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to your very goodhealthin 2014

your twice yearly magazine from family mosaic winter 2013

Eating on a budget

Eating better for less

a gift from us to you

2

Welcome to the autumn/winter edition of Reachout. It's full of good news stories, and I am pleased to see lots of healthy activities going on in our services. We are fully aware of how difficult things are at the moment, with changes to benefits, the cost of living continuing to rise, cuts to public services and the coldest winter predicted, so it is lovely to read how well people are doing. A booklet included with this edition will help you to cook on a budget. Do try some of the recipes. I'd also like to send a strong message to keep warm this winter. If you are at all worried about keeping warm please ask your support worker to get energy advice for you. And finally I would like to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.

yVoNNE aRRoWsmiTH, GRoUP oPERaTioNs DiREcToR

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news and events

ENTER THE DRaGoNCall us

family mosaicessexgeneral enquiries ✆ 01268 498 500visiting support services Thurrock, Basildon, castle Point, Rochford, Rayleigh ✆ 0800 288 8883southend ✆ 01702 445 870Havering ✆ 01708 776 770

londongeneral enquiries ✆ 020 7089 1000visiting support servicesHackney, islington ✆ 020 7241 7940Hammersmith & fulham ✆ 0800 123 1991Redbridge ✆ 0800 970 8401Kensington & chelsea ✆ 020 7351 2522www.familymosaic.co.ukenquiries@familymosaic.co.uk

in touchgeneral enquiries ✆ 01273 468 010www.in-touchsupport.co.uktalktous@familymosaic.co.uk

Voici reachout, le bulletin régional des locataires. si vous ne pouvez pas lire ce bulletin en anglais et s’il y a des articles qu’il vous faudrait faire traduire en l’une des langues mentionnées ci-dessous, veuillez nous contacter à enquiries@familymosaic.co.uk ou téléphoner au ✆ 020 7089 1069.

este es su boletín de noticias regional reachout. en caso de que no pueda leer este boletín en inglés y necesita que alguna parte de éste sea traducido a una de los idiomas que aquí se indica, le rogamos se ponga en contacto con nosotros a través de la dirección de correo electrónico enquiries@familymosaic.co.uk o llamando al ✆ 020 7089 1069.

warsidahan goboleed waa mid loogu talogalay ijaartayaasha, reachout. hadii aadan warsidahan ku akhrin karin ingiriisi, isla markaana u baahato in qeybo lagugu soo turjubaano luqadahan halkan ku xusan, fadlan nagala soo xiriir enquiries@familymosaic.co.uk ama soo wac ✆ 020 7089 1069.

reachout, family mosaic Konut Kurumu’nun doğu londra yöresindeki kiracıları için çıkardığı bir dergidir. Bu derginin ingilizcesini okuyamıyorsanız ve herhangi bir bölümünün türkçe’ye çevrilmesini istiyorsanız, lütfen ✆ 020 7089 1069 numaraya telefon ederek ya da internete bağlanıp enquiries@familymosaic.co.uk adresine mesaj göndererek bizimle iletişim kurun.

Other languages

reachout

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smart cooking: always wash your hands before preparing or eating food

Thanks to the Maisie Sheed TrustMany of the activities reported in this issue of Reachout were very kindly funded by the Maisie Sheed Trust fund. They include: the gardening projects featured on page eight, the computer lessons on page nine and the New Forest Fixers, which you can read about on page seven.

eat well and keep warm

editorial

in touch’s Warrior square Warriors notched up their fastest ever speed at this year’s annual dragon Boat race at the Bewl water reservoir, near tunbridge wells

the team, from our sTEPs housing support service for sussex people aged over 65, were among 47 teams from across the country competing in the charity event.

'we weren’t up with the leaders,’ said team manager John prendergast, ‘but we did get our fastest time ever at one minute and 24 seconds. and we weren’t last either!’

the boats, decked out as hawaiian canoes as in the 1960s tV detective series

Hawaii Five-0, are raced three times over 250 metres.

the winning team covered the reservoir in an impressive 54 seconds.

our team’s efforts raised over £1200 for st michael’s hospice in hastings.

