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    <title>Curo News</title>
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      <guid isPermaLink="false">25108</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/responsible-cleaning/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Responsible cleaning</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;When it comes to cleaning the shared indoor spaces in our estates, the products we use are designed to be effective without being harsh. They are tough on dirt, odours and bacteria, but gentle on surfaces and everyday use areas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;This means:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0cm;"&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;a cleaner, fresher feel in communal areas&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;lower levels of harsh fumes, improving indoor air quality&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;reduced risk of irritation for residents, visitors and pets&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;protection for floors, windows and finishes, helping them last longer&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Our cleaners are also pH‑neutral, meaning they clean effectively without damaging delicate or high‑gloss surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/zpldrimg/p1004252.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Image of a member of the cleaning team, cleaning a doorway in a communal halway" width="750" height="513"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Better for the environment — and our communities&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Using environmentally responsible products helps reduce the wider impact of cleaning on the planet. Many of the products we use avoid unnecessary chemicals and are kinder to waterways once rinsed away.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We also look beyond the product itself and focus on how it’s packaged and reused.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0cm;"&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;Reusable containers are collected, cleaned and refilled instead of thrown away&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;100% recycled plastic packaging helps reduce the need for new materials&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;Paper sachet refills cut down on plastic and avoid transporting excess water&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;Cleaning cloths and mops are returned for recycling, giving materials a second life&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;All of this means much less waste going to landfill and a smaller overall carbon footprint.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/tilhugxf/loop-box.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=317&amp;amp;height=312" alt="Logo/image for Loop Box, the closed loop service for our cleaning products" width="317" height="312"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For residents, the right choices make a real difference&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Making sure we choose the right products means:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0cm;"&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;cleaner, healthier shared spaces&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;fewer chemical smells in enclosed areas like hallways and stairwells&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;a home environment that reflects responsible, modern estate management&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;the reassurance sustainability is built into everyday services&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A cleaner today, a better tomorrow&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;By choosing environmentally friendly cleaning products and recycling systems, we’re helping to protect shared spaces now, and resources for the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;It’s just one of the ways we’re committed to looking after our estates, our communities and the environment around us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Find out more about our cleaning routines here &lt;a href="/residents/estate-management/cleaning/"&gt;Estate Cleaning Services for Curo Residents&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/3pffmjyi/p1004196.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750&amp;amp;height=500" alt="Image of a member of the cleaning team vacuuming a communal area" width="750" height="500"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:30:04 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-04-20T10:30:04Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25094</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/bishopsworth-bin-store-improvements/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Bishopsworth bin store improvements</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Residents in Bishopsworth are now benefiting from a transformed communal bin store, following a major upgrade designed to tackle issues with waste, fly‑tipping and pest control.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The site, serving 24 flats, had poor facilities for many year that made waste disposal difficult and unpleasant for residents. With an entrance outside the site’s boundary railings, the area was vulnerable to misuse and meant the space had become increasingly unattractive and prone to fly‑tipping.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;This was combined with lighting and security features which weren’t working, broken guttering, and a leaking roof. With no recycling facilities available and a growing rat problem caused by food waste and undergrowth, many residents avoided using the bin store altogether.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Recognising the impact this was having on the community, a comprehensive improvement project was launched to completely overhaul the site.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/tu4b44es/20250314_130316.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750&amp;amp;height=750" alt="Image of the old bin store looking very shabby" width="750" height="750"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/ue5jupzj/elizabeth-court-bin-store-2.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;height=750" alt="Internal image of the bin store at Elizabeth Court" width="562" height="750"&gt; &lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/zmhls3av/img-20260326-wa0002.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;height=750" alt="Image showing fly tipping outside the bin store" width="563" height="750"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A fresh start for the bin store&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The transformation began with the demolition and removal of the old bin store, clearing the way for a modern, fit‑for‑purpose facility. A new concrete base was laid, and modular bin units installed, providing a cleaner, more robust solution for waste storage.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;One of the most significant changes was a redesign of the layout. Resident access was turned through 90 degrees so the entrance now opens directly into the car park. This simple but effective change has improved visibility and accessibility while helping to deter fly‑tipping. The area has also been fully fenced, creating a clear boundary and reinforcing the facilities are for residents’ use only.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/qftcazgb/20251008_125248.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Image of the new bins and recycling pods" width="750" height="563"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/0jyjahw0/20251008_125325.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Image of the new recycling units" width="750" height="563"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tackling pests and improving cleanliness&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Alongside the physical improvements, action was taken to address the rat infestation that had made the bin store unsafe and unwelcoming. Working closely with external pest control contractors, undergrowth where rats were nesting was cleared and bait traps were installed to bring the problem under control.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;New secure communal food waste bins were introduced, supported by Bristol Waste to launch dedicated food waste collections at the site. Residents were given kitchen food waste caddies to make separation of waste easier and more convenient.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Clear signage has also been installed to guide residents on how to use the new recycling and food waste facilities correctly, helping to prevent contamination and keep the area clean.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Listening to and supporting residents&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Communication with residents was a key part of the project. Letters were sent ahead of the works to explain the plans and what residents could expect, followed by further updates once the new facilities were ready.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Door‑to‑door visits were also carried out to deliver kitchen caddies and explain the new recycling systems face‑to‑face. These conversations helped reinforce why it’s important not to mix materials in the wrong bins and gave residents an opportunity to ask questions directly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A safer, cleaner place for the community&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;By improving the design, pest control and communication, the project has addressed the root causes of fly‑tipping and misuse, not just the symptoms. It’s led to a safer, cleaner and more welcoming bin store that residents can use with confidence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:55:11 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-04-14T09:55:11Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25074</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/more-colleagues-taking-calls-when-you-need-us-most/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>More colleagues taking calls when you need us most</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="mcePastedContent"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New customer contact team hours from 5 May - Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="mcePastedContent"&gt;Changes to our contact centre hours mean more help available at the busiest times.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="mcePastedContent"&gt;Our customer contact team is here to answer your calls and messages throughout the day. Currently our contact centre is open for 12 hours Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="mcePastedContent"&gt;We've found that very few people contact us during these last two hours, so instead of staying open this late, we’re moving those colleagues to work earlier in the day when the volume of enquiries is higher. That means more Curo colleagues answering calls and messages when you need us most.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="mcePastedContent"&gt;The change will take place from Tuesday 5 May. From this date our customer contact team will be available 8am to 6pm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="mcePastedContent last-child"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Our out-of-hours response service will operate outside of these times, available via our main number. So, if you have an emergency, you can still report it and get the urgent response you need.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="mcePastedContent last-child"&gt;&lt;span&gt;See &lt;a href="/contact-us/"&gt;all the ways you can get in touch with us, including via our 24/7 customer portal, MyCuro.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:44:44 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-04-08T09:44:44Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25071</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/facebook-live-april-2026/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Facebook Live April 2026</title>
