Due to a change of political party in government bringing about a transformation to our existing benefits and welfare system which has been implemented over recent months, we have had a few successes.
One of which was a lady called Jane whom I first came across on the evening of the 7th of November via our Face Book page. She was enquiring about the days, times and locations of our Open Arms Community Hub sessions.
I responded and sent her our latest timetable.
Jane told me where she lived, and that she would attend at the earliest opportunity. I said I looked forward to meeting her as I would be at the outreach on the day in question.
She attended two days later. Jane told me she had been turned down twice previously for Pension Credit. I asked her when this was. She checked and it was a short while ago. On the second occasion it was just a few pounds that took her over the threshold for applying. I helped her fill in her registration form and it was then Jane said she felt lonely. I advised her to request a benefit check, just in case there was anything else she might be entitled to and whilst she was waiting, I signposted her to a few social groups in her area. She was quite reserved, but I persuaded her to approach a group in the library and have a word with them. She was very happy I had taken the time to listen to her and she admitted she was starting to feel better and hopeful. The CARD adviser was a big help to her too. He sorted everything out and said all she had to do was to wait and see what happened.
It was not long at all before I saw Jane again. On the 19th of November she turned up at Riverside Library just to thank us for everything we had done for her. She couldn’t quite believe it when her bank account had been credited to what was a Pension Credit, the first of many. Pension Credit provides extra money to help with living costs if you are of pensionable age and on a low income. Now she is receiving this benefit, Jane can now apply to R.M.B.C and make a claim for housing benefit as she is a council tenant. Also available to her is a winter fuel payment, a council tax discount as well as many other things subject to age and/or dependant on which type of pension credit awarded, plus assistance with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
Jane said she was over the moon regarding the outcome.
Jane got in touch with me again through Facebook as I had asked her previously if she had considered becoming a volunteer due to her feeling of loneliness, time on her hands and maybe boost her confidence. I offered encouragement as she said she would not have anything to offer so I explained she could get involved as much or as little as she wanted. No pressure as volunteering is meant to be fun, enjoyable and rewarding to all involved. Jane agreed and then mentioned since her last visit, she had received a £200 heating allowance. She went on to say she had been on a “right downer” over the past few weeks, she wasn’t interested in preparing for Christmas, but this had lifted her spirits, and she is really looking forward to the festive season now. She has yet to let me know if she managed to also receive a discount on both her rent and council tax, although she did state she is more than happy with the heating allowance. I don’t think she was expecting that, at least not that princely sum.
Who knows, we may even have Jane volunteering on The Open Arms Project in 2025. What a testimony that would be.
A group of young people from Rockingham Primary came and performed music from the Young Voices concert alongside 2 solos. One of the girls performed a track from the Big Hero 6 soundtrack while the other was Katy Perrys hit Roar. The young voices concert will take place at the arena with over 5000 other young people performing to a crowd filled with friends and family.
The residents of Dawsons Croft provided Wagon wheels, drinks, and a bookmark, alongside selection boxes that were donated by the Tenant Involvement team from Rotherfed.
Here’s what the young people had to say.
“Fantastic”
“Really Good”
“Delicious”
“Great”
“Spectacular”
11 of the residents came down to enjoy the entertainment along with one of the local elected members. A proper start to the Christmas celebrations for some of the residents of Greasborough.
“Enjoyed it. Takes a lot for them to get up and sing like that.”
Following on from the success of the summer event we delivered in August and after speaking to residents at a recent RMBC skip day, we thought it would be nice to hold the first ever Christmas Grotto on the estate for the residents to enjoy.
RMBC Councillors very kindly agreed to help fund this event and using some of our budget, we put the rest towards the grotto and purchased selection boxes, so every child visiting Santa would receive one free.
Prior to the event we produced and delivered over 300 leaflets around the estate. We also met with the new TARA on the estate who said they would like to be involved and have a stall at the event to raise funds for their new group, the group now have a constitution, they are just awaiting their bank account being opened. The event took place on Tuesday 10 December from 4pm until 6pm and whilst it was extremely cold, the weather thankfully stayed dry. DB Entertainment brought the inflatable grotto, and the TARA organised for Santa to attend the event. Know Your Neighbour came along and promoted their services, and they took the opportunity to speak to the local residents about the area. The TARA held a tombola and a refreshments stall.
