THE MAGAZINE FOR
PEABODY RESIDENTS
AUTUMN 2015
Winning smiles
Prize fruit
and veg at
Cumberland
Market’s annual
show
ENGAGE
AUTUMN 2015
From December 2015, Engage
magazine will be replaced by
an email newsletter.
Editor: Kirsten Edwards
Design: Camille Neilson
Photography: Paul Sanders;
David Boucher; shutterstock.com;
Jody Kingzett
Address all content suggestions,
contest entries or comments to:
Editor, Engage, Peabody,
45 Westminster Bridge Road,
London SE1 7JB
Email: [email protected]
© Peabody 2015
Peabody Direct: 020 7021 4444 or
0800 022 4040 (free from BT landlines)
Email: [email protected]
Residents of Cumberland Market,
Millbank, Victoria Park and Lee Green
can also call 020 7255 4100.
Winning veg from Cumberland Market
A word from Steve Howlett
W
elcome to your
autumn issue of
Engage. I’m very
partial to home grown veg,
and I’m very impressed by the
allotment holders at Cumberland
Market, who grow everything
from peaches to courgettes. You
can see photos of their amazing
produce above and on p8.
This will be our last full
printed issue of Engage so, if
you haven’t yet signed up to our
email newsletter, turn to p14 to
find out how to do it. Everyone
who subscribes will be in with
the chance to win one of three
Amazon Fire tablets – perfect
In this issue
03 News
08 Grow your own
Cumberland Market held its 77th
horticultural show this year
15 How are we doing?
Performance information
16 Your money
Benefit changes
10 A tour around our website
17 Your home
12 Your neighbourhood
14 Sign up to our newsletter
18 Get online with Net Worx
19 Peabody Champion
Time to go digital
www.peabody.org.uk
for checking out the Peabody
newsletter and browsing our
website. See p10 to find out
about just some of the features
you can find online.
Keeping your bills affordable
PeabodyLDN
Please recycle this magazine
when you have finished with it
2 peabody.org.uk
SUMMER ENGAGE, P11 We’d like to point out that the photos used in our article ‘Support for our older
residents’ in the summer issue of Engage were for illustrative purposes only and are not related to
the case studies referred to in the text. We apologise for any distress caused. News
New tenants
welcome pack
New social tenants of
Peabody homes now receive
a Welcome Pack containing
household items such as
washing up liquid, cleaning
cloths, bin bags and air
freshener.
Their Neighbourhood
Manager will also visit them
within six weeks of the
tenancy starting to ensure
they are settling in.
Reading sessions
are a big success
I
t’s been a year since
Peabody’s literacy project,
Reading from the Start, was
launched in Hackney.
Since then, more than 100
families have benefitted from
fun family activities at 36
Reading from the Start book
corners, offering storytelling
sessions, nursery rhyme
singalongs, arts and crafts.
Open to parents with children
aged between two and five,
Reading from the Start helps
parents to support their child’s
literacy skills during the early
years. This can have a significant
impact on increasing cognitive
abilities and language skills later
in life.
The scheme, run in partnership
with VINCI Facilities and Dolly
Parton’s Imagination Library,
is supported by dedicated
volunteers. It’s now being rolled
out to other areas, launching at
Palmer estate on 17 September,
with sessions taking place at
the community centre every
Thursday, 10.30am–12.30pm.
Sessions at Hugh Cubitt will
take place every Friday from
10.30am–12.30pm, starting on
25 September.
Find out
what’s on
near you
Have you checked out our
online events calendar yet?
It lists daily events and
activities taking place on or
near our neighbourhoods
across London.
From family fun days to
computer classes, youth
clubs, history groups and
t’ai chi, there really is
something for everyone.
And the majority of these
events are free.
Have a look and see if
there’s something that takes
your fancy. You’ll find it
on our website at www.
peabody.org.uk/events.
peabody.org.uk 3
News
Smart meters
are coming
Steve Howlett with Anna
Campbell from Look Ahead
(left) and Amanda Clark
from Riverside (right)
Bruce House turns 20
P
eabody’s Bruce House, a
centre offering specialist
housing and support to
vulnerable people in Covent
Garden, celebrated its 20th
birthday in July.