‘it was very wet and windy but with the amount of water our paddles threw up we were going to get soaked anyway,’ said John.

at one point, the team’s ‘canoe’ started taking on

water alarmingly when all the team leaned to one side. ‘all part of the fun,’ said John.John tells us special thanks are due to unofficial ‘events organiser’ Graham Hodgson.

richly deserved vote of approval for mehluliFloating support worker mehluli Ncube has been voted support worker of the year by Family Mosaic colleagues for his skills and dedication to helping vulnerable people in Hammersmith & Fulham.

‘He was always helpful no matter what I needed,’ said one of Mehluli's clients.

Mehluli's manager put him up for the prestigious WoW! award, noting four cases in particular.

Mehluli's help was vital to saving the tenancy of a person fleeing domestic violence in an especially complicated case.

A very vulnerable young man with poor mental health has been moved to a home where

he now gets appropriate support, thanks to Mehluli’s patience and perseverence. The customer’s social work manager has said Mehluli deserves exceptional praise.

He also kept a cool head in a meeting with managers of a care worker suspected of abusing a customer's finances.

While the managers stoutly defended their employee, showing little regard for our client, Mehluli stood his ground and a new care worker was put in place while the allegations were looked into.

A fourth grateful client was the elderly mother of an agora-phobic man, who rarely left his room in the family home.

Mehluli spoke with the son through the bedroom door for weeks, slowly building up trust. He also realised the two were scraping by on the mother’s very modest pension so finances were a struggle.

With Mehluli's support, the son is now claiming benefits and, in a big breakthrough, even opened the front door to Mehluli one day, saying he ‘needed to meet the person who had helped him so much’.

‘He gave me confidence in my hour of need,' said the mother. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without his support.’

Eating on a budget

Eating better for less

free!!!our handy guide to cooking healthy tasty meals on a tight budget

left: support worker of the year mehluli

out to launch: our watery warriors

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supporting mental health supporting mental health

home at last!fiVe-year effort pays offWe’re delighted to report a happy outcome for a man who had for years used the alley behind our arcola street office as his home. operations manager Sherie Haynes reports on her toughest case in 20 years of helping homeless people in london

‘a had been sleeping rough at the back of our arcola street office since 2007. i took over the task of trying to help him in 2008,’ writes sherie, who works in our london complex needs team.

Hard to engage‘a has significant mental health problems and for a long time he wouldn’t speak to me or any of the others who tried to engage with him.

‘he was looked after by the people who own a recording studio at the back. they had given him a key so he could sleep behind the gates, to stop him getting beaten up.

‘the people in the kebab shop fed him daily and we made him tea and coffee and gave him water for years. he slept underneath a lorry

container on pallets in thick snow, sleet and rain.

‘in winter i used to wake him with a hot drink, hoping he was still alive. a is now 57 and finally told me he was too old and wanted to live inside.

‘it wasn't straightforward. helping him to get proper id was difficult. we even went to the Bengali embassy, which was not very helpful.

‘also, a won’t go on public transport because he gets paranoid so we had to walk everywhere.

‘i had to take him to the gp because he wouldn’t go with anyone else. we even got local mp diane abbott to send a letter to housing benefit.

‘the biggest step, and i’m so proud to be able to say it, was that today we signed his tenancy for flat 4 at arcola st.

‘we have an extremely long way to go but he’s now housed and getting employment support allowance and benefits.

‘a has told me he is looking forward to having a bath, getting a shave and buying some new clothes!

‘over the years many people have helped one way or the other, whether it be with a cup of tea, a smile or a nod to say hello. it has all helped to bring us to where we are today.

‘the crowning moment for us came when Jeanine, a support worker in my team, gave a his keys and asked him to open his door.

‘i asked if it was it oK to come in. he stopped, looked at us with the biggest grin and said: “please do. come in!”’

Never go food shopping when you're hungry - it plays havoc with your commonsense!

shaping up for mental health weekLondon mental health services laid on a day of tournaments at Marsh Hill to celebrate mental Health awareness Week in May.

sporting choiceSome customers played rounders. Others played football with PMA, an agency that uses football to help improve mental health.

Customers and staff later tucked into a barbecue banquet, all served up with plenty of healthy salads, baked potatoes and fruit.

