Latest news

the garden with a heart - £19k grant to help Bishop Auckland project grow

Published: Friday 22 December 2023

A community garden which has become a place of sanctuary for volunteers has secured thousands of pounds to help it grow.

County Durham-based housing association believe housing awarded £19,300 to Bishop Auckland Community Partnership’s Cultivate 4 Life initiative.

Based on the allotments at Woodhouse Close Estate, in Bishop Auckland, the garden is as much a social project as a horticultural one.

Volunteer Nigel Bryson said: “What’s really going on is people getting out of the house, spending time together, doing something positive. Gardening just happens to be the activity; you could even call it the therapy.”

The believe housing capital community grant is paying for new sheds, a greenhouse, and polytunnel along with a coordinator post to manage the initiative, which aims to expand its work and engage more volunteers.

This will include developing its community garden service which offers a range of services, such as lawnmowing, in return for a financial donation to the garden.

And it will be able to grow more plants, flowers and vegetables to donate for use in local public spaces and by community groups, including the foodbank and lunch club at Woodhouse Close Church.

The new coordinator, Alan Irving, said: “We have some amazing ideas about how to develop the garden which will be good for everyone who gets involved, and the wider community, and the funding from believe housing will help make them happen.”

Joanne Norman, Community Investment Coordinator at believe housing, said: “By supporting this community garden, we’re not only helping those who gain so much pleasure, pride and fulfilment by being involved, we’re also supporting the wider community.

“The community garden service they offer could really benefit local believe housing customers, who struggle to manage their own garden. The volunteers have the skills and equipment to maintain gardens, which is good for the wider neighbourhood, and do so with a smile on their face.

“We’d also encourage customers to consider volunteering at the garden, if they’re looking to boost their overall wellbeing, employability skills, and feel less isolated.”

Anyone interested in getting involved in Cultivate 4 Life, or using its gardening services, can visit The Four Clocks Centre, on Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, or call 01388 609852 and leave a message for Alan Irving.

believe housing urges customers to stay safe and “Don’t DIY when it comes to home electrics”

Published: Friday 22 December 2023

Don’t Do It Yourself when it comes to home electrics – that’s the message from believe housing as it launches Electrical Safety Week 2023. 

The County Durham-based housing association has seen an alarming increase in the number of homes where it has had to fix potentially dangerous electrical work, done by customers or unauthorised contractors. 

Electrical Manager Mark Fort said: “Since the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis we are discovering more and more homes where people have tried to do their own home electrics or paid someone who has not been verified as safe, competent and registered. 

"People might think they can save time and money by doing electrical work themselves or employing a cheaper tradesperson.  

“In reality, this can put the lives of everyone in the home, neighbours, and anyone who works on the property in future at risk. And it can end up costing more to make the work safe than it would have to do it right first time.” 

In one case, a Neighbourhood Officer called at a house in Seaham, after noticing demolition waste on the driveway and discovered that the customer had knocked out a wall, without permission. 

Work was stopped immediately, and an inspection revealed that the smoke detector had been removed and electrical cables left hanging dangerously exposed.

The customer was subsequently charged for the cost of fixing the unauthorised work. 

Mark said: “This case posed a risk of injury to anyone using the installation. If we hadn’t discovered it, something serious could have happened.  

Fortunately, we were able to act straight away to stop the immediate risk and carried out further remedial work to make the home safe again within three days. 

“It is imperative that any customer who wants to improve or alter the electrics in their home, or who has already done so themselves without the proper checks by us, gets in touch so we can keep their home and loved ones safe.” 

During believe housing’s second Electrical Safety Week, from November 13 to 17, it is reminding people to consult its Customer Home Improvements policy before carrying out any work in their home. 

Michael Oliver, Project Support Team Leader for believe housing’s Customer Home Improvement Team, said: “It is important to us that customers feel at home in their property and take pride in their home and neighbourhood. 

“If a customer wants to make a home improvement, they should check our policy first to see what they need to consider and whether approval is required. 

“We consider all home improvement requests in line with the tenancy agreement, relevant legal and regulatory requirements, best practice, and the values and aims of believe housing.  

“We will not unreasonably withhold permission for home improvements, but work may be refused for safety, energy efficiency and cost reasons.” 

Unsafe home electrics can cause electrical injury and increase the risk of fire in a property. 

From 2022 to 2023, there were 10 electrical-related fires at believe housing homes costing the organisation £259,328. A further two electrical-related fires this year have cost £13,500.  

One of the biggest concerns right now is the rise in popularity of electric bikes and scooters with lithium-ion batteries, which were involved in two of those fires. 

Anyone who owns or wants to buy an e-bike or e-scooter should consider key safety advice, including how to safely store and charge them. 

Visit the believe housing website for more on safety in your home. 

Couple's ideal bungalow marks milestone for housing provider

Published: Friday 3 March 2023

Leaving their family home after half a century was a wrench for Malcolm and Barbara Clement, until they found the ideal new bungalow with believe housing.

The couple lived in their previous house, in Shildon, County Durham, for 53 years.

But when the time came to get a bungalow, for health reasons, the 73-year-olds found the perfect one in Witton Gilbert, near Durham.

Malcolm, once an open-mic night regular across County Durham and Darlington, said: “In 2014 I discovered I had COPD and might only have two years left.

“I’m a fighter so I looked after my health, got fitter and even walked the Great North Run.

“But it doesn’t go away. I worked in the lift industry, but had to pack in, and Barbara’s had terrible back problems, so we knew it was time for a bungalow.

“For me, this is idyllic, the ideal place to spend the rest of our days together.

“Plus, we can do the housework in four hours now, not four days.”

