As part of her regional tours, our new CEO Alison Dean and Chief Financial Officer Mike Gerrard visited our Park Hill Office and met our colleagues and customers around our neighbourhoods and schemes, getting a deeper sense of the key projects, issues and priorities in the region.
First of all, Alison was greeted bright and early at the Park Hill office by our Head of Neighbourhoods, Raymond Kinsella, who gave her an introductory briefing around local issues and growth, discussing exciting new developments such as in North East Derbyshire, and challenges faced by the team.
Then, the busy itinerary began, starting at Portobello House. Our colleague Phil took Alison and Mike through our popular block of flats in Sheffield City Centre, close to the university, where many choose to settle in for its location. They also discussed the challenges of maintaining the building, and what improvements could potentially be made going forward.
Then, it was onwards to the Pat Midgley Community Hub, our community centre in the heart of our Anchor Neighbourhood, Wybourn. On arriving at the busy centre, they met with our Community Partnerships Manager for the neighbourhood, Melanie and Employability Coach, Joanne, who introduced them to Karine and Danielle, our partners from Manor & Castle. They chatted over a cup of tea about the budgeting workshops to be run at the centre.
Then, they were joined by centre co-ordinator, Christina Grant alongside our colleagues Felix and Craig to discuss the long-term project to bring the centre under full community ownership, and the hard work behind the scenes to make this happen, including the recruitment of one of three new Community Champions, Daine, who’s excited to get stuck in. They got to meet other residents who were passionate about this, such as Lisa, as well as Rae, the centre’s new Trustee, who’s excited to help the centre offer its full potential to the community.
After a buffet lunch at the Pat Midgley Community Centre enjoyed by colleagues and customers, Alison and Mike headed over to our I&W scheme at St. Wilfrid’s Place, where they met with manager Mary, who talked them through the context of homelessness in the city and the barriers herself and the team regularly have to overcome. They were also introduced to our Engagement Support Officer, Chris, who works extensively with RSAP in the Sheffield region to tackle homelessness.
Our Housing and Wellbeing Officer, Andy, then showed them round a currently vacant apartment in the building, showcasing the fantastic living space that is no doubt a welcome first step for many of our customers. They lastly got to meet Matt, one of our customers at the scheme, who talked openly to us about his experience. After his relationship broke down, he fell into a downward spiral and was severely struggling with his mental health when he was referred to St. Wilfrid’s. Just three months in, he’s in a much better place and regularly sees his children. It was great to see the rapport he had with Andy and Mary, which gave Alison and Mike a real sense of the great work that goes on at St. Wilfrid’s in spite of the challenges they face.
Commenting on the visit, Alison said:
“What a fantastic day over in Sheffield! It was really valuable to get a deeper sense of what’s going on in our East Region, both its successes and challenges. I paid my first visit to the Pat Midgley Community Hub and it was delightful to see the buzzing, friendly atmosphere of the place and hear from our colleagues and customers about the variety of work that’s being continuously done for the community in Wybourn. It was also lovely to meet one of our customers at St Wilfrid’s Place and gain an insight into the work we’re doing with RSAP to tackle homelessness in the city. The passion of everyone across our teams was clear to see and I look forward to visiting more homes and schemes in my next trip over the Pennines!”
Mike added:
“It was great to be introduced properly to our East Region and meet so many fantastic colleagues. We saw Portobello House, a great asset providing much needed affordable accommodation in the city centre, and it was good to get that insight from Phil of its day to day management. It was great to see how much our customers value the Pat Midgley Community Hub in Wybourn, with some exciting developments to come. I was also very impressed by the quality of the accommodation offered at St. Wilfrid’s Place, and it was really valuable to hear about the challenges faced on the ground. Thanks to all of our hosts!”
