Curo News

Curo takes home six award wins in November

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:15:37 Z

We’re thrilled to announce a series of award wins this month, recognising our work in regeneration, landscape design, and community-focused housing development.

WhatHouse? Awards 2024

Mulberry Park, received a Bronze Award for Best Regeneration Scheme at the WhatHouse? Awards 2024. Once a Ministry of Defence site, Mulberry Park has been transformed into a vibrant community, with 700 homes, a central park, natural woodland walks, play spaces, and sensory gardens designed for everyone to enjoy.

[Image of Mulberry Park from the top of Bath]

Excellence in Landscape Architecture

We’re equally proud to have been recognised at the UK Property Awards, where our landscaping at Mulberry Park won Best Landscape Architecture in both the regional and national categories. This award follows our collaboration with The Landmark Practice. From green spaces and natural play areas to woodland pathways supporting local wildlife, these designs are at the heart of what makes Mulberry Park unique.

Andy Spargo, Director at The Landmark Practice commented:

“It is an absolute pleasure working with the team at Curo on Mulberry Park, winning these awards is recognition of a truly fantastic landscape led development that responds directly with the context of its surroundings and provides a legacy space for both people and nature.”

Bath Property Awards

Closer to home, we also won at the Bath Property Awards 2024, taking home three major awards:

Developer of the Year
Civic and Community Award
Winner of Winners

Judges praised the breadth and depth of our work, describing our developments as “thoughtful, impactful, and heavily engaged with the community.”

Chief Executive's statement:

Talking about the awards, Curo’s Chief Executive, Victor da Cunha, said:

“These awards reflect our team’s commitment to developing homes and places that genuinely serve the Bath community. We’re incredibly proud of our colleagues who come to work every day to shape the spaces that support our region’s future.”

“Curo is proud to distinguish itself by prioritising social impact over profit, reinvesting all our profits from development into new affordable, high-quality homes and improving our existing stock– rather than paying dividends to shareholders. Unlike other developers, our mission is driven by this commitment, ensuring all our developments become sustainable, thriving neighbourhoods”

Curo manager takes home third consecutive win at prestigious building awards

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 07:51:28 Z

Pictured: Alan Mapston, Senior Site Manager at Curo (M) with colleagues Lee Clarke (R) and Grant Wells (L)

Senior Site Manager at housing association and house-builder Curo, Alan Mapston, marked his third consecutive win this week at National House Building Council’s (NHBC) Pride in the Job Award competition.

The NHBC has presented Alan with another Quality Award for his outstanding work at Curo’s flagship development, Mulberry Park, a 19-hectare site, which when complete will comprise 700 high quality homes, community facilities and open spaces. The award recognises Alan's exceptional leadership and consistent pursuit of high standards on site.

Having worked as a Site Manager for over two decades, Alan notes that the NHBC Awards remain among the most prestigious awards for professionals in his field. The judging process celebrates the role of site managers in making sure that homes are delivered on time, on safe sites and to the highest quality standards.

Talking about what it means to receive the award once more, Alan says, "It was brilliant to receive this again for the third year running. Winning one of these awards shows that you have done your job to the best of your ability and brought out the best from your team.”

He adds, “My assistants play a big role in achieving the standards required to win, which is also great for their personal development. Hopefully, they’ll also go on to be winners in the future."

The Mulberry Park development has already delivered more than 550 homes and is due to be completed in 2026.

Curo recognised in West of England Bee Bold Awards

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:04:11 Z

Curo has been recognised in the 2023 Bee Bold Awards: a unique competition that showcases West of England groups taking positive steps to support pollinators.

We received the Bee Bold Space for Nature award for our work with local communities to provide more wildflowers and food for pollinators.

Curo Director of Estates Services, Carl McMurtry, said: “We’re very excited to receive this award. We first rolled out No Mow May across our estates in 2021 and last year we took this one step further by signing up to the Nothing for Nature scheme, leaving 30 Curo sites to rewild beyond May. We’ve since seen a big increase in the number of wildflowers bringing more food for pollinators.

“It's been important to work with local communities where we are leaving areas uncut so everyone understands why we’re doing this. We put signs up explaining what’s happening and many residents have got in touch to say how much they value this nature-first approach.”

Video: Carl McMurtry explains why we're making space for nature at Curo.

