Press and media

A group of Bracknell knitters has created amazing blankets for rescue pets at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in Old Windsor

The Knit and Natter group of Lawrence Court, one of our independent living properties, has joined together to knit some colourful blankets to help dogs and cats keep warm during the winter period. 

The group started knitting together two years ago when they were donated balls of wool from adverts they put in local Facebook pages.

Katrina Gould from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said:

“All the animals at Battersea Old Windsor would like to say a big ‘thank you ‘for the kind donation of more wonderful handmade blankets. Our residents will be snuggling up with the blankets over the colder months.”

Since the Lawrence Court Knit and Natter group began two years ago, the men and women have met weekly to put their skills to good use, knitting beanies and scarves for the homeless and for premature babies. Now, they have plans to knit Trauma Teddies for children who have had a traumatic experience while on air ambulances, as well as Bobby Buddies for police to give to children.

The group provides an excellent opportunity for those living in our independent living homes to meet other residents, build relationships and look after their mental wellbeing. 

The Lawrence Court Knit and Natter Group sent a group comment:

“We love knitting and are pleased that we can also make a difference to someone’s life. We really enjoy what we do and would like more residents to come and join in the fun!

“We knit for lots of different organisations and will be doing more in 2020, including knitting teddy bears for police officer and paramedics to give to children who need comfort after a bad trauma.”

Dasos Christou, Executive Director for Customer Relations, added:

“Knit and Natter groups are a great way to meet like-minded people and support great causes. 

“Keeping your brain active and staying social is so important – as the members of this group have found. There is always lots going on at Lawrence Court and this group is really involved in the community there, helping out on stands at seasonal fairs and helping to organise afternoon teas.”

We are committed to meeting the needs of all our customers, at every stage of their lives. If you or a loved one needs some extra support or property adaptations to help them stay independent, we are here to help. Retirement living in our independent or extra support housing is ideal for older people who are better suited to smaller, more manageable accommodation.

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We have joined forces with Bracknell Forest Library Service to boost enthusiasm for reading among young people, as part of Bracknell Forest's First Literary Festival.

A grand total of 35 fiction and non-fiction books for younger children have been hidden in secret places all around Bracknell, including the Lexicon, South Hill Park, Mill Park and Lily Hill Park.

We are working together to inspire children to read more for pleasure. Reading is scientifically proven to have a huge impact on mental wellbeing, as it reduces stress and anxiety - yet it is on the decline.

The second-hand books were kindly donated by Bracknell Forest Library Service and our communications team and some of the members of our graduate programme wrapped them up and hid them around Bracknell.

Four of the books contain a surprise £5 voucher, which can be spent towards a brand-new book from Waterstones or WHSmith.

Each book contains a note encouraging readers to pass it onto a friend, or take it to school after finishing it, so that someone else can also read the book. These notes also include a poem about the joys of reading.

To keep the books dry, they have been wrapped in purple paper and placed inside a biodegradable plastic bag, which can be reused or recycled.

We are raising awareness for the book hunt on our social media channels, whilst promoting Bracknell Forest's First Literary Festival, which takes place this week.

Sarah Kennedy, Bracknell Forest Council's Information and Marketing Librarian, commented on the book hunt: "Read together, read alone, don't underestimate the literacy skills, empathy and understanding of the world that reading brings to you."

"We're delighted to be involved in Bracknell Forest's first ever Literary Festival", commented Dasos Christou, Silva's executive director for customer relations, "A book hunt is a great way for local people to spend the half-term holidays outdoors, in the town centre and the fantastic parks of Bracknell and then return to the comfort of their own homes to read."

Have you spotted one of our hidden books? Let us know! #BracknellBookHunt

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03 September 2019, Bracknell. Silva Homes' extra support independent living scheme hosted a garden party last month (Saturday August 24) to celebrate winning a national award.

Broadway House in Sandhurst invited residents and their friends and family to an afternoon of fun to celebrate winning two Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) awards in May this year. The scheme, run by Silva, was awarded Gold in the regional awards for care schemes under 41 units and Bronze in the national awards of the same category.

Each year the EAC recognises and celebrates the best specialist housing for elderly people with the aim to help improve peoples lives.

