Issue 2 | Winter 2010

I

UP2U goes liveRichard, Clive and Athena

are interviewed on Inspiration FM

Not just for Christmas

Homelessness, it’s a yearround issue for the

Outreach Team

Tenant wins national award

Stonham Housing’s Kaylee Austin named

Tenant of the Year

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Who we are

Supporting People is a government grant programme that funds housing related support. The services who receive funding help vulnerable people improve or maintain their ability to lead independent lives.

This might include supporting someone coming out of homelessness obtain their own tenancy, enabling an older or disabled person to stay in their own home or helping someone to flee domestic abuse.

Supporting People strive to deliver high quality, needs-led services that are strategically planned and complement existing care services.

As the key focus is on getting the right support and outcomes for service users, each service is monitored to ensure certain standards are met. This is achieved by working in partnership with local government, probation and health services, voluntary sector organisations, housing associations, support agencies and the service users themselves.

Over 1.2 million of society’s most vulnerable people are leading independent lives thanks to Supporting People

Welcome

Season’s greetings from UmbrellaI HQWow! What positive feedback we’ve had back from the first issue. Thank you so much for your kind comments; hopefully you’ll enjoy this edition just as much.

It’s been a busy few months for Umbrella and UP2U. Clients from various supportservices have given up their time to consult with councillors, represent at forums, go live on the radio and have even got their hands dirty with a spot of painting and decorating. As always we want to thank those involved for their efforts.

Of course it hasn’t been all work and no play. Clients have been rewarded with offers of tickets to rugby matches, stage performances and white water tubing – yes even Richard got wet too. We are so grateful to the Northampton Saints, The Royal and Derngate theatre and Nene

Inside this issueWhitewater Centre for their hospitality – clients have really enjoyed themselves.

Also thanks to everyone who has submitted an article to date, we can only fit so much into twelve pages so if your piece isn’t here it should be included in a future issue.

Similarly if you’re a service provider and you’ve been involving clients in key decisions or activities, please tell us about it, with pictures if possible. We can only write about it if we know about it!

We hope everyone enjoys the holidays and wish you all a happy new year.

Richard and Athena

The Editorial Team

UmbrellaI

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UP2U gets connected in People Tree Training workshop 4

Developing the Drug Strategy with local councillors 5

Athena, Clive and Richard inspire over the airwaves 5

Accommodation Concern’s awareness day is huge success 7

Homelessness, it’s a year round job for the Outreach Team 6

News

Features

Stonham Housing’s Kaylee Austin wins national award 11

Women’s Aid manager Ann Bodsworth on client involvement 9

81 St Giles StreetNorthampton NN1 1JF01604 250 678umbrella@can.org.uk

Why not follow us on Twitter?

@UP2USP

32 - 34 DerngateNorthampton

01604 62212101604 627027

adminderngate@can.org.uk

43 High StreetCorby

01536 201973 admincorby@can.org.uk

41 Oxford StreetWellingborough

01933 271879 adminwell@can.org.uk

Danetre HospitalDaventry

01604 62212101604 627027

adminderngate@can.org.uk

Parents offer their top tips to help families over Christmas 8

Input & Inspire

From SAD to GLADBanish the winter blues 10

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News

4

CAN workers have left the buildingRICHARD AND JESS have said goodbye to the Doddridge Centre in St James and are now settled in their new town centre workspace.

The move couldn’t have happened without the help of the wonderful volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to answer Richard’s painting plea. The lads got stuck in preparing and painting rooms at the CAN building on St Giles Street and their hard work has enabled the team’s relocation to run quickly and smoothly.

Richard (top right) thanks everyone that got involved, cheers guys.

TEA AND TALK events are proving popular with Bromford Support

clients in Daventry.The monthly sessions are a way for

clients to get out and about to socialise in a relaxed and informal way.

Organiser Chris Bowers said: “Attendance and feedback has been good so far and we have never been stood up”

Venues vary to keep things interesting but sessions are always held on the last Friday of the month between 2pm and 4pm.

Sessions have been held in coffee shops, pub restaurants and in the Vineyard church rooms where free internet and pool table were available for clients to use free of charge.

For details contact Chris on 01327 701675.

