Published March 20th, 2020
Leading Cornish social housing provider, Ocean Housing, hosted its first community action day of 2020 on Wednesday 11 March.
The ‘Spring into Action’ event, which was held at Hawkins Road in Newquay, was an opportunity for residents to meet the Ocean Housing team, spring clean their homes, and gain some free advice from other local services.
Ocean Housing’s tenant involvement coordinator, Abigail Vercoe, organised the event. She said: “It was a great day, and we had some positive discussions with residents about ways to improve the community atmosphere.
“Community action days are really important for our team to gain a better understanding of the issues faced by residents in the area, as well as giving our tenants the chance to access free advice and useful tips for running their home.
“Whether our residents wanted to learn how to raise a repair request, discuss heating issues, or get further information on Universal Credit, Ocean Housing staff were on hand to provide assistance and answer any questions.”
Other local agencies offering advice on the day included Cornwall Council, Harbour Housing, Outset Cornwall, Devon and Cornwall Police, and South West Water.
Ocean Housing also provided a skip, which gave tenants the chance to dispose of unwanted household items. It was returned full to capacity, with many residents taking the opportunity to clear some valuable space at home.
Newquay Treloggan and Mayfield councillor, Olly Monk, attended the event. He said: “I was really impressed with Ocean Housing, and the organisation of the community action day. It was a great example of how a successful modern housing association should interact with their tenants.
“As Cornwall Councillor for the area, I know how much the residents appreciated the level of response by Ocean Housing’s team when addressing any concerns they had. Well done all.”
Abigail concluded: “We would like to thank everyone who turned up and played a part in the day. A special thanks to Maggie’s Mobile Barista for providing refreshments to keep everyone going.”
Ocean Housing manages more than 4,500 properties across Cornwall, and has plans to host further community actions days throughout the year in other locations.
For more information, visit oceanhousing.com.