Bruce House is home to more
than 100 residents with a history
of homelessness. Look Ahead
and Centrepoint, together with
supported housing provider,
Riverside, act as Peabody’s
managing agents. The centre also
offers employment and training
support, as well as a wide range
of weekly arts activities.
Bruce House was built in
1906 and has been providing
housing in Westminster for 109
years. George Orwell said it was
“excellent value for one and
a penny’ in his memoir Down
and out in Paris and London,
published in 1933.
For more information about Bruce House call 020 7021 4160 or 020 7021 4719.
Fancy a career in construction?
Peabody is building homes all
over London, and we’re offering
paid apprenticeships through our
supply chain in:
• Site management
• Bricklaying
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• Carpentry and joinery
• Dry lining
• Painting and decorating
• Business administration
The scheme is open to people
aged 16 to 24. You’ll get to work
with some of London’s leading
building contractors and come out
with a qualification and a chance
to work in the building industry.
For more information, email [email protected].
4 peabody.org.uk
In 2016, a nationwide project
will begin to change every gas
and electricity meter in the
country, replacing them with
smart meters.
At the moment, if your
supplier wants an accurate
meter reading, you have to
give it to them, or they have
to send someone to read
it. Smart meters are more
like smart phones – they
record your energy use and
use a telephone signal to
send it straight to the energy
company. This means you
will receive accurate bills.
The meters also come with a
display for your home, which
shows you how much energy
“Smart meters show how much
energy you’re using, and how
much you’re spending”
you’re using, and how much
you’re spending each day.
This means you can see which
appliances or behaviours cost
you the most money.
The project starts in 2016
and is due to finish in 2021.
Your energy company is
responsible for replacing your
meter and will contact you
directly to let you know when
it’s happening. This could be
next year or in five years time.
Once your smart meter is installed,
Peabody’s Home Energy Advice
Team can visit you to ensure you’re
getting the best value from it.
Contact the team on sustainability@
peabody.org.uk or via Peabody
Direct on 0800 022 4040.
News
The new mural
brightens up the
bin store wall
Rhinos in Wandsworth?
R
esidents at our Eton
Close estate in
Wandsworth are no
longer faced with a boring brick
wall when they dispose of their
rubblish. The bin store wall
features a fantastical mural of a
Mediterranean piazza – complete
with rhinos in the background
and a red squirrel on the steps!
The mural, created by artist Sue
Groom (www.art2murals.com),
was funded through Peabody’s
Make a Difference fund, which the
residents applied for together. The
dog on the bench was painted in
memory of a resident’s dog, and
the rhinos were requested by
another resident.
For more information about the
Make a Difference fund, visit
www.peabody.org.uk.
Options for paying your rent
Peabody offers several methods
for paying your rent, including:
Direct debit We would prefer
you to pay your rent by direct
debit as it is the easiest way for
us to collect it. You can choose
from different payment dates so
that the rent comes out of your
account at the most convenient
time for you.
Debit or credit card You can
pay with either a debit or credit
card by calling your revenue
officer’s direct line or by calling
Peabody Direct. You can also pay
outside office hours by phoning
0844 557 8321. When you make a
payment by phone you will need
the 19 digit reference number
shown on your rent statement and
rent card.
Post Office You can pay your rent
at the Post Office. You will need
your swipe card plus cash or a
cheque.
Pay online To pay online or by
text message, register with the
Allpay website at www.allpay.
net. You will need your 19 digit
reference number, and your
debit or credit card.
Please note that Peabody does
not accept cash payments.
peabody.org.uk 5
News
Meet the neighbours
Residents at one
of our newest
developments,
Cooper’s Road,
got together for a
fun day over the
summer. Residents
from nearby
Monmouth Court
also came along
to meet their new
neighbours.
Located to the
north of the Old
Kent Road, the new
development is a
mix of 247 rented,
shared-ownership
and privately
owned new homes,
designed around
four semi-private
courtyards.
Childcare offer
If you’re a parent, you might be
interested in a new breakfast
and after school club that’s just
launched at Walworth Hall, our
community centre in Rodney
Road, near Elephant and
Castle. The Little Rascal Club for
5–11 year olds is open in the
mornings from 7am and after
school from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.
The staff provide drop offs
and pick ups to local schools,
and Peabody residents will be
entitled to a 30% discount.