DO YOU know your BME from your LSVT? Have you heard of, or know the reason, for a

Validation Visit? If the answer is no, you might want to get your hands on a Jargon Buster.

The document reads a bit like a ‘Supporting People A to Z’ listing and defining jargon words and phrases that crop up at meetings.

It has been produced to help clients make sense of the terms and language so they can follow and take part in discussions more easily.

To request a copy contact Richard Lukehurst on 07958 617516 or send him an email at richard.lukehurst@can.org.uk.

ACUPUNCTURE clinic times at CAN’s Northampton Derngate

premises have changed throughout December.

Sessions will now take place on Monday 6th, Friday 10th, Monday 13th and Friday 17th of December.

Clinics will resume to the normal timetable from Friday 7th January 2011.

For more information on acupuncture clinics contact CAN on 01604 627027.

SUPPORTING PEOPLE’S client involvement conference had

to be postponed due to the change in government and subsequent spending review.

UP2U has invited Supporting People to send a representative to the next meeting to summarize the review and to answer any questions.

The conference, which was planned for the 4th November will now take place at Franklin’s Gardens on the 25th January 2011. You can contact the team at spteam@northamptonshire.gov.uk to book your place.

UP2U gets connected

Sally Foan of People Tree Training de-livered yet another insightful and en-ergetic workshop to members of the UP2U forum.

The session focused on the value of feedback to personal growth and how understanding our differences can en-able us to make better connections.

Individuals were shown a social styles model and asked to identify themselves from a list of attributes. (see below).

Sally explained how conflict often

stems from feeling frustrated when we fail to understand someone elses style.

No one style is wrong; all are valu-able and UP2U members learnt that a team can function more productively if roles are delegated to play to people’s strengths.

The group found the session really helpful and members said they will try applying this to their work within the forum. Kanchen said the session ex-ceeded her expectations and that she could integrate the knowledge into her everyday dealings with people.

Sally, who kindly offers her services to UP2U for free, has more training ses-sions in the pipeline.

You can visit her website at www.peopletreetraining.co.uk if you want to know more about the service.

Kanchen [left] and Sally discuss their individual social styles

News

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Developing the Drug Strategy: it’s not just up to them

In the summer, UP2U visited County Hall to discuss drug and alcohol service provision across Northamptonshire.

The members, who have all experienced some form of substance misuse or addiction, met with councillors Bullock and Maxted to examine factors that enable clients to live independently and remain drug free, and to explore ways services could improve.

The group felt welcomed by the councillors and said the informal tone of the meeting enabled them to express their views and opinions confidently.

Coming off drugs in the community, without support is very challenging - none of the members have managed

to achieve this in that way for any length of time. Because the physical demands of withdrawal make it difficult to beat addiction, members said access to treatments, residential centres, or hospitals are the best methods to achieve this.

The crucial role of appropriate support networks was also highlighted and the work carried out by Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous was recognised as the most effective. This additional support complements the aims of drug and alcohol services and can really help clients achieve sustained recovery.

Members also said easy access education is important, as is help and support with pathways to employment. They suggest volunteering in the

UP2U meet local councillors to discuss Northamptonshire’s Drug and Alcohol services

field could be a way to gain valuable work experience and believe their knowledge and insight would be beneficial to organisations.

When it comes to the issues and problems caused by drug and alcohol dependency, the clients said that they are the experts and hope this meeting is the start of a more client involved strategy.

The group is optimistic about the future, one member said: “It is refreshing that the people who decide on how treatments are formulated are beginning to listen to the people who are affected by these decisions. I do hope that by attending the meeting councillors gained some insight ... it will be interesting to see if changes are made.”

Inspiring over the airwaves

Cllr Maxted Cllr Bullock

THANK YOU to

Domino’s Pizza

Marks & Spencer and

Sainsbury’s

for donating

refreshments at various

meetings over this past year

Yazz’s The Only Way Is Up was a fitting introduction to the trio’s interview with Inspiration FM’s Adam Rainey. Richard gave listeners an overview of UP2U’s aims and objectives whilst Athena and Clive explained how sharing their experiences in their roles as representatives helps UP2U to achieve its goals.

Bromford I could have lost my home and my kids so I hope my comments went some way to highlighting the importance of quality community support services.”

