CommunityMatters

Osborne Property Services out in the community - our commitment to you

Brilliant Service - Great People - Sustainable Relationships

In this issue:03 The tallest tower

05 Mini meadow

07 Ready2Work

at AffinitySutton

Welcome to our Affinity Sutton edition of Community Matters.

At Osborne we are proud of the work we have been doing and are excited to showcase some of the activities we have been carrying out in and around our communities at Affinity Sutton. As a service provider involved with our customers and residents, contributing to the areas in which they live and work is fundamental to the way we operate as a business.

What motivates us? People. Our work is centred on improving the lives of people. As a family-owned business, we recognise the true importance of families and local groups and realise that each have their own personal needs. It is important to us at Osborne that we are able to give something extra back.

Whether it is taking on apprentices and work experience placements through our Ready to Work partnership, or supporting community initiatives, we’ve been involved in a vast array of events which benefit the Affinity Sutton Community. We have an impact on the lives and homes of people across a huge area on a daily basis. This is a great opportunity to get to know them, understand the area they live in and to find out what is important to them and how we can support them.

This is just some of what we have been up to recently.

Wiill McLaughlin

A word from our Account Manager

””

What’s in this issue...

02 So far...

03 The tallest tower

04 Breakfast bonding

05 Mini meadow

07 Eggstravaganza!

08 Designing drinks

09 Ready2Work

10 Our apprentices

11 Events Calendar

So far...

£100,400 Added

Value provided through

sponsorship, training and

hours donated

6 Apprentices on board800 local people engaged through community events

16 Work Experience Placements

6 School events supported

The tallest towerIn aid of National Science Week 2014, Osborne supported the ‘Primary Chemistry at Work Event’ in Bromley, organised by the Bromley Education Business Partnership (BEBP). The aim of the event was to introduce and explore the importance of science and how it plays major part in many careers.

130 year 5 and 6 students from across schools in Bromley attended the event, where they were part of four workshops throughout the day. Representatives from the London Fire Brigade, Prospects Career Service and Newstead Wood School worked alongside Osborne Property Services to deliver the workshops. Our session was very hands on – and also got very sticky! The pupils were split into four teams and told to put on their hi-vis’ jackets and hardhats as they had entered an Osborne construction site….

The task given to them was to build the tallest possible tower out of the materials supplied – spaghetti and marshmallows. They only had 20 minutes, and their finished structure had to be able to hold the weight of a Cadbury’s Creme Egg – so the pressure was on!

The aim of the task was to encourage teamwork and get the students exploring engineering ideas in order to make the most effective tower. They discovered, through trial and error, the importance of a strong base; that triangles were a strong shape in construction and that not assigning specific roles meant too many hands on the same, delicate deck!

Each member of the winning teams were awarded an Osborne goody bag to take home and a K’Nex construction set for their school. It was an excellent day which introduced the pupils to the construction industry and engineering techniques.

Breakfast bonding

Osborne supported the Geffrey’s Hall Community Centre’s first ‘Breakfast Club’ in March. Neal Allison, Community Investment Manager, helped decorate the hall and cook and serve breakfasts at the event, which was a great success.

The Mottingham Residents 4 Change (MR4C) team had organised the morning as a way of encouraging residents to get together and discuss ideas for how to develop Geffrey’s Hall. The centre has previously been under-utilized, something the MR4C are keen to change. The residents who attended on the day were able to share ideas and discuss how to progress the project, and of course enjoy some lovely breakfast! By helping with the preparation and food, our support allowed the MRFT to fully engage with the residents and drive their initiative.

Eight enthusiastic residents signed up on the day to become volunteers for the centre’s development. Lorraine Gibson, Chair of the Tenant and Resident Association (TRA) explained:

“The community breakfast was arranged as a way to let local residents know about the hall re-opening and to attract new volunteers. I am very pleased that we have gathered more support for future projects that benefit all of the local community. This initiative was very well supported by Osborne. Thank you. We very much hope that we can continue to work with you in the future.”

