Press and media

We are welcoming in 2020 with a new customer-led policy that will please animal-loving renters across the region.

We will now be allowing pets into most of our affordable homes, providing they are well-looked after and do not cause a nuisance to others.

 One Silva Homes customer has said:

“I think it’s a great improvement. This is a much more humanitarian approach, and it’s good of this landlord to allow pets, because not all do. Having a pet is very important to a lot of people and a great asset, especially for those who live on their own. I think this is really great news.”

Dasos Christou, our Executive Director for Customer Relations explains:

“We are committed to listening to our tenants and responding to their needs.  The decision to update our pet policy was instigated after a survey of our customers saw the majority favoring a more flexible approach to pet ownership.

“Our Customer Partnership Board, which in made up of tenants from across our different types of properties, were involved to ensure that all customer voices were heard.”

Only customers from our independent living schemes voted to reject this new policy, so they will continue to live pet-free.

The news comes as Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP, has called on landlords to make it easier for responsible tenants to have well behaved pets in their homes.

Dasos continues:

"When people are looking for a new home the thought of not being able to have a pet, or even bring their current pet to their new home, can be extremely traumatic.

“We have reshaped our pet policy so that it works with, rather than against, the needs of our customers. As soon as it became clear that there was majority demand for a new pet policy, we began to plan how we could go about implementing the change.

“Now, every application for a pet will be looked at on its own merit and so long as there are no major issues which would impact on the animal or surrounding residents, we will happily give the go-ahead.”

Enjoyed this article? You can read Dasos Christou's full comment in Inside Housing here: https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/why-silva-homes-changed-our-pet-policy-64699

Read more

What does your job involve?

I help look after around 12,500 trees in and around Bracknell. My role is divided into two main functions: assessing the condition of trees for safety and responding to customer assistance requests.

We get around 400-450 customer enquiries each year, relating to trees in and around our customer’s homes. People ask us to prune and remove trees because they drop leaves, cause shade and because they believe they are unsafe. Although we try to accommodate all requests, in many instances, we are unable to because we typically only prune trees when they pose a danger or are causing a significant nuisance.

We manage our trees through a zonal planned inspection programme which sets an inspection frequency for each tree dependant on its location. Trees on areas of land designated as high risk, such as next to a busy highway, a school, or a bus stop, are inspected every year. Trees situated on medium risk areas, such as communal land around our estates, are surveyed every three years and trees located in areas designated as low risk, typically gardens, are inspected every 5 years.

How did you get into housing?

I got into housing by chance. I applied for the job not fully understanding what Housing Associations actually did. I’ve been with Silva for four years now and this is the first time I’ve been in the housing industry. Before Silva, I worked as an Arboricultural Officer a for a county council, which was a very similar role. The major difference is that much of my inspection work is now done on private land as well as on communal land.

What’s the best part of your job?

I love getting to be on my feet all day, walking around and being close to nature. It’s really interesting to see how our trees grow and react to things over time. How one year they may lack vitality and then by the next year they have recovered and look strong and healthy as ever.

What would you change about the housing sector?

I’d like to see housing associations invest more into green spaces and improve the general aesthetic appearance of the places our customers live. Planting more plants and trees also helps to reduce our impact on the climate too!

If you could be prime minister for the day, what would you do?

I would use my background to focus on climate change issues and champion the planting of more trees, whilst putting in place a system to ensure they are planted are maintained so they can flourish. I read a statistic that up to 80% of newly planted trees along the HS2 rail route died after the drought last summer, which makes you wonder if a maintenance programme was in place. I strongly believe that infrastructural developments can exist alongside nature, without being so destructive.

Read more

Vawns Murphy is Silva's lead IT partner for service delivery. Vawns spoke to Housing Technology about her experience in the IT team of a forward-thinking housing association.

If you enjoy reading this article and want to find out more about our digital transformation, Rob Smyth, our Executive Director (People, Digital & Change) will be speaking at Housing Technology 2020 this year.

Book tickets for Housing Technology 2020

For copyright reasons, this article is just an image. To view the text version you can subscribe to Housing Technology for free and download the latest edition.

 

Read more

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.

Read about our Independent living schemes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more

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

Read more