For details, contact Clare Anderson
on 07506 204340, visit www.
thelittlerascalclub.co.uk or email
[email protected].
6 peabody.org.uk
Pembury reuse project
Peabody is working with
environmental charity
Groundwork at Pembury to
bring new life to old furniture.
The Repurpose scheme is taking
bulky waste such as wardrobes,
chairs, stereos and lamps,
refurbishing them and selling
them back at low cost to the
community.
The intention is to reduce
the amount of waste that goes
to landfill sites, and give local
Pembury residents an opportunity
to learn key skills in refurbishing
old furniture. A Reuse Coordinator
has been employed to ensure your
old furniture and electricals can be
given a second chance.
Details for how to use the
scheme to give your old furniture
a new lease of life, and for how
to volunteer to learn key skills
in furniture refurbishment, will
be available at the new Pembury
Community Centre very soon.
News
Thamesmead cleans up
R
esidents joined Trust
Thamesmead in London’s
Capital Clean Up
initiative, which encourages
volunteers to come together
and help spruce up their
neighbourhood.
Clean ups took place all over
Thamesmead, and 40 bin bags
full of rubbish were collected.
Thamesmead resident and
volunteer, Aaron Fuller said:
“The work we are doing today
is a good thing. People are less
likely to leave litter in an area that
is already clean, so I am hoping
this will stop people dropping
things on the floor.”
For details of other environmental
projects, contact Alex Forrester
on 020 8320 4477 or
[email protected].
Domestic
abuse
In August, Peabody was
awarded with an accreditation
by the Domestic Abuse
Housing Alliance (DAHA).
DAHA was co-founded by
Peabody to improve the
housing sector’s response
to domestic abuse through
an accreditation process,
which assesses processes and
practices. Peabody continues
to lead the housing sector
in our response to domestic
abuse and is the first housing
provider to receive the
accreditation.
Volunteer
Aaron Fuller
New wardens for our communities
Building on the success of
Gallions’ wardens service,
Peabody has recently recruited
four wardens, managed by a
Warden Team Leader, to patrol
our estates to help reduce crime
and improve safety. They
work flexible hours every day,
including evenings and weekends,
and we hope that their presence
will make residents feel more at
ease in their neighbourhoods.
Please note: Wardens are unable to respond to every instance of antisocial behaviour in our neighbourhoods. To report
antisocial behaviour, please call Peabody Direct on 020 7021 4444 or the Police on 101. In an emergency, always call 999.
peabody.org.uk 7
GROW
YOUR
OWN
Cumberland Market’s
annual horticultural show
is a chance for residents to
show off their produce
W
e no longer have
to dig for victory,
but residents of
Cumberland Market are carrying
on a second world war tradition
by growing some of the best fruit
and veg in London – on their
doorsteps.
There are around 45 allotments
in the middle of the estate, near
Regents Park in Camden. When
it was first built in the 1920s,
a branch of the Regent’s Canal
went through the middle – the
site used to be a hay market, and
the hay would be transported
along the canal.
During the early stages of
the war, the canal was filled in
and the area was turned over to
allotments as part of the ‘Dig for
Victory’ food programme. The
allotments, probably the most
central in London, remain on the
estate to this day.
Formerly part of the Crown
Estate, Cumberland Market was
acquired by Peabody in 2011.
The allotments are tended by
residents who belong to the
Cumberland Basin Horticultural
Society. They grow a wide range
of fruit, vegetables, shrubs, herbs
and flowers, and they hold a
8 peabody.org.uk
There are 45 allotments in the middle
of the estate producing prize-winning
fruit, veg and flowers (below)
horticultural show each year to
display their produce. There are
around 50 categories including
soft fruit, tree fruit, potatoes,
beetroot, onions and courgettes.
There’s also a children’s
flower display and a prize for
the best animal made out of a
vegetable. The judge this year
was a lecturer from Capel Manor
Horticultural College. Residents
also made cake and jams for
sale, with proceeds going to the
allotment society.
Gary White, resident and
secretary of the Cumberland
Basin Horticultural Society,
says: “I’m very pleased with
my peaches this year. I also
grow raspberries, strawberries,
cucumbers and courgettes.