      <description>&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;If you’ve got any issues, questions or thoughts you want to put to our senior team, live and direct, here’s your chance.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Julie Evans, Curo’s Chief Operating Officer, and Sarah Rogers, Head of Housing Access and Customer Accounts will be in the hot-seat on Facebook LIVE.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get involved! &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Tune in to hear the latest updates, ask your questions and be part of the discussion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;You’ll be able to ask a written question during the live-stream or if you prefer, send it to us before hand by emailing communications@curo-group.co.uk&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br&gt;To find out more and to put the date in your diary, click here&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style="color: red;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://fb.me/e/6GNGWa5TQ"&gt;https://fb.me/e/6HFqjHNFF&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:42:19 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-04-01T15:42:19Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25069</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/share-and-repair/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Share and Repair</title>
      <description>&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;A Bath-based charity are on a mission to bring people together to share, repair, reuse, and learn across B&amp;amp;NES and beyond by:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;!-- [if !supportLists]--&gt;fixing broken items instead of throwing them away in their weekly repair cafes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-list: Ignore;"&gt;&lt;span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;!--[endif]--&gt;lending items from the 800+ items in their ‘Library of Things’&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;!--[endif]--&gt;teaching practical skills in their ‘how to’ workshops&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px; text-indent: -18pt; font-family: sans-serif;"&gt;supporting low-income families with the household items they need&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://shareandrepair.org.uk/"&gt;Home - Share and Repair&lt;/a&gt; to find out more and to sign up to their newsletter. Or keep an eye on their social media for details about their Repair Cafes and upcoming events.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lending lockers at Mulberry Park are a treasure trove of useful items&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Curo is delighted to support the charity’s new ‘lending lockers’ at Mulberry Park Hub. These are the first of its kind in the South West. The lockers are stocked with 23 useful and fun items available to borrow and return, 7 days a week.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Whether it’s to help with DIY – a steam cleaner, pressure washer and drills – or for a party - a disco ball, party lights, chocolate fondue, bubble machine, bunting and more – there’s lots of great items to hire. Visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://shareandrepair.org.uk/library-of-things/lockers/"&gt;Lockers - Share and Repair&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;As CEO, Ruth Lambert, explained, “The average electric drill is only used for about 15 minutes in its whole lifetime, so sharing makes so much sense”.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;See how simple it is&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hpm6cJG4HpA"&gt;We’ve launched the first Library of Things Lending Lockers in the South West!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/4glaqs1a/img_7708.jpeg?rmode=max&amp;amp;height=750" alt="Lending Lockers at Mulberry Park" width="640" height="750"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Repair Cafes – if it’s broken, get it fixed&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The charity has 11 Repair Cafes around B&amp;amp;NES and the wider area providing affordable, accessible general repairs, sewing repairs and blade sharpening.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;On a Saturday morning, you’ll find volunteer repairers, administrators and organisers helping people with their broken household items, on a ‘give what you can basis’.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Find out more &lt;a href="https://shareandrepair.org.uk/repairs/"&gt;Repairs - Share and Repair&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/o2zo45ke/img_6264.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Share and Repair team" width="750" height="563"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/zikpseod/sr-repair-cafe.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Share &amp;amp; Repair cafe repairs" width="750" height="512"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:39:26 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-04-01T12:39:26Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25015</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/tree-planting-winter-2026/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Tree planting Winter 2026</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;For the last few years, Curo has worked with local charity More Trees to improve our estates green spaces, by creating homes and food for wildlife, as well as places for the community to enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;In February, representatives from Curo and More Trees came together to plant more than 600 saplings on Whiteway Green. The saplings were grown by volunteers from More Trees, who forage for seeds each year and then sew and cultivate them in their nurseries around Bath and Keynsham, until they are big enough to be planted.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The new plants have filled in the gaps between existing pockets of trees and shrubs, to help create a safe passage for animals to move around, as well as food and homes for wildlife.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Curo Arboriculturalist Danny Earle said: “There’s a huge amount of potential here. There’s pockets of vegetation, but they are sparse in places and there’s big open patches of green land between them, so wildlife struggles to move around and find new habitats and food sources.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We’ve planted around 20 different native British species here, in a real range of different sizes and different colours. There are flowering shrubs which are great for bees and butterflies, fruit trees such as Cherry trees, Apples, Rowans, Oaks and Pines, which will produce food for birds and mammals, and thorny species like hawthorn and blackthorn which make for amazing habitats.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Some non-native species were selected for their exceptional beauty, such as Liquidambar styraciflua Lane Roberts (Sweetgums), Pyrus calleryana Redspire (Callery Pear) and Betula utilis jacquemontii Snow Queen (Silver Birch Snow Queen).”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;These trees will join our forest of over 8,500 trees growing across Curo’s estates and continue our commitment to nurturing our green spaces on our doorstep.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Curo Arboriculturalist Danny, and Emma from More Trees BANES tell us about the tree planting project at Whiteway Green:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;iframe width="360" height="203" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Z_Ki15FqhM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" title="Tree Planting at Whiteway Green with More Trees BANES"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;See more about the great work More Trees do here &lt;a href="https://moretrees.earth/"&gt;https://moretrees.earth/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:22:01 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-31T11:22:01Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25008</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/community-catch-ups-make-a-real-difference/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Community catch-ups make a real difference</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Over the past 12 months, our Resident Engagement team — Hannah and Neil — have been out across our communities, meeting customers, listening to concerns and offering support. In that time, they’ve completed 82 Community Catch‑Ups and spoken with 915 households.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;These sessions give residents a chance to raise issues, ask questions and get practical help on the spot. They also help us understand what really matters so we can improve our services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some highlights from this year&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Helping a resident secure nearly £600 in unclaimed benefits to cover rent and heating costs, allowing them to stay comfortably in their home.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organising temporary relocation for a customer while essential building works took place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Resolving fencing issues so a resident could enjoy their garden again with better privacy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Installing new safety window locks in a first‑floor property to improve security for a family with young children.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Providing guidance on applying to occupational health and reporting anti‑social behaviour, helping residents feel safer and more confident in their homes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hearing from our customers means a lot to us&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;“Neil and Sophie from the account team are very friendly and easy to talk to. They're very helpful and offered guidance."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;"Respectful, Professional, they listened I felt that my concerns were heard, and later action was taken to resolve the concern."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;"I felt 'heard' by the team who promised action would be taken. Plus It appears points were actually actioned as a result of this meeting."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;“All my concerns were noted and listened to by the team and prompt action for Inspection of my property issues"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get in touch if you want us to visit your area&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Dates for Community catch-ups in April and May are now available go to &lt;a href="/news/news-stories/community-catch-ups-april-may-2026/"&gt;Community catch-ups – coming to an area near you soon&lt;/a&gt; – and keep an eye on your inbox for updates.