Resident Voice Panel Newsletter Resident Involvement & Wellbeing
August 2023
Hello, welcome to our August edition of our Resident Voice Newsletter!
We have a bumper edition of a newsletter for you this time around, filled with lots of information for upcoming events and initiatives and we will be revealing the winners of our 2023 Loving Later Life Awards. Over the last few weeks, we have been busy processing over 160 Loving Later Life nominations, the standard of nominations has been fantastic, and every nominee is a worthy winner! Thank you to everyone who has nominated a fellow resident and huge congratulations to our winners and highly commended residents. We have recently celebrated South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM -18th July to 17th August). SAHM seeks to raise the profile of British South Asian heritage and history in the UK through education, arts, culture, and commemoration, with the goal of helping people to better understand the diversity of present-day Britain and improve social cohesion across the country. We saw a dedicated virtual coffee morning with colleagues and residents talking about their personal experiences, videos and articles shared to educate colleagues and residents around SAHM plus much more. Our quarterly campaigns have been successful, we have been seeing a lot of engagement up and down the country which is fantastic. Whilst we are still in Quarter 3, #GoGreen and very much looking forward to our Environmental Fayre on the 13th of September (10am – 2pm), we are already planning for Qua rter 4’s theme ‘Celebrating Culture’ (October to December). Falling in this quarter will be Black History Month, Get Online Week, World Mental Health Day and lots of fabulous festivals and celebrations. More information about the next quarter to follow shortly! If you would like to share what you have been involved in, we would love to learn more and invite you to share your experiences. You can get in touch via email at BeWell@anchor.org.uk or via phone at 07523 943501.
Best wishes, Lauren Smith
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
Are you interested in the environment? Calling all residents! Are you interested in the environment? Do you want to play your part in contributing towards a sustainable society, where the planet we live on can sustain healthy lives for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren? Do you want to work with Anchor to help influence and shape our environmental sustainability strategy work? If you’ve answered yes, why not apply to become a member of our new Residents Environmental forum. Following the launch of our new Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero strategy we are looking to recruit interested and passionate residents to work with us and act as a consultative body. You don’t have to have any prior experience or knowledge just an interest, passion and commitment to work with other residents and Anchor personnel to help us deliver and successfully implement our environmental plans and targets.
For more information and an application pack, please contact the Resident Involvement Team at BeInvolved@anchor.org.uk.
Campaigns for 2023 Get involved with our campaign to #GoGreen
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. There are lots of resources available to support you to #GoGreen including an activity pack, energy saving tips and a biodiversity toolkit. If you would like copies, including a copy of the agenda for our Environmental Fayre, please get in touch with the Resident Wellbeing Lead at BeWell@anchor.org.uk or via phone at 07523 943501. Don’t forget to share photos of your commitments to #GoGreen on social media.
Other ways you can get involved are:
• Join our virtual Environmental Fayre on the 13 th September (10am to 2pm). Our Environmental Fayre will give you an opportunity to hear from passionate guest speakers talking about our sustainability strategy, tips on how you can get involved to be kinder to the environment with small wins, plus much more. • Get involved with the local community and make connections - lots of communities often distribute excess seeds / flowers free of charge. • Build a bug hotel and place it at the bottom of your garden. • Sow wildflower seeds to help our wildlife. • Litter picking in your local community. • Utilise your left-over food and see what you can make with scraps. • Join our virtual coffee mornings (on Zoom) on the 5th September at 11am to hear from Doug Stewart, Horticulturist on 'The new way to garden' and on the 12th September at 11am , you can join in a crafts class with Arts by Vanessa to make Junk Mail Paper Bags
