A dance troop from Sheffield are jumping for joy after receiving sponsorship from their local housing provider which has allowed them to purchase training kits for the whole team.

Dance group U-nique which is made up of both boys and girls between the ages of 8-16 years received funding from housing provider Guinness Northern Counties. The money has been spent on 37 tracksuits, one for each member of the team.

This is the first time that the group have had a uniform. Tracey Brown, dance group leader said: “There was such excitement when the tracksuits arrived, this is the first time we have ever had a team kit and it has really brought everyone together. We are delighted; it has given our group an identity!”

The dance group which was formed eighteen months ago practice every Tuesday Night at Park Action Community Centre on Duke Street. The group perform at least two shows each year and also appear in other local community shows and Guinness Northern Counties events.

Brian Hamlin, Community Investment Manager came to watch the group practice for the first time in their new tracksuits. Brian said: “ Guinness Northern Counties is happy to support such a talented dance troop, having seen them perform on a number of occasions I know how hard they practice to develop technical and team working skills.”

Two young men from Oldham have signed up for a 12 month apprenticeship scheme being supported by their local housing provider to gain hands-on experience and NVQ qualifications.

Both Ryan Pocklington (23) and William Bruce (22) from Darnhill had been unemployed for six and three months respectively before signing up as apprentices with the Estate Services team at Guinness Northern Counties’ Darnhill branch.

Over the course of the year, they will have the opportunity to gain NVQ Level 2 in Customer Care and in Horticulture.

Ryan Pocklington, who is also a Guinness Northern Counties’ resident, said: “I’d done some volunteer work when I was 18 and I do feel that helped my application too. I’m happy that I’ve been given a chance so that I can do something with my life and I’m hoping this will lead to a full time job so I can provide for my two sons.”

Allan Higginson, Estate Services Manager for Guinness Northern Counties, said: “This scheme is a great opportunity for people to get hands-on experience and a qualification whilst earning a wage and the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the apprentices I’ve worked with to date, has been very impressive. They are an inspiration to young people and anyone out there who is looking for employment.”

The scheme is part of Guinness Northern Counties’ ’Access to Work’ initiative which involves Guinness working in partnership with a range of education and training providers including Oldham-based Upturn Enterprise.

Guinness Northern Counties provide the work experience opportunities and on-site supervision. Upturn manage all aspects of personal support, NVQ achievement and help finding permanent jobs.

Guinness has created 85 trainee placements since 2009, 50 of which have resulted in apprentices gaining Level 2 NVQ Awards, 45 of whom have already entered paid employment. Guinness is currently hosting 26 apprentices in a range of different roles who are all committed to achieving their NVQ courses and starting their careers.

Ian Simpson, Head of Access to Work at Guinness Northern Counties who manages the project, said: “We are thrilled with the results produced by this initiative so far. Not only is it helping young people to get into paid employment, but customer satisfaction has increased by 30% because our customers support what we are doing.”

Retired carpenter David Bradbury came to the rescue when he heard neighbours at his sheltered housing scheme in Shaw, Oldham, saying they wished they had somewhere to sit outdoors – he made them a bench!

Now residents at Moorside View are looking forward to sitting out in the garden this summer on the hand- made bench that David, 62, designed and built.

Scheme Manager Maureen Gould gathered with residents for a ribbon cutting ceremony today and to unveil the seat that took David just ten days to complete.

Speaking at the scheme today, David said: “We all love sitting in the garden, especially at this time of year and I thought, if I had the materials I could make a seat for everyone to enjoy. So we all chipped in and now everybody can get the most out of the garden this summer.”

Mary Harrison, oldest resident at the scheme at 98, cut the ribbon at the ceremony and said: “We’re all thrilled with our new seat, it’s in a lovely spot overlooking the front garden. David is very talented and we’re lucky to have him here with us!”

Moorside View is home to 30 residents and owned by local housing provider Guinness Northern Counties with care and support services provided by Guinness Care & Support.

Local agencies in the Sandbach area of Cheshire volunteered today to help set-up the home of a vulnerable adult resident, spending the day putting together new furniture and adding the finishing touches to his new kitchen.

The day was the end of a week-long project of works which included the extensive clean-up and redecoration of 42 year old Anthony Ratcliffe’s home at Rookery Court on Elton Road.

Rachel Crymble, Housing Officer for Guinness Northern Counties which owns and manages 11 homes at Rookery Court, said: “Anthony has lived at his one-bedroom flat since 1996 and is very happy living in the area. He has a job at The Glasshouse Bar & Restaurant in Sandbach just down the road and he’s familiar with his surroundings and knows a lot of people here.”

She continued: “It became evident during a recent property inspection though that Anthony was having some difficulties in the upkeep of his home. We contacted his social worker and then approached our own contractors and suppliers to see if anyone was willing to help us revamp Anthony’s flat, we have been overwhelmed by their generosity.”

Mr Ratcliffe had made an effort to redecorate his home himself but was unable to carry out the necessary work without support. During the course of the refurbishment he also had to rehome his two dogs through the local RSPCA, which he found quite distressing.