Clive, who has received help from CAN to manage serious addiction problems agreed, he said: “It’s great that we were able to have a voice, to go out to what, 30,000 people, to get us known, that’s brilliant.”

Visit www.inspirationfm.com to hear the interview on the site’s listen again service.

Athena told listeners about the help she gets from Bromford Support when the symptoms of her bipolar disorder stop her caring for herself and her family properly. She said : “I am really proud that I was able to speak out frankly and honestly on air; I really didn’t think I’d have the confidence to do so. Without

On Thursday 25th November, Richard, Clive and Athena appeared on community radio to promote UP2U

From [left to right] Richard, Adam and Clive in the studio at Inspiration 107.8 fm in Northampton

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The CAN outreach team helps rough sleepers, street drinkers and other vulnerable people experiencing issues with homelessness. Staff are on hand to help them find and secure suitable accommodation or to offer support to those who wish to return to homes they have left behind.

Outreach involves visiting clients on the streets and the team’s work is usually carried out late at night or very early in the morning. Staff members Andrea, Tracey and Mike can often be found traipsing along canal paths or through woods, parks, and graveyards in search of someone reported to be sleeping in a tent, shed or temporary shelter.

Sometimes rough sleepers have no shelter at all and in these circumstances individuals are offered bedding to keep them warm. They are also invited to visit CAN the next day to talk about their situation and explore ways in which they may be helped.

The Team said: “Some clients may be already known to us and we try to encourage them into considering a form of housing such as registering with the Council, privately renting, being assessed for CAN Community Housing or other supported housing services.”

Winter months can bring additional challenges and with the cold weather we had last year, new measures were put in place to offer basic accommodation, on a nightly basis, for any rough sleeper in the Northampton borough.

A warm place to stay for the night was provided if the temperature fell, or was expected to remain, below zero degrees for more than three consecutive nights. This was also a ‘way in’ for rough sleepers who had not yet engaged

with outreach to access the service. Many of those who accepted help are no longer living on the streets.

Although clients move into their own accommodation some still find themselves drinking on the streets and in parks, or may find themselves continuing to beg. These are also issues the Outreach Team is challenging.

“Again it is our job to encourage them away from these behaviours and to offer assistance. This could be helping clients to address their drinking habits, encouraging them to make new friends and contacts, or to join organisations where they can get involved in projects to fill their time more productively. Gardening, painting and decorating, and repairing tools are just a few of the many projects on offer.”

Charity appeals to help homeless people over the festive period may highlight their plight, but for thousands of people sleeping rough across the UK, the need for support continues long after the mince pies have been eaten and decorations have been taken down.

Cue the role of organisations like CAN whose work tackling homelessness is a year round task.

Homelessness, it’s not just for Christmas

Winter months can bring additional challenges and with the cold weather that we had last year new measures were put in place to offer basic accommodation, on a nightly basis, for any rough sleeper in the Northampton borough

To find out more about services for the homeless in Northamptonshire you can visit www.can.org.uk/services/hat or call the Homeless Action Team on 01604 250 678 for help, advice and support.

Homelessness

7

‘Don’t kill with kindness’ is the campaign message to shoppers and visitors in Northampton town centre.CAN workers took to the streets to urge passers-by into thinking twice before handing cash over to beggars.

Working with The Northampton Community Safety Partnership, CAN is highlighting how money given to beggars can cause more harm than good. Andrea said: “We are trying to alert the public to the fact that by donating cash, they may unwittingly be feeding a beggar’s drink or drug habit.”

Those who genuinely want to help are encouraged to donate money directly to services so it can be used to fund help and support for homeless people. Mike said that buying food or drink for them is also a positive alternative to handing over money.

Posters and leaflets have been distributed around the town to spread

and reinforce the message.

Accommodation Concern’s com-munity profile has been boosted thanks to a fun day organised by its clients.

The organisation’s feedback group AC Voice wanted to spread the word and raise awareness of the service that has helped current members in their time of need.

The service, which offers housing and tenancy support to people living in the Corby or Kettering area, said:

“As a result of this [event] there was an increase in clients attend-ing the usual housing drop-ins. An estimated attendance on the day was in excess of 200 people, people who now know how to ac-cess Accommodation Concern’s services, if and when they need to.”

