Press Release 9 October 2019 Eden Housing Association’s new affordable rented homes at Spring Close in Threlkeld has been nominated for two national awards. The development, which was only officially opened in July, has been shortlisted by the Chartered Institute of Housing for their Northern Best Housing Development Award and Inside Housing for their national Best Affordable Housing Development Award. These awards recognise developments that provide desirable and sustainable places to live, improving the lives of people within the community, and are an opportunity to celebrate the very best residential development across the UK, that demonstrate creative approaches and excellence from concept to delivery. The scheme at Threlkeld provides 7 houses for affordable rent and local occupancy at the base of the iconic Blencathra Mountain. The scheme stands out due to its high energy efficiency levels, which includes air-source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water. These measures aim to reduce the running costs for tenants and improve the environmental sustainability. Each property has stunning views of the Lake District fells, taking in Blencathra from the front rooms and St Johns-in-the-Vale from the rear. Not only was the build focused on fitting in with the local architecture, scenery and…

Press Release  12 October 2019  Happy 25th Birthday to Scaws Tenants’ and Residents’ Association Scaws Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (TRA) which first formed on 18 October 1994 will turn 25 years old this month. Founder member and Publicity Officer Sylvia Sloan recalls some of the group’s many achievements over the last 25 years – “The TRA is part of the local community and over the last 25 years we have been able to make a difference in the Scaws area by providing equipment to Beaconside School, improving the aesthetics of the area by installing benches, bins and planting blubs, and in 2016 we helped raise around £55,000 for a multi-use games area (MUGA) adjacent to Beaconside School which the children of the area enjoy”. This week saw an event held at Beaconside Primary School to celebrate the 25th Birthday and included afternoon tea, singing from the School choir, an Awards ceremony and art competition.  Every year a Year 6 pupil is awarded the Community Award ‘Learning to Live, Learning to Shine’ and will have their name added to the shield provided by the TRA. This year’s winner was announced as Trent Louis.  The TRA had also donated prizes for the…

Press Release  20 September 2019  Eden Housing Association Employees Run and Dive for Hospice at Home Three employees from Eden Housing Association have tested their stamina and fear by competing in a half marathon and a daring Skydive to raise funds for local charity Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland. Max Stoddart and Brad Renwick successfully completed the 13.1 mile half marathon Great North Run, whilst Karen Teasdale faced her fears to jump out of a plane at 120mph and plummeted down 15,000 feet. Karen was first to face her fear on Saturday at Black Knights Parachute Centre in Lancashire. Karen said “The weather was superb and the flight provided magnificent views. The experience was scary but exhilarating! Thank you to family, friends and work colleagues who sponsored me for such a great cause.” Max and Brad undertook their challenge on Sunday, starting off from Newcastle City Centre and running 13.1 miles to finish at South Shields. Both Max and Brad are strong runners, both having completed the GNR just two years ago with a team from EHA, and were determined to achieve personal best. Brad was first home in 01:33:10 with Max finishing at 01:38:24. Eden Housing Association…

Press Release  30 July 2019  New affordable rented homes opened in Threlkeld Eden Housing Association’s new affordable rented homes at Spring Close in Threlkeld were officially opened this week. The development, in the Lake District National Park Planning (LDNP) Authority area, consisting of 7 houses ranging from 1 bedroom to 3 bedrooms, are all occupied by households with a local connection. The homes have been constructed to high energy efficiency levels, and with air-source heat pumps providing heating and hot water they are aimed at being economical to run. Spring Close has been in the making since 2014 beginning with negotiations with the local landowner and then overcoming challenges presented by ground conditions and also an electricity supply diversion. The ‘local’ theme has continued with building works and design being undertaken by Cumbrian firms, Thomas Armstrong (Construction) Ltd and by Day Cummins (Architects) Ltd. Funding of the £1m + project has been mostly covered by the Association with £219,000 grant being provided by the Homes and Communities Agency, now Homes England, and with the help of loan funding from Eden District Council. At the opening ceremony, Beth Furneaux, Chair of Eden Housing Association with the help of new residents, unveiled…

To mark Rural Housing Week take a look at our recently completed affordable rented homes at Threlkeld in the Eden district and Lake District National Park.

To mark National Rural Housing Week, the theme of which is ‘building for rural communities’, Eden Housing Association’s development at William Street in the market town of Penrith is underway. Following the demolition last year of the garages at the site, construction work has now begun to create 4 two-bed houses and 3 one-bed flats and associated parking, all for affordable rent. Initial work has included the installation of drainage and the diversion of gas, water and telecoms. The appointed contractor, Thomas Armstrong (Construction) Ltd, expects to complete the new homes in early 2020. John Clasper, Chief Executive of Eden Housing Association, said “This development will provide much needed affordable homes for rent in a great location and at the same time improve the aesthetics compared with the tired looking garage block previously on the land. The development has been challenging so far in terms of the ground works and utilities works required and will prove more costly than our average development. However, investing in our market town is the right thing to do and I’m certain the resulting new homes will be in high demand. We are grateful to the surrounding neighbours for their patience and understanding too whilst…