A total of seven companies including Argos, Akzo Nobel (Dulux), Barlows, Acorn Carpets, Brian Watts Flooring, Carl Beddows (decorator) and Mr Ratcliffe’s housing provider Guinness Northern Counties came forward with supplies, donations and free labour offers, which has now provided Mr Ratcliffe with a refurbished, comfortable and clean home, along with a new kitchen.

Speaking at his home today, Anthony said: “I’ve never had any help like this in my life before and I really appreciate everything that people are doing for me here. The flat was really bad before all of this and I had to give up my dogs.”

A new support package is to be provided by local agency Caremark, to help Mr Ratcliffe manage his home and look after himself. Guinness Northern Counties will continue to work with Anthony and Caremark to ensure that he is able to sustain his tenancy and keep his home clean and in good condition.

Local housing provider Guinness Northern Counties has launched a £50,000 initiative to develop opportunities for West Gorton residents and projects that could benefit the community.

The West Gorton Opportunities Fund launched on 13th April and will run until 2014. Funding will be broken down into five rounds of £10,000 and you don’t have to be a Guinness Northern Counties’ resident to apply.

Applications are open to any individuals, residents and community groups, even local schools and centres, provided their application is for something that will be of benefit to the community or improve the life of individual residents living in West Gorton.

Guinness Northern Counties, which owns and manages 775 homes on the West Gorton Estate is administering the fund as part of its ongoing commitment to the regeneration of West Gorton.

Community Investment Manager for Guinness Northern Counties Pete Wallroth, said: “This is a very exciting time for West Gorton residents. Alongside the current £33 million regeneration programme that is well underway, the idea of this initiative is to help improve the lives of residents living in the area and the facilities available on the estate.”

He added: “Anyone can apply for this funding, the applications come in and we send them out to every resident of West Gorton for a vote. The applications with the most votes, win a share of the cash. Residents have complete control of any new projects within their community and once they are up and running, Guinness Northern Counties will continue to support them any way we can.”

Once an application is approved, applicants receive funding within four weeks. Progress of the project and spending is then monitored by Guinness Northern Counties and applicants have 12 months to spend the funding.

Application forms are available from Guinness Northern Counties office at 18-20 Anthony Close, West Gorton or direct from Pete Wallroth, Community Investment Manager on 0845 605 9000 or email customer.service@guinness.org.uk

A group of residents in Oldham are celebrating after receiving £10,000 of funding from The Big Lottery which will be used to continue and develop a computer club on their estate.

Residents at Royton Hall Park have succeeded in their bid which will allow them to continue to run the club for a further 12 months as well as purchase three new laptops and install wireless broadband. This additional equipment will allow more residents to get involved in the club and benefit from its facilities.

Local housing provider Guinness Northern Counties helped set up the club which has now been running for four months and offers weekly sessions free of charge at The Estate Office on Seatoller Court, Royton Hall Park.

The sessions, which are held every Monday morning from 10am until 12pm are open to all local residents regardless of age or experience. Training is provided by local training company Connect I.T Plus.

The computer club has proved very popular and is in high demand. Barbara Whitfield, aged 67 who attends the classes said: “When I first received the letter I thought to myself that’s a great idea. However the thought of turning on a computer or even a mobile phone terrified me! As the day got closer I kept putting myself off the idea, but on the first morning of the computer club I thought I’d go and see what it’s all about, even though I was scared. Now I’m so glad I turned up and feel a lot more confident around computers than I did. I have learnt how to set up email accounts, how to send emails and how to surf the internet.”

Nicole Culley, Guinness Northern Counties’ Housing Officer, said: “The Residents’ Association has worked hard to secure this funding and its really good news that the computer sessions can continue building upon the positive work that has been done with local residents already. It is a great community project as the club is open to all local people, not just Guinness Northern Counties’ residents.”

Royton Hall Park Computer Club is just one of seven computer clubs set up in the North West by Guinness Northern Counties.

Anyone interested in joining the computer club should contact a member of the Oldham Neighbourhood Team on 0845 605 9000.

Ballroom dancing and armchair aerobics are the key to fitness and healthy living for older people living at Fitzwilliam Court in Barnsley. As World Health Day approaches on 7th April, residents at the extra care scheme are proving you’re never too old to Tango.

The weekly sessions are always popular and well attended, with residents showing an ‘obvious improvement in motivation’, says registered manager Donna Richardson.

Donna added: ”The residents really look forward to these sessions every week. We have two residents who are in wheelchairs who are really enjoying the aerobics class that’s been running for seven months now and the dancing is very good fun. It definitely builds up your fitness levels and takes a lot of concentration too so it’s good on many different levels.”

Residents pay a £2 charge for the armchair aerobics but the rest of the activities are free and facilitated by Guinness Care and Support who provide support and care services at the scheme.

The programme of activities at the scheme which is owned by Guinness Northern Counties, links in with this year’s World Health Day theme of ‘Ageing and Health’. World Health Day is celebrated each year on 7th April, and will this year focus on how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities.