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We offer lots of ways to get involved in shaping Curo’s services, including &lt;a href="/residents/get-involved/groups-and-forums/join-voicebox-the-curo-feedback-community/"&gt;VoiceBox&lt;/a&gt;, our online consultation and engagement platform. If you’d like to request a Community catch‑up where you live message us on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noopener" href="mailto:voicebox@curo-group.co.uk?subject=&amp;amp;body=" target="_blank"&gt;voicebox@curo-group.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/a3xb5obw/hannah-and-neil.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Hannah and Neil" width="750" height="505"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:35:12 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-30T14:35:12Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">25005</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/community-catch-ups-april-may-2026/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Community Catch ups April &amp; May 2026</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Our Resident Engagement team will be out and about again over the next few weeks with our regular Community catch-ups - keep an eye on your inbox for updates.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;These sessions give customers a chance to raise issues, ask questions and get practical help on the spot. They also help us understand what really matters so we can improve our services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We offer lots of ways to get involved in shaping Curo’s services, including &lt;a href="/residents/get-involved/groups-and-forums/join-voicebox-the-curo-feedback-community/"&gt;VoiceBox&lt;/a&gt;, our online consultation and engagement platform. If you’d like to request a community catch‑up where you live, message us on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:voicebox@curo-group.co.uk"&gt;voicebox@curo-group.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="577" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 688px; border-collapse: collapse; border-width: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: solid;"&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: none; border-right: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Date&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-bottom: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Venue&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: none; border-right: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;09/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-bottom: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Hengrove&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; height: 26.25pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 26.25pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;14/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-left: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 26.25pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Nightingale Court - Brislington&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-top: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;16/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Orchard Close - Portishead&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-top: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;21/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Ashton - Bristol&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-top: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;23/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Blagdon Park&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-top: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;28/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Keynsham - Coronation Ave &amp;amp; Lulworth Close&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-top: none; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: none; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;30/04/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: none; border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 13.5pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Odd Down - Cranmore, Banwell, Lympsham Estates&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8; height: 15.0pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" valign="bottom" style="width: 211.971px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-bottom: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 15pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;05/05/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" valign="bottom" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-left: none; border-bottom: none; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 15pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Moorfield Flats&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9; height: 15.0pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" valign="bottom" style="width: 211.971px; border: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 15pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;09/05/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" valign="bottom" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: 1pt solid black; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-image: initial; border-left: none; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 15pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The Green Odd Down - Council Surgery drop in&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes; height: 15.0pt;"&gt;
&lt;td width="163" style="width: 211.971px; border-top: none; border-left: 1pt solid black; border-bottom: none; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 15pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;12/05/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="415" style="width: 445.109px; border-top: none; border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-right: 1pt solid black; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt; height: 15pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Chandler Close&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:01:11 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-30T14:01:11Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24997</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/charity-of-the-year-2026/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Charity of the Year 2026</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;This year we are proudly supporting Wiltshire &amp;amp; Bath Air Ambulance (WBAA) as our Charity of the Year! WBAA provide critical medical care by land and air, across the local area. They receive no government funding and rely entirely on the generous support of the local community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Each year we ask colleagues to nominate charities close to their heart, and a shortlist of organisations is put to a colleague vote. With over 44% of the total votes, it's clear colleagues feel WBAA is a cause we should support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We were recently invited to the windswept airbase near Semington in Wiltshire to meet the staff, explore the site and get to know more about how their operations work. Did you know the team can provide critical care to anyone in Wiltshire in under 11 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/44bfnk4n/wbaa-visit-4.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Image of Wiltshire &amp;amp; Bath Air Ambulance helicopter with the Curo team and WBAA colleagues" width="750" height="563"&gt; &lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/stop0o43/wbaa-visit-2.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Wiltshire &amp;amp; Bath Air Ambulance vehicle" width="750" height="563"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We're starting our fundraising for WBAA with over £1,950 already in the pot, including a donation from Travis Perkins and income from our charity fridge. We hope to add to this amount over the coming year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Our Charity of the year committee have been planning a packed calendar of fundraising events including quizzes, car washes, bake sales and more. And keep an eye out for our newly rebranded vans with our charity partner displayed on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;If you're interested in the types of missions the air ambulance has done in the past, and the locations, you can see all of this and more with the charity's interactive mission map &lt;a rel="noopener" href="https://www.wiltshirebathairambulance.org.uk/our-lifesaving-work/mission-map" target="_blank"&gt;Mission map | Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We look forward to sharing updates as we raise money for this brilliant charity.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:32:10 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-30T13:32:10Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24974</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/easter-opening-hours-1/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Easter Opening Hours (1)</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif;"&gt;The office at The Maltings and our contact centre will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. If something is urgent, you can still reach us - just call 01225 366000 to be put through to our emergency service.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif;"&gt;Our normal opening hours are The Maltings 8.30am – 5pm and the Contact Centre 8am - 8pm.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif;"&gt;You can also use MyCuro, our secure online customer portal, which is available 24/7 for you to manage your account.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/hcsj1cyj/easter-opening-hours_1080x1350.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;height=750" alt="Image shows Easter Opening Hours for 2026" width="563" height="750"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:40:29 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-25T10:40:29Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24972</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/trees-shrubs-and-grass-maintenance-estates-campaign-march/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Trees, Shrubs and Grass Maintenance - Estates campaign March</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We work hard to make our estates safe and popular places to live. So, it’s important the outside areas we’re responsible for are also a nice environment for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Grounds maintenance is done throughout the year, but it increases between March and October, as this is when most greenery does its growing. The main jobs include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;!-- [if !supportLists]--&gt;grass cutting&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-list: Ignore;"&gt;&lt;span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;!--[endif]--&gt;shrub and hedge pruning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;managing growth along pathways/access routes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;leaf clearance at the end of each growing season.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We also carry out planting and projects with partners to help improve estates and promote biodiversity and resilience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;All outside works are dependent on the weather, so timings can vary each year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Did you know we:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;!-- [if !supportLists]--&gt;cut more than 550,000 square metres of grass&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-list: Ignore;"&gt;&lt;span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;!