The afternoon was filled with live music and good old fashioned sing-alongs with celebratory cake. Laura Johnson, executive director for Assets and Growth, also gave a congratulatory speech.

Scheme manager of Broadway House, Karen Thomas, said: "I was absolutely delighted when Broadway House won these EAC awards. Every day our team goes beyond the call of duty to help our residents feel independent and part of a vibrant social community. Working alongside such wonderful people and in so lovely a setting is a real privilege and these celebrations are thoroughly deserved."

Since 2013, Broadway House has received 5 housing awards from the EAC.

Ben Shephard even commented on the celebrations on Twitter after being tagged in Silva's post.

This year, Liscombe House, another of Silva's independent living schemes, also won a Silver Award for Best Retirement Housing schemes, in the 31 – 36 units category.

Winners are chosen in a vote, which is open to all residents of all housing for later life schemes in the UK, as well as visitors and staff.

These awards are becoming increasingly competitive and this year a record 18990 votes were cast, nominating 1220 schemes managed by 190 organisations.

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Last week, local housing association, Silva Homes, held the latest of its regular customer partnership events at the Hilton Hotel in Bracknell. The evening event featured a series of business updates, a Q&A session and presentations from executives and senior managers, an update from the chair of the customer partnership board, a talk by an award-winning wildlife documentary producer, and a quiz and raffle.

Silva’s chief executive, Alan Ward, who introduced the event before joining the Q&A panel, commented at the end of the evening: “Thank you to all our customers who attended this event. It has been fantastic to see so many people taking an interest in our activities and the changes we are undertaking to improve our services and deliver more affordable homes. We have exciting plans for the coming months and look forward to providing another update at the next event in March.”

Customers were particularly interested in the prospect of a new pet policy, which currently limits the ownership of certain pets, including dogs. The association has announced that, based on the results of a series of customer surveys, it has reassessed its existing policy and from January 2020 it aims to improve flexibility and equality for its customers who own or wish to own a pet.

Naheed Ejaz, chair of Silva’s customer partnership board, updated customers on the work they have been doing to influence the association’s customer-facing business decisions, making sure that customer views are taken into account.

Finally, guest speaker Dr Chadden Hunter, encouraged audience members to follow their dreams, by outlining his successful career as a wildlife documentary producer and director, a passion for which began as a child. His thought-provoking talk, with amazing film clips, prompted an emotional response from many audience members expressing an interest in doing more to protect the environment.

The evening ended with the team quiz with prizes for the winning teams plus a raffle for customers present who had registered for the association’s new customer portal, My Silva.

   

Notes

About the customer partnership event

Silva hosts a customer partnership event twice each year, to thank its customers for their involvement and to provide an update on Silva’s services and business plans, in addition to enabling customers to provide feedback.

About the customer partnership board

The customer partnership board brings together Silva customers from across the association’s properties and has a significant influence over decision-making within the business. This includes working closely with Silva’s leadership team on the key issues that affect strategic direction and directing the business’ approach towards customer engagement, as well as informing decisions that affect Silva customers, their homes and communities.

About My Silva

My Silva is a self-service portal that Silva customers can use to quickly and easily request services and change their account details online. This was released in August, along with Silva’s new website, as part of the association’s business-wide transformation, ST21.

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Kirsty, our Health and Safety Compliance Coordinator, is an avid rower and aspiring Paralympian. After an arm amputation in 2008, Kirsty struggled with body image-related anxiety, but since finding a passion in sports she has turned her life around.

Kirsty started rowing in April 2019 after participating in an advert for Parasports UK, sponsored by Toyota. This ad, which aired on Channel 4, promoted local activities for people with differences. Inspired, Kirsty joined Marlow Rowing Club’s (MRC) para-team and took to it like a duck to water. Kirsty has since won her first regatta at Marlow and is now hoping to try out for Team GB for the 2024 Paralympics.

When she isn’t on the river or in the gym, Kirsty can be found managing Silva’s Health & Safety schemes. She joined us in this role after experiencing supported living, where she learned to overcome the negative outlook of risk-assessments that were caused by her amputation.

Kirsty commented on her role at Silva: “It is so important that our customers feel safe in their homes. I enjoy using my own experience of self-risk assessment to support a diverse range of people every day and am so pleased to be able to pursue my passion for rowing around this work. I am excited to see what the future brings.”

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