Drum roll please for our 2023 Loving Later Life Awards Winners! The votes are in for our 2023 resident awards. Our Loving Later Life Awards recognise those residents who make a real difference at their Anchor location, and it also gives us an opportunity to showcase the work of our green fingered residents. The awards were open across all services, and we welcomed nominations from fellow residents, colleagues, friends and family. The nominations have made it very hard for our judges and after lots of deliberation, our judges Rachel McVeigh, Sarah Turner, Liz Davenport and Sarah Young have chosen our 2023 winners! The winners of our Loving Later Life Awards are: • Avid Learner - Kathleen Farley - Upton Grange Care Home, Merseyside • Digital Dynamo - Rachel Ward - Hanover Gardens, Bradford • Paw'some Pet - Oscar the Cat - The Manor House Care Home, Harrogate • The Greatest Grandparent(s) - Stuart Davis - Chyventon, Cornwall • Neighbour Like No Other (Care Services) - Margaret Thomas - The Manor House Care Home, County Durham • Neighbour Like No Other (Housing Services) - Carole Aitken - Granville Lodge, Newcastle • Fabulous Fundraiser - Gill Storey - The Manor House Care Home, County Durham • Bloomin' Marvellous Gardener - Fruit & Veg - Julie Jeffrey - Hillary Drive, Didcot • Bloomin' Marvellous Gardener - Fruit & Veg - Robert Hart, St Clements Court, Folkestone • Bloomin' Marvellous Gardener - Individual Gardener - Mary Daniely Tierney - Acresfield, Liverpool • Bloomin' Marvellous Gardener - Baskets & Tubs - Doreen Pomford - Hurst Park Court Care Home, Liverpool Massive thank you to the judges for your support choosing our winners, thank you to everyone who has put forward a nomination to recognise the amazing achievements of our residents. Winners will receive a certificate acknowledging their win and achievement and a £100 Love 2 Shop gift card! Winners will also have a double page spread in the next edition of Life Magazine. Please put your hands together and give all our nominees a huge round of applause! All nominees will receive a certificate in the post marking their achievements.
Resident Voice Join our involved groups!
If you would like Anchor to hear your voice, there are lots of ways to get involved:
Resident Voice Panel – takes up very little time, everyone can be on this to find out about upcoming projects, give their opinion, join focus groups, etc.
Are you interested in the upkeep and safety of the building you live in? ( Property & Building Safety group )
How do you feel about the way Anchor communicates with you? Do you have a clear opinion on how it could be better? ( Communications group )
Are you a homeowner and would like to help improve the service offered? ( Homeownership group )
Are you objective and interested in fairness? ( Independent Residents’ Complaints Panel)
Are you interested in contributing to improving and developing services and representing the views of residents? ( Residents’ Council )
New groups are the Inclusion Community, an Environmental forum and a neurodiversity closed Facebook group .
If you want to find out more, call the Resident Involvement & Wellbeing team on 07786 703779 or email BeInvolved@anchor.org.uk
National Inclusion Week 25 September – 1 October
National Inclusion Week is an annual campaign which aims to highlight the importance of inclusion in the workplace. This year it will run from 25 September – 1 October.
We have created a resource pack to help you arrange activities at your locations as part of this week, but please do come up with your own ideas too. Remember to share your activity with us on social media using the hashtag #NIW2023 .
If you would like a copy of the National Inclusion Week Activity Pack, please request a copy at BeWell@anchor.org.uk.
Invisible Creations Grab rails in disguise!
We create beautifully designed accessible products that help people live well in their homes for longer. Good design has the potential to keep you happy and healthy. Our accessible products are simple, safe and super stylish, designed to support you to live well for longer. We create products that are designed to remove the negative stigma so often associated with current assistive and accessible products. We believe homes should be a haven, not a hospital and products designed to help you remain independent should be attractive, not clinical. We combine everyday household items, such as toilet roll holders, shelves and planters, with support rails to produce a range of grab rails in disguise, providing people with all the help they need to get around the home without needing to compromise on style. Our products are designed to keep your home looking stylish and personal to you, but with the reassurance that there is built in support to help prevent falls and keep you active around the house.
We need your help!
We’re looking to design our next range of products which will see us develop new grab rails for the outside of your homes. We started off with our plant potholder grab rail to help people get in and out of the house, as we know many homes have steps at the front and back doors which can make it a little tricky, and we now want to design more products that can help people get around garden to enjoy your outdoor space safely and in style. We’re looking for feedback on any outdoor areas around your home that may be a bit challenging and any product suggestions you may have that would make accessing your garden or outside space much easier.
We’d love it if you could help us by filling out this short survey (It should take around 10 -15 minutes to complete). Please find the link below:
https://forms.gle/w67eN7pviZDTb2Kv9
Everyone that completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 voucher.