--[endif]--&gt;manage 22,000 square metres of meadow grass to increase biodiversity&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;maintain over 55,000 square metres of shrubs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;look after nearly 20,000 metres of hedging, pruned twice per year, tailored to the type of hedge&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;manage and clear leaves from over 48,000 square metres of pathways and open areas.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We also look after larger areas of open space, verges and small play areas. Across all our estates we have a growing tree &lt;span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"&gt;population of 9,500 trees. This is on top of other woodland areas we manage. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;To find out when your next grounds maintenance visit is, enter your postcode here &lt;a href="https://curo.glendalelocal.co.uk/glendale-live"&gt;Glendale Local - Curo - Glendale Live&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grading is as easy as A+ to C&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;So we have clear way for customers, landlords and contractors to understand the standards we work towards, we use a grading system that’s been developed in consultation with tenants across the UK.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;E&lt;span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"&gt;verything we’re responsible for is scored from A+ to C and covers things like length of grass, hedge growth, weeds and impacts on paths and roads. There’s more details in our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/media/rqqkafqj/estates-standards-booklet_2024.pdf"&gt;estates standards booklet&lt;/a&gt;. You can also find out about how you can help us keep your green spaces a great place to use.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:34:37 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-25T10:34:37Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24970</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/spring-photography-competition/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Spring Photography Competition</title>
      <description>&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;With the days getting longer and the sunshine finally making an appearance, Spring is the perfect time to step outside and celebrate the places we call home. We’re excited to launch our Spring Photography Competition, inviting you to share what makes your neighbourhood special.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Whether it’s a splash of floral colour, a favourite green space, a colourful street corner or the character of local homes, we want to see the outdoor places that fill you with pride. We've included a few shots as inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Entering is as easy as 1-2-3&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;Take a high‑resolution, landscape‑oriented photo of an outdoor scene you love&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;Make sure the image doesn’t include identifiable people or personal information&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"&gt;Submit your photo by &lt;strong&gt;Friday 17 April&lt;/strong&gt; by emailing &lt;a href="mailto:communications@curo-group.co.uk"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;communications@curo-group.co.uk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;- please include your name, email address and telephone number.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 36.0pt;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;The winning entries will be shown on social media and the Curo website&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;After the closing date, we’ll choose three standout photos to receive £50 in high street vouchers and show them off on our Facebook and Instagram pages too.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Get involved!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;Whether you’re an experienced photographer or just enjoy snapping moments on your phone, this competition is for everyone. Let’s celebrate the places that make our communities feel like home. We can’t wait to see your Spring scenes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;T&amp;amp;Cs available here &lt;a href="/about-us/information/competitions/#about-us-competitions-tab-photography-competition"&gt;Competitions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/hhkh1vh1/gettyimages-2148616904.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Image of pink tulips and grape hyacinths" width="750" height="422"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/iwjjfva1/gettyimages-2207602913.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Close up image of pink blossoms on a tree with a building in the background" width="750" height="499"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/0xglnmbz/gettyimages-1314741205.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Image of pink blossom trees in a park" width="750" height="500"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:18:42 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-03-25T10:18:42Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24821</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/facebook-live-feb26-recording/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Facebook LIVE Feb26 recording</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Thanks to everyone that joined us at the Facebook Live session on 18 February. It was great to host one of these lively interactive sessions again and we were really pleased with the number of customers getting involved with questions and comments. Please join us again for our next Facebook LIVE in April.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the hot seat this time was Chief Operating Officer, Julie Evans, and our Director of Property Safety &amp;amp; Compliance, Tom Battersby. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Catch up with the session below - topics covered include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The length of notice Curo must give to tenants before visiting your home&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fire safety and safety audits, including advice for flats&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Downsizing to a smaller home&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pest control&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sinking funds&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Curo’s plans for its garage sites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div class="mceNonEditable embeditem" data-embed-url="https://youtu.be/FqChlaoXZJU?t=00m11s" data-embed-height="500" data-embed-width="720" data-embed-constrain="true"&gt;&lt;iframe width="720" height="405" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FqChlaoXZJU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" title="Curo FB Live 18/02/26"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:06:09 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-20T10:06:09Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24820</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/next-phase-of-pride-in-place/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Next phase of Pride in Place</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Great news for our residents in Twerton and Whiteway. The next phase of the government’s Pride in Place Programme is being rolled out, bringing up to £20 million of funding to Twerton and Whiteway.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The article below from Bath and North East Somerset Council explains what to expect next and how members of the communities can get involved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more general information about the Pride in Place programme, search for ‘Pride in Place’ on the GOV.uk website.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Pride in Place is bringing up to £20 million of funding to Twerton and Whiteway to help improve opportunities for everyone over the next ten years. The programme is community-led and puts decision making in the hands of local people. Any member of the local community can get involved and play a part.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A new Neighbourhood Board will be set up to manage the programme and be champions of the local community. The board will be led by an independent chairperson following a competitive application process. The chairperson will be a part-time salaried position and the members of the board will be entitled to reasonable expenses&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Work to bring Pride in Place to life will take place throughout the year, starting with a series of community events running from February 27 to March 8. These events will provide a space for the community to come together and explore ideas and ambitions for the project. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Events will take place at The Annex, Bath Foyer, a space made available with support from Housing Association Curo, with other activities held across the neighbourhood.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath &amp;amp; North East Somerset Council, said: “We have written to all addresses in the area. If you get a letter, please spare a few minutes to read about Pride in Place and how you can get involved. It is an amazing opportunity for people who live and work in the area to make changes that will improve opportunities for everyone in Twerton and Whiteway. One of the first issues the board will be asked to look at is the project boundary. A change of boundary is fully supported by ward councillors who have been campaigning for Whiteway to be fully included.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development, said “We strongly encourage the Twerton and Whiteway community to get involved at the upcoming events as well as the wider Pride in Place programme. Neighbourhoods and communities are not defined by lines on maps. They are formed of groups of people who have meaningful relationships and a shared sense of place, identity, or purpose. From residents to businesses, charities to clubs all are welcome to participate.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Applications for the role of independent chairperson and expressions of interest for Neighbourhood Board positions will open in mid‑February. Anyone who is ‘from,’ living or working in the Twerton and Whiteway Ward; holds a prominent role in the community; or has a passion for the place, will be eligible to apply for the chairperson role or board positions when the application process opens.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;People can sign up for alerts about the roles &lt;a href="https://jobsandcareers.bathnes.gov.uk/"&gt;on the council’s jobs and careers website&lt;/a&gt;. Further details on the project are available &lt;a href="https://bathnesplaces.co.uk/regen/"&gt;on the regeneration pages of the council website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:57:40 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-19T15:57:40Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24819</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/rent-and-service-charges-from-6-april-2026/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Rent and service charges from 6 April 2026</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Updated information about rent and service charges for the coming year is currently landing on doormats and in inboxes. You may be wondering why changes are happening, and what they cover.