One resident told Curo:

"I was so delighted to see the areas of unmown grass on Mountain Wood in Bathford, plus your sign to explain what you are doing. It will make such a valuable contribution to wildlife. Just across the road from the sign I spotted this orchid. I'm sure there are many more. Well done!"

Carl continued: “We plan to continue this approach every year, cutting and collecting at these sites just once a year in September. Doing this early autumn cut-and-collect will encourage more wildflowers to grow the following year.”

West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris brought together local residents, companies and community groups to award the 2023 Bee Bold Awards at Hartcliffe's Heart of BS13 as part of its ‘Nature Family Fun Day'. The Space for Nature award was presented to groups that have created the best gardens or pollinator spaces within their workplaces, or local area.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “Pollinators matter – in terms of helping flowers grow, but also in ensuring we can have the delicious West of England produce we’re renowned for, not to mention keeping our precious countryside and other green spaces maintained and cared for.

“I hope these award winners inspire others to take steps to support our pollinators as well, no matter how small they seem. So, whether it be throwing away those bee-harming pesticides or taking part in things like No Mow May, I urge locals to help me make our amazing West of England region the best place in the whole country for the West of England’s bee and pollinator friends.”

The unique West of England competition celebrates the amazing bee buddy groups across the West who have gone above and beyond to look after the region’s busy bugs through actions like creating a blossoming community patch or nature-friendly allotments - and everything in between.

The Bee Bold Awards are part of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority's wider work to make the West the Bee and Pollinator Capital of the UK.

Find out more about Curo’s wildlife-friendly approach to grounds maintenance here.

Pictured, left-right: Sophie Spencer, West of England Combined Authority Senior Manager Nature Recovery; Carl McMurtry, Curo Director of Estates Services; and Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

Curo and B&NES collect award for outstanding workmanship at Woodland View in Hygge Park, Keynsham

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 16:39:55 Z

(image above - one of Curo's houses in Woodland View in Hygge Park, Keynsham)

Housing association and housebuilder Curo, jointly with the Local Authority Building Control Team at Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES), have been awarded a high commendation in the West of England regional division of the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards.

The LABC Building Excellence Awards honour exceptional projects and individual achievements in the construction sector – focusing on the very best in technical innovation and construction quality. Falling under the ‘Best High-Volume New Housing Development’ category, this award recognises ‘outstanding construction and workmanship’ at Curo’s new development in Hygge Park, Keynsham.

Simon Collins, Construction Operations Director at Curo, said ‘We're thrilled and honoured to have received this award. At Curo, we put our residents first - right from the start and throughout all project phases. Receiving this award for outstanding construction and workmanship is a credit to our excellent construction and development teams, and highlights the care that we put into each phase of our developments.”

The scheme shortlisted, Woodland View, is a Curo development of 56 new homes in Hygge Park –a wider development of 250 homes. Curo purchased a parcel of land in 2019, from national developer Crest Nicholson and developed a mix of affordable and open-market new homes.

Of the total number of homes built, 12 were developed for affordable housing and 44 for open market sales. Additionally, Curo acquired every affordable home built in the wider Hygge Park development, including 6 flats for supported accommodation and 4 houses with wheelchair accessibility, delivering a total of 78 new, affordable houses, including 20 shared-ownership units and 58 for social rent.

Customer Choice Award 2022 – Who’s made your day?

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:53:29 Z

“Warren is a star! It was a tricky repair, but he never gave up. He kept trying until he got it done.” – Feedback on one of our Repairs team colleagues.

Nominations for this year’s Customer Choice Award are now open!

We’re always really grateful to hear about colleagues who’ve gone above and beyond for our customers, and want to celebrate them for going the extra mile to really make a difference to you – whether that’s with moving home, sorting repairs, help and advice or just by lending a friendly ear.

Our annual Customer Choice Award does just that. It’s your opportunity to tell us all about who you think deserves to win and what they did that really made your day.

It's quick and easy, just fill in this form.

Entries are open until Friday 28 October, and will then be judged by a panel of Curo residents. We’ll announce the winner and they’ll be presented with their award at a ceremony later this year.

We know it will make our colleagues' day to be nominated so thank you for taking the time.

Mulberry Park site manager wins prestigious building award for the second year running

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 11:03:53 Z

A Curo site manager has been awarded the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) 2022 Pride in the Job Award for a second consecutive year.

