We have partnered with the Skills Network to offer you FREE qualifications!
 
These courses are ideal if you want to fill gaps in your skills or knowledge or just fancy doing a bit of personal development. They are all carried out online so you can complete them around your schedule and come with a nationally recognised qualification once you have finished.
 
Courses range from health and social care, business, IT skills, and health and fitness.
 
To join, click the link below and follow these instructions:
 

• Find a course you’d like to complete then select Apply within the course page
• You will be asked to complete the application questions; this should take no more than 20 minutes
• As the courses are government funded you will be asked to provide ID, NI number and proof of residency (if required)
• Once your application is complete you should receive confirmation that your funding has been secured within two working days, then you’re ready to get started
• If you run into any issues while completing your application, contact the Skills Network support team on 01757 600693 and tell them you are an Ancho tenant

 
https://ancho.theskillsnetwork.com/
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Update: We received no response to our consultation so the office will now be open to visitors every Monday and Thursday, 9am - 4pm.

On 1st April we reopened our offices to allow you the opportunity to meet with us face-to-face again, but we had to restrict this to pre-arranged appointments in line with our Covid restrictions.
 
We would like you to be able to call in at the office without an appointment. To make sure that we will always be available when you visit, we are proposing to change the days and hours that the office is open to visitors to Monday's and Thursday's, 9am to 4pm.
 
If these days or times don’t suit you, you can still contact us by phone, email, request a home visit or have a virtual appointment.
 
Please let us know what you think about our proposals. You have until the 20th July to do so before we confirm the new arrangements.

James Frew are offering Modern Apprenticeships in:

• Plumbing
• Carpentry
• Electrical

Click the above links to find out more or head over to jamesfrew.co.uk

The closing date for applications is Friday 6th May.

On 14 March, the UK Government launched the ‘Homes for Ukrainians’ website where people can record their interest in providing a home to Ukrainian refugees.
The Scottish Government has proposed to become ‘super sponsors’ to allow up to 3,000 Ukrainians to come to Scotland as part of the first wave of refugees fleeing the war.
Once people arrive, they will be accommodated temporarily and then people will be matched to longer term accommodation, which will include the offers of rooms from members of the public.
Any person who registers through the government scheme must be able to offer a spare room for at least six months and potentially even longer.
All applicants will be vetted, as will all the Ukrainian nationals. Those households that are able to receive a refugee will be offered £350 a month.
If you are thinking of registering for the scheme to host a Ukrainian family, please remember that you will need our permission to take in lodgers. You will need to fill in a lodger application form. Please get in touch with us if you'd like to fill one in.
Once we receive your form, we will contact you to discuss your request. If you move people into your home without prior agreement from ourselves, your tenancy may be at risk because you will be in breach of your agreement.
If you want to know more about taking in a lodger before applying, please get in touch.
Further information and links
The following links may be useful to direct Ukrainians to for more general information about the response from the UK:

• Barnardo’s UK
• Scottish Refugee Council

​If you want to donate financially to support people directly affected by the invasion of Ukraine, here are some organisations you can donate to:

• Disaster Emergency Committee
• UNICEF
• Blythswood Care

Like so many others, we closed our office doors and asked our staff to work from home, as instructed by the Scottish Government around 2 years ago. Our staff worked tirelessly to ensure the services and support each of you required was given during this difficult time.

We are now in a position to start returning to the offices and we will be following a hybrid model, which means that eligible staff will split their time working at home and in the office. We will continue to follow Scottish Government guidance regarding isolation and other safety measures to make sure that our staff and customers are kept as safe as possible.

From 4th April, our offices will reopen to the public. However, we encourage you to make an appointment rather than popping in, as the person you need to speak to may be working from home or visiting another tenant in their home. Making an appointment guarantees that they will be available to speak to you.