‘The allotments are a haven for
wildlife in the centre of the city,’
he adds. ‘There are thousands of
bees, and we’ve got ponds with
frogs and newts. The waiting list
is open at the moment, so if any
residents of Cumberland market
are interested in taking on an
allotment, please get in touch!’
For further information, email the
Cumberland Basin Horticultural
Society at [email protected] or
pop into the estate office.
The show is a
great day out
for families
Local residents
show off their prizes
peabody.org.uk 9
A tour around
our website
Whether you want to pay your rent
or read our latest news, the Peabody
website (www.peabody.org.uk) is the
place to go. Here are just some of the
things you can do online:
Find out about
our services
This section tells you most things you
need to know as a resident. It includes
information about our repairs process,
rent and service charges and more. It
also contains advice for leaseholders.
Just click on ‘Resident services’ at the
top of the homepage.
See what’s on
in your area
Each neighbourhood has a
noticeboard where you can find
out what’s going on near you,
such as exercise classes and
volunteering opportunities. You
can also submit your own posts
if there’s something you’d like to
share with your local community.
Search by borough, postcode or
neighbourhood name.
10 peabody.org.uk
Set up an
online account
This allows you to pay your rent
and service charges, view your rent
statement, give feedback and access
useful documents. To set up an account,
click ‘Register’ and submit your details
(you’ll need an allpay number).
Learn about
our history
Did you know that our early estates
were built around a central courtyard to
provide a safe playing area for children?
Or that our founder George Peabody
was a friend of Charles Dickens? Learn
more about our fascinating history in
the ‘About us’ section.
Get involved, or
sign up to a class
Our community programmes include
free computer training (Net Worx),
parenting courses, volunteering
opportunities, help with finding a job
and youth activities. To find out more,
click on ‘Community programmes’ at
the top of the home page.
Swap your home
Need a bigger or smaller property? Or
want to move to a different area? If
you’re a social tenant and have a secure
or assured tenancy, you may be able to
swap your home with another Peabody
resident, or another housing association
or council resident. Find out more at
‘Your housing options’
peabody.org.uk 11
Your neighbourhood
Improvements at Shadwell
W
e have been working
with residents in
Shadwell over the
last ten months to understand
how they would like to use the
open areas of their estate. In
collaboration with our landscape
architects, we have developed
designs in response to residents’
thoughts and concerns and are
pleased to say that we have
received planning permission for
the landscape proposals. Works
will begin on site in January
2016 and will include the
following;
• 26 new trees
• New lawn areas and a variety
of planting to provide colour
throughout the seasons
• Food growing area with a
gardening club shed
• Timber seating and wavy play
decks
• Play features incorporating
natural elements
• Improved vehicle and
pedestrian surfaces
• New bin stores, personal
storage, and cycle storage with
green roofs and walls, which
offer habitats to plants and
wildlife
• New estate signage
• Improved lighting to help
create a safe environment.
Knitting for charity
A knitting group at Peabody’s
Bruce House is knitting baby
clothes for the Neonatal Unit at
Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea
Hospital and Operation
Orphan, a UK based charity in
Nepal.
Many of those who attend
the Wellbeing Through
Encouragement knitting group
have learnt to knit through the
weekly sessions.
Group Coordinator, Linda
Llewellyn, said: “The knitting
really does gives us a sense of
purpose and we are constantly
learning new things. The group
has also been the basis of new
friendships forming.”
The weekly sessions take
If you would like to get involved or find out more about Wellbeing Through
Encouragement, please call Bruce House on 020 7021 4160 or 020 7021 4719.
12 peabody.org.uk
place between 11am and 1pm
every Wednesday at Bruce
House Centre, Kemble Street,
Holborn, WC2B 4AW and are
open to all adults. Peabody
supports the group by paying
for tutors and materials.
If you wish to donate
blankets, hats and jumpers
for the two charities, drop
them off FAO The Wellbeing
Through Encouragement
Group at Bruce House.
Your neighbourhood
Family fun
at Pembury
Messy play with paints
Peabody residents of all ages got
together for the Pembury Family
Fun Day in July. Activities
included creative workshops,
face painting, a barbecue and
a comedy show, as well as the
chance to meet neighbours and
local community groups.
Pembury resident Milgun
Sonay attended the day’s event
with her two-year-old daughter,
Gulfarah Hussien. “Today’s
event has been a great way to
meet other mums and for the
children to play and make new
friends,” she said. “There is
a great community feel. I am
really glad I came.”