Alan Mapston, senior site manager at Curo’s flagship development of almost 700 homes in Bath, Mulberry Park, was recognised again this year for his leadership, dedication and commitment to build top quality homes for customers.

The Pride in the Job competition, which was launched more than 40 years ago, celebrates the role of site managers in making sure that homes are delivered on time, on safe sites and to the highest quality standards.

Alan is one of 443 people to have been honoured with the award this year, from a pool of more than 8,000 site managers from across the country.

Motorcycle and fishing enthusiast Alan is married with two children. He joined Curo three years ago and has been leading the site team at Mulberry Park ever since. Alan says: “I’m proud to be part of such a dedicated site team at our Mulberry Park development. It’s a privilege to see this large-scale brownfield regeneration project turning into an attractive, sustainable neighbourhood that puts residents and community first.

“I’m really pleased to have won this recognition for a second consecutive year, not just for myself but for the entire team here at Mulberry Park who are working hard to make our customers happy: our contractors, labourers and my assistant site managers Grant Wells and Lee Clarke.”

Mulberry Park is a contemporary development of high-quality homes, open spaces and community facilities in Combe Down, Bath. This thriving new neighbourhood has already delivered more than 500 homes and is due to complete in 2026.

High quality work placements see Curo in line for Government award

Thu, 19 May 2022 12:05:43 Z

Pictured: A Curo Kickstarter at a construction taster day in November 2021.

Curo has been shortlisted for an award for our recent successes at helping young people into work through the Government’s Kickstart initiative.

We are finalists in the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) Exceptional Partnership Awards. The awards recognise employers who demonstrate great collaboration with the DWP, with effective engagement and positive outcomes for young people.

Kickstart provides new jobs for young people who are at risk of long-term unemployment. Curo’s Work Wise team leads on the Kickstart programme at Curo.

Service Manager Ciara Aylett said: “We’re really proud to be shortlisted for this award. The DWP told us that we achieved one of the largest numbers of applicants across Kickstart, and some of the highest levels of satisfaction from candidates and DWP job coaches.

“They also told us that our placements were among the best across the region in terms of quality and the positive impact for job seekers.

“Even those candidates who weren’t accepted onto Curo placements found the quality of advice and support they received helped them with employment prospects elsewhere.

“Thanks to all the Curo teams who assisted Work Wise with making Kickstart such a success and providing so many great opportunities for young people across the region.”

We're now looking forward to further partnership working with the DWP on their new Way To Work recruitment programme.

Find out more about how we're helping local people into new work through Work Wise.

Curo site managers in Bath and Keynsham scoop double win at building awards

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 10:59:32 Z

Two site managers from housing association and house-builder Curo have received the National House Building Council’s 2021 Pride in the Job Quality Award.

Alan Mapston, senior site manager at Mulberry Park in Bath and Lee Watts, senior site manager at Woodland View at Hygge Park in Keynsham were recognised for their dedication, leadership and the high standards achieved at their respective developments.

Often referred to as the ‘Oscars of the house-building industry’, the Pride in the Job Awards celebrate the vital role that site managers play in ensuring new homes are constructed on time, on safe sites and to the highest quality standards.

The competition endorses the best site managers from across the country, following a rigorous and lengthy judging process that looks at key areas such as leadership, technical expertise, health and safety and attention to detail.

Alan Mapston, Curo Senior Site Manager at Mulberry Park, Bath

Married father-of-two, Alan, who in his spare time enjoys a spot of fishing and tinkering in the garage with his classic motorcycles, says:

“I’m very pleased to have won this award for our Mulberry Park site. Building homes of such high quality in a safe, timely and cost-effective way is certainly a team effort and I work alongside some fantastic people here at Mulberry Park, from my two assistant site managers, Grant Wells and Lee Clarke, to our trusted contractors.

“Our focus is always on building beautiful, high quality homes for our customers and I think the award recognises this.”

Lee Watts, Curo Senior Site Manager at Woodland View at Hygge Park, Keynsham

Bristol Rovers and Bristol Bears supporter Lee likes snowboarding and weekends away when possible. This is Lee’s second Pride in the Job Award, having won his first in 2013. He says:

“I’m proud of our Woodland View development where our customer satisfaction rate is 100%. This is a true reflection of how we build our homes, our focus on quality and attention to detail.