Barbara said: “It was wrench at first, I’d always felt safe and settled in the old house, but it was too big.

“Our two wonderful daughters and family helped us to move and we’re really happy here, it is wonderful and has been worth it.”

The bungalow, one of four built in Findon Avenue for believe housing, represented a milestone for the County Durham-based housing provider.

In 2015, believe housing set out plans to deliver more than 700 new homes by 2022.

And the Findon Avenue scheme, completed by construction partner Imperator Developments in December, included the 700th.

But believe housing isn’t stopping there.

In 2021, it increased its initial pledge and announced plans to provide more than 2,000 new homes across the region by 2026.

Kate Abson, believe housing’s Director of Development, said: “It was a real achievement to meet that initial commitment, particularly after a few challenging years, and we appreciate the support of all those involved.

“Our new properties are making a real difference to existing and new customers, providing them with a fantastic energy efficient home which meets theirs and their family’s needs.

“It is wonderful to see customers, like Malcolm and Barbara, feeling happy in a home that suits them.

“In the coming years, we’ll remain focused on delivering our ambitious new-build programme, maximising the availability of high-quality affordable homes for those who truly need them in communities across our area.”

believe housing's 'inspiring' stand against domestic abuse

Published: Friday 3 March 2023

A housing provider has been recognised as a ‘beacon of good practice’ for its work to improve and save the lives of domestic abuse victims.

The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance has awarded County Durham-based believe housing DAHA accreditation for a second consecutive time.

DAHA accreditation is the UK benchmark for how housing providers should take a stand to deliver safe and effective responses to domestic abuse. 

To achieve accreditation, believe housing had to meet standards in eight priority areas including policy and procedures, staff development and support, survivor-led support, and perpetrator accountability.

A thorough assessment included interviews with employees and partner practitioners and a review of working practices.

The panel was impressed by believe housing’s support for both customers and employees and its response to the number of cases reported, which continues to rise on the back of the Covid pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.

A new Urgent Support Team is helping to meet demand and provide tailored support to those experiencing multiple disadvantages.

And an innovative suicide support network of trained employees, who volunteered to help people struggling with mental health concerns during the pandemic, continues to support those expressing suicidal thoughts.

A DAHA spokesperson said: “To see the passion with which this project has been led has been inspiring.

“We know the dedication, commitment, and hard work it takes to adopt and then embed standards of good practice and the success here is so well deserved.

“By undertaking this work, we know that lives of victims and survivors will have been improved and in fact saved.

believe housing can be considered a beacon of good practice around domestic abuse in the north east.”

Sam Humble, Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods at believe housing, said: “We are incredibly proud of achieving DAHA accreditation, for a second time, which is down to a groupwide effort by our fantastic employees.

“A great deal of work and commitment goes into ensuring that believe housing does the right thing to support any person experiencing domestic abuse.

“We encourage colleagues to be aware of physical, emotional, economic, sexual abuse and neglect and to report any concerns.

“We can help people get the help and advice they need and work closely with partner agencies to ensure appropriate safeguards are put in place and that a victim’s rights and wishes are respected.”

Scheme to make homes warmer, greener and cheaper to heat reaches milestones

Published: Friday 3 March 2023

Work to upgrade the energy efficiency of 1,000 County Durham homes has reached a milestone, just in time for the arrival of winter.

North-east housing provider believe housing is working with contractor RE:GEN Group to improve customers’ homes in a scheme worth more than £5m.

The work, which is part-funded by the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), will make those homes feel warmer and reduce energy usage and cost.

RE:GEN Group has now installed measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation, improved ventilation, heating controls, sensors and energy efficient lighting in 500 believe housing properties. 

To celebrate the milestone, representatives from believe housing and RE:GEN Group presented a bouquet to Rosemary Beer, of Peterlee, whose home was the 500th property completed under the scheme. They also thanked her for allowing the work to go ahead.

Ruth Dent, Director of Assets and Compliance at believe housing, said: “It is amazing to reach the halfway point with this first wave of SHDF part-funded works, which will improve the energy efficiency of 1,000 of our customers’ homes. 

“Customers are telling us the work has been straightforward and they’re feeling the benefits already.”

Brian Bedford, Head of Sustainability at RE:GEN Group said: “This has been a fantastic project so far and reaching the 500th home is a real milestone for all of us.

“Working in close collaboration with the team at believe housing, we have spent a lot of time understanding the intricacies and details around each property’s makeup, comparing the current energy efficiency scores of each home against the recommended target to help us identify which properties will benefit most from the efficiency upgrades.

“The beauty of the retrofit work we are delivering is that it’s incredibly light touch. It is not disruptive and it’s over in a really short space of time. In most cases just 48 hours from opening up to handover. 

“The results not only provide residents with a warmer, more comfortable home at the perfect time before the winter months really set in, but residents will also benefit from long term enhanced indoor air quality, improving overall health, wellbeing and satisfaction – something you really cannot put a price on.”

As the partners celebrate reaching a milestone in the ongoing retrofit scheme, believe housing is working on a bid for £6m from wave two of the SHDF.

If successful, the housing association will match the funding so it can improve more than 2,000 properties.

Ruth added: “It was a real achievement to secure £3.4m from wave one of the SHDF, as part of a Durham County Council-led consortium. We then invested a further £1.69m in the ongoing scheme.

“With the second bid we’re aiming even higher, looking to double the number of homes we can retrofit. 

“This will help our customers feel warm and comfortable at home, bring down their energy bills, and reduce the impact of our housing stock on the environment. 

“It will also help us achieve an EPC rating C or better for all our existing housing stock, ahead of the Government’s 2030 target.”  

Overall, the government has announced it will allocate £3.8bn to the SHDF over 10 years.