It was a great event with a good turnout. We had approximately 150 people attend the event, 95% of residents attending were council tenants. The TARA were really happy with the interest in their stalls and managed to raise over £300 which will go towards future activities for the residents. The TARA have lots of ideas for the estate moving forward, which is fantastic. We will support them with these and also help them to look at and apply for funding.
Feedback from the residents about the event was really positive.
“Thank you so much for organising and funding this, it has been a lovey treat for the children to enjoy”.
“This is just what the estate needs, more activities for residents to get involved in”.
On December 19th, the Peregrine Way TARA group held their annual Christmas dinner, bringing together 29 members to celebrate the end of a successful year.
Over the last few years this event has grown in popularity really bringing the community together to decorate the Neighbourhood centre ready for the event, and even spilling out into the garden area as the group now have a potted Christmas tree to decorate outside
The festive gathering featured a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, followed by mince pies and Christmas pudding with custard. Staff from the Dinnington Resource Centre graciously provided and served the delicious meal.
To enhance the holiday spirit, the group enjoyed a round of bingo, a prize draw, and a lively game of “Play Your Cards Right.”
This annual Christmas dinner serves as a joyful conclusion to the year for the members of the Peregrin Way Tara group.
By Dan Barron and Sam Dixon, Heart of the Community Team
As the Heart for the community project is ending, we wanted to be able to give something back to the volunteers that have participated in the project over the last 3 years. We have met some wonderful people who have stood up to positively impact their community. They have put the interest of others before themselves and have brought a real sense of community to Rotherham.
We didn’t just invite the Community leaders we invited volunteers who do the small tasks that go unnoticed at times and those that help out when they could. The heart of the community has been about bringing the community together and highlighting that people can support positive change in different ways. We wanted to give a shout out to the unsung heroes. We created an event specifically for our volunteers to relax, have some food and music at the Rotherham Titans Rugby club and enjoy the afternoon. Including Rotherfed staff we had 41 people join us for the celebration.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our incredible volunteers. Their commitment has transformed isolated communities and created lasting positive change.
Their passion and selflessness have been the driving force behind this project’s success.
“Thank you for everything you have done and the impact you have had on the community and myself. You will be missed, and I’ll remember when I’m taking over the world. Lots of Love and well wishes.”
Talk n Train
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Community Tree. We will miss you both so much. Lots of Love from the committee at the community Tree. We love you loads xx.”
The Community Tree Committee
“Thank you for all your help and putting up with me and a big thankyou for all of the support from DEHT Greenspaces. We love you both xxx.”
Nicola (The DEHT committee)
“Thankyou for your help and assistance over the last few years and for tolerating the absolute DIN!! Created at the coffee mornings at Warreners Centre on Wednesday mornings. Very Best wishes to you both in your future ventures xx.“
Warreners Drive Residents
“Thank you for all you have done.”
Margaret
“The venue was perfect for our volunteers to be able to socialise and talk openly about what they are achieving in their communities. The place had a real earthy feel and made a real difference as there was no corporate feel to it.”
By Julie Fletcher, Neelam Rhuksar and Maria Jones, The Making Our Money Go Further Team
A retired lady recently rang More Making Our Money Go Further Project to enquire about whether she was entitled to any benefits, in particular Attendance Allowance. She had seen one of our posters that had been passed on by her friend who attends a community group in Rotherham. She expressed concern about the Winter Fuel Allowance being withdrawn by the government and said that she was anxious and worried about having the money to be able to heat her home and given the rise in living expenses, how she was going to manage through the winter period.
During the consultation, she shared that she had worked all her life as a nurse and had recently retired. Since retirement, she has been facing significant personal challenges which included being diagnosed with breast cancer and having had a mastectomy, being diagnosed with an overactive bladder and arthritis in both feet, knees and legs which has caused walking to become problematic. Despite her struggles, this lady was unaware that she might be eligible for additional financial support.
The lady was listened to over the telephone, and it was clear from the discussion that she was suffering with anxiety due to the challenges that she had been managing with her health. She was reassured that the Citizens Advice Bureau would carry out a benefits check and advise whether she was entitled to Attendance Allowance and that she was told that to contact us was the right thing to do.