Mini meadowIn a hands-on initiative to continue our relationship with the Mottingham Community and help progress the development of Geoffrey’s Hall, the Osborne team organised and supported the creation of a mini meadow at the centre in April.

The meadow will help the bees and other pollinating insects in the community by providing them with a vibrant habitat and a variety of different foods. It will also be a great area for other wildlife due to the bright colours and peaceful atmosphere. Not only will it benefit the local wildlife, the space will also be a great place for residents to engage and work with each other to maintain the area.

Neal Allison, Community Investment Manager and Rory Palmer, Supervisor, attended on the day to help the local children build the mini meadow. There was a lot of resident interest on the day, and we even managed to construct a bug hotel! Rory also provided a fantastic sign, made by his partner Michelle Dalton, out of waste wood to display on the meadow.

Lorraine Gibson, Chair of the Tenant and Resident Association (TRA) explained;“Another great project by the Osborne team and a special thank you to Rory who was brilliant on the day. It would be great to have some update projects around the Meadow and have the children follow the progress of the space. I am sure it will be a great focal point for Geffrey’s Hall.”

To continue the support of the Mini Meadow and Geffrey’s Hall Community Centre, Neal returned in May to join some budding young gardeners planting a selection of herbs, tomato and strawberry plants which Osborne donated.

Planted around the border of the meadow, residents will be able to help themselves to the fresh food to use for cooking and the produce will also prove beneficial for future healthy eating initiatives at the community centre.

The meadow, on this visit, was already blooming and the extra planting really added to the growing nature area. We can’t wait to visit the meadow again to see how it is progressing and benefiting the Mottingham community.

Egg-travaganza! Designing drinks!It might have rained this Easter weekend, but that didn’t stop the community having fun! Osborne supported the Mottingham Residents 4 Change team (MR4C) Egg Hunt event for children and parents, which brought together residents in an afternoon of seasonal activities.

In preparation for the event held on Sunday 20th April, Osborne helped community leaders and local children prepare Easter bags, magnets, key rings and banners at craft sessions at Geffrey Hall.

Erica Gerald from MR4C explained:“Thanks Osborne, today was a great success. The adults and children all loved the arts and crafts session. It was well organised so we were able to get a lot done ready for the Easter Egg Hunt.”

On the day of the event, Neal attended as a qualified first aider, and also supplied the hi vis jackets and stakes for the egg and spoon race. It was great fun, and as an added bonus we won the adult male race! We asked the children who attended what they thought of the day; Amber said, “Really liked the egg and spoon race, having something to do was epic!”, Sam exaplained, “Made a change and was good to have something to do, there is never usually anything going on.”

It was amazing to see and support the impact the MR4C can have in bringing Mottingham community together.

To encourage new sixth form students at the Hayes School to understand the importance of their next two years the Bromley Education Business Partnership (BEBP) held a ‘Welcome to Year 12’ event before Christmas. Businesses from across Bromley, including a team of Osborne representatives, attended the two day event for over 200 students to guide and support them through the set activities.

To encourage ‘business thinking’, the students were split into business teams and told to design and market a new brand of drink. Taking into account their given target audience (for example teenagers or the elderly), the teams had to consider what would make their audience buy their product.

Each member of the team had their own job role, and Osborne helped them through the process of creating and marketing their product. The aim of the task was to develop teamwork, encourage and explore skills required in most jobs such as budgeting and planning, and for the new students to engage and get to know each other.At the end of the day, in true Dragon’s Den style, the teams had to pitch their ideas to a panel of business representatives. Graham Jones, Customer Experience Manager, was tasked with the difficult job of being a judge!

Lesley Holland, Operations Manager at BEBP, thanked Osborne after the event:“Thanks so much for everything you did to help make the two days for Hayes such a great success. It was a really enjoyable and rewarding two days and it was nice to see your colleagues really enjoy the event.”

Osborne provided some chocolate prizes for the winning teams and runners up and our team felt the day was a great success.

