org.uk
For all wellbeing offers ie; Be Active, Be Digital, Be Skilled Be Connected, Community Grants, Loving Later Life Awards, please contact BeWell@anchor.org.uk
Joint Resident Council and Scrutiny Panel Meeting
On Tuesday 23rd May we held our first face to face residents’ m eeting of the year, bringing together the Residents’ Council and Scrutiny Panel.
The meeting was attended by 10 of our residents who received a range of updates on a variety of topics:
Be Me housing transformation
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• Customer experience and satisfaction
• The Connected Properties project (installing WiFi in all locations)
CEO update
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• The draft Environmental Sustainability Strategy
• Housing performance including an update on location manager vacancies
Throughout the day, residents were able to ask questions and constructively challenge. This was invaluable and will help us improve and develop our plans.
The meeting had been arranged to coincide with a Board meeting so residents and Board members could have lunch together. This was a great opportunity for all to ask questions and to get to know each other a bit better. As well as Sarah Jones, Board members get out and visit Anchor locations regularly. Almost 80 visits have taken place this year so far, with more to come! The feedback from those that attended has been really positive. Here are some of the comments; “well done, very worthwhile”, “good debates”, “really well organised, lovely day”, “good meeting, good to meet face-to-face".
Campaigns for 2023 Growing opportunities for #LovingLaterLife
Following our successful #MoveintoMarch campaign last month, we are encouraging all colleagues and residents to take part in our ‘Growth’ campaign throughout April, May and June. Whether you would prefer to work on personal growth by learning a new skill or passing down your skills to different generations or challenging yourself to growing fruit and veg, we would love you to get involved. We have created an activity pack to support you in introducing new and exciting activities at your location, revisiting the classic activities that everyone enjoys, all while utilising resources we have available and building relationships with our local community. This pack also includes a variety of our ongoing national wellbeing initiatives that are available. If you would like a printed copy, please do send an email to the Resident Wellbeing Lead at BeWell@anchor.org.uk with your name and address or Tel: 07523943501 and a copy will be sent in the post for you.
Don’t fo rget to share photos of your developments, sharing skills and photos of your home- grown efforts on social media using #LovingLaterLife .
COMING SOON! Quarter 3 Campaign – #GoGreen!
From July to September, our focus will be all around the environment and sustainability. Going green means doing what we can to take care of the environment. It also means understanding that the way we live, the things we do and the products we use all have an impact on the planet – and that by making positive changes we can help to lessen that impact.
The aim of sustainability is:
• That the environment should be preserved • To retain and conserve natural resources for future generations to enjoy • Humans need to continue to make and do the things that allow them to live comfortably We have created another activity pack for the quarter listing several ways how you can get involved, making simple changes to help the environment, how you can be more sustainable and produce less waste, plus much more. Watch this space for more information.
Free access to exercise classes with Be Active A chance to improve your physical health
Have you tried one of our weekly virtual sessions?
Our sessions provide an opportunity to not only improve physical fitness but allows you to socialise with others interested in being active around the country
You can join in any of our sessions at 10am or 11am and get a feel for the variety of exercises demonstrated.
Zoom Meeting ID
Move It Monday
Workout Wednesday
Feel Good Thursday
Fit Friday
Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j /84505719625 Meeting ID: 845 0571 9625 Passcode: 123 Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j /99230035770 Meeting ID: 992 3003 5770 Passcode: 123
10am Be Active Live with Carl
10am Be Active Live with Carl
10am Be Active Live with Carl
11am Be Active Live with Katharina
To join our live and pre-recorded sessions, simply open https://zoom.us/join and type in the relevant meeting ID. If you do not have access to Zoom, you can still join in by dialling 0203 6950 088 and then inputting the meeting ID (enter ID here) followed by #.
Be Skilled Learn new skills and get creative with Be Skilled!
Be Skilled is our free exclusive online learning platform for residents. In last month’s edition of the newsletter, it was mentioned that Anchor has now partnered with the Skills Network. The Skills Network gives residents easy access to Government funded qualifications. We have recently uploaded lots of puzzles, colouring pages, quizzes, and lots of activities to keep you entertained and engaged. These are free documents that you can download and use at your own leisure. We will be launching our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion e-Learning at the end of June and will be looking for volunteers to complete it and feedback. If you are interested or if you would like to take a look at Be Skilled and explore what it has to offer, please email BeWell@anchor.org.uk or phone 07523943501 for more information.
Book Club Join our virtual book club every 6 weeks! Our Book Club went really well on the 22 nd May, it was a little different than usual. Over the last six weeks, we decided to each choose a book of our own, rather than a group book. We wanted to read the book, come back to the next session and review it with the hope of encouraging another book worm to read it next time.
Together Choir Bring colleagues and residents together through song Very emotive singalong this week with the Together Choir and Emma Bradnum, our Choir Master singing 'True Colours' and 'Rise Up' in preparation for Pride month in June. We then ended with a very characterful song 'Burlington Bertie from Bow'! Those that attend the session say they really love the sessions as they are so uplifting and really brighten up an afternoon. Everyone is welcome, both colleagues and residents. Children from a local school joined the residents at Hallcroft, Shipley for our singalong. They were even kind enough to sing a verse and chorus of True Colours unmuted so we could hear their beautiful voices. Our Together Choir runs once a month, Thursday afternoons at 2.30pm for 60 minutes. To join the virtual choir, all you need to do is simply click the link below if you already have Zoom downloaded onto your smart phone or device. You can also connect using a webpage. Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/834135 48085 Meeting ID: 834 1354 8085 Passcode: 149193 If you do not have access to Zoom, you and your residents can still join in by dialling 0203 6950 088 and then inputting the meeting ID (enter ID here) followed by #. You do not have to put your camera on if you do not want to, it is your own choice. Everyone will be muted by the host, so you can only hear the Choir Master singing so feel free to sing to your hearts content. If you have any requests, please do let me know and I would be more than happy to pass them onto our Choir Master.