Milgun Sonay with her
two-year-old daughter,
Gulfarah Hussien
Wellbeing for
the over 60s
If you’re over 60 and live in
the borough of Kensington &
Chelsea, get down to Kensington
Town Hall on 2 October for Age
UK’s health fair.
The aim of the event is to
help you maintain good mental,
physical and emotional health.
Local groups, organisations
and service providers will be
showcasing their workshops,
activities, information,
demonstrations, talks, health
checks and performances.
Highlights include a
choir performance and song
workshop, table tennis,
jewellery workshop, pampering
and alternative therapies, raffle,
t’ai chi, belly dancing and all
sorts of exercise.
For more information, contact Kathe
Jacob on 020 8960 8137 or email
[email protected].
peabody.org.uk 13
SIGN UP TO THE
ENGAGE NEWSLETTER
+ WIN AN AMAZON FIRE TABLET!
K
eep up to date with the latest
Peabody news, information and
opportunities by signing up to
the Engage email newsletter at
www.peabody.org.uk/engage.
We will not share your data and you
can unsubscribe at any time.
The first issue is being sent out
in September, alongside the printed
magazine, and you’ll be able to access
it on your computer, tablet or mobile at
a time and place that suits you. We shall
stop producing the full print version after
September. However, if you wish to
continue receiving a reduced print version
of Engage, please email info@peabody.
org.uk with your name and address. It
would be helpful to us if you could also
explain your reasons for not wanting to
subscribe to the online version.
Everyone who signs up will be entered
into a prize draw to win one of three
Amazon Fire HD 7” tablets with Wi-Fi
and 8GB storage.
www.peabody.org.uk/engage
14 peabody.org.uk
How are we doing?
Each month, Peabody collects data for a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to track
how well we’re performing. The table below shows figures to the end of June 2015
PERFORMANCE TO JUNE 2015
Key performance indicator
Satisfaction with last repair
Peabody Direct: % of calls answered
ASB cases resolved
Rent collected
Year to
June 2015
70%
94%
81%
96.4%
Year-end target
On target?
85%
95%
80%
100.1%
x
x
3
x
RENT
Some residents are still not prioritising their
rent, and our rent collection rate at the end June
2015 dropped to 96.4%.
200 residents have been referred to court
since April 2015 due to non-payment of rent.
They each had to pay a £250 court cost, which
is added to their rent arrears. 13 residents have
been evicted because of rent arrears since April.
Remember your home is at risk if you fail to
keep up with your rent payments.
If you are in rent arrears and have not yet
reached an agreement to clear your debt, then
please contact your Revenue Officer today by
calling Peabody Direct on 0800 022 4040 (free
from landlines) or 020 7021 4444 or by
emailing [email protected].
ASB
We are pleased that we have once again
achieved above our target for resolving ASB
cases. Our management team continually looks
at innovative ways to improve your experience
of how we manage ASB cases.
Our new Peabody wardens have started
patrolling our estates – see p7 for more
information – which should help keep our
neighbourhoods safer.
The Community Safety service has been
scrutinised as part of our accreditation to the
Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA)
(see p7), which underlines our longstanding
commitment to tackling domestic abuse.
Our mediation service continues to support
residents to resolve disputes and low-level ASB.
PEABODY DIRECT
We pride ourselves in answering your calls
as soon as possible and our figures so far for
this financial year show that we answered 94%
of calls received, just 1% short of our target
of 95%. We also work hard to maintain and
improve our service in terms of whether our
customers felt our officers cared about their
call, were committed to helping them and
trusted them to do what they said they would
do. Voluntas is an independent company that
carries out customer surveys on behalf of
Peabody Direct. We would like to thank you for
taking part in these surveys, as this helps us to
consistently improve the service we offer.
REPAIRS
Resident satisfaction is monitored through
a combination of independent Voluntas
surveys and post inspections. We also measure
appointments kept and first time fix. Year to
date, 86% of appointments were kept against a
target of 95%, and 68% of residents had their
repair fixed first time against a year-to-date
target of 85%.
An independent review of the responsive
repairs service has been completed and Axis has
implemented a transformation plan, which is
being closely monitored by Peabody.