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How we set your rent&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Each year we have to use a formula set by the Government to work out how much rents need to change. The formula uses the rate of inflation, which affects everyone that pays for goods and services. So, an increase in costs, for example energy and contractors, have pushed up the cost of services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your rent goes towards the services we provide &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The rent you pay goes towards improving homes and making them safe, as well as the services we provide for you. If we didn’t increase rent, we’d need to cut back on investing in homes and services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You’ll need to take action if you receive Universal Credit towards the cost of your rent&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s more information on this in your rent letter. It’s important you don’t take any action yet. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages for a reminder nearer the time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It’s a good time to review the benefits you receive &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As rents are changing, it may affect the benefits you receive. So, it’s a good time to check all your details are up to date and you’re receiving all the money you’re entitled to. There’s some helpful information here &lt;a href="/residents/rent-money-matters/benefit-and-budgeting-calculators/"&gt;Benefit and budgeting calculators&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you pay by Direct Debit, you’ll get another letter soon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re sending you a separate letter about your weekly or monthly payment schedule – you don’t need to do anything it’s just for information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you’re a leaseholder or shared owner, you’ll receive details about your service charges for the year ahead&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Service charges include things like repairs, cleaning and grass cutting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Each April, we estimate what these services will cost. Then, at the end of the year, we work out the actual cost and make a charge or a credit to the property for any difference.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Money worries? Please get in touch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We understand everyone is affected by rising costs, and talking to someone can often help with any worries you have. There’s help available whether you’re a Curo tenant or own your home.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you’re a tenant, you can contact our supportive Money Advice Team. Call 01225 366316 or email customeraccountshelp@curo-group.co.uk&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We know it can be hard to ask for help, but you’ll get a supportive and sympathetic response from our amazing colleagues - someone able to offer practical help to improve your situation. They’re experts at dealing with financial difficulty and are trained to help with problems with debt, including money owed to loan sharks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They can also make sure you’re getting all the money you’re entitled to.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other help and advice are also available&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s also other independent organisations below you can speak to for free about a variety of topics, visit &lt;a href="/help-and-advice/"&gt;Help and advice&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;a href="/help-and-advice/"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Citizens Advice &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bath Citizens Advice: citizensadvicebanes.org.ukBristol Citizens Advice: bristolcab.org.uk&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;North Somerset Citizens Advice: nscab.org.uk&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Wiltshire Citizens Advice: cabwiltshire.org.uk&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;South Gloucestershire Citizens Advice: southgloscab.org.uk&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;North Somerset Citizens Advice: nscab.org.uk&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Debt &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Debt Advice Foundation: debtadvicefoundation.org Call: 0800 043 4050&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Step Change: stepchange.org Call: 0800 138 1111&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;National Debt Line: nationaldebtline.org Call: 0808 808 4000&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PayPlan: payplan.com Call: 0800 316 1833&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Stop Loan Sharks: stoploansharks.co.uk Call: 0300 555 2222 Email:  &lt;a href="mailto:reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk"&gt;reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Government Money Helper Service&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Money Helper: moneyhelper.org.uk Call: 0800 138 7777 Webchat, WhatsApp and an Online form are also available&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Credit Unions &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Great Western Credit Union - open to all Curo residents. Email: &lt;a href="mailto:info@gwcu.org.uk"&gt;info@gwcu.org.uk&lt;/a&gt; Call: 0117 924 7309&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Westcountry Savings &amp;amp; Loans Email: &lt;a href="mailto:mail@westcountry.org.uk"&gt;mail@westcountry.org.uk&lt;/a&gt; Call: 0800 304 7041&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Universal Credit &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;uk/universal-credit Call: 0800 328 5644 Text phone: 0800 328 1344&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 09:22:25 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-17T09:22:25Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24809</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/scam-calls-feb-2026/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Scam Calls Feb 2026</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/yullgpoe/gettyimages-2255939929.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750&amp;amp;height=375" alt="Image showing a mobile phone screen with alerts for a possible scam call" width="750" height="375" data-udi="umb://media/3db317c3aac4401d8525b250b6391b19"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Scam calls have become a frustrating part of modern life, but you don’t need to be an expert to stay safe. With a few simple habits, you can confidently deal with unexpected calls and avoid falling into common traps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why scam calls happen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Scammers usually call people to get something valuable, such as money or personal information. They often pretend to be from organisations you trust. For example, banks, delivery companies, government departments, even tech support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Common signs of a scam call&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1. Pressure to act immediately. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to get you to react without thinking things through.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2. Requests for Personal Information. If a caller asks for:&lt;br&gt;• Passwords&lt;br&gt;• PINs&lt;br&gt;• One-time passcodes&lt;br&gt;• Bank details&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…it’s a red flag. Genuine companies don’t ask for sensitive information out of the blue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3. Unexpected calls about money. Be cautious if someone calls about:&lt;br&gt;• Refunds you weren’t expecting&lt;br&gt;• Competitions you didn’t enter&lt;br&gt;• Bills you’ve never seen&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If it sounds too good, or too bad, to be true, it probably is.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;4. Caller ID that looks real. Scammers can “spoof” numbers, so they seem to come from your bank or a local business. Don’t rely on the number alone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What you can do to protect yourself&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1. Pause before responding. You’re allowed to take your time. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2. Hang up, it’s not rude. You can always end the call. If you’re unsure, hang up and call the organisation back using a number from their official website. Don’t just call the same number back.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3. Never share sensitive information. Your bank, mobile provider, and government departments will never ask for:&lt;br&gt;• Your PIN&lt;br&gt;• Your full password&lt;br&gt;• Remote access to your device&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;4. Use call-blocking tools. Most smartphones and phone providers offer:&lt;br&gt;• Scam call filtering&lt;br&gt;• Block lists&lt;br&gt;• “Silence unknown callers” features&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These can help to reduce unwanted calls.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;5. Check and report suspicious calls. Reporting helps protect others. If you’re not sure they’re who they say they are, you can check the number online using Google, or another search engine, or on a website such as '&lt;a href="https://who-called.co.uk/" title="Who called me"&gt;who called me&lt;/a&gt;'. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If they say they’re from Curo, you can call us on 01225 366000 to check.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you think you’ve been targeted&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Don’t panic. It can happen to anyone, and doing the following quickly can stop further issues:&lt;br&gt;• Stop communication with the caller&lt;br&gt;• Contact your bank if you shared financial details&lt;br&gt;• Change any passwords you may have mentioned&lt;br&gt;• Report the incident to the appropriate authority&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Find out more about different types of scams on the &lt;a href="https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/" title="UK Finance Take Five website"&gt;UK Finance Take Five website&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:29:19 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-12T16:29:19Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24808</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/facebook-live-is-back/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Facebook LIVE is back!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://fb.me/e/7MmsXQQmM"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/im2nifxe/facbook-live-event-asset-landscape_feb-26.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=519&amp;amp;height=272" alt="Image of Julie and Tom" width="519" height="272" data-udi="umb://media/16d438452be441d7a0373c6dfab2cad0"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you’ve got any burning issues or questions you want to put to our senior team, live and direct, here’s your chance.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Julie Evans, Curo’s Chief Operating Officer, and Tom Battersby, Director of Property Safety &amp;amp; Compliance will be in the hot-seat on Facebook LIVE.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get involved!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tune in to hear the latest updates, ask your questions and be part of the discussion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You’ll be able to ask a written question during the live-stream or if you prefer, send it to us before hand by &lt;a href="mailto:communications@curo-group.co.uk"&gt;emailing the team&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;To find out more and to put the date in your diary, &lt;a href="https://fb.me/e/7MmsXQQmM" title="click here"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 10:21:18 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-12T10:21:18Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24805</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/curo-comes-to-you-with-community-catch-ups/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Curo comes to you with Community Catch Ups</title>