“I’m delighted with this recognition, not just for myself but for the entire team here at Woodland View who are working hard to make our customers happy – our contractors, labourers and my assistant site manager Steve Weymouth.”

Mulberry Park is a contemporary development of almost 700 homes, open spaces and community facilities in Combe Down, Bath. This thriving new neighbourhood has already delivered more than 380 homes and is due to complete in 2026.

Woodland View is creating 56 high-quality new homes within the larger Hygge Park scheme and is anticipated to complete in Spring 2022.

Shine a light on the stars in your community

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 11:02:40 Z

Community heroes in Bath and North East Somerset who have made an exceptional contribution to helping others during the COVID-19 pandemic are set to be recognised in a raft of special new awards backed by Curo.

The Shining Light Awards aim to highlight people who have gone above and beyond to volunteer or to support members of their community over the past year.

Nominations are now open for the ten awards for volunteers, carers, charities, businesses, nurses, teachers, public sector workers, and anyone who has exceeded what is expected of them in order to help their local community or an individual over the past 12 months.

The Shining Light Awards are organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council in partnership with BSW CCG, BANES Virgin Care, Curo, Student Community Partnership (University of Bath, Bath Spa University & Bath College), and the 3SG.

Curo Resident Engagement Manager Tom Box said: “It’s been an incredibly tough year but at Curo we’ve seen residents and communities do extraordinary things to support each other time and time again. We look forward to helping to celebrate our COVID heroes through these awards.”

Nominations must demonstrate that the nominee:

has provided support to the local community or an individual during the past 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic,
in addition to their normal work or volunteering, they have made a significant difference to the lives of the community or an individual that they have supported during the past year,
is supported, recognised and respected by the local community and the people who benefit from it, and
benefits residents of Bath and North East Somerset.

The closing date for nominations is 30 April 2021, with an online awards evening to be held in May.

Click here to nominate someone for a Shining Light Award.

Find out more about the awards, including other ways to nominate, at B&NES Council's website.

The Hub nominated for prestigious Bath Life award

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 11:15:58 Z

The Hub, Curo’s £10m community building at its Mulberry Park development in Bath, has been nominated for a prestigious Civic Award in Bath Life’s 2020 awards.

The Bath Life Awards celebrate the best of Bath. Their Civic Award highlights the contribution of an organisation or company which has improved Bath or committed to help develop others.

Launched in December 2018, The Hub has already been hailed as a trailblazer for future community buildings. As a Community Benefit Society, The Hub is run in partnership with residents and has been shaped by the community’s original vision of “a warm and beautiful place that the community can feel proud of.”

The Hub’s versatile and ultra-modern facilities are used by independent businesses, charities and health providers to host activities for all ages and interests. There are currently 23 classes every week from musical activities for young children, keep fit for parents and babies to over 50s art classes, gentle exercise for older people and everything in between!

Supporting the community

The small team at The Hub are dedicated to the local community and organise free activities during half-term holidays to support low-income families. As well as free activity days that bring the community together, The Hub also offer regular free taster sessions for residents to try out courses and activities.

The café at The Hub is passionate about providing value for money. It’s also become the main place for families to meet after the school drop-off and pick-up and is used by a variety of local businesses and organisations for work and meetings.

The Hub is also a drop-off and redistribution point for The Hygiene Bank, who collect and redistribute donated toiletries, hygiene, beauty and personal care items. The team are currently working with Bath Food Bank and the Genesis Trust to become a foodbank centre. From the end of January, The Hub will offer a unique Saturday service and will be Bath’s first weekend foodbank centre.

The Hub employs a number of local people, 53 per cent of the team live locally. An apprentice is due to start working in their café which also hosts a local man, with learning difficulties, who volunteers twice a week.

Lizzie Irvine, Hub Centre Manager, said “We’re very pleased that The Hub is up for the Civic Award in the Bath Life awards. The Hub is a true community asset - within a year, we’ve become a beacon for the Mulberry Park, Foxhill and Combe Down communities. It’s really great for our small team to be recognised for their dedication and support to the community.”

The winners of the Bath Life will be announced on 27 February.

What people say about The Hub

Cherie, Foxhill resident and café assistant

Noeline, class leader

Jane, chair of The Hub’s user group

Polly, Bath Dance

Find out more

Curo celebrates local community heroes

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 09:57:07 Z

Two Bath residents, including a six-year old with a passion for keeping his community looking great, have been crowned Curo’s 2019 Community Heroes at the housing association’s annual Residents’ Conference held on 17 and 18 September.