To find out more, visit the performance and efficiency section of our website at www.peabody.org.uk.
peabody.org.uk 15
Your money
How will the summer
budget affect you?
The government announced several changes to welfare benefits in its July 2015
budget. Here we explain the changes that will come into effect from April 2016
W
orking Tax Credit
This is an in-work
payment made to lowpaid people working a minimum
number of hours, with additions
based on family and disability
circumstances.
Working Tax Credit payments
begin to reduce once an earnings
threshold is reached. The current
threshold is £6,420 per year,
but from April 2016 this will be
reduced to £3,850.
After the threshold is reached,
Working Tax Credits will be
reduced by 48p in every £1
earned. (The present reduction is
41p in every £1 earned.)
Currently, if your earnings rise
by less than £5,000 within the
year, this won’t affect your claim.
From April 2016, you must report
an earnings rise if it exceeds
£2,500, and the amount of
Working Tax Credit you receive
will be reduced.
Example: Ms P is a lone parent
working 16 hours, earning
£530 per month. At present her
Working Tax Credit is £76.34 per
week. From April 2016, assuming
her circumstances remain the
same, her Working Tax Credit
falls to £1.34 per week.
Working age out of work
benefits Claimants under state
pension age who claim Job
Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) or
Employment Support Allowance
(ESA) will not see an increase
in these benefits for the next five
years. The exception to this rule
will be for disability benefits and
carer benefits, which will increase
each year. Pensioners are not
affected by this freeze.
Example: Mr J has a disability
that prevents him from working,
so he receives Employment and
Support Allowance (ESA) with
a support component. This gives
him an income of £109.30 per
week – £73.10 for the ESA and
£36.20 for the support component.
From April 2016 the ESA element
(£73.10), will not increase with
inflation. However, the support
component (£36.20) will increase
by the CPI rate of inflation.
Housing Benefit: This helps
people on low incomes to pay
their rent. At present, there are
some circumstances in which a
claim might be backdated for up to
six months. From April 2016, this
will be reduced to four weeks.
Example: Mr P, who has severe
learning difficulties, moved into
a new flat six months ago but
didn’t realise that he had to fill
in a claim for housing benefit.
If he puts in a claim now, it will
be backdated for the full six
months. However, if he puts in a
claim after April 2016, it will be
backdated for only four weeks.
For further information, please
contact Peabody’s Welfare Benefits
team on 0800 022 4040 (free from
BT landlines) or 020 7021 4444.
16 peabody.org.uk
Your home
Keeping your bills affordable
For the past three years, Peabody’s Home Energy Advice team has been helping
you to reduce your energy and water bills
C
an you afford to heat
your home this winter?
Peabody’s Home Energy
Advice team (HEAT) has been
working tirelessly for the past
three years to help Peabody
residents reduce their energy
and water bills. They normally
identify about £180 of savings
per household they visit.
Our officers can deal with
difficult debt issues on gas,
electricity and water bills. They
can also assess your eligibility
for:
l Winter Fuel Payments, worth
£100–£300 if you receive
Pension Credits
l Warm Homes Discount, worth
£140 off your energy bill if you
get Pension Credit, Income
Support and some other benefits
l Cold Weather Payments,
Benefit name
Tick
below
for each
benefit
you
receive
worth £25 per week during very
cold weather for most benefits
claimants.
The team recently helped one
resident in Strawberry Vale to
reduce her water bill by £100 per
year by checking her benefits.
And we helped a resident from
the Whitecross estate challenge
his gas bill, which had doubled
within two years because of
a mistake by his provider. He
is now due a rebate of several
hundred pounds.
Peabody’s Home Energy
Advice team can advise you
on using your boiler, electric
heaters, programmers, thermostat
and radiators, managing
condensation, staying warm and
keeping your bills down. See box,
right, for information on how to
make an appointment.
Cold Weather Payments
Are you eligible for
fuel payments?
If you’re claiming benefits, you
might be able to get some extra
help to pay your winter energy
bills. Our table, below, shows
what you might be entitled to.
Each of these payments has
extra eligibility criteria, especially
for the Warm Homes Discount.
These include homes with
children under five or people who
live with mental health or physical
disabilities, or who are on multiple
benefits. However, it is always
worth asking to see if you qualify
for extra financial help.