As its name suggests the day was lots of fun for all involved. The stocks were particularly popular and lots of volunteers and staff, including the Chief Executive, got drenched.

A fun day for all concerned

Spectators were treated to per-formances by dance troupe Beat Ambition and the Olympic Boxers club. The event was also an opportu-nity for Accommodation Concern’s housing advisors to deliver a surgery where staff were available to offer advice and support to anyone with a housing or tenancy issue.

Members feel they have made a positive contribution to the commu-nity by informing the public about help that is available. As volunteers, they have gained new skills and as voluntary work is valued by employ-ers, adding this to their CV could in-crease their chances of finding a job.

One volunteer demonstrated such good planning and organisation skills that they have now joined Ac-commodation Concern as a perma-nent member of staff.

Accommodation Concern is based at 1a Headlands in Kettering. Their team of trained advisors is on hand to offer a free and confidential service to people needing help people find accommodation or resolve tenancy issues. Contact them on 01536 416560 with any enquiries.

CAN begs us to stop handouts

Northampton Hope CentreAsh Street, Northampton

01604 602456

Open on Christmas Day 10 am-1 pmFREE Christmas Dinner for our

current service users

Bank Holiday Monday / Tuesday 10 am -1 pm

After that normal opening times resumeMonday – Friday 8.30 am – 1 pm

Mike and Andrea on Abington Street, Northampton

Lone Parents

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Residents show their crafty side

Young parents in Corby have been enjoying weekly craft sessions thanks to a partnership between their housing association and a local children’s centre.

The Exeter Children’s Centre on Brayford Avenue in Corby, is working with Leicester Housing Association to provide fun and creative activities for residents.

The Eden Park project offers supported accommodation to teenage parents; specifically those who are or at risk of becoming homeless. Qualified workers assist young people by helping them to face the new challenges that come with parenting,

being independent, and managing their own home.

The Monday afternoon craft sessions have proved popular and so far participants have enjoyed painting glass, cooking curries and making Christmas decorations and cards.

Residents are encouraged to choose activities for future sessions and are now looking forward to taking part in upcoming henna tattooing and mud-rock sculpture workshops. More cookery sessions are also planned.

For more information about Eden Park contact 01536 204 315 or send an email to eden.court@lha.org.uk.

For some of us Christmas can be a difficult time. Keeping within a tight budget, providing a special celebration meal, helping the children have fun and building positive memories are all possible, even though they can be a challenge

Care for the Family consulted single parents for their tips for making the best of things over the festive period:

Christmas is never easy when you’re on a limited income, and can be a time of unrealistic expectations. Make sure your children are aware of how much or how little you can afford and don’t overspend. They’ll appreciate the gifts more if they realise they don’t just appear by magic. Paula

A turkey can be a big expense and too much for a small family. We take turns in choosing a special menu, then all the family help with the preparation. It can be a great opportunity to teach your children how to plan and make a special meal. Rob

Don’t make it a Christmas for crooks. Sadly, thieves and burglars don’t have a holiday at Christmas.

Homes full of presents and food are tempting targets. Make sure your presents can’t be seen through the

window, and lock the house even if you’re only popping out for a minute. Sue

Each year, I buy large sheets of coloured card and cut them up into small cards. I then attach pictures from the cards I re-ceived last year, or buy stickers to put on the front. Finally, I add my own greeting.

I find people appreciate the personal touch and it saves money too. Susie

Top tips for a top Christmas

Features

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2009/2010 figures show that Northampton Women’s Aid dealt with over 2000 enquiries in that period. Almost half of these were referrals for refuge.

Northampton Women’s Aid believes that everyone has a right to live in safety and have a future without fear. Their mission is to lead in preventing and ending domestic violence, and to advocate and ensure the safety of abused women and children.

It aims to provide high quality services working towards the prevention of domestic violence through education, particularly with young people.

For more information on domestic violence or to find out about the services available in Northamptonshire contact:

Northampton Women’s Aid13/15 Hazelwood RoadNorthamptonNN1 1LG

NorthamptonDaventryKetteringCorby

Meet the Manager

What does your role as service manager involve?I have been with the organisation for approximately 4 years and bring with me almost 15 years of experience in the housing sector. I oversee the supported housing for Northampton Women’s Aid and am responsible for looking after the specialist substance misuse refuge, children’s work and our advice centre. I am also responsible for identifying areas of the services that need development.