Joint winners of the inaugural Curo Community Hero Award were Bath residents Oliver Brooke and Lily Johnson, with the Tintagel Close residents’ association in Keynsham picking up the Community Award. All were nominated by fellow Curo residents for the positive difference they have made in their neighbourhoods.

Six-year-old community hero Oliver Brooke first became involved during one of Curo’s action days at Rosewell Court where he lives. Oliver loved helping out so much that when the local residents’ association asked for litter pickers to keep the estate tidy, Oliver was among the first to volunteer. He is now a regular litter-picker and is out with his community every week helping to keep his neighbourhood tidy.

The Curo Community Hero Award was shared with Lily Johnson of St John’s Court, a Curo sheltered housing scheme in Bathwick. Lily was nominated for the care she shows for her elderly neighbours, and for the endless energy she brings in helping to organise numerous events, from coffee mornings and quizzes to fundraising activities.

L-R Liz Potter (Chair of Curo) and Sharon Tucker (Chair of Tintagel Residents’ Association)

Residents of Tintagel Close in Keynsham were the winners of the Curo Community Award, receiving a cheque for £500 to spend on further neighbourhood initiatives.

Curo Chief Executive Victor da Cunha said: “We know that many people do amazing work in their community without the recognition they deserve. We wanted to highlight some of the residents who are often unrecognised community champions; people who make their communities better places to live.”

“We also hope that in launching these Curo Community Awards, others will be inspired to get involved, or even perhaps nominate others, in years to come.”

Curo can help residents to get more involved in their community, for example by setting up residents’ associations or organising litter picks. We have grants of up to £500 available for initiatives that benefit Curo residents. Find out more here.

Pictured (top), L-R: Victor da Cunha (CEO of Curo), Oliver Brooke, Liz Potter (Chair or Curo) and Lily Johnson

Curo scoops Developer of the Year 2018 title at Bath Property Awards

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 10:01:27 Z

Photo: Adam Carter; Curo colleagues from left to right: Sales Manager Susan Harrison, Planning & Technical Director, Sarah Maylor, Sales Director, Lisa Howells and Managing Director, Gerraint Oakley.

Bath-based housing association and house-builder Curo has won the Developer of the Year 2018 title at the inaugural Bath Property Awards, which celebrate the city’s dynamic property sector.

The ceremony took place at the Apex Hotel on Friday 23 November and brought together house-builders, architects, contractors, suppliers and professional services providers for the property sector.

The judges said: “Curo is out on its own in terms of what it does. ‘Profit for purpose’ flows through the business; exceptional year, balancing commercial opportunities with social responsibility.”

Curo managing Director, Gerraint Oakley, says: “We’re delighted and proud to win this recognition, having been shortlisted alongside some great Bath-based developers.

“Housing associations like Curo are making a significant contribution to solving the UK’s housing crisis. Our commercial activity – building homes for market sale - enables us to generate surpluses which we reinvest in creating more affordable housing for local people. This is what we call ‘profit for purpose’ and is the main reason we established our house-building business. Last year, we invested £17.1m in building new affordable homes.

“We’re best known for Mulberry Park, our award-winning project of 700 homes in South Bath, but we’re a multi-site developer with a number of schemes at different stages of development throughout the South West. Our housing delivery pipeline for the next five years will see the addition of more than 2,200 homes across the region.”

Curo was also a finalist in the ‘Residential Development’ category with its Mulberry Park scheme, which won the ‘Property’ accolade at the popular Bath Life Awards earlier this year.

Curo up for double at national awards

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 10:49:39 Z

Bath-based housing association and house-builder Curo has been shortlisted for two national awards recognising the success of its sales team and flagship development, Mulberry Park.

Curo are finalists in the ’Home Ownership Team of the Year’ and ‘Best Large Development’ categories at the National Housing Awards, run by the National Housing Federation (NHF).

Lisa Howells, Curo Sales Director, says: “These awards recognise excellence, innovation and creativity in the housing sector and we’re delighted to have been nominated in two categories this year. Our customers are at the very heart of everything we do and we’re proud to help many families each year find their perfect home.