      <description>&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"&gt;Our regular Community Catch Ups offer an opportunity to chat through issues and ask any questions you have about your home or neighbourhood. Our Resident Engagement team recently shared the programme below for the weeks ahead - look out for Hannah and Neil down your way soon. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We offer lots of ways to get involved with Curo and influence what we do, including via our &lt;a href="/residents/get-involved/groups-and-forums/join-voicebox-the-curo-feedback-community/"&gt;VoiceBox online consultation and engagement platform&lt;/a&gt;. Would you like a Community Catch Up where you live? Email the team on &lt;a href="mailto:voicebox@curo-group.co.uk?subject=&amp;amp;body="&gt;voicebox@curo-group.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table border="0" width="1046"&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Date&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Place&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Venue (or door knocking)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Time&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;13/01/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Peasedown - Sunnyside View&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Door knocking&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;midday - 2pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;20/01/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Maple Leaf Court&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Maple Leaf Court Community Room, BS8 1EF (for residents only)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;midday-2pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;22/01/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Twerton Village Hall - B&amp;amp;NES collaboration&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Twerton Village Hall - Landseer Road, BA2 1DX&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2pm-4pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;27/01/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rosewell Court&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Salvation Army Upper Hall, Green Park Rd, BA1 1XE&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;6pm- 7.15pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;03/02/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Pine Court  &amp;amp; Chichester Place- Radstock&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Community Room, Pine Court, BA3 3ES&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;midday-2pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;07/02/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Green, Council surgery drop in&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Community Room, Odd Down, BA2 2TJ&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10am - midday&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10/02/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Toynbee Road &amp;amp; Samual Barnett Close&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Door knocking&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;11am - 2pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;17/02/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Orchard Close - Portishead&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Community Room, Orchard Close, BS20 6BG&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10am - midday&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;24/02/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Keynsham Downfield (St Margaret's Close)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Community Room, St Margaret's Close, Keynsham, BS31 2EW&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10am - midday&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;26/02/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Keynsham South (Mead Estate)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Mead Estate, Keynsham Door Knocking&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;11am - 2pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;03/03/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nightingale Court, Brislington - Revisit&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;St Cuthbert's Church Hall, Sandy Park Rd, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HQ&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1pm-3pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;07/03/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Twerton Council Drop In&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Infant School, Poolemead Road, BA2 1QR&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10am - midday&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;17/03/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Springfield Crescent- Radstock&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Door knocking&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;11am - 1pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td width="113"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;19/03/2026&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="351"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Larkhall - Uphill &amp;amp; Coxley Drive&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="474"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Door knocking&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td width="108"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;11am - 1pm&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:02:15 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-04T22:02:15Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24804</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/new-blue-plaque-celebrates-bert-abrams/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>New blue plaque celebrates Bert Abrams</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Curo is delighted to help honour the work of Knowle West community hero, Bert Abrams. A blue plaque, recently unveiled by Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol, Cllr Andrew Varney, as part of a new affordable housing development, celebrates his decades-long commitment to youth work. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The blue plaque stands at the entrance to Curo’s 100% affordable Broad Plain development and the newly dedicated Bert Abrams Close. The site was previously the home of Broad Plain Boys’ Club, of which Bert was a leading light. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arthur “Bert” Abrams MBE (1912-1995) was a passionate advocate for young people and dedicated his life to improving their lives. His commitment to the Broad Plain club was truly remarkable – serving in various roles from 1926 to 1978. He was also instrumental in setting up a number of other youth clubs across the city.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bert also served with distinction on Bristol City Council and represented Hengrove Ward as a Labour councillor for 27 years. Bert’s youth work was recognised with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 1976. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We’re delighted to help celebrate Bert’s amazing story and would like to thank Bristol Civic Society and Filwood Chase History Society for helping to make it happen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The new development offers 47 affordable homes for the local community and comprises one, two and three-bedroom flats, maisonettes and houses, 31 of them offered for shared ownership purchase.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:38:04 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-02-03T12:38:04Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24795</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/tintagels-coming-down/</link>
      <category>development</category>
      <category>affordable</category>
      <category>regeneration</category>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Tintagel's coming down!</title>
      <description>&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Demolition of 1970s Keynsham estate officially underway&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;£16 million investment in new neighbourhood of affordable homes due for completion in 2028&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div class="mceNonEditable embeditem" data-embed-url="https://youtu.be/ttNqaVHz9BE" data-embed-height="240" data-embed-width="360" data-embed-constrain="true"&gt;
&lt;div class="mceNonEditable embeditem" data-embed-url="https://youtu.be/ttNqaVHz9BE" data-embed-height="500" data-embed-width="720" data-embed-constrain="false"&gt;&lt;iframe width="720" height="405" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ttNqaVHz9BE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" title="Demolition of Tintagel Close in Keynsham"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It was a dramatic day of action in Keynsham, as demolition of the Tintagel Close estate got underway. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The long-anticipated work signals the start of a journey that will completely transform this site, replacing the 1970s block with a new neighbourhood of 45 high-quality affordable homes.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Curo confirmed back in 2021 that there were no viable options for Tintagel’s refurbishment. Now, clearly at the end of its life, the dated building is being skilfully dismantled by our partner on the project, E G Carter. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Tintagel Close, with its inward-looking courtyard design, was poorly integrated with the wider community. When it came to planning its replacement, Curo wanted to make sure that the voices of local people were centre stage – engagement with them has been ongoing since the first days of the project in 2022. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Sarah Maylor, Curo’s Director of Development, said,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We’re a not-for-profit, which means we’re led by our values. That’s why we’re investing £16 million here - we care about this community and want it to be a great place to live.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Matthew Vye, Residential Director at E G Carter, said, &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;“This is a significant moment for Keynsham and for everyone involved in the project. We’re proud to be delivering the works on behalf of Curo, helping to replace a building that had reached the end of its lifespan with a development that will provide high-quality, affordable homes for generations to come.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Curo envisages a new neighbourhood that enhances the local area, and one that’s better connected to adjacent green space, which Tintagel's design was unsympathetic towards. This will be complemented by landscaping across the site and community facilities, including a new play area.