Welcome to the latest edition of Cottsway Connect – it’s been great to enjoy some sunny weather lately and we’ve lots to look forward to over the summer. Below you’ll find information, updates and offers - we hope you find something of interest.
Law firm work experience We’re working with law firm Blake Morgan again to offer two young people living in Cottsway homes five days’ work experience at their Oxford office in August. Their Growing Ambitions scheme gives 16–18-year-olds a chance to explore the world of business - perfect for anyone curious about a legal career or what it’s like to work at a law firm.
Heidi lives in a Cottsway home and took part last year. She said: “Having applied to do a law degree with criminology, this was a great opportunity to gain some hands-on experience before I started university. It had just the right mix of placements and trips outside of the office and I found the whole programme massively helpful and thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I’m now just about to finish my first year at Oxford Brookes University and taking part in this scheme has helped spur me onto pursuing a career in medical law. I’d definitely recommend taking part to someone else considering a career in law.” Oxfordshire Play and Activity days We’re excited to be supporting Oxfordshire Play Association’s Play and Activity Days again this summer. Taking place at various locations across Oxfordshire, these fun and free events are a favourite for families and children alike! We’ll be at two events this year, so pop along and see us at: - Eynsham on Friday 25 July
- Witney on Thursday 7 August
For a full list of all the play days see: OPA’s website
Hoarding disorder - monthly support groups Hoarding is a mental health issue, and we've secured a grant from Travis Perkins Managed Services to help set up a new monthly Hoarding Disorder Support Group in Witney. - When: 6 - 8pm, every fourth Tuesday of the month, starting 24 June
- Where: The Winchester Room, St Mary’s Church, Witney
The free monthly meetings, led by Vi Barling, a hoarding specialist and declutter therapist, are open to anyone who needs help with hoarding disorder, you don’t need to be a Cottsway customer. If you’d like some more details, please email Vi directly
Support for hoarding disorder is also available for people living in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, with monthly peer support meetings held in Cheltenham and Gloucester. For more information see: Gloucestershire County Council 's website
FREE Mental Health First Aid training In recent editions of Cottsway Connect, we've invited you to take part in Mental Health First Aid England’s accredited training. So far, five customers have successfully completed the course and feedback has been really positive.
Offered online or in person, their free courses teach you how to support someone - adult or youth - facing a mental health issue. We still have a couple of places left if you’d like to attend: Travis Perkins Better Together Awards We were delighted to win an award at this year’s Travis Perkins Better Together Awards! We were up against some stiff competition, but our furniture re-use scheme won the Environment category. As an award winner, we received an extra £5,000 in funding which will be used to support this reuse scheme.
Our furniture reuse scheme offers free second-hand furniture and white goods to Cottsway customers in need. Referrals are usually through our Tenancy Support Team but if you need assistance and would like some more details, please contact us
Scrutiny Group review Our customer Scrutiny Group will be looking at the process around ‘ending your tenancy’ to see how it can be improved. If you’re thinking of moving on from Cottsway in the next few months, the group would love to talk to you to better understand your experience and improve the process for other customers. The Four Million Homes programme Funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Four Million Homes programme is designed to drive change in social housing by offering free knowledge, guidance, and training on residents’ rights and how to defend them. The website provides support on topics like repairs, maintenance, anti-social behaviour, and more. It also offers free training, webinars, videos, and events: And finally, a few quick links if you’re interested... | 