'I didn’t think I could have so much fun exercising!’ said one customer at the day's end.

how to cope with nervesTechniques for coping with anxiety and distress were on the menu at a mental health workshop run by our Lambeth and Southwark floating support service for customers with a learning disability.

Support worker Jaqueline Bailey said the small group was able to share their experiences and talk about useful ways to help their mental health and wellbeing.

‘Some of my customers have a dual diagnosis – a learning disability and mental health issues,’ Jaqueline said. ‘Others have experienced distress or anxiety and didn’t know they could get support for it.’

Customer Maggie Brennan taught the group how to do the breathing exercises that help her cope with nerves.

Kenny Ellison, who has a paid job at a leisure centre, said his work kept him busy, leaving less time for worrying.

Tips on a balanced life were given by the director of Lambeth and Southwark MIND, whose advice for the group covered nine areas.

‘Hopefully this will help people to recognise mental health problems,’ said Jaqueline, ‘and they'll now know how to get help.'

pat's one giant leap for mind

left: the spot where a had been sleeping, under a lorry container behind our arcola street offices

Daredevil customer Pat Dane has raised £350 for mental health charity miND by leaping from a plane 12,000 feet in the air.

Pat, who gets support from us at midhurst in West sussex, and her australian jumping partner Del, were last to board the plane but first to take the plunge.

‘The air hits you so quickly,’ said Pat. ‘We were able to free-fall for a while, going around in circles.

‘Then Del pulled the rip cord and i bounced back up then landed on my knees. it was the most amazing experience.’

Pat, who lives in sheltered housing in midhurst, says this new experience was a big boost. ‘i’d felt quite nervous beforehand because we’d had to wait until the evening to jump due to the weather.’

making your own bread is cheap, it tastes great and can be ready to eat in less than two hours

Prepared: group therapy

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fixers, fiddlers and footballers

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Too much sugar is very bad for you: some 'low fat' products are filled with sugar instead of fat some of our recipes can be frozen (marked *). cook lots now and freeze leftovers for another day

charles street music scenepopular weekly music sessions at our charles street hostel in thurrock have revealed some amazing talents, with one tenant even designing and building his own fully-functioning guitarThe sessions have been running over six months, giving tenants a chance to learn new musical skills or brush up rusty ones, and compose and perform their own material.

The sessions have also been checked out by local online newspaper YourThurrock.

Tenant Jordan, with added melody from fellow tenant Cerrina, performed two of his own songs for the interview.

Both songs are now being polished to sound professional and both Jordan and Cerrina took on board advice during the session, caught on camera by YourThurrock’s journalist.

Young tenants in the New Forest are working with ITV as ‘fixers’, making two hard-hitting films that they hope will help young people at risk of abuse or drifting into crime.

Growing movementBacked by ITV, the fixers movement has already set up over 400 projects across the UK. Many have also been broadcast at peak viewing times on the regional news.

'fixers are young people who have been through hard times themselves and want to change things for the better for others in the same situation,’

explains Ann-Maree Purnell, our social inclusion officer.

'We've teamed up with fixers to give our younger tenants more ways to express ideas, learn skills and ultimately, we hope, find interesting jobs.'

The fixers work with industry professionals to make films, music, videos and other new media. Some have won awards.

One of our fixers teams is making a film about the long-term effects of abuse, and how to get help, aimed at young people aged 14 and older. They hope to get it shown in local schools and are planning a

screening at their own scheme.A second team is making

a film, drawing on their own experience, that warns about the ripple effects of getting involved in crime. Its target audience is young people working with youth offending and early intervention teams.

The script, written by one of our young people and being adapted with the help of a fixers producer, was filmed in September.

if you are interested in becoming a Fixer please call  ann-maree Purnell on f 07785 724 983.

congratulations to 18-year-old daisy may evans who in august's Homeless World cup helped the england homeless women's football team fight off the usa to take 9th place.

Talent scouted!daisy’s sporting triumph came following her surprise selection to the team while on a six-week sports leaders course in norwich. she made the team ahead of contenders training at manchester united, arsenal and chelsea fcs.

daisy only moved to Bramble court in essex late last year after a fight at home left her homeless. But she found settling in tough.