As a reminder, you can contact us by:

• Emailing mail@ancho.co.uk
• Logging into My Ancho
• Direct messaging us on Facebook
• Calling 01294 313121

Covid-19 safety measures
Please do not visit our offices if you have Covid-19, are a close contact of someone who has tested positive or are generally unwell. Please wear a face covering (unless you are exempt), use the hand sanitiser provided, keep your distance from our staff and take a lateral flow test before visiting (while they remain free). If you contract Covid-19 after visiting our offices, please let us know so that we can inform our staff.

We've become members of Circular Communities Scotland, which gives us access to a thriving network of charities and social enterprises that supports Scotland's circular economy.

Unsure of what a circular economy is? Find out more here:
​
https://www.circularcommunities.scot/.../circular-economy/

Cairn Housing Group has been awarded a grant of £264,920 from the Scottish Government’s Social Housing Fuel Support Fund.

The Group, which consists of Cairn Housing Association, Ancho, and commercial subsidiary Cairn Living, will reach out to families with children aged 19 and under who are currently in fuel poverty with a one-off £140 payment, plus an additional £10 per child.

Working in partnership with the Wise Group’s Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT), the Cairn Housing Group will also provide energy advice and assistance, ensuring a holistic approach is given to vulnerable tenants.

Jason MacGilp, Group Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding. Our tenancy sustainment team has seen a significant increase in the number of tenants contacting us for energy advice in recent months and the funding will go some way to alleviate the financial pressure that our tenants are currently under.”
​
Jim Percival, HEAT Project Lead, said: “Our HEAT service is aimed to ensure that every customer we assist is able to have a level of comfort in their home at an affordable cost. Our HEAT Advisors will allocate funding support on behalf of the Cairn Housing Group and provide advice and information to assist the household to resolve any energy related issue or concern. With the forthcoming energy price increases, there has never been a more important time for households to be able to manage their energy usage and costs.”

In October we asked tenants in our email newsletter how equality, diversity and inclusion could be better at Ancho.
 
We received 11 responses.
 
What do you think Ancho needs to do to become a more diverse, equal and inclusive organisation to tenants and other customers?
 

• Survey your customers and ask them how they fit within the social model of disability and which, if any of the protected characteristics they fit within. But make it anonymous unless they choose to put personal details in. Then you will have a better understanding of your customer base, which will then allow you to look at the needs of each identifiable community
• I think you should show the same equality to people with mental health issues as they do to those who have physical disabilities. As a tenant who has to endure 3.5 years in a studio flat with mental issues which could have been improved if he had been given the chance to transfer to an available 1 bedroom flat. Instead it was given to someone who didn't even live at the court. This person is enjoying the benefits I've wanted for long time and this is extremely upsetting. I can't move forward with my life. I made a complaint and was basically told I could go on the housing list. Mental health is just as equally debilitating as a physical disability. Not a nice way to be treated.
• I find it funny that you have a policy for equality, diversion and inclusion but not overcrowding.
• This sounds great in terms of staff training in diversity. How will this impact on creating opportunities for those from diverse backgrounds to become tenants, i.e. how will you open up to people from all walks of life? Will you be more able to offer tenancies to those escaping life threatening situations? How will you make yourselves known to various groups of at risk people?
• I wouldn’t say they needed to do anything I just moved into a new property and they have been more than helpful since day one I suffer from mental health and learning difficulties so a major thank you for being so supportive.
• More communication with tenants on a more regular basis, everyone should be treated as equal, people of a certain age are old fashioned in their way of thinking about diversity and treating everybody equal. You should be more involved in informing the older generation that times have changed and it’s now everybody responsibility to treat everybody the same no matter if they have different views and opinions .
• I believe, that you are already on top of being an organisation, that delivers respect and consideration to all clients and members of the public, to whom they may be in contact. I think that a great way to educate the wider population of your clients is via your newsletter. Maybe inputting a column on each publication on different diverse groups for example religion and age. Reporting on basic information for example age how all ages should be spoken to with respect, i..e. maybe how children should be spoken to and not shouted at or an old person should be given the right to speak for themselves. Just a couple of ideas. However am sure if you speak to your team of staff they will be able to come up with great ideas that can be printed without prejudice or malice.
• There is no need to do anything other than what you are doing already. As an company you are already doing everything it needs to and diversity is a key to the normal day to day running. Any extra expenditure on this subject is a waste of money that should be used on the upkeep of the properties such as replacing outdate kitchens bathrooms and heating systems. Diversity training is an unnecessary additional expense.
• Treat all tenants in the same way which is something not happening.
• I cite my case against a nightmare neighbour which you have sat on for over 4 years and done nothing despite promise after promise.
• I think the main reason thing you need to do is to have some sort of hub or some such thing. There is nowhere where we can express our selfs to let you know what the community is feeling. You need to let us know how diverse you are. I don’t know who works for you or what your policies are. Maybe if on our email there was a picture gallery of the staff to see how diverse you really are. I think somewhere where we could go to report discrimination and talk about things that would help our community would be a great help. This could not be a free for all and could maybe be manned by some tenants as well as staff on maybe a monthly basis. You have to take the lead here and show you are out in front.

