On Saturday June 12th the staff at Abbeyfield House in Wednesfield are opening their doors so that the local community can have a look around at the house and see the type of accommodation that is available for people over 55.

The event takes place at Abbeyfield House, Duke Street, Wednesfield,WV11 1TG from 10:30am to 3:30pm and you are invited to call in and speak to the house manager and enjoy free refreshments!

Staff are also looking for people to train as volunteers to work within the organisation – so please speak to somebody on Saturday if you are interested in volunteering.

Local residents are being invited to the Annual Wednesfield Cluster Fete on Saturday 12 June 2010 at King George’s Fields from 12pm – 4pm.

The fete will be a celebration of the partnership of the Wednesfield Tenants and Residents Associations in Hickman, Tithe Road, Ashmore Park and Moathouse and is supported by Wolverhampton Homes.

Activities taking place on the day  include  live music, cheerleaders, a dance group, keep fit demonstrations, face painting, along with fairground rides and refreshments.

Photo by Ray Amos

The Guest of Honour will be boxer Steve Saville, the Wednesfield Bomber. After an impressive professional career, stretching over 11 years, Saville continues to reign as Midlands Lightweight champion.

Fete organiser Kathy Allen said: “Everyone is welcome to come along to the cluster fete and join in the day of fun at King George’s Fields.”

“We’ve arranged rides for children, face painting and it’s a fun day out for the all family.”

“It’s a good chance for all the community to come together and enjoy the live music, dancing and to meet boxing legend Steve Saville.”

There will also be an opportunity to win prizes donated by local businesses with a tombola and raffle draw. The money collected will help go towards funding next year’s fete.

People who live in Heath Town are being given an opportunity to improve their area with more than £500,000 for community facilities.

In 2008, Wolverhampton City Council decided to transfer management of Heath Town from the Heath Town Estate Management Board, a Tenant Management Organisation, to Wolverhampton Homes.

The former Tenant Management Organisation had £559,216 in reserve which is now going to be spent benefiting residents on the estate.

Now people who live in Heath Town are being called on to have their say about how the money should be spent.

Mark Henderson, Director of Housing at Wolverhampton Homes, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Heath Town. If used wisely, it can make a difference to people’s lives for many years to come and it’s only right that the reserves of the former EMB are spent on the estate.

“We’ll be looking at the things tenants and leaseholders have already told us they want and asking for more ideas before it will go to a vote later in the year.

“I’d urge everyone to come along to our ideas events, tell us what you want and play your part in making history for Heath Town.”

A series of consultation events will be held from 1 June-11 June. The drop-in sessions to share ideas are being held in the precinct, at the ball court, at each of the high rise blocks, and the Heath Town Community Centre.

Some of the ideas already suggested include improving security through CCTV, lighting on the sports pitch, setting up a community garden and improving play areas.

For more information call Evelyn Brown, Tenant Participation Officer on 01902 556789.

]]> http://www.wv11.co.uk/2010/06/02/500000-of-improvements-coming-to-heath-town/feed/ 0 http://www.wv11.co.uk/2010/06/01/upcoming-events-in-ashmore-park/ http://www.wv11.co.uk/2010/06/01/upcoming-events-in-ashmore-park/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:30:20 +0000 James http://www.wv11.co.uk/?p=2086 Next police liaison meeting tuesday june 1st 7-00 pm   Community Centre.

The next Ashmore Park PACT meeting takes place at Ashmore Park Community Centre at 7pm on Tuesday 1st June.

The Ashmore Park Residents meeting takes place at Ashmore Park Community Centre at 7pm on Wednesday 2nd June.

Ashmore Park Choir now meets every Monday at 7:30pm in St Alban’s church hall.

Wolverhampton Homes tenants and leaseholders are being encouraged to attend local Get Togethers taking place this spring which offer them a chance to have their say on services.

There will be refreshments, a treasure hunt, children’s games, prizes and an interactive presentation. There will also be a chance to meet staff including Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes, Lesley Roberts.The Wednesfield Get Together takes place on  Monday 10th May, 6-8pm, at the Jennie Lee Centre, Wednesfield.

Anyone who would like more information or needs assistance with transport to attend a Get Together should call Homes Direct on 01902 556789.

Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes, Lesley Roberts said: “Our Get Togethers have been a fantastic success so far and we are delighted that so many tenants and leaseholders have come along.

“They are a fun, easy way for residents to tell us what they think about our services and to meet staff and neighbours. I’m looking forward to meeting more people this time.”

Wolverhampton Homes held Get Togethers in the autumn and winter and hundreds of tenants and leaseholders attended.

At the winter Get Togethers, residents had the chance to express their opinions on Wolverhampton Homes financial priorities using a ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ style remote answering device.

At the first Get Togethers in the autumn, residents overwhelmingly requested for repairs appointments slots that were more precise than simply ‘morning’ or ‘afternoon’. As a result, Wolverhampton Homes has now brought in two-hour appointment slots to meet residents’ needs.