To make an appointment with
a home energy advisor, email
[email protected] or
call 0800 022 4040.
Winter Fuel
Payment
Warm Homes
discount
£25 for each 7 day period of
very cold weather between
1 November and 31 March.
£100–£300
depending on age
Ask your Pension Centre* or
JobCentre Plus for details
Ask your Pension Centre* or
JobCentre Plus for details
All applications to your
electricity provider






Income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related
Employment
and Support Allowance






Pension Credit
Income Support
£140
Universal Credit



Combined household
income under £16,010



Working Tax Credit



* To find your Pension Centre, visit www.gov.uk/find-pension-centre
peabody.org.uk 17
Your community services
Free computer training
W
ith Engage going
digital, there’s even
more of an incentive
to get online! Peabody’s Net
Worx project teaches you
how to use computers and the
internet – all for free! As well as
receiving Peabody news straight
into your inbox, you’ll also be
able to email friends and family,
“Those of us who live alone are
never isolated with a computer –
we have a window on the world”
share photos, talk to family on
Skype, use social media such
as Facebook and Twitter, shop
online, book holidays, pay bills,
search for information and listen
to music or watch TV online.
We run free sessions at our
community centres in a fun,
friendly and
informal setting
with volunteer
trainers, who are
on hand to answer
queries and give
one-to-one tuition.
This project not
only helps people
to connect online,
but it also brings
people from
the community
together.
Computers are
provided or
learners can bring their own
laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Kathleen Lyons, 92, first
started attending Net Worx
sessions at Darwin Court 12
years ago.
“Its the 21st Century so I had
to get with it!” says Kathleen.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WORK?
If you’re unemployed, Peabody’s employment
and training service can help you:
● Re-connect with work
● Improve employability
● Fill in job applications
● Prepare for interview
● Prepare for work life
● Learn basic IT skills and more
● Write the perfect CV
● Search for jobs online
Drop in to one of our local learning centres for more information:
Bruce House
Centre
Kemble Street
Holborn
WC2B 4AW
Tel: 020 7021
4160/4719
18 peabody.org.uk
Darwin
Court
1 Crail Row
Elephant & Castle
SE17 1AD
Tel: 020 7021
4296/4297
Hugh Cubitt
Centre
48 Collier Street
Kings Cross
N1 9QZ
Tel: 020 7021
4127/4734
Pembury
Centre
183 Dalston Lane
Hackney
E8 1HL
Tel: 020 7021
4552/4527
“Computers are good for emails
and keeping in touch. I can now
communicate with people more
easily.”
In 2005 Kathleen embarked
on a PhD in feminist theology,
and her newfound online
skills enabled her to carry out
research and communicate with
her supervisor in Winchester.
She gave presentations using
PowerPoint and received
feedback from supervisors using
tracked changes in her word
documents.
Recently Kathleen was given
an iPad and went back to Net
Worx for a bit of advice on how
to use it.
“The volunteers are so good
– very skilled and willing to sit
with you until you have cracked
it. Computers are part of life
now. Those of us who live
alone are never isolated with a
computer – we have a window
on the world.” To find out more about Net Worx,
call 0800 587 8215. See the back
cover of Engage to find out where
your nearest Net Worx session is.
Peabody Champion
B
ridget Virden lives on the York estate,
a small block of 45 flats near Waterloo.
As there’s no residents’ association, she
worked with some neighbours to apply for funding
through Peabody’s Make a Difference scheme to
improve the appearance of the outside areas.
As a result, the front of the estate now has
attractive raised beds with trees and shrubs, and is
soon to get new window boxes and a bike shed.
“The area at the front of the estate is a car park
and used to look uninviting,” says Bridget. “I
suggested the raised beds and presented the bid at
one of Peabody’s neighbourhood meetings a couple
of years ago. I was really pleased when the grant
was approved.”
As part of the application, Bridget knocked on
doors on the estate asking people to sign a form
supporting the proposal.
“Everyone I asked was enthusiastic about the
planters,” says Bridget. “It was a great way to meet
my neighbours, and now more people say hello.
“The raised beds have a made a huge difference.
People stop me in the street and say how much they
appreciate the trees. Now I’m looking forward to
our new window boxes and communal bike shed.