We ’d also love any extra feedback or even photos of your outside spaces as well as videos showing how you use them. If you’d like to help us out with this, please send them to hello@invisiblecreations.co.uk
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 allow you to socialise with others from around the country who are interested in being active. You can join any of our sessions at 10am and get a feel for the variety of exercises demonstrated.
There has been a slight amendment to the timetable where we now only host three live sessions a week with Carl Davis. Carl can demonstrate both standing and seated exercises.
Zoom Meeting ID
Move It Monday
Workout Wednesday
Fit Friday
Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/8450 5719625 Meeting ID: 845 0571 9625 Passcode: 123
10am Be Active Live
10am Be Active Live
10am Be Active Live
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 #. We also have pre-recorded videos available on YouTube which are easily accessible and DVD ’ s that can be requested from the Resident Wellbeing Lead at BeWell@anchor.org.uk or via phone at 07523 943501.
Be Skilled Learn new skills and get creative with Be Skilled!
Be Skilled is our free exclusive online learning platform for residents.
In the last edition of the newsletter, we mentioned how Anchor has partnered with the Skills Network. The Skills Network gives residents easy access to Government funded qualifications. We have also 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 also have a Creative Care Kit which can be sent to you upon request filled with lots of activity ideas, puzzles and interesting information around wellbeing.
We have reviewed and amended our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion e-Learning and are looking for volunteers to complete it and provide feedback. If you are interested or if you would like to explore what Be Skilled has to offer, please email BeWell@anchor.org.uk or phone 07523 943501 for more information.
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 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 about your experience of the service.
Book Club Join our virtual book club every 6 weeks!
Come and join our virtual Book Club. We meet every 6 weeks and currently reading a book of our own choice and then feedback back to the group to see if we can encourage others to read it. Our next Book Club is on the 3 rd October at 3pm and 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/0776cd/ or you can register your interest at BeWell@anchor.org.uk or calling 07523943501.
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 (see below) followed by #.
Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/89722930261 Meeting ID: 897 2293 0261
Data Protection Customer Satisfaction Calls
To make sure residents can provide feedback on how well Anchor are meeting their expectations and highlight areas for improvement, we conduct a few specific surveys throughout the year. This may be the tenancy satisfaction survey, which is now a regulatory requirement, or after repairs / planned works to your property, for example. Acuity, one of Anchor’s trusted providers, carry out surveys on our behalf. They will give you the option to answer the questions anonymously or to opt out of further surveys should you wish. Their number is 01273 093939.
If your preference is not to be contacted to answer survey questions, you can opt out by sending an email to acuityalerts@anchor.org.uk or by calling our Customer Centre on 0800 731 2020.
Just to let you know, Acuity makes a certain number of calls each month on our behalf so you may not be contacted. We have a schedule available on request to make it clear when surveys are planned for this year.
Full details of how Anchor manages your personal information is available on the resident privacy notice. This is available on the Anchor website at anchor.org.uk or can be provided upon request.
Diversity & Inclusion Translation documents are available!