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The design of the new 100% affordable scheme responds directly to the needs of the area. It will offer a range of different homes, from one-bed flats to four-bed family houses, each with its own parking space and electric vehicle charging provision.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The homes will also be packed with the latest energy-efficiency technology, including air source heat pumps, solar energy and heat recovery systems. Together they guarantee an EPC ‘A’ rating for all 45 properties – the highest standard achievable.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;34 of the homes will be available for subsidised social rent, significantly below the market rate. These will be offered through Bath &amp;amp; North East Somerset Council’s lettings system, HomeChoice. The remaining 11 will be available for shared ownership purchase.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/jdcb5sg2/neighbourhood-visualisation-landscape-16-9.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=750" alt="Visualisation of new affordable development" width="750" height="421.90136883555226" data-udi="umb://media/c80fc54eb9dc432c9e975b4d89111f07"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:58:06 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-01-29T11:58:06Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24734</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/curo-appoints-david-mcquade-as-interim-chief-executive-officer/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Curo Appoints David McQuade as Interim Chief Executive Officer</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/t3jcekfl/david-mcquade-2.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=353&amp;amp;height=470" alt="Portrait of David McQuade" width="353" height="470" data-udi="umb://media/282252998dab4dc7bbb4d72e86b1a3f0"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Curo is pleased to confirm the appointment of David McQuade as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective from April. The news follows the announcement in November that Victor da Cunha would be leaving the 14,000 home landlord after 14 years to take up a role at Notting Hill Genesis.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;David McQuade was previously Chief Executive of Flagship Housing Group for more than 15 years. He stepped down in February 2025 after leading the organisation through a merger with Bromford.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jane Tabor, Chair of Curo’s board, commented “We’re delighted that David is joining Curo to lead colleagues through this next transitional phase of our development.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"His outstanding track record and expertise are aligned with our vision and strategy, and he shares our values and our commitment to providing quality homes and services for customers. We’re confident that his leadership will provide stability and continued success as we move forward.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;David McQuade said “I’m excited to be joining Curo at this key time. It’s an organisation with a great reputation, as evidenced by their recent C1 regulatory grading – I’m looking forward to getting to know colleagues and customers and supporting the business’ ambitious plans for the future through this interim period”.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:51:50 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-01-12T09:51:50Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24732</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/staying-safe-and-warm-during-a-cold-snap/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Staying safe and warm during a cold snap</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;With low temperatures in charge, we’re rounding up our advice to customers to help you stay safe and warm this winter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cold weather isn't always kind to boilers and water pipes...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If your boiler is making a strange noise, or showing an error code it might have a frozen condensate pipe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There's advice on our website about how to thaw it - &lt;a href="/residents/your-home/repairs-servicing/curo-lifehacks-easy-repairs-you-can-diy/lifehacks-heating/curo-lifehacks-how-to-thaw-a-frozen-condensate-pipe-on-your-boiler/"&gt;Curo lifehacks: How to thaw a frozen condensate pipe on your boiler&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;If it's still not working as it should then &lt;a href="/contact-us/"&gt;please get in touch to report&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Freezing temperatures can cause pipes to freeze and burst. To reduce the risk:&lt;br /&gt; 🔥Leave heating on low, even when you’re not at home.&lt;br /&gt; 💧Keep cupboard doors open where pipes are located to allow warm air to circulate.&lt;br /&gt; ❄️Make sure your taps are turned off as dripping taps can cause drains to freeze.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you think a pipe has frozen here's some advice to help get the water flowing again - &lt;a href="/residents/your-home/repairs-servicing/curo-lifehacks-easy-repairs-you-can-diy/lifehacks-plumbing/curo-lifehacks-frozen-pipes/"&gt;Curo lifehacks: Frozen pipes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can find the full set of plumbing and heating lifehack on our website - from bleeding a radiator to unblocking a sink, &lt;a href="/residents/your-home/repairs-servicing/curo-lifehacks-easy-repairs-you-can-diy/"&gt;these indispensable DIY guides have got you covered&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Managing the expense of winter heating&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You’ll find&lt;a href="/1250"&gt; advice on our website&lt;/a&gt; on maximising the efficiency of your heating system and links through to sources of information on benefits and support, including the Winter Fuel Payment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our Money Advice service is ready to help any Curo customer that needs their support. They can help with managing debt, accessing the correct benefits and applying for grants and funding. Their track record of helping residents to take back control of their finances is very impressive - the average amount each customer saves through the service is £4,446! Find out more about Curo's &lt;a href="/19387#cost-of-living-help-advice-tab-cost-of-living-support-in-your-area" data-anchor="#cost-of-living-help-advice-tab-cost-of-living-support-in-your-area"&gt;Money Advice service&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;a href="https://warm.open-innovations.org/"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:43:20 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2026-01-08T15:43:20Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24728</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/christmas-card-competition-winners-2025/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Christmas card competition winners 2025</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Here’s something to get you in the festive mood – a selection of amazing artwork submitted by Curo customers for this year’s Christmas card competition. We picked a winner and runner up in each of the four age categories and invited them all to our offices at the Maltings to pick up their prizes and enjoy some festive nibbles.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;Our overall winner&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/zclcnxvu/final-card-3d.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=600&amp;amp;height=448" alt="" width="600" height="448" data-udi="umb://media/de2696ce7ab441b1ab06dd2854d44cb8"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;This year’s winning Xmas card artwork was created by Oskar, who is 14 years old. Oskar’s artwork transported us to an atmospheric winter landscape. We loved the inventiveness of the design and the wonderful technical execution.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In his Christmas message to our customers, alongside Oskar’s winning artwork, Curo’s Chief Executive, Victor da Cunha, wrote,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="exec_text"&gt;‘It’s the perfect choice for our official card this year and shows what we’re all about as an organisation - providing a warm and safe home on a cold winter night.'&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Oskar’s mum told us they’ve had a difficult time recently and are currently living in temporary accommodation, separated from their pets and most of their belongings. She said, “The theme of the picture is, everyone needs a home at Christmas, and we hope we will have ours soon.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;0 to 4 age category&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/wsdoyn4n/screenshot-2025-12-19-144639.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=479&amp;amp;height=352" alt="" width="479" height="352" data-udi="umb://media/37ec86b21ccd4c728bbcb85866496b55"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;This colourful winning entry was submitted by &lt;strong&gt;Poppy&lt;/strong&gt;. Her mum told us that Poppy really loves drawing and will have no trouble helping her to spend her £50 gift card.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/lg2lsjib/poppy.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=477&amp;amp;height=358" alt="" width="477" height="358" data-udi="umb://media/25b9b95f0d014624a907b511d67ca754" data-caption="Poppy receives her prize from Curo CEO, Vic da Cunha"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Poppy receives her prize from Curo CEO, Vic da Cunha&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/10jfhr5h/screenshot-2025-12-19-144826.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=483&amp;amp;height=307" alt="" width="483" height="307" data-udi="umb://media/c75392d846e7461581237714c0cfdbbd"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bennie&lt;/strong&gt;’s hoping we’ll have a white Christmas this year with snowballs falling from the sky, just like in his super runner up entry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;5 to 9 age category&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/mshd33zh/screenshot-2025-12-19-144705.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=523&amp;amp;height=369" alt="" width="523" height="369" data-udi="umb://media/f73e8f62b52744aeae07b7c945e830ca"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;Congratulations to Bennie’s sister, &lt;strong&gt;Charlotte&lt;/strong&gt;, for this lovely picture of Santa out doing some important deliveries with Rudolph, which we picked as our winner in the 5 to 9 age category.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure&gt;