This year’s World Health Day topic of ‘Ageing and Fitness’ couldn’t be more appropriate for three ladies from Oldham who are enjoying a new-found enthusiasm for exercise, inspired by Wii fitness sessions at their sheltered housing scheme in Chadderton.

Zumba, aerobics and Wii Fit are all in day’s fun for Sandra Craddock (74), Eva Gregory (86) and 98 year old Elsie Harrop, who all live at Guinness Northern Counties’ Bickerton Court scheme on Old Lane.

With a combined age of 258, the friends are thrilled with the improvements to their health and fitness from the new activities which have resulted in Sandra joining her local gym and Eva discarding her walking stick.

Speaking at the scheme, Sandra said: “I started the Wii about 10 months ago because I wanted to lose a little bit of weight and I also had some arthritis in one of my feet and my GP thought it a good idea. I started on the balancing with the Wii, then that got a bit too easy so I’ve worked my up through the levels and now I’m on the hardest. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do more so I joined the gym in September and now I do Zumba and aerobics once a week, and I use the treadmill for power-walking, as well as the bike and the rowing machine. I’ve lost the extra weight and my foot is fine now. No aches or pains and I can’t believe how toned I am! I‘ve developed muscles where I didn’t know I had any!”

Scheme Manager Deborah Jaerisch said: “It’s great to see the physical improvement in people from these activities. Eva’s balance and confidence has improved greatly since using the Wii and I think the motivation must be contagious because Elsie seems determined to keep up with her friends. At 98 she’s still doing her own washing and cleaning, a very independent lady. It’s doing wonders for them all and I hope it can continue.”

Guinness Care & Support, who provide care services at the scheme, piloted the sessions in May 2011 as part of a new NHS initiative. It proved so successful that they are now part-funding the programme and working in partnership with Pennine Care to roll it out to seven more schemes across Oldham.

Physical activity specialists from Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (Pennine Care) provide participants with one to one training on how to use the Wii equipment.

The Wii Fitness programme is just one of the activities provided at Guinness Northern Counties sheltered housing schemes. Ballroom dancing, armchair exercise classes indoor bowls and computer clubs are also available at different schemes.

The programme of activities ties in with this year’s World Health Day theme of ‘Ageing and Health’. Word Health Day is celebrated each year on 7th April, and will this year focus on how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities.

Local housing provider Guinness Northern Counties is reducing its carbon footprint and saving on energy costs by fitting energy saving solar panels to its head office at Bower House, Oldham.

The landmark local building overlooking Junction 22 of the M60 has been shrouded in scaffolding so that 182 photovoltaic panels could be installed on the roof by contractors Cruden Energy Solutions.

The panels will enable the building to produce over 40,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, reducing its carbon footprint by an anticipated 25,000 kg of CO2 each year.

Allan Ramsay, Director of Investment and Regeneration and Raj Upadhyaya, Group Investment Director of Guinness Northern Counties inspected the installation on the roof of the building last week.

Mr Upadhyaya, who has overall responsibility for environmental sustainability across The Guinness Partnership said: “Oldham may not be famous for its sunny weather but the technology we have installed here is designed for our climate and will make a very significant contribution to our goal of reducing our electricity consumption by 5 per cent each year. Not only that but the Feed-in Tariffs that we will achieve by installing the panels before the government’s 31st March deadline means the investment is expected to pay for itself within 15 years.”

“In the meantime” he said “we are doing our bit for the environment as well as saving on our fuel bills at Bower House.”

Guinness Northern Counties employs over 321 people at Bower House, providing managerial and administrative support to its business of managing some 26,000 homes across the North.

Other eco-friendly initiatives within the building include the recycling of paper, cans, plastic and light bulbs, and the use of timer switches on all electrical equipment and light sensors that respond to daylight levels and movement within the building.

Guinness Northern Counties’ corporate centre was the fundraising capital of Oldham last night as over 90 employees volunteered to help answer the phones taking pledges from the public for Sport Relief.

A staggering £45k was taken by volunteers from the housing association who were kept busy from 7pm until the lines closed at midnight and included some moving calls from youngsters wanting to donate their pocket money and football shirts.

Support for the fundraising marathon came from employees from across the North and from every level in the organisation, including interim Managing Director Paul Roberts who spent the evening keeping volunteers refreshed with the mobile tea trolley, assisted by Director of Neighbourhood Services John Cockerham.

Speaking at the end of the fundraiser last night, Paul said: It was fantastic to see so many colleagues volunteer their time and travel to make a difference, the enthusiasm and atmosphere was inspiring as were the stories that came in from donating callers.”

There were also plenty of fun activities for volunteers to enjoy between shifts on the phone, including desk volley ball, a Wii Sports League, a fancy dress competition and a chocolate fountain.

Organisers also provided refreshments and music with a dinner laid on for the volunteers by Catering Academy to help keep everyone energised and spur them on until the clock struck midnight.

The hotlines were operated from the Guinness Northern Counties’ multi-award winning customer service centre on Stable Street, Hollinwood. The out of hours team that normally maintains the association’s 24/7 service to customers continued to operate in another part of the building, ensuring that normal services to the association’s 27,000 customers were not affected.