“Our sales people are experts in all housing products and schemes available, supporting customers through the process to homeownership whether they are at the start of their journey or looking to move up the property ladder.”

So far 84 families have started a new life at Mulberry Park, Curo’s development of 700 homes, open spaces and community facilities in South Bath.

Lisa says: “Housing associations are making a positive contribution to delivering new homes across all tenures. A recent Savills report confirmed that Curo are outselling our Bath competitors including national housebuilders, another endorsement of our ‘profit for purpose’ approach.”

Curo Construction Operations Director, Jonathan Poole, says: “We build high quality, energy efficient homes and we strive to use the latest house-building technologies for the benefit of customers. All homes at Mulberry Park are designed to ensure energy efficiency and low running costs for residents, incorporating features such as low energy lamps and built-in USB chargers as standard.

“In the third phase of the development, we’ll build our first certified Passivhaus homes - ultra-low energy, close to zero carbon status properties that require little energy for space heating or cooling.”

This is Curo’s third shortlisting for Mulberry Park this year, after becoming a finalist in the ‘Best design for three storeys or fewer’ category at the upcoming Housebuilder Awards and winning the Bath Life Awards in the Property category back in March.

Winners for the National Housing Awards will be announced at a gala dinner in London on 6 September.

Curo Wellbeing House through to national award finals

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 09:21:45 Z

The Bath Wellbeing House, a retreat provided by Curo for local people experiencing mental health distress, has been shortlisted for the UK Housing Awards.

The service, which offers people a place to stay where they can receive support to stabilise themselves and prevent a crisis, is a finalist in the 'Outstanding approach to meeting specialist housing needs' category of the prestigious Inside Housing awards scheme.

"We're really proud of the Wellbeing House and excited to be shortlisted for these awards," said Curo Director of Health, Care and Support, Harriet Bosnell. "We know we have something very special with this scheme because we continually hear amazing feedback from the many people who've already benefited from this free service. It’s a highly effective preventative service that changes people’s lives.

“We think the Wellbeing House is a brilliant example of how housing associations like Curo can make a real difference to people's health and wellbeing by working in partnership with health and support organisations. We'd love to see more Wellbeing Houses, so I hope this recognition will help to spread the word."

Find out more about this unique service for Bath & North East Somerset, and how local people can stay at the house at no cost.

Visit the UK Housing Awards website.

Pictured: Bath MP Wera Hobhouse (right) talks to Curo colleagues Bethan Edmunds (left) and Michelle Jacobs (centre) during a visit to the Wellbeing House in 2017.

Business of the Year finalist

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 01:00:00 Z

Earlier this year Curo was selected as one of five finalists in the prestigious West of England Business of the Year Awards run by PwC. Although we didn't win, we're proud to have come through a rigorous judging process as one of the best businesses in the region.

Nick Morgan, head of tax at PwC West & Wales said: “Curo is an interesting business, and has set itself ambitious targets to address some of the issues being faced by the social housing industry.

"The independent judges were particularly impressed with the organisation’s creative approach to operating and continuing to grow in an environment that has changed significantly in the last five years.”

As part of our entry, this short film (above) was made to showacse the contribution we make to local people, neighbourhoods and the West of England economy.

Keynsham ‘Neighbour Hoodie’ Phoebe takes top volunteering award

Fri, 21 Feb 2014 14:03:04 Z

Keynsham teenager Phoebe Bidgood has won the Young Volunteer Leader of the Year Award at the 2013/14 Bath & North East Somerset Chairman’s Community Awards. The awards, which were presented at a ceremony held earlier this month in Bath, recognise volunteers, community leaders and organisations that make a positive contribution to their local community.

Phoebe, 17, has been the driving force behind the Curo-sponsored Neighbour Hoodies project in Keynsham known as Timeout Task Force. The Neighbour Hoodies are young people who get together to tackle odd jobs like repainting and repairs through to bigger community projects, making a positive difference where they live and challenging negative stereotypes of young people.

Phoebe told us: “It’s brilliant to win this award with the help of Curo. Being a Neighbour Hoodie in Keynsham has given our group far more recognition with members of the public for the work we do and the difference we make in our neighbourhoods. The extra-curricular activities are great for our CVs and have already opened doors for me personally in getting work experience.”