We’re always seeking opportunities to improve our diversity and inclusion, so we’ve introduced a new process for translating Anchor documents for residents. This should make important documents, such as tenancy agreements much easier to provide in the language you need. Speak to your local manager about how you can get Anchor documents translated. Spanish : Siempre estamos buscando oportunidades para mejorar nuestra diversidad e inclusión, por lo que hemos introducido un nuevo proceso para traducir los documentos de Anchor para los residentes. Esto debería hacer que documentos importantes, como los contratos de arrendamiento, sean mucho más fáciles de proporcionar en el idioma que necesite. Hable con su gerente local sobre cómo puede obtener los documentos de Anchor traducidos. Polish : Zawsze staramy się szukać możliwości poprawy naszego zróżnicowania i włączania, dlatego wprowadziliśmy nowy proces tłumaczenia dokumentów Anchor dla mieszkańców. Powinno to ułatwić dostarczanie ważnych dokumentów, takich jak umowy najmu, w wymaganym przez ciebie języku. Porozmawiaj z lokalnym kierownikiem na temat możliwości przetłumaczenia dokumentów Anchor. Romanian : Întotdeauna căutăm oportunități de a îmbunătăți diversitatea și includerea noastră, așa că am introdus un nou proces de traducere a documentelor Anchor pentru rezidenți. Acest lucru ar trebui să faciliteze furnizarea de documente importante, cum ar fi acordurile de închiriere, în limba de care ai nevoie. Discutați cu managerul local despre cum puteți obține traducerea documentelor Anchor. Bengali : সর্ দব া আমরা আমাদদর বর্ চিত্ র্ য এর্ ং অন্ তর্ ভ বক্ তি উтয় দের সুদ াগগুচি অেুসсাে কচর , তাই আমরা র্ াচসрাদদর জেয এঙ্ কর দচিিগু চি অেুর্ াদ করার জেয একটি েতভ ে প্ রক্ তিয় া প্ রর্ তেব কদরচি। এটি টিোক্ তি িভ ক্ তিসহ গু রু ত্ বপূর্ ব দচিিগু চি টর্ শ সহদজই প্ রদাে করদত সহায় তা করদর্ এমে হদত পাদর ট মে আপচে প্ রদয় াজে র্ াষায় । আঙ্ কর দচিিগু চি অেুর্ াদ করার উপর আপোর স্ থােীয় মযাদেজাদরর সাদে কো র্ িুে। Urdu : ہم ہمیشہ اپنی تنوع اور شمولیت کو بہتر کرنے کی ممکنات تالش کرتے ہیں، لہذا ہم نے رہائشیوں کے لئے اینکر دستاویزات ک ا ترجمہ کرنے کی ا یک نئی عملی اتی عمل پیش کی ہے۔ یہ آپ کو اہم دستاویزات مثال ا کرایہ کے ایگریمنٹس کو آپ کی ضرورت کے مطابق زبان میں فراہم کرنے کو بہت آسان بن ا دیں گے۔ ای نکر دستاویزات ک ا ترجمہ کیسے حاصل کی ا ج ا سکت ا ہے کے بارے میں اپنے مقامی منیجر سے بات کریں۔ Portuguese : Estamos sempre em busca de oportunidades para melhorar nossa diversidade e inclusão, por isso, introduzimos um novo processo de tradução de documentos da Anchor para os moradores. Isso deve facilitar a disponibilização de documentos importantes, como contratos de locação, no idioma que você precisa. Fale com o gerente local sobre como você pode obter os documentos da Anchor traduzidos.
Virtual Coffee Mornings Join our weekly chats and hear from a variety of guest speakers This gives residents from anywhere in the county the chance to come together and hear from a variety of guest speakers. Our virtual coffee morning occurs every Tuesday at 11am via Zoom . The link to join our coffee morning and a list the guest speakers is below:
September 2023 05-Sep - Doug Stewart - The new way to garden
12-Sep - Arts by Vanessa - Junk Mail Paper Bags (Sustainability Crafts) 19-Sep - "Doll House Miniaturist" - Vicky Smallwood (Anchor Colleague) 26-Sep - Social Chat
October 2023 03-Oct - Arts by Vanessa - Book Markers (Crafts Class) 10-Oct - Social Chat 17-Oct - Kerry Holmes - Illicit Tobacco Awareness - West Yorkshire Trading Standards
24-Oct - Social Chat 31-Oct - Social Chat
November 2023
07-Nov -Arts by Vanessa - Zentangle (Crafts Class) 14-Nov - Social Chat 21-Nov - Social Chat 28-Nov - Social Chat
December 2023 05-Dec - Arts by Vanessa - Christmas Card Origami 12-Dec - Christmas Quiz - Resident Involvement & Wellbeing Team 19-Dec - Ken Robertshaw - 6 Dogs, A Sled and Me! - A trip across the Arctic regions of Europe
Join Zoom Meeting https://anchorhanover.zoom.us/j/94295872364... Meeting ID: 942 9587 2364 Passcode: 925638
...and if you’r e not online you can now simply dial into the calls on your landline or mobile phone, on *020 3695 0088 and then enter the meeting ID: 942 9587 2364 and then press # If you would like to suggest a guest speaker, put yourself forward as a guest speaker, please get in touch with Lauren Smith on 07523943501 or at BeWell@anchor.org.uk
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 Free call companion service
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
•
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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