‘we’re all teenagers and not always happy keeping to rules,’

she said, ‘my benefits were stopped and i felt i was being pushed from pillar to post.’

staff had suggested daisy apply for the sports course as an alternative to hanging around Bramble court.

it was a call after the course had finished that let her know she’d been picked for a team due to compete in poland against other homeless women from 70 nations.

‘i couldn’t keep the smile off my face,’ daisy said. ‘me and my key worker were bouncing around the office.

‘i couldn’t have asked for more from the staff here. i’ve been a bit of a pain but they’ve stuck by me and it feels like my life’s finally turning around.’

‘i’ve tried things that i never realised i would find really interesting. i’ve learnt melodies on the guitar, violin and banjo! i bought three cheap guitars, modified them and ended up building my own electric guitar from scratch.’ Shane Scopes

‘The sessions have helped my confidence and i now interact in groups. i have

learnt instruments, tried things i’d never have done before and i’ve also bought my sister percussion instruments.’ Paris Downman

‘The sessions have been great fun. it’s nice meeting new people and has helped build up my confidence. i was learning the guitar and have developed my skills a lot.’Alice Edgeler

‘it’s outstanding. i love the way we all work together. But just jamming is the best.’Cerrina Ball, second right

one ball in the net and that's two goals metfootball has helped 27-year-old Gary in southampton settle into his new home. here’s gary with his story

'i have been homeless for five months but now have a room in a shared house, which i am really happy with.

'i've always found mixing with people difficult so when my support worker asked if i wanted to get involved in the saint’s foundation 5-a-side football tournament i was excited but nervous as i didn’t know anyone else.

'it turned out to be really enjoyable. it was nice to meet new people and i really enjoyed scoring our first goal against a very good Belgian

team. it was also great to see staff involved and having fun.'This was the first year we had entered the tournament, where a team of homeless people from Belgium and 22 teams of Southamptoners from the drug and alcohol, homelessness and probation services competed. The games helped promote the good work being done on homelessness and addiction.

'i was filmed and interviewed for YourThurrock and it’s now on youTube for the world to see.’ Jordan Birch, left

picked for the england team!

the new forest fixers

http:/m.youtube.com/watch?v=GRamvDKrXmi

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glorious gardening keyboard wizards

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Watercress court tenants have turned their shared space into a gardeners’ delight, with a helping start from volunteers from family mosaic, in touch and Bsa regal, who pitched in to first clear some dense scrub.

over may to august, tenants turned scrubland into a mini-woodland and planted flowers, herbs and strawberries in a new raised bed, replacing an old, shabby bench.

Bee-friendly flowers were planted, including lavender, chives and oregano, with foxgloves and aquilegia in the woodland. Bulbs planted in the woodland will bring english bluebells, snowdrops and anemones next spring.

the final touch has been two new picnic benches, now being sanded and treated to protect them through winter, ready for warmer weather next year.

watercress wonderland

burgess hill takes a seatEven non-gardeners turned out to give their outdoor furniture a makeover at an In Touch extra care scheme in Burgess Hill.

'Sanding and staining 12 garden chairs and tables is a boring job so I thought I’d be on my own,’ said Greening Communities project worker Emma Reeves. She was astounded when seven tenants pitched up, finishing the task in just one morning.

‘I don’t like gardening but I do I like this kind of work,’ said one. ‘It’s the first manual work I’ve done in 10 years!’ said tenant Jim.

veggie heaven at old dairy growing vegetables keeps them busy at The old Dairy in tunbridge wells. tenant allan Winstanley reports

Emma from Greening Communities and our supporter worker Bernie Forshaw have been working with us on our back garden.

We’ve been using growbags, raised beds and plant pots, growing beetroot, borlotti beans, carrots, courgettes, dwarf runner beans, lettuce, potatoes, pumpkin, sweetcorn, spinach and tomatoes. We all take turns watering and weeding.

We also have a hen house for some chickens in our garden so can look forward to fresh eggs.

in what was once a bit of a dumping ground, learning disabled tenants at earlham’s mews in dovercourt, essex, are now growing vegetables, herbs and plants that tickle the senses. the tenants had told greening communities what they wanted to replace their wasted space. they celebrated with a strawberry tea in July.