Theresa McDonnell, Support Centre Manager, attended the event and explained: “I found the event so interesting and it was nice to share my experience with the students. It was really good to see so many students keen to achieve. It was fun watching and helping them with ideas and seeing them take such pride in their pitch.”

Ready2Work Our apprentices

Many individuals in the Bromley area are more than ready to work and proactively searching for permanent roles. As we all know the search for jobs is a difficult one, which is why the Affinity Sutton training and work placement scheme, Ready2Work, is proving to be a huge success. Osborne has entered into a partnership with the Ready2Work team in a journey to get keen job seekers back into the work environment. Our partnership was formally launched on Friday 2nd May, attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Bromley.

Will McLaughlin, Account Manager, and Carol Callam, Business Support, have worked hard with the Ready2Work team to create an Osborne-specific training and work experience programme. A skilled trainer works with the individuals for a week, covering a variety of modules including how Osborne works, what jobs are involved and what skills are required. Participants are awarded an NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service on completion of the course. Following this we are able to offer an 8 week work experience placement to utilise what they have learnt and develop their skills in a working environment.

The launch was a fantastic day which allowed representatives from Osborne to meet the new group of students, get to know them and learn about what they had covered in the modules. The afternoon was a great success attended by with representatives from Affinity Sutton and Osborne. The students were awarded with their training certificates and four of them even practiced their presentation skills by giving a presentation about their experience. We have already hosted six people on placements this year, one of whom has secured full time employment with us.

Victoria Whittle, Head of Ready2Work, explained, “We are absolutely delighted to be launching this programme with Osborne. It will offer invaluable training and genuine opportunities for paid employment, which could significantly improve the lives of many of residents currently being supported by our Ready2Work service.”

A night at the Chairmans Awards for James

We currently have 6 trades apprentices in our Affinity Sutton team. It’s a busy time for them all, but we are pleased to announce they are all doing fantastically and are near completion.

James Wood (Plumber) - James is currently completing his NVQ Level 3 and is progressing well. He is on placement with Swale Heating until the end of May to gain experience of gas which he needs in order to finish his qualification.

George Johnson (Electrician) - George has recently completed his AM2 exam, which is a great achievement. He will be completing his college course in July.

David Servant (Electrician) - David is almost completed his studies now and is progressing well. He is due to finish in the summer and will then need to take the AM2 exam before being qualified.

Dan Fitzgerald (Electrician) – Dan is due to complete his apprenticeship in the summer. He will then take the AM2 exam.

Stuart Milner (Carpenter) – Stuart is progressing well and we are currently looking for a placement for him to give him extra experience on the contract.

Josh Gibbins (Plumber) - Josh has completed his Level 2 in Plumbing and will shortly be starting Level 3.

James Wood is thoroughly enjoying his apprenticeship with Osborne and has made such a good impression since he joined in June 2013. As a true testament to his hard work, James was shortlisted as a finalist at the recent Chairman’s Awards in the ‘Trainee of the Year’ category. Although falling short of the winning spot, to be shortlisted for this annual ceremony was fantastic news and James had a great evening celebrating the success.

James explained, “An apprenticeship with Osborne is a great opportunity to have a hands-on experience. I love meeting different people and I get great satisfaction from helping the residents I work with. I want to thank Osborne for helping me to develop my skills and giving me the chance to do what I always wanted to do.”

Coming Soon...

Contact

4th June - Osborne team will be attending and supporting an inter-school competition at the Bromley Music Centre

17th June - We will be supporting a career/work related event at Langley Boys’ School organised by the Bromley Education Business Partnership.

4th June - Supporting ‘Meet the Employer’ event - engaging with people to emphasise the kind of personal skill sets

employers are looking for.

Neal AllisonCommunity Investment Manager

07736 597 372neal.allison@osborne.co.uk

www.osborne.co.uk

“The thing I enjoy most about the commnity investment is the difference it makes to people’s lives.

It brings communities together and can leave a lasting legacy long after we have gone.”