The latest ‘Tenants Update’ magazine for Wolverhampton Homes tenants/customers is now available to download in PDF format here.

The update includes information on recent tenant satisfaction levels, as well as information on how you can be involved in making decisions about services.

You can also find all the relevant contact information you need in the update.

There will be a Bouncy Castle, Punch & Judy Show, Brass Band, an appearance by the local Fire service and many, many other fun activities; so please come along and join in the fun!

For more information, contact Chris on 01902 551750 or click here.

The £400 million Decent Homes programme won the National Housing Maintenance Forum’s ‘Best at Meeting Residents’ Needs’ award.

The judges praised the time, energy and effort Wolverhampton Homes had put in to reduce disruption for residents, particularly when considered with the scale of the project.

(L-R) Shaun Mulloy, Maintenance Manager, Shaun Aldis, Director of Property Services, and Mick Guy, Maintenance Manager, collecting the Decent Homes National Housing Maintenance Forum award for Wolverhampton Homes.

Director of Property Services, Shaun Aldis said: “This award for Wolverhampton Homes’ Decent Homes programme is a result of a combined effort by our residents, partners and staff.

“I was proud to accept this award and we will continue to work hard to give all our tenants and leaseholders the standard of home they should expect.”

Wolverhampton Homes is in the midst of the programme which involved bringing 23,500 properties up to a Government standard by fitting new kitchens, bathrooms and insulation.

Currently 600 homes are renovated at a cost of £1.25 million each week.

The decent homes programme will conclude in 2012. Currently the programme is nearing the end of its second year which will mean 10,500 homes have been completed.

newspaper kitty by brit.

Click below for a round-up of this week’s local news headlines…

Mother is jailed for copper boiler theft
Express & Star – 28th October 2009

A mother-of-two has been jailed for 18 weeks after ripping a copper boiler and pipes out of the Ashmore Park flat she was facing eviction from.

Please let me stay, says 106-year-old resident of threatened Midland care home
Birmingham Post – 29th October 2009

At the age of 106, Wednesfield born Louisa Watts is the UK’s fourth oldest woman and faces being evicted from the Midland care home she knows and loves because of a cuts package drawn up by the local authority.

Gang rape suspect stands trial
Express & Star – 29th October 2009

A man accused of taking part in the gang rape of a teenage girl in the grounds of the Jennie Lee Centre in Wednesfield has gone on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Missing Willenhall teenager – Police appeal
The Yam Yam – 30th October 2009

Concerns are growing for a missing teenager from Willenhall, who hasn’t been seen since Monday. Gemma Parsons, aged 18, was last seen by her boyfriend at an address on Walsall Street at around 9pm on Monday 26 October.

Penalty miss costs Ledbury (Wednesfield FC match report)
Hereford Times – 30th October 2009

SCOTT Roberts missed a second-half penalty for Ledbury in this scrappy West Midlands League Premier Division match. Wednesfield’s goalkeeper was sent off for bringing down Anton Thompson and then, after a delay, the stand-in stopper saved Roberts’ spot-kick.

Black Country man jailed for robbing two vicarages and churches
Birmingham Mail – October 31st 2009

A Black Country man who repaid the generosity of two Church of England priests by robbing them has been jailed for 21 months. Christopher Phillips, 28, had been given food and support by the vicars before raiding their vicarages and churches in Wednesfield and Wolverhampton.

Battling Brummie packs power punch
Express & Star – 31st October 2009

Wednesfield Bomber Steve Saville discovered size matters in Liverpool. Saville, the Midlands Area lightweight champion from Wolverhampton, jumped up two weight divisions last night to face red-hot prospect Frankie Gavin.

‘Get Togethers with Wolverhampton Homes’ are a new initiative aimed at involving tenants in the decision making process and will be held at four locations across the City, including Wednesfield. Tenants and leaseholders of all ages, young and old, who live in the homes that Wolverhampton Homes manages are being encouraged to attend and have their say.

Read more from www.24dash.com:

As well as having the opportunity speak with staff, Wolverhampton Homes have gone the extra mile using modern technology to create a family friendly atmosphere which will include a big brother style video diary as well as refreshments and entertainment for children.

Margaret Wright, director of performance and customer services said: “There has always been a lot of tenant and leaseholder involvement in Wolverhampton. The ‘Get Togethers’ are a new way for us to get even more people involved in shaping our housing services. It’s an opportunity for tenants and leaseholders to talk to Board members, our Chief Executive and other staff face to face. We want them to tell us which services are most important to them locally.”

There will be a local ‘Get Together’ every three months in each of the four areas.

The Wednesfield get together takes place on Tuesday 6 October, at Wolverhampton Swimming and Fitness Centre, Planetary Road, Bentley Bridge, WV13 3SW for tenants and leaseholders in Wednesfield South, Wednesfield North, Heath Town and Fallings Park. Start time to follow shortly…