Press Release 26 June 2019 Mill Gardens & Brough Pre-school ‘Mini Olympics’ Children from Brough pre-school visited Eden Housing Association’s Assisted Living Scheme at Mill Gardens, Kirkby Stephen, to raise awareness of the benefits of engagement between different generations. They also found time to challenge each other to some mini Olympic fun and games. Games included, Welly wanging, Hook-a-Duck and Bowling – great fun was had by all! Debi Wilkinson, Activity Co-Ordinator for Eden Housing Association, said “Here at Mill Gardens we strive to encourage our tenants to stay active and maintain a healthy, sociable lifestyle and remain as independent as they can for as long as they can. Intergenerational engagement has been shown to have a great effect on mood, attitude, self-esteem and confidence. Our tenants have really enjoyed the children and the staff at Brough pre-school coming into Mill Gardens.” Last year Channel 4’s Old people’s home for four year olds brought together the very young and the very old in an attempt to prove scientifically that these two generations can transform the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the older residents for the better. The results showed quite extraordinary benefits for both parties, with the biggest change…

Press Release  Local Assisted Living Schemes win Awards Two of Eden Housing Association’s assisted living schemes have gained recognition at this year’s Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) Awards Ceremony. The Crescent, Clifford Road, Penrith and Heysham Meadows and Gardens in Carlisle, both received recognition in an award system open to almost 25,000 retirement housing schemes or developments nationwide. The Crescent won Bronze in the regional category for 31 – 36 units, with Heysham winning Bronze in the 56 units and over category. Cumbria falls into the North West region which also includes Manchester and Liverpool, making it serious competition. The awards, now in their eighth year, celebrate the best specialist housing for older people, and aim to help shape the future of housing in later life through engaging some 19,000 residents, staff, visitors and volunteers who were all able to vote for their favourite scheme out of the 1,220 nominated between 15 November 2018 and 28 February 2019. Tenants and staff were presented with their awards at a ceremony in Manchester, with Jennie Bond, journalist and TV presenter as guest speaker. John Galvin, EAC’s Chief Executive, explained the importance of the awards: “Specialist housing for older people plays an enormously significant…

WE ARE INTERESTED IN FINDING NEW VOLUNTARY BOARD MEMBERS Eden Housing Association is a successful small independent Registered Provider of affordable homes with a rural focus. We were established in 1997 following the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of housing stock from Eden District Council. We now operate chiefly across North Cumbria owning and/or managing around 1,982 homes for affordable rent or sale, and act as Managing Agents for Mitre Housing Association, Allonby Almshouses and Lyvennet Community Trust. We also on behalf of Eden District Council provide a statutory homelessness and housing options service. Our homes are generally located in areas of strong housing demand and relatively high market values. Most of our homes cater for general family needs, with around 10% specifically designed for older people. Tenants and residents are at the heart of everything we do, and a range of opportunities are offered and continually refreshed for local people to get involved with our work. Eden Housing Association’s commitment to value for money is integral to delivery of our services and operations as a business and is woven through the delivery of all our aims and objectives. We are looking to appoint committed and enthusiastic voluntary Board Members who…

In the lead up to Dementia and Mental Health Awareness Weeks, Eden Housing Association’s Sim Court hosted a coffee morning to which they welcomed retired dementia charity worker Margaret Irving of Penrith. Before retirement, Margaret was the Business Development Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society. She now voluntarily represents dementia support organisations, and spoke about being a “dementia friend”. In her experience people can be reluctant to open up about the disease, and it is hoped the morning will provide support and information on a health condition that people fear. Figures show there are 5,003 people over the age of 65 in Cumbria who have been diagnosed with some form of dementia. There are many significant benefits to an early diagnosis of dementia and dementia-related conditions like Alzheimer’s. There is medication which can help slow down the condition, and a diagnosis can also unlock a lot of support services for the person and their carers, and provide help and advice to enable people to continue to live well, in their own home, for as long as possible. Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms such as loss of memory, behaviour changes and problems in reasoning. The most common cause of…

NEWS RELEASE Date: 12 March 2019 The Sim Court Knit and Natter Group has been very productive in the last twelve months, raising money for resident outings and creating blankets to donate to the Jigsaw charity shop in Penrith. Every Monday afternoon, the Knit and Natter group get together at Eden Housing Association’s Sim Court Assisted Living Scheme, for coffee, cake and a good chat. Putting their time to good use, they bring along their knitting needles, crochet hooks and bags of wool, creating a haul of hats, gloves, scarfs and blankets to attract donations. The community group, which is made up of Sim Court tenants and local residents, has been running for many years, encouraging people to get together and raising funds to support activities at the scheme. Regular participants currently include Edna Shadwick, Hazel Boyes, Eileen Soulsby and Pat Sewell, often joined by former avid knitter Louie Dent. John Clasper, Chief Executive of Eden Housing Association said “I’d like to say a big thank you to the group who knitted some amazing hats and gloves which they sold at the Christmas Fair and also offered to our staff. These ladies are very talented and with bobble hats being…