People who have lived with domestic violence in their lives, nobody can perceive what it is like to live with that. To have involvement from clients adds real benefit to how we deliver or aim to deliver our service. The clients are the experts so it makes sense to involve them in helping shape services. Clients look at things we wouldn’t give a sec-ond thought to really.

We are on a very limited budget and it’s raising awareness with clients on how much [funding] we have to play with. Obviously we would like to do a lot more, but we have to be realistic and not set any false expectations on our service users or the service as a whole.

I think from looking at it we always try to involve those who have accessed our refuges and ask how we could do better. We ask what improvements could help clients’ time with us be the best it could possibly be.

Women’s Aid has a very robust complaints procedure and all women are encouraged to make complaints to help us become aware of where we need to improve as a service.

We have started involving clients in our recruitment process. We asked them to draw up a list of questions they would like to ask if they were interviewing a support worker. The women came up with a set of questions and 3 of them even sat on the panel to interview candidates. Our clients know all the pitfalls of what it is like to live in refuge and are able to ask questions that are so precise, based on their time living in refuge, questions that are directly related to their own experience.

Women’s Aid helps women and children who have been affected by domestic violenceAnn Bodsworth talks to Umbrella about the impact client involvement has on the organisation

“Partnership working is key to the

future of support services. It’s about valuing every single facet; the

stakeholders, the funders–right through. I think listening to people’s needs is key, we must

have a listening ear and need to really hear what clients are saying.

It is important to remember those who move on from services. This can be a very vulnerable time for them and often leads to relapse, for those who feel isolated and alone this could trigger old patterns of behaviour. I believe that through client involvement things will evolve into robust groups. Networks, mentoring, and friendship projects can all help improve social inclusion. I think it is a positive thing if it evolves and has the resources to keep it going. “

How does Women’s Aid benefit from involving its clients?

Are there any drawbacks?

How have clients been involved?

Are there any other ways they can get involved?

What did clients make of the process?

Undoubtedly their self-esteem and self-worth has increased since getting involved. Women who access our serv-ice have usually lost confidence or have a low opinion of themselves. Taking part in recruiting staff empowers them and helps to boost their esteem. It creates a sense of value and having a purpose is vital if women are to overcome the is-sues that bought them into our services.

What does the future hold for client involvement?It will become a vital aspect and falls in line with the government’s Big Society agenda. I think it will be integral in the planning of future support services to include clients in every aspect of service delivery. They are the experts and it is beneficial to all to consult with, and listen to, experience. It makes sense.

0845 123 2311

0845 123 2394 0845 123 23960845 123 2395

info@northamptonwomensaid.org.uk

www.northamptonwomensaid.org.uk

At least 25% of women experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Although less than half of all incidents are reported, the police still receive one domestic violence call every minute in the UK.

Input & Inspire

Take up a new hobbyKeeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD, says Pavlovich.

“It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on.”

See your friends and familyIt’s been shown that socialising is good for

your mental health and helps ward off the winter blues. Make an effort to

keep in touch with people you care about and accept any invitations

you get to social events, even if you only go for a little while. It could really help to lift your

spirits.

Talk it throughTalking treatments such as counselling, psychotherapy or behavioural therapy can help you cope with symptoms. See your GP for information on what’s available locally on the NHS. If you need immediate help you could call an advice line where trained staff will be able to offer their support (See below).

Join a support groupYou could think about joining a support group. Sharing your experience with others who know what it’s like to have SAD is very therapeutic and can make your symptoms more bearable. Depression Alliance (see below) can put you in touch with a

national network of self help groups for people

experiencing issues with depression.

SADA is the UK’s only registered charity

dedicated to seasonal affective disorder. Its members receive an information pack, regular newsletters and discounts on light therapy products. For information send a self addressed envelope to SAD Association, PO Box 989, Steyning, BN44 3HG.

Don’t struggle aloneDepression Alliance can offer telephone support and put you in touch with local self help groups. Contact them on 0845 123 2320, by email information@depressionalliance.org or visit www.depressionalliance.org. Samaritans provides confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day.Contact Samaritans on 0845 790 90 90, by email at jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org.