“We’re very lucky that Peabody offers this
opportunity,” she adds. “I think it’s good to show
people that things can change.”
Bridget, who works in an art gallery, has lived on
the estate for 13 years with her husband and teenage
daughter.
‘We really like it
here and couldn’t
imagine living
anywhere else,” she
says.
Neighbourhood
Manager Stephen
Levi-Kallin, who
nominated Bridget
as a Peabody
Champion, is very
impressed with her
achievements.
“She puts herself
forward and gets
things done,” he says.
Do you know a Peabody champion?
Send your nomination, explaining why, to Editor, Engage,
45 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB or email
[email protected].
Wordsearch
Words may go up, down, across or diagonally. If
your entry is one of the first four correctly drawn
from the hat, you’ll win a £25 voucher. Please send
all entries to Engage Wordsearch, 45 Westminster
Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB by 30 October 2015.
H B B
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Congratulations to our winners from the
Summer 2015 issue: Ms Carmen Davis, David
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peabody.org.uk 19
Your local Peabody centre
Peabody offers free programmes and
activities in your local area. These include:
l
Help with finding work
l
Help with CV writing, job applications
and interview techniques
l
Money and benefits advice
l
Volunteering opportunities
l
Net Worx
Call our freephone number 0800 587 8215 to
find out what’s going on near you, or pop into
your local learning centre for a chat and more
information.
Bruce House Centre
Get Net Worxing!
Net Worx venue
Day and time
Hugh Cubitt Centre, Collier Street, Kings Cross N1 9QZ
Wednesday 3pm–5pm
Daveys Court, 33 Bedfordbury WC2N 4BW
Thursday 3pm–5pm
Walston & Founders, Aylesford Street SW1V 3RL
Thursday 12 noon–2pm
Green Man Community Centre
Strawberry Vale, Barnet N2 9BA
Tuesday 2pm–4pm
Wednesday 2pm–4pm
Leander Court, Ship Street SE8 4DH (residents only)
Tuesday 2pm–4pm
Lampson House, 30A Cathcart Hill N19 5QN
Wednesday 2pm–4pm
Sundial Centre, 11 Shipton Street E2 7RU
Wednesday 10am–12 noon
Thamesbank Centre, Turpentine Lane SW1V 4BD
Net Worx is a Peabody project in
which volunteers teach people
how to use computers and get
online. Free one-to-one training
sessions are held each week
at venues across London – see
the table, right, to find a session
near you. If you’re interested in
setting up a Net Worx project
on your estate, contact Jeanette
Manu at jeanette.manu@
peabody.org.uk. To find out
more about Net Worx, please
call 0800 587 8215.
Pembury Centre,183 Dalston Lane, Hackney E8 1HL
Friday 10am–12 noon
Small Works, Francis Street SW1V 1TB
Tuesday 9.30am–11.30am
Alleyn House, Dufferin Street, Whitecross EC1Y 8SN
Thursday 10am–12 noon
Lomond House, 50 Camberwell Green SE5 7AL
Tuesday 10am–12 noon
Darwin Court, 1 Crail Row, Walworth SE17 1AD
5 Gore Road, Victoria Park E9 7HR
Calcott Community Centre, 30A Cathcart Hill N19 5QN
Darwin Court
1 Crail Row
London SE17 1AD
020 7021 4670
Thursday 10am–12 noon
Friday 2pm–4pm
Thursday 10am–12 noon
Arnott IT Suite, 3 Arnott Close SE28 8BG
Wednesday 10am-12 noon
The Link Thamesmead, Belvedere Road SE2 9BS
Wednesday 10am-12 noon
For translations, large print, braille or audio format, please contact:
Local centres
Bruce House Centre
Kemble Street
Covent Garden
London WC2B 4AW
020 7021 4160
Friday 2pm–4pm
Hugh Cubitt Centre
48 Collier Street
London N1 9QZ
020 7021 4127
Pembury Centre
Pembury Annexe Pour les traductions, veuillles contacter:
traduções, contacte:
183 Dalston Lane Para
Tercüme için lütfen irtibat kurunuz:
London E8 1HL
020 8986 9745
Policy and Insight, Peabody,
45 Westminster Bridge Road,
London SE1 7JB
[email protected]
020 7021 4444 or 0800 022 4040