&lt;figure&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/31ybqdus/bennie-and-charlotte.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=518&amp;amp;height=390" alt="" width="518" height="390" data-udi="umb://media/0e18f0e8f49244dabb31f193660562f9" data-caption="Bennie and Charlotte receiving their prizes from Vic"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Bennie and Charlotte receiving their prizes from Vic&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/xy5lc0cu/screenshot-2025-12-19-144845.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=222&amp;amp;height=388" alt="" width="222" height="388" data-udi="umb://media/68b13fb809544004b9c277b7851b2925"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Liliana&lt;/strong&gt; gave us this cheeky elf, hard at work making presents – a very worthy runner up in this category.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;10 to 16 age category&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/em4lntba/screenshot-2025-12-19-144800.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=536&amp;amp;height=396" alt="" width="536" height="396" data-udi="umb://media/ccb63c25052041d5bfda15abac4ff40c"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;This fantastically detailed picture showing Santa flying around the world delivered lots of humour and individuality. It secured the runner-up prize for &lt;strong&gt;Mia&lt;/strong&gt; in this category for older children. Our overall winner, &lt;strong&gt;Oskar&lt;/strong&gt;, also took the main 10 to 16 prize.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;17+ age category&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/khkm4lbg/screenshot-2025-12-19-144720.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=278&amp;amp;height=422" alt="" width="278" height="422" data-udi="umb://media/2ccfd4579d264b6ca93742875f2f8246"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;br&gt;We loved &lt;strong&gt;Abs&lt;/strong&gt;’s rendering of a car returning home with a huge Christmas tree attached to the roof. Abs revealed she drew it last year but didn’t get round to submitting it - we’re really glad that you did this year, Abs!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/kfvh4mk5/abs.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=614&amp;amp;height=461" alt="" width="614" height="461" data-udi="umb://media/317f6a57c25f49edb7e5d3c093eae62c" data-caption="Abs at our Christmas card prize giving with Curo CEO, Vic da Cunha"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Abs at our Christmas card prize giving with Curo CEO, Vic da Cunha&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/vbbkrgri/screenshot-2025-12-19-144905.png?rmode=max&amp;amp;width=272&amp;amp;height=390" alt="" width="272" height="390" data-udi="umb://media/9aa842ae69284fde9ce06c3b42de604b"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It didn’t take us long to reflect on this clever calligraphic tree sent in by &lt;strong&gt;Yazmin&lt;/strong&gt; and pick it as our runner up in the 17+ category.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well done to all our winners and runners up. It was a really high standard this year, as you can see from the other entries we received, below. They all deserved recognition and shortlisting was a real challenge. All the entries are available to view in our reception area at the Maltings. Thank you to everyone that took part, we hope you all have a very merry Christmas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/e45jtdae/christmas-card25_reception-display7.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;height=750" alt="" width="530.2166476624857" height="750" data-udi="umb://media/8c99bf211f0447c8ae5100badf8cd995"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.curo-group.co.uk/media/i52pjpd2/christmas-card25_reception-display8.jpg?rmode=max&amp;amp;height=750" alt="" width="530.2166476624857" height="750" data-udi="umb://media/bce4f941597c4ac289f00d5c7d41d426"&gt;&lt;/img&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:18:32 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2025-12-19T15:18:32Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24707</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/opening-hours-this-christmas-and-new-year/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Opening hours this Christmas and New Year</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;We’ll continue to serve customers over the festive period. We’re open every week day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and 2 January.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On other days, from 19 December, our Contact Centre, dealing with calls and messages, will close earlier than usual on most days. Our customer reception at the Maltings will close an hour early on 19, 24 and 31 December.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our emergency out-of-hours phone service will run throughout on 01225 36600. MyCuro will also be available 24/7 for you to book a repair, change appointment times or log a report.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/contact-us/" title="Contact us"&gt;See our contact page&lt;/a&gt; for other ways to get in touch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have you checked for changes to your bin collections over the festive period?&lt;/strong&gt; In some areas, changes to bin collections continue until mid January. See your local council’s website for more information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk/news/christmas-and-new-year-rubbish-and-recycling-collections-2"&gt;Bath &amp;amp; North East Somerset&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk/news/christmas-and-new-year-rubbish-and-recycling-collections-2"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://bristolwastecompany.co.uk/household/festive/"&gt;Bristol City Council&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://n-somerset.gov.uk/my-services/bins-recycling/recycling-rubbish-collections/bin-collection-dates"&gt;North Somerset&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.somerset.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-waste/check-my-collection-days/"&gt;Somerset&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling-collection-date/"&gt;South Gloucestershire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/15344/Advance-notice-Changes-to-waste-and-recycling-collections-over-the-festive-period"&gt;Wiltshire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact Centre opening hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Friday 19 December – 8am to 4pm&lt;br /&gt;Monday 22 December - 8am to 8pm&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday 23 December - 8am to 8pm&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday 24 December - 8am to 4pm&lt;br /&gt;Thursday 25 December - CLOSED (Christmas Day)&lt;br /&gt;Friday 26 December - CLOSED (Boxing Day)&lt;br /&gt;Monday 29 December - 8am to 5pm&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday 30 December - 8am to 5pm&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday 31 December - 8am to 4pm&lt;br /&gt;Thursday 1 January - CLOSED (New Year’s Day)&lt;br /&gt;Friday 2 January – CLOSED&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maltings reception opening hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Friday 19 December – 8.30am to 4pm&lt;br /&gt;Monday 22 December - 8.30am to 5pm&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday 23 December - 8.30am to 5pm&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday 24 December - 8.30am to 4pm&lt;br /&gt;Thursday 25 December - CLOSED (Christmas Day)&lt;br /&gt;Friday 26 December - CLOSED (Boxing Day)&lt;br /&gt;Monday 29 December - 8.30am to 5pm&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday 30 December - 8.30am to 5pm&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday 31 December - 8.30am to 4pm&lt;br /&gt;Thursday 1 January - CLOSED (New Year’s Day)&lt;br /&gt;Friday 2 January – CLOSED&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 23:27:06 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2025-12-09T23:27:06Z</a10:updated>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">24706</guid>
      <link>https://www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/advice-and-resources-to-help-you-stay-safe-and-warm-this-winter/</link>
      <category>homepage</category>
      <category>news</category>
      <title>Advice and resources to help you stay safe and warm this winter</title>
      <description>&lt;p class="exec_text"&gt;Winter is here, and with it comes colder temperatures, festive celebrations, and a few extra challenges for our homes and communities. To help you stay safe, warm, and prepared this season, we’ve put together some useful tips and resources.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Staying Safe Outdoors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gritting and snow clearance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Icy paths and roads can be hazardous, so please take care when going out and about in freezing conditions.  We grit paths at our sheltered housing sites and provide grit bins at our supported schemes for residents to use. Visit &lt;a href="/residents/estate-management/gritting-snow-clearance/" title="Gritting &amp;amp; snow clearance"&gt;this web page&lt;/a&gt; for more cold weather advice and information. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reporting broken lights&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well-lit communal areas and streets help everyone feel safer. If you spot a broken light in a communal area, or a street light that’s out, please &lt;a href="/contact-us/report-it/" title="Report it"&gt;let us know&lt;/a&gt;. Not all street lights are our responsibility, but if it’s not ours then we can help you report it to the right place.  &lt;a href="/contact-us/report-it/"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol start="2"&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Keeping Your Home Warm and Secure&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to bleed a radiator&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If your radiators aren’t heating properly, bleeding them can make a big difference. It’s quick, easy, and helps your heating work efficiently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/residents/your-home/repairs-servicing/curo-lifehacks-easy-repairs-you-can-diy/lifehacks-heating/curo-lifehacks-bleeding-a-radiator/" title="Curo lifehacks: Bleeding a radiator"&gt;Find out how to bleed a radiator&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to thaw frozen pipes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Frozen pipes can lead to leaks and costly repairs. Here’s how to safely thaw them and prevent damage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/residents/your-home/repairs-servicing/curo-lifehacks-easy-repairs-you-can-diy/lifehacks-plumbing/curo-lifehacks-frozen-pipes/" title="Curo lifehacks: Frozen pipes"&gt;Here’s how to thaw frozen pipes&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reporting an emergency repair&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We know that emergencies don’t always happen at convenient times. To report a repair or other issue as an emergency, &lt;a href="tel:01225366000"&gt;call us on 01225 366000&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href="tel:03452450566"&gt;or 0345 245 0566 when we’re closed&lt;/a&gt;). It's always better to call, as out social media and emails aren't monitored 24 hours a day. Remember: &lt;a href="tel:999"&gt;If there's a danger to life always call 999.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol start="3"&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Festive Safety and Energy Tips&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christmas safety tips&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Decorations and lights bring joy, but they can also pose risks. Follow &lt;a href="/news/news-stories/stay-safe-this-christmas/" title="Stay safe this Christmas"&gt;our safety tips&lt;/a&gt; to keep your celebrations accident-free. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christmas energy-saving tips&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stay cosy without overspending on energy. Our &lt;a href="/news/news-stories/christmas-energy-saving-tips/" title="Christmas energy saving tips"&gt;festive energy-saving tips&lt;/a&gt; will help you keep bills down while enjoying the season. &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:07:44 Z</pubDate>
      <a10:updated>2025-12-09T13:07:44Z</a10:updated>
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