Burgess Hill: hard at work Happy shoppers at cobden

back to the chalkboard a get connected club for older people in Ramsgate, got off to a bad start in april, when chalk in the earth outside blocked the signal linking our computers to the internet.

the building had been built in a former chalk pit and the chalk was mopping up the mobile signal our dongles usually pick up. moving to the top floor solved the problem.

a lot of the fortuna court

tenants want to use the internet to stay in touch with family, using skype, email or sharing photos. once again, we were grateful for the help of a resident volunteer.

courses have also been run for older people at arundel's mustchin foundation and at Birkdale in Tunbridge Wells. the Birkdale 'pupils' proved fast learners, with all five well advanced by week five!

it wizard edwin's free computer lessons for neighbours Cobden House resident Edwin Jelly has been generously sharing his IT expertise, running regular computer classes for his neighbours every Tuesday. ‘They're now using spreadsheets and word processing,’ Edwin says.

‘It’s trial and error really,’ says Doug, who uses his laptop to look up information and store his photographs.

‘I like to design flowers. I call them Gabby-doodles,’ says Gabby. ‘I also like to look at different places and cultures.’

Sue’s big thing is internet shopping. ‘I was a complete novice when I started. I’ve learnt a lot!’ she says.

They have some catching up to do to match Edwin, who has also started Cobden House’s own website: www.cobdenhouse.weebly.com

In the meantime, Gabby and Sue, helped by Edwin, have been using their online skills to research and buy plants for the front gardens of Cobden and Wells houses.

Family Mosaic will pay for the plants and Doug is sorting out the gardening tools they will need - online of course.

calling the rest of the worldit’s all hands to the keyboards for growing numbers of you. Markus Kitzburger and Bindy Vindall report

a10-week Get connected club set up in southampton in may is now set to run for much longer. The computer club proved so popular with our customers that, in July, it was relaunched as an internet café. The café is now mainly being used for people applying online for benefits, looking for jobs and writing cVs. our thanks to two customers who volunteered to help others signing up to learnmyWay, our online starter course for people new to the internet.

Rice, beans and breadcrumbs can all help make a small meal more filling for hungry stomachs Never pour hot fats or oil down the sink - they'll block the drain. let them cool and bin 'em!

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practical matters

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special occasions

Eggs, nuts, pulses (like beans, peas and lentils) all have important proteins, just like fish and meat always let food cool right down before putting it in the fridge or freezer

big hearts raise funds after hastings blazea devastating fire in august at marlborough House, our extra care home for older people in hastings, left many residents with nothing but the clothes they were in when the fire broke out

the plight of our marlborough house customers prompted some of you to very kindly hold charity events, among them a sponsored walk and football tournament which, between them, have raised over £500.

fellow feelingpathways resident ricky allen co-organised the sponsored walk after hearing that many residents had lost everything they owned in the fire.

‘two years ago i had nothing so i can imagine how hard it is to lose everything,’ ricky said.

ricky has got to know some of our marlborough house tenants as a volunteer member

of our befriending scheme. ‘from this and from my

own experience, i know how important home and routine are,’ he said. ‘to have that turned upside down is horrible.'

ricky and his fellow walkers raised £80 from sponsors, with extra cash collected in buckets on their long walk from Bexhill to st leonards.

family mosaic tenants also pitched in to back a sponsored football tournament, organised by sam Brown.

‘it made me upset to hear that people had lost their homes, money and things,’ sam said. ‘i just wanted to do something to help them.’

