Cumbria Police, together with partner agencies including Health, NSPCC, Victim Support, and Adult Social Care, have launched a domestic abuse question and answer session on Facebook. The public have the option to send a private message to us if they wish to remain anonymous, or they can simply post the question on Cumbria Police’s Facebook wall. There will be another Q&A session held this week on Wednesday 22nd April from 3-5pm on the Cumbria Police Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/cumbriapolice/ If you need to speak to someone regarding domestic abuse or would like to make a report please call 101, or use the online reporting form here: https://www.cumbria.police.uk/…/Non-Emergency-Crime-Online.… Always call 999 in an emergency. For more information, check out the full press release.  

Have a look at Cumbria County Council’s up to date Eden Community Support Directory, setting out a weekly updated directory of community support aiming to give information and details of useful contacts during these challenging times.  Click here to view the latest edition

Welcome to Issue 4! As there is much more local and national information and guidance available, we are changing the way we circulate this newsletter. It is now called Eden Roundup. If you live in one of our Assisted Living Schemes we will be sending it to you every other week. If you live in the wider community we will send it to you monthly, or when we have important service updates for you. Those we have an email will receive it electronically. Click here to read issue 4.

Covid-19 has had an enormous impact on people right across the world, and it’s important during this time to take care of your mind as well as your body. Every Life Matters has produced a booklet on ways to deal with anxiety and stress, and how to look after yourself and others during this difficult time. Click here to find out more.

Whilst the Government have told certain groups to protect themselves by shielding, we’re providing a weekly round-up by post for all our tenants over 70 or living in our assisted living schemes.  We’ve been asked to share these online too, as there is information that could be useful for others. Click here to read issue 3. Click here for the newsletter for tenants at Heysham Gardens or Meadows, Carlisle, only.

We are circulating a weekly newsletter for residents of our independent living schemes and those over 70, to keep us in touch with those who are spending all of their time at home during the current Covid-19 situation. The aim of the letter is to keep those residents updated with our services, share local information, tips and offer support to our tenants who are likely to be self-isolating – especially those who may not have use of a computer or the internet. Regular articles include an update from EHA, latest Government guidance and easy recipes for self-isolation. We aim to send out the newsletter on a weekly basis, and are asking for those residents to contribute by sharing what they would like to see in there, and to share any hints and tips with other readers. This is a challenging time for us all but by working together and sharing information across our community, we can feel much less alone. To contribute, please contact Jenny on 01768 861435/ [email protected]. To read this week’s edition, click here.

Our contractors and staff are currently very busy dealing with the after effects of Storm Ciara and the issues caused by the water shortages in Eden.  We expect this situation to continue for some weeks with Storm Dennis forecast to cause further problems over the coming weekend.  There may be some delay in getting out to non-urgent repairs as a result. To help manage workload and make sure we can concentrate on tenants who need the most immediate help, we’d be very grateful if customers only contact us with emergency repairs until 26 February 2020.  Examples of emergencies are Thank you for your co-operation

You will be aware that UU are having difficulties with the water supply in your area. If you have a solid fuel appliance which provides hot water via a hot water cylinder you SHOULD NOT use this if your water supply STOPS. If your fire is currently burning, please do not refuel and do not relight until your water supply has been restored. Any queries – please contact our offices on 01768 861400  

We’ve drawn up some information in the attached leaflet – check to see if your home is ready for winter. For more information or advice, give us a call on 01768 861400.                          

Tenants and Residents of Eden Housing Association’s Assisted Living Scheme at Heysham Gardens and Meadow stepped out in style on their recent Memory Walk to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. A total of 45 residents took part on the 2k route which equated to 8 laps of the building. Support was provided by Creative Support the onsite care team, Eden Housing Association staff, St John’s Ambulance and Amy’s day care. The oldest resident taking part was Marjorie Rutter at 95 years young. The first two walkers back, completing the route in 50 minutes, were Joe Scott and Jean Houston – 94 and 90 years young respectively. Chair of the Tenants’ and Residents’ Association John Barrett commented “The atmosphere on the day was fantastic with everyone supporting and encouraging each other to complete the 8 laps of the building. Many residents have commented that the Memory Walk has been their favourite event held at Heysham, and we would like to make it an annual event.” A staggering £2092 was raised through sponsorship and donations, and a cheque was presented to the Alzheimer’s Society to help support those living with dementia locally. Sue Swire, Community Fundraiser Cumbria & Lancashire at Alzheimer’s…

Cold weather protection to your home If you are considering going away this winter (even for a short period), please consider the following options to protect your home from frost & water damage: Solid Fuel User? Attached is a Safety Guide – following these simple guidelines will ensure safe and efficient operation of your solid fuel appliance https://www.edenha.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Safety-Guide-for-Solid-Fuel-Users.pdf Damp & Condensation? Cumbria Action for Sustainability has provided a range of videos to help you if you are suffering from damp and condensation: Tackling Damp and Condensation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5PMCkHAEzc&list=PL0Lm55VoiFMcXXFXyGKP2K7SEYzvQkc22&index=1 Causes of Condensation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oH1lC5lgh0&list=PL0Lm55VoiFMcXXFXyGKP2K7SEYzvQkc22&index=4 Reducing Condensation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mpZjD0nb18&list=PL0Lm55VoiFMcXXFXyGKP2K7SEYzvQkc22&index=3 Heating your home effectively – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYcB5r5x4xA&list=PL0Lm55VoiFMcXXFXyGKP2K7SEYzvQkc22&index=2  

The first proper cold snap this winter has seen a large number of calls coming in from tenants who have lost their heating and hot water as a result of the condensate pipe from their boiler freezing up. If caught early enough, this issue is often quick and simple for someone to solve for themselves without having to wait for a heating engineer to attend. If you get your heating and hot water from a gas or oil combi boiler, it will most likely have a condensate pipe – this will usually be white plastic and will run away from the boiler to a drain – often going to an outside wall and looking like an overflow pipe. In cold weather the small amount of water that runs from this pipe can freeze up, eventually causing the boiler to shut down and stop working. By defrosting the pipe and removing the frozen blockage, you can get your boiler working again. How to defrost a frozen condensate boiler pipe Warning If in any doubt, phone our Customer Service team on 01768 861400 / 0800 358 1401 The following short video from Worcester Bosch demonstrates how to safely thaw the pipe