Symptoms can differ from person to person but common problems include; depression, lethargy, overeating, irritability or feeling down and unsociable.

Sue Pavlovich of the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA) recommends the following to help to combat winter blues. “Everyone’s affected differently by SAD.” she said

“What works for one person won’t for another but there’s usually something that will help. Don’t give up if the first remedy you try doesn’t work, just keep trying.”

Get OutdoorsGo outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible, especially at midday and on bright days. Research has shown that a daily

one-hour walk, in the middle of the day, could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with

the winter blues. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can.

Keep warmBeing cold makes you more depressed and studies have shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half. Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food, wear warm clothes and shoes and aim to keep your home between 18C

and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees).

Eat wellA healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and

stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta

and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Vitamin D is particularly benefitial

so eating oily fish like tuna or makerel, and eggs can really help.

Lighten upLight boxes can be effective in up to 85% of cases. They give out very bright light that is ten times stronger than ordinary home and office lighting. Sadly, they’re not available on the NHS and can be quite expensive. You can contact SADA for information on where to hire or buy one.

Clocks have gone back and days are getting shorter - there’s no denying that winter has arrived

For the 1 in 15 people across the UK who suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder [SAD] this can mean months of misery and depression, and for many more of us, a milder form of the condition, known as winter blues

From SAD to glad

10

Features

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Input & Inspire

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ON TOP OF THE WORLDAs Umbrella goes to print CAN Drug and Alcohol Worker Alyssa Morris is enjoying a well earned holiday.

Alyssa has just completed a tough mountain trek in the Himalayas with her friend Sarah. The ladies have raised hundreds of pounds for CAN and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Well done you two! We can’t wait to catch up with you on your return.

TPAS Awards recognise Stonham Client’s contribution

To fully appreciate Kaylee’s achievements you need to know about her past.

By her own brave admission she grew up in a dysfunctional family. To es-cape the pain of the abuse she and her sisters suffered she began using drugs at a very young age.

Aged 12 she was hooked on a con-coction of drugs and at 15 she ran away to London where her only option was living rough on the streets and doing whatever it took to feed her crack and cocaine addiction.

By the time Kaylee moved to North-ampton she had been leading a chaotic life of constantly moving from hostel to hostel; but she realised that running away from her problems was not the way to solve them.

In November 2008 with the help of her Stonham Supported Housing Worker, Kaylee took her first tentative

Less than 2 years ago Kaylee, 24, was unemployed, heavily in debt and suffering from anxiety and depression. With no direction in her life she became addicted to Class A drugs.

However, through her own determination and the committed support of Stonham staff she now has her own home and shares her life experiences to help others.

steps on the long road to recovery.In January 2009 she was accepted

onto the Prince’s Trust Life Skills Pro-gramme and graduated later that year. She now volunteers on Northamp-ton Borough Council’s Young Voices Programme and regularly attends the area’s Young Peoples’ Homeless-ness Forum where her experiences are invaluable.

In November 2009 Kaylee helped to launch a new supported lodgings service in the county by making herself available for the media and being in-terviewed by the press, radio and local television station.

Kaylee is passionate about helping other vulnerable young people. She said: “I share my experiences at the dif-ferent meetings and forums I go to so that others in similar situations realise there is help out there for them. It’s sometimes tough for me to talk about

what happened in my past but it’s really important to me to help others and do something positive whenever I have the chance.”

Phil Holmes, Chair of the Youth Homeless Forum and Young Voices said: “Kaylee is enthusiastic, helpful and committed to what we are trying to achieve. She has attended numer-ous meetings where she has spoken eloquently about her life and passion-ately about her desire to help people, especially young people in danger of being homeless.”

She richly deserves this award be-cause of the positive contribution she has made to Stonham Supported Housing and the shining example she gives to its tenants.

Gerry McLaughlin, her Project Worker at Stonham has said: “It’s people like Kaylee that make this job one I love doing.”

The Tenant

Participation Advisory

Service (TPAS) held their

annual award ceremony at the

Birmingham Hilton hotel.

Regional winner Kaylee Austin

came third overall. For more

information about TPAS and

the awards visit www.tpas.

org.uk

Season’s Greetings

Illus

trat

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by

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Oliv

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