The marlborough House tenants have been rehoused in a care home nearby while the building undergoes extensive repairs. all money raised is helping replace items they have lost. if you would like to donate, send a cheque made out to family mosaic to frederick House, 42 frederick street, Brighton BN1 4Ea.

a fRiEND iN NEEDif you'd like to become a volunteer befriender, like Ricky (see story left), visiting older people near you, email volunteering@familymosaic.co.uk or make a phone call to Toni Rushton on q020 7089 1096 or f 07795 644 259.

taking it in their stride:our willing walkers getting ready for their trek

luxury: tea at the Ritz

Tour: Buckingham Palace

royal tourin september, wivenhoe resident Elizabeth Rayner – affectionately known to us as the Queen of wivenhoe – visited her namesake in london, the Queen of england. support worker lauren cunningham describes the day

elizabeth isn’t keen on long holidays but likes instead to treat herself with special days out. her trip to Buckingham palace was a very special day out and her first trip to london.

dressed in a new outfit, bought specially for the occasion, and with her hair and make-up done expertly, elizabeth was picked up for her journey in a limousine.

after posing for photos with the limousine, she travelled up to london in style, eating nibbles and sipping Bucks fizz. she spotted several famous sights on the way including Big Ben and the london eye.

at Buckingham palace, elizabeth alighted from her limousine, making time for more photos before visiting the souvenir shop to buy biscuits for some of the other ladies she lives with, and a new mug and pen for herself.

her tour of Buckingham palace was carefully planned to avoid stairs or uneven paths, which can make her anxious.

the palace staff were all very helpful and elizabeth felt very comfortable wandering around the different rooms and admiring the Queen’s beautiful paintings, vases and furniture.

the high spot of the tour was seeing the Queen’s coronation dress. it was beautiful and very sparkly.

after walking around the entire palace, elizabeth’s limousine returned, this time to carry her to the ritz for afternoon tea.

her table at the ritz had a cake stand laden with fresh cakes and sandwiches. elizabeth had a lovely time, indulging in her favourite foods and chatting to me and her other support worker, tara.

after tea, elizabeth travelled back to wivenhoe, again by limousine. she says she had a wonderful day and would like to do it all over again.

what would you do if a fire broke out?the fire service says its best advice in most cases is: get out and stay out. call 999.

if you live in one of our shared buildings a notice on the wall, where everyone can see it, will tell you the safest way to get out.

if you rent from another landlord, ask them what you should do if there is a fire.

fire and smoke alarms make loud beeps if they detect smoke. if you have an alarm, test it regularly. it runs on batteries which need changing sometimes.

in shared parts of your building you should never:j leave things in halls –they

could block the path of anyone trying to get out

j prop open 'fire' doorsj remove the fire

extinguishers.if you aren’t sure what you should do if a fire starts, ask your support worker.

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healthy eating on a tight budget a question we get asked a lot is, ‘How can we eat healthily on a budget?’. essex floating support officer emma Bell has some answers

my colleague trudy and i organised a ‘hands on’ coffee morning to help some of you find out how. we had to be a bit creative as there is nothing to cook with at our office.

eleven of you came along and together we prepared the ingredients for a stir fry, to be finished at home, and a fresh fruit salad.

everyone took home two containers of food ready to be stir fried, and two boxes of fruit salad. the total cost of filling the four containers was just £2.40.

we also talked about ways to eat well on a budget. our delegates said their favourite recipe was good old beans on toast. how much is that? well, a small loaf of bread can cost about 50p. add another 10-40p for the beans and it's 90p max!

our top 3 tips if you have one, use your

freezer: frozen vegetables can be cheaper and healthier because they are frozen very soon after being picked. most can be frozen so if you spot a lot being sold fresh cheaply, buy lots and freeze them.

 Use tinned fish: it is cheaper than fresh and still has the important omega3 fats. fish tinned in water is healthier than fish in oil.

 Use more vegetables: by adding more to your meal and using less or no meat you will eat fewer saturated fats and find your meal costs less.

family mosaic home improvement agency - west kent inspires a poem!

Written by mrs D GouldDartford poet, aged 94

if you need repairs when yourWashing machine needs servicingDon't worry about who to contact

and what it will cost.'in Touch' are most reliable toDo a satisfactory repair jobas i can recommend 'in Touch' tocontact as any information neededi'm more than pleased with theirHelp in the future when needed

in an emergency situation

you can find out what kinds of practical help are available from family mosaic in your area by looking at our website:

www.safeandwellathome.co.uk

Pictured: customer mark Reeves preparing a fruit salad with floating support officer Emma Bell

at our next healthy eating coffee morning we’ll be coming up with ideas for some yummy, healthy and

cheap desserts.