The lady was referred in through the online Portal. Citizens Advice advised her that she may be entitled to Attendance Allowance and provided a number to ring to obtain a form. Once the form arrived the lady telephoned and enquired whether she would receive assistance from the Citizens Advice regarding filling the form out. The lady was once again referred into Citizens Advice for assistance with this and an appointment was arranged for attendance at the Citizens Advice Bureau to complete the form. Subsequently, lady was successful in being granted Attendance Allowance at the high rate.
She was overjoyed by this decision as this is a crucial financial aid for her to be able to pay for a service on her car as this is her lifeline to getting around now, and a much-needed financial boost as the colder months approach. She expressed her gratitude for the help and assistance provided by Rotherfed. Her experience highlights the importance of the More Making Our Money Go Further Project and the difference this can make in people’s lives by offering personalised support and assistance by making people feel less worried about their money situation, making them less stressed about money and feeling less isolated/along about their financial situation.
By Rachel Cole and Rob Gooding, The Tenant Involvement Team
This is a lovely active group who see the Centre as an extension of their homes and say they would be lost without it; this is apparent in the Centre too as it has a lot of homemade furnishings around making it feel homely. As a lot of the residents live alone the Centre gives them the opportunity to get together and have a chat, without having to go far. On a weekly basis they hold coffee mornings, craft sessions, film afternoons, games and bingo. They also meet at the Centre for lunch on Sundays, they have this delivered in. As well as activities in the Centre they have trips out as a group when they can.
A recent addition to the Centre is a poppy display which the craft group have done at their sessions. The main part of the display is lots of knitted poppies which they have made and then framed, they are really proud of this, and it does looks lovely.
This year the group held a Christmas Fair at the Centre, and this took place on Friday 29 November. Rachel produced a leaflet for them and delivered this around the bungalows, it was also included in the RMBC ebulletin. During the past year, the craft group have been making lots of items including candles, candle holders, keyrings, Christmas tree decorations etc which they then sold at the fair to raise money for their group. As well as these they did a tombola, which was very popular. RMBC Councillors have also agreed to purchase the group some craft equipment.
The group will be enjoying a trip to Rotherham Civic for the pantomime in January.
By Lynn Clarkson, Madiya Shokat and Sharon Smith, The Energy Know How Team
Lynn met a client at Brampton Parish Hall dementia cafe group. The lady has been having problems with British gas. She sent her meter readings to British gas by telephone, however, has not had a bill sent for the past two months and is anxious that she will have a large bill to pay. The lady has spoken to British gas over the phone, however, has still not received a bill. We discussed the client downloading the British gas app to her mobile phone so she can monitor her bills. I confirmed that usually when you send meter reading on the app you usually get a notification that your bill is ready to pay the following day, and you can access the bill and pay online. The lady said that this would help her, and she is to ask her sister to assist her downloading the app on her phone. I gave the lady my contact details and asked her to contact me in a weeks’ time if she is still having problems and I will meet up with her to try and assist further.
At the start of November, a lady called in to one of our Open Arms sessions at Wath Library. Ms S was seeking assistance and information about our services. Drawn to the welcoming environment, she decided to reach out.
Over a brew, she bravely shared her story. For the past five years, she had been in an on-and-off abusive relationship, which had left her unable to cope with anxiety and mounting debts. Determined to make positive changes in her life, she sought advice on how to address her financial challenges.
The CARD adviser attending the session, suggested two options. Either she attends the debt drop-in session at their main office in Rotherham between 09:30 and 12:30 or return in two weeks with the relevant paperwork as she needed more time. Ms S lived locally, so she opted to go back to the library.
On returning, the advisor referred her to the CARD debt team for further support. During her visit, she also had an open and heartfelt conversation with the Open Arms team, once again, expressing her struggles and her determination to move forward.
She later shared her gratitude, saying the support and care she received made her feel heard and valued, and now feels confident about tackling her financial situation in the hope of it leading towards a brighter future.
This story highlights the impact of creating a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for individuals in need and the power of small gestures in fostering hope and confidence.
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