 
Conclusion
 
We received some great responses to this complex question so a huge thanks to tenants for taking the time to give us their thoughts on this topic.
 
As a result of your feedback, we are going to:
 

• Carry out a survey next year
• Think out of the box when it comes to advertising hard-to-let properties to see if we can increase the range of diversity in our applications
• Educate tenants and staff on why diversity and equality is so important

As we approach the colder months, the changing weather can cause damage to your home. However, with a few easy steps you can prepare for the chillier months ahead.
 
Bleed your radiators
 
After a few months out of action, you may find your radiators are cold at the top and hot at the bottom. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your heating (and money), bleed your radiators.
 
Before starting, have an old cloth and a bleed key ready, and make sure the heating is off. There should be a valve on the radiator, usually at the top, and you need to turn this until you hear a hissing sound. Use the cloth to catch any liquid that comes out of the radiator and as soon as only water starts coming out, turn the valve key again.
 
Find your stopcock
 
It’s important to know where your stopcock is so you can stop water flowing into your home in the event of a burst pipe. Your stopcock is usually found under your kitchen sink. But it may also be near the boiler, under the stairs, or on an outside wall. You should be able to turn it to shut the water supply on or turn it on.
 
Keep your heating on a timer
 
If you’re planning to be away and the weather is set to fall, set your heating to come on with a timer setting. This could prevent the water in your pipes freezing if it gets really cold, which could lead to burst pipes or flooding.
 
How to deal with a frozen water pipe
 

• Turn your water supply off at your stopcock
• Turn all your cold taps on to drain the system, and leave them on
• Do not open hot taps, as the hot water cylinder may be damaged if the pipes feeding it are frozen and it becomes empty whilst still switched on. To deal with hot water:
  • Turn off the central heating boiler and immersion heater, if you have one, or let any solid fuel fire with a back boiler die down
  • Then open the hot water taps, collecting the water in the bath for washing and flushing the toilet

 
If you’d like any advice or assistance on any of this, including how to find your stopcock or how to bleed your radiators, please get in touch and our maintenance team will be happy to help.

Except where you have caused the damage, we are responsible for the majority of repairs to your home. Did you know that you have responsibility for carrying out certain repairs though?
 
If the repair is your responsibility you can either get a contractor in to do the work yourself, or get us to carry out the work for you and we will send you the invoice to pay for the work. We call this a rechargeable repair.
 
When you report a repair, we will let you know whether it is a rechargeable repair and how much the work is likely to cost.
 
Common examples of rechargeable repairs are:

• Blocked toilet and drains where items such as baby wipes, nappies or sanitary products have been used
• Blocked kitchen drains where grease, fat and excess food have caused blockages
• Broken doors and windows if the damage has been caused by you or a visitor to your household
• Lost or broken keys

 
You can find more information on our repair responsibilities and yours in your Tenant Handbook.