Phoebe has been Chair of the project for two years and regularly represents young people in Keynsham, speaking at local Police and Community Together (PACT) meetings and promoting the Neighbour Hoodies through events like Keynsham Youth Fest. Along with other Neighbour Hoodies in the area, Phoebe proactively asks local people how young people can help make a difference to their neighbourhoods.

Curo’s Neighbour Hoodies initiative is about helping children and young people give something back to their neighbourhoods. Joining Curo’s scheme means the group has access to extra support and resources, including their Curo-sponsored hoodies.

Curo’s Community Initiatives Officer, Jo Bellotti, helped to set up the Neighbour Hoodies scheme: “The Neighbour Hoodies scheme is about giving young people like Phoebe more opportunities to make a real and lasting difference where they live. Phoebe is full of energy and ideas and really cares about her neighbourhood. We’re so pleased that she’s picked up this top award.”

Councillor Neil Butters, Chairman of the Council, said: “The volunteers, community leaders and businesses that make such a fantastic contribution to the local community and inspire others to get involved to shaping the future of their community have been celebrated through these awards. I’d like to thank everyone who made a nomination and congratulate all of those people who received an award.”

If you live in Keynsham and have an idea or project that the Neighbour Hoodies could help with them please do contact Mark Willcox, Keynsham Town Council Youth Worker, on 0117 9868683 or email youthworker@keynsham-tc.gov.uk.

Photo: Phoebe Bidgood (centre) receives her award from Cllr Neil Butters, Chairman of Bath & North East Somerset Council and Louise Swain, Executive Director for Customer Services, Curo.

Independence service wins prestigious award

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:04:14 Z

Curo’s Independent Living Service (ILS), which supports local people to live independently in their own home, has won the overall prize at the National Housing Federation’s South West Community Impact Awards.

The ILS, commissioned by Bath & North East Somerset Council and delivered by Curo, not only won the Better Health category, but also took home the accolade of overall winner for the South West. The service now goes forward to the national awards – which will be announced in March 2013.

Bath & North East Somerset Council commissioned Curo to deliver the ILS in 2011, which supports people who need a little extra help to remain independent and living in their own home. In just 18 months the ILS has supported 497 people, aged from 23 to 103, to remain independent in their own homes, with many referrals made through important partners such as the Village Agents.

The ILS offers flexible services, tailored to individual needs, which can make the difference between someone staying in their own home and having to leave to go into residential care.

Norma Jenkins (pictured), who lives in Keynsham, was one of the ILS’s first customers and collected the award in person at the presentation ceremony on 31 October 2012. Norma said: “The service is like an answer to a prayer. I have no worries and my daughter has no worries. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Harriet Bosnell, Head of Care & Support at Curo, said: “We were very honoured to be announced overall winner for the South West region. We are really proud of the difference that our Independent Living Service makes to the lives of people from such diverse backgrounds across the whole of our community.

"Feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive and making a difference for people like Norma is what we believe in at Curo. We are grateful for the support from our partners in helping us to achieve this success. We hope that winning these highly-respected awards will help to further raise the profile of this great service, so that we can make a difference for even more people like Norma.”

Bath & North East Somerset Council commissioned Curo to deliver the Independent Living Service following recommendations made through the Council’s older people’s housing and support strategy.

Councillor Simon Allen, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, said: “We’re delighted that this service has been recognised as part of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s commitment to promoting independence and positive lives for everyone. We’re keen to ensure that the people most in need are supported to live full active lives – and in particular that older people receive our help so they may live independently. Congratulations to everyone for their well-deserved regional awards, and best of luck for the national ceremony in January.”

National Housing Federation South West Lead Manager Jenny Allen said: “Huge congratulations go to Curo and to the three other winners. We had 19 high quality entries from the South West for our awards this year and I know our judges found it tough choosing just four winners.

“These projects are a clear demonstration of how housing associations in the South West really do provide the whole package to help nurture healthy and happy neighbourhoods.”

The ILS services include 24-hour alarms, daily well-being calls, emotional support for people who are depressed or anxious, help with benefits, income maximisation, accessing health and memory assessments and help arranging repairs and adaptations.

Although the service is run by Curo it is available to anyone eligible in Bath and North East Somerset, including home-owners, people renting privately as well as housing association residents.

Curo is offering free consultations to anyone interested in the service for themselves or for a relative or neighbour. Call 01225 366196, email independentlivingservice@curo-group.co.uk or visit our care and support pages for further information.