The books discussed and recommended today were:
- The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch - Good Omens by Terry Pratchett - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charles Mackesy.
All fantastic reads in different ways.
Our next Book Club is on the 11th July at 3pm. Our book club is open to both residents and colleagues. Click here to join our Book Club and receive regular updates and reminders. https://bookclubs.com/clubs/5971186/join/077 6cd/
We will be choosing our own book again after enjoying the session so much.
To join our Book Club, simply click the link below. If you do not have access to Zoom, you can still join in by dialling 0203 6950 088 and then inputting the meeting ID (enter ID here) followed by #. Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/89722 930261 Meeting ID: 897 2293 0261
You can register your interest at BeWell@anchor.org.uk or calling 07523943501.
You can register your interest at BeWell@anchor.org.uk or calling 07523943501.
Pride Month Celebrating Pride throughout June
Pride Month is an annual celebration of the many contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community including history, society, and cultures worldwide. In most places, Pride is celebrated throughout the month of June each year in commemoration of its roots in the Stonewall Riots of June 1969. To celebrate, an Activity Pack has been designed for residents which includes lots of activities and ways that locations can get involved with Pride month. If you would like a printed copy, please send your name and address to BeWell@anchor.org.uk and a copy will be sent out in the post for you. Also planned in June, our Together Choir will be singing songs produced and sung by a member of the LGBTQ+ Community or songs relating to acceptance. Our next Together Choir is on the 15th June at 2.30pm and we would love as many people as possible to join in!
To join our Together Choir, simply click the link below. If you do not have access to Zoom, you can still join in by dialling 0203 6950 088 and then inputting the meeting ID (enter ID here) followed by #.
Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/83413548085 Meeting ID: 834 1354 8085 Passcode: 149193
We have also invited residents from our Resident Rainbow Group to join us and host our virtual coffee mornings. A Pride Takeover!
The guest speakers are:
• 06 Jun at 11am - Paul Foss (Anchor Resident) - 2017 Pride Experience • 13 Jun at 11am - Rowena McCarthy (Anchor Resident) - Work with the LGBT+ Community • 27 Jun at 11am - Sam Higgins - EDIB Engagement Officer & Ed Nash from Reengage - LGBT Call Companions To join our virtual coffee morning, simply click the link below. If you do not have access to Zoom, you can still join in by dialling 0203 6950 088 and then inputting the meeting ID (enter ID here) followed by #.
Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/94295872364 Meeting ID: 942 9587 2364 Passcode: 925638
NHS Volunteer Responders Check In & Chat Service
We are working with the Royal Voluntary Service and looking at adding the Check In & Chat Service to our Be Well programme as it would be a fantastic additional resource to support residents living at Anchor. Check In & Chat is a national programme and originally it was introduced to provide Covid support, however, it has now expanded and is a vital telephone befriending support service with 400k volunteers supporting 2 million enquiries every year. The Check In & Chat service is almost an immediate response so it can really support those at a critical time of need or social interaction. They currently offer a short-term befriending service, currently for 4 weeks (once a week) but are due to extend it very soon to 10 or 12 weeks. The idea is for a person to speak to a different volunteer each week to have a friendly chat to support social interaction, reduce social anxiety with talking to new people and improve mental wellbeing, loneliness and isolation. They also have safeguarding support in place to support those that are more vulnerable and may need additional support or referrals to different agencies/charities. If you would like to register for support from the Volunteer Responders, please call 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm, 7 days a week) and speak to the support team who can register your request or via the website here Request Support Services | Volunteer Responders (nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk)
If you do register, the Resident Involvement and Wellbeing Team would be keen to speak to you to see how you experienced the service.
ReEngage Free call companion service
Useful Contacts Here is a list of useful contacts should you require any assistance or need any further information Anchor On Call Our 24-hour emergency call centre. In an emergency use your pull cord or pendant to contact or call: • 0300 123 7101 Customer Enquiries Our Customer Enquiry Line is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, and Saturdays 8am to 4pm • Telephone - 0800 731 2020 • Email - contact@anchor.org.uk Customer Debt Recovery Our Customer Enquiry Line is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, and Saturdays 8am to 4pm • Telephone - 0300 123 7082 • Email customerdebtrecoveryteam@ anchor.org.uk Customer Relations Team Our Customer Enquiry Line is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm • Telephone - 0345 602 5516 • Email customer.relations@anchor.org.uk Repairs Desk Our lines are open Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm, and Saturdays 8am – 4pm • Telephone - 0800 234 6163 Be Wise Free to call. Lines open Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm
ReEngage is a call companion service for older people who live alone or in sheltered housing. It can benefit those who live alone, don't have regular contact, but there may be some other people as well who don't live alone (for example, someone caring for a partner). Local Managers can also support Residents by referring them to Reengage and quoting ‘Anchor’. Within 7 days of referral, someone from ReEngage will contact you to say hello and find out a bit more about you. Within 30 days, you would then be matched with a call companion. There are also volunteering opportunities to be a call companion. You can self-register and training is provided.
For more information, please ring ReEngage on 0800 716 543 or check out their website www.reengage.org.uk
*Please quote Anchor when completing the referral*
0800 023 4477
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Age UK Advice Line Free to call. Lines open 8am – 7pm, 365 days a year • Telephone - 0800 678 1602 Samaritans Telephone - 116 123 (This number is free to call from both landlines and mobiles, including pay-as-you-go mobiles. You do not need to have any credit or call allowance on your plan to call Email - jo@samaritans.org
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