We are launching a photography competition for our tenants, their families and staff.

Entries can be in colour or black and white and should reflect one of the three categories:

• Wales
• The Queens Diamond Jubilee
• People 

There will be a prize for the winner of each category, and an overall ‘Best Picture’ winner. The winning entries, along with other commendable pictures will be displayed to the public at our Christmas Exhibition (date and venue to be confirmed).

You can enter a maximum of 3 pictures per category. 

Please ensure that you have obtained the permission of any people in your pictures.

Entries should be sent to Anna Evans @ Cadwyn Housing Association, 197 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 1AJ or via email to anna.evans@cadwyn.co.uk.

Closing Date is November 9^th 2012. 

An opportunity has come up at very late notice to access a European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) extra qualification.

Classes will be held over 15 weeks starting next Tuesday and takes part at the Jasmine Centre, Ely between 9.30 and 4.30.

If would like to access this course please email me as soon as possible to confirm. The cost of the course will be covered by funding Cadwyn have through working in partnership with the WCVA. 

How To Qualify

You must be:

• LIVING in Cardiff
  
• OVER 16
• Unemployed OR working less than 14 hours per week
• NOT claiming Job Seekers Allowance
• NOT in education

How to Apply

Contact Clare Watkins by emailing clare.watkins@cadwyn.co.uk or contact Cadwyn on 029 2049 8898

PLEASE NOTE
This opportunity cannot be accessed directly through the Jasmine Centre

Set up to assist people through the transition on to new Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance levels following the Welfare Reforms, House Share Wales will help people find rooms and houses to share and landlords to find tenants.

You can register on the House Share Wales website and advertise your room or property FREE of charge across Wales.

Through the funding Cadwyn has employed a regional Shared Accommodation Broker Sue Cunningham to assist tenants and landlords in 5 local authority areas in South Wales (Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff, and the Vale).

Sue can act as link person between you and other local services such as Housing Benefit, Environmental Health and tenancy support services, if required.

You can contact Sue by mail on susan.cunningham@cadwyn.co.uk or by phone on 029 2049 8898.

Visit www.housesharewales.co.uk for further information.

We celebrated World Book Night on Monday with a free book giveaway and a speech from local author Tom Anderson.

World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books which encourages everyone to experience the enjoyment of reading. Cadwyn staff applied to the World Book Night Association and received 150 books to give away.

Guests were able to choose from the following book titles:

• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 
• Room by Emma Donoghue
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

We still have books available so if you are a Cadwyn tenant and would like to receive a free book please call Anna Evans on 029 2043 4416 or email anna.evans@cadwyn.co.uk. 

The event kicked off with a speech from local author Tom Anderson who has written three travelogues about his passion for surfing – Riding the Magic Carpet, Chasing Dean and Grey Skies, Green Waves. Tom inspired everyone by sharing the story of his motivation for writing, his surfing adventures and his love for books.

For more information on Tom’s books check out his website www.tomandersonbooks.com. 

Guests also enjoyed tea and cake and the second-hand book sale, where all proceeds went to The Imagination Library, a child literacy programme originally established by Dolly Parton which provides free books for children under 5. Cadwyn set up Wales’ first Imagination Library for the children of its customers in 2011. 

If you are a Cadwyn tenant and would like to register your child with the Imagination Library, call Claire Giddy on 029 2043 4461. 

Congratulations to both Greg Stewart, Assistant Manager to the Planned Maintenance Team and Housing Officer Mark Howells for winning our monthly ‘Customer Service Excellence’ award in March.

Both have shown outstanding compassion, empathy and support in supervising the move of tenants in order that renovation work could be carried out at the Princes Court Scheme. Greg and Mark also liaised very closely with the contractors carrying out the work; ensuring minimum disruption was caused to those tenants affected.

Nominations were received from both Staff and Tenants alike. Congratulations both! Keep up the excellent work.

If you would like to make a nomination for a member of staff, please don’t hesitate to contact Esther on 02920 498898 or email info@cadwyn.co.uk. 

English Version

Welsh Version

The Welsh Government has assessed our financial viability and confirmed that  “the Association has adequate resources to meet its current and forecasted future business and financial commitments.”

The report details some of the information that has helped them reach this conclusion including our 30 Year Business Plan, the amount of money we have allocated to improve our properties so they reach the Welsh Housing Quality Standard and our programme for developing new homes.

We have a good relationship with the regulation team throughout the year and look forward to working with them closely to deal the challenges that face the whole housing sector.

To encourage even more staff to get on their bikes we recently arranged for Cyclopaedia to come and visit staff to share tips on bike maintenance. Here are some of the tips that they shared with us:

Cyclopaedia are a bike shop based in Cardiff, run by cyclists including National champions, Welsh International cyclists and a Common Wealth Games cyclist. The team also provide mechanics to the Olympics – co-owner Ian Jeremiah will be joining the 2012 games in London later this year as a Great Britain road cycling team mechanic. Please visit the Cyclopaedia website for more information. 

You can store all of your payment reference numbers and payment amounts so you don’t have to enter them every time.

You can create a 4 digit pin number to access the app so you don’t need to go through a lengthy log in process every time you want to use it.

All of this in the secure environment you would expect from allpay.

So if you have an Apple or Android smartphone visit the store or market and download the free App. 

Tŷ Greenfarm, a 25-bed homelessness hostel, was officially opened on Thursday March 15th by Cllr Judith Woodman. The newly refurbished hostel was a joint partnership between ourselves and Cardiff Council. 

The hostel has been converted from an old farmhouse which has been renovated to create an attractive and tranquil setting for homeless families in Cardiff. All rooms are ensuite, have cooking facilities and are designed to be energy efficient. 

The rooms are suitable for those with a disability and the hostel provides a safe environment for children to play in the secure gardens.  Other facilities include activity rooms, an IT suite and an Enterprise Workshop.

Alongside the hostel ten new homes have been built to an energy-efficient standard, one of which has been designed for families with specific disability needs. 

CanDo Lettings have launched a radio show ‘Housing Matters’ on Radio Cardiff 98.7 FM every Monday between 4 and 5 pm.

Radio Cardiff is a community radio station and CanDo Lettings are sponsoring and hosting a show that address community housing issues. We have a new guest each week and look to answer your questions on any housing queries within the city.

Our very own Tony Davidson will be hosting the show, you can contact him by texting 07728758759.

Tune in for some music and live discussion about housing.

You can contact CanDo lettings by visiting CanDo website, Facebook page or even send a tweet to @candolettings