Welcome to the final edition of Cottsway Connect for 2024! It’s been a busy year with lots going on, both in the community and the wider housing sector. We hope you find something of interest in this edition and wish you a peaceful and happy festive season.
Oxford Christmas Lunch Cottsway Community Fund recipients, Oxford Christmas Lunch, provide a free sit-down meal for anyone living in Oxfordshire who simply wants to celebrate Christmas with others. It is open to the elderly, homeless, refugees and those with mental health issues or in food poverty. Families are also welcome.
Feeding around 500 people at the Kings Centre in Osney, volunteers will provide companionship at the meal and also offer to drive attendees to and from the event.
Bookings are on a first-come, first-served basis and if you’d like to attend the meal or are interested in volunteering, please contact Sara. Stop violence against women and girls The 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign runs from 25 November to 10 December. We can help if you, or someone you know who lives in a Cottsway home, is suffering from any form of abuse, neglect or coercive behaviour. Evidence shows: - Young people experience the highest rates of domestic abuse of any age group.
- Domestic abuse lasts on average 25% longer in rural areas.
- Domestic abuse is the most common form of violence against women and girls, as well as affecting men and children.
There are a number of charities that can support adults and children at risk of harm – including offering friendship programmes and training for those who wish to learn more. For more information on how we can help and other support available, see: FREE training available to Cottsway customers Travis Perkins Managed Services provides supplies for our repairs and maintenance team and thanks to grant support from their Legacy Fund we’re able to offer the following training places to our customers for FREE!
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training It’s important that we all talk about mental health in our homes, workplaces and communities and we’re offering 10 customers the chance to attend one of Mental Health First Aid England’s online training courses: - Mental Health First Aid training - how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue.
- Youth Mental Health First Aid – spot the signs of mental health issues in those aged 8-18 and guide individuals towards the support they need, helping to speed up recovery and stop a mental health issue from getting worse.
If you’re interested in one of these courses, simply let us know which one you’d like to attend. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Oxfordshire Youth’s Young Leaders course We’re once again offering young people aged 14-21 living in one of our homes the chance to gain a Level 2 Award in Leadership and Team Skills through fun activities such as problem solving, climbing and orienteering.
The young leaders course, run by Oxfordshire Youth, includes an induction evening, weekend residential and a follow up study session. Participants also need to lead an activity or take responsibility for something new in their community, school, college or youth group.
We have four places available on the 2025 course which takes place in Oxford in May – and to support with travel costs, equipment, and clothing we also offer participants a £75 bursary. Please get in touch to find out more and register an interest for someone in your home. Housing Ombudsman annual complaints review 2023-24 The Housing Ombudsman is an independent, impartial, and free service which helps to investigate and resolve complaints against social landlords, like Cottsway. Their website provides lots of information about the complaints process and when and how they can help. You can also sign up for their online newsletter.
They have recently published their Annual Complaints Review for 2023-24 which includes information on the top complaint categories, regions with the highest maladministration rates and individual landlord performance reports. For more information on Cottsway's complaints procedure and how you can make a complaint about our services, see our website. Over State Pension age? It’s estimated that around 800,000 people nationally who are eligible for Pension Credit haven’t applied and, according to Citizens Advice, that includes up to 7,000 people in West Oxfordshire.
Pension Credit is worth, on average, £3,900 per year and unlocks additional support including the Winter Fuel Payment, help with council tax, NHS dental care and, for those over 75, a free TV licence.
Please note, in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment for this winter, you must claim Pension Credit before 21 December 2024. Food bank referrals There are over 1,200 food bank centres across the UK and the services provided may vary from area to area. Since our last ezine in September we have made almost 80 referrals to local food banks. If you need a food bank referral, please contact us and we will do our best to help. Don’t forget, you can also donate to your local food bank as well. Over the festive period, Witney and West Oxfordshire Foodbank, which is usually open from 10am-1pm on weekdays, is closed on Wednesday 25 to Friday 29 December, and on Wednesday 1 January.
Could our Community Fund help you? Through our Community Fund we offer grants of up to £250 to help our customers to further their learning and develop new skills. We also support community groups and projects that could benefit our customers. Did you know you can also vote on which projects and people you’d like to support? And finally, a few quick links if you’re interested… | 
