Hannah Farnie, one of the Sumner House residents will be on TV this Sunday 22nd November at 10am in The Big Questions, BBC1, contributing to a debate about empty homes and homelessness - and how self-refurb makes a difference to people's lives.
Chris and other Phoenix members (Paul, Yuri, Nick and Jim and my apologies to anyone if i left you out) have been busy doing cyclic maintenance tasks on phoenix properties in Daubney, Reighton, Ickburgh and Evering Roads. Replacing floors damaged by damp and dry rot, replacing fencing, replacing worktops in kitchens.
Keep your fingers crossed because we're hoping for some very good news very soon.
Paul
Friday, 20 November 2009
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Sumner House Launch - 25th September -3pm.
Dear Members,
Phoenix Co-op just finished its first refurbishment project bringing empty property back into use in Poplar.
To celebrate and publicise this, an open event is being held on Friday 25th September at 3pm at 5 Sumner House (off Maddams Street , see link below)
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=537512&y=181969&z=0&sv=E3+3RB&st=2&pc=E3+3RB&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
A range of local and national politicians and press have been invited to see David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency officially hand over the keys to the Phoenix tenants. Our hope is that the exposure will help to secure more property and more funding to restore more homes…….
It would be great to see you all there.
With best wishes,
Alison
Co-op Manager
Phoenix Co-op just finished its first refurbishment project bringing empty property back into use in Poplar.
To celebrate and publicise this, an open event is being held on Friday 25th September at 3pm at 5 Sumner House (off Maddams Street , see link below)
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=537512&y=181969&z=0&sv=E3+3RB&st=2&pc=E3+3RB&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
A range of local and national politicians and press have been invited to see David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency officially hand over the keys to the Phoenix tenants. Our hope is that the exposure will help to secure more property and more funding to restore more homes…….
It would be great to see you all there.
With best wishes,
Alison
Co-op Manager
Friday, 11 September 2009
Next Project.
Our next refurb project is to help with the cyclical maintenance of the properties we all collectively own as members of Phoenix.
Two have been identified as priorities;
First - 7 Reighton road E5 8SQ- One of the two properties the co-op bought in 2008. Here the garden wall is in danger of collapsing into next door's garden. This needs taking down, the tree that knocked it over needs cutting down and it's roots removing, the excess bricks need carting out and finally the wall needs rebuilding. And Then:
Durlston road - the outside of the house needs some repairs.
Work on Reighton will begin early next week - as before Chris will have workboots and full protective clothing available. Come on Down!
Friday, 4 September 2009
Sumner house project complete - Where to next?
Thanks to all the members who volunteered the Sumner House project to refurb 4 flats (one double and 3 singles) is now complete. Extra special thanks go out to Site Manager Chris (currently enjoying a well deserved holiday in France), Co-op Manager Alison (whose idea it was) and Maintenance Man Johnny (for coming through with the gas plumbing). There will be an official handover and launch party at the end of the month (round about the 25th I think) - more details soon.
Where to next?
Sunny Hackney - to prevent the garden wall of one of our owned properties collapsing onto our neighbours - the project will commence around the 14th September
Where to next?
Sunny Hackney - to prevent the garden wall of one of our owned properties collapsing onto our neighbours - the project will commence around the 14th September
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Big turn out today...thanks to one & all!!xxx
Many thanks to New members Stuart & Hannah, Muni & Natalia, Pat, Chris, Paul, Johnny Cashman and myself on deck, showin' genuine love and giving their time and energy today to the Phoenix Refurb.... If you've got a spare hour or 2, or even 3... come on down ...We can do this...come on folks ...we're nearly there!!xXX
Ray
Ray
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Snagging and prepping
Another Saturday opening. Enter Ahmed, Alison, Jiska, Marcus, Mark, Paul, Ray and myself – with John Walker being our excellent foreman whipping us kindly in shape in order to complete a long long list of tasks for the day put together by Chris.
So it was 'snagging' no. 10 – paint removed of where it didn’t belong, paint applied where it was still missing. Cleaning. Mark spending the entire afternoon in solitude to complete painting the woodwork. Not too long ago, when I was struggling with my first steps in the art of rendering, the flat was in an awful state. It’s looking fantastic now.
As for no. 7..... What seemed to be years of dirt in the kitchen of no. 7 has been chopped off and scrubbed away by Jiska. Radiators and pipework painted meditatively by Ray. More painting, more filling, more cleaning done also. Almost there – almost ready.
Ahmed and Paul prepping no. 5 – sandpaper! Marcus cleaning the windows, removing years of paint and months of building dirt. The kitchen walls now no longer blue but magnolia.
Sometimes the Ashes score coming through the ether. Fry-ups with tabloid reading. Tea and roll-ups. Beers & 80s tunes as afters.
Throughout the day I often felt really proud of what Phoenix volunteers and Chris have managed to do with this project. 5 more working days to go – 5 more days for you to contribute to what I think is a success.
Marike - pix by Ray
So it was 'snagging' no. 10 – paint removed of where it didn’t belong, paint applied where it was still missing. Cleaning. Mark spending the entire afternoon in solitude to complete painting the woodwork. Not too long ago, when I was struggling with my first steps in the art of rendering, the flat was in an awful state. It’s looking fantastic now.
As for no. 7..... What seemed to be years of dirt in the kitchen of no. 7 has been chopped off and scrubbed away by Jiska. Radiators and pipework painted meditatively by Ray. More painting, more filling, more cleaning done also. Almost there – almost ready.
Ahmed and Paul prepping no. 5 – sandpaper! Marcus cleaning the windows, removing years of paint and months of building dirt. The kitchen walls now no longer blue but magnolia.
Sometimes the Ashes score coming through the ether. Fry-ups with tabloid reading. Tea and roll-ups. Beers & 80s tunes as afters.
Throughout the day I often felt really proud of what Phoenix volunteers and Chris have managed to do with this project. 5 more working days to go – 5 more days for you to contribute to what I think is a success.
Marike - pix by Ray
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Groundrush: 9 working days to go (and that includes this saturday)
Only 9 working days left to go before completion and that includes THIS SATURDAY (August 22nd when the refurb will be open 9-5pm). Please come down - WE NEED YOU.
Last week was very quiet on the volunteering front - just Johnnie Walker and Chris in for most of the time (with Johnny Cashman doing some work on getting the boilers working - curiously enough his mother and younger brother once lived in Sumner House). Today was busy with Johnnie, Johnny, Chris, Pat and your humble narrator on site - Alison called in long enough to inspect progress and drink a cup of tea.
See you saturday my dayjob peoples!
Last week was very quiet on the volunteering front - just Johnnie Walker and Chris in for most of the time (with Johnny Cashman doing some work on getting the boilers working - curiously enough his mother and younger brother once lived in Sumner House). Today was busy with Johnnie, Johnny, Chris, Pat and your humble narrator on site - Alison called in long enough to inspect progress and drink a cup of tea.
See you saturday my dayjob peoples!
Friday, 7 August 2009
If you remember altern-8...
Perhaps I spoke too soon last time.
There was a rush of new volunteers (Gary, Akani) but the few people who have been trained to do what they do - in particular Sten who had just completed a plumbing course and Pat who's been taking care of most of the carpentry- are away on unavoidable holidays next week. Even your humble narrator will be away next week. This is at a crucial stage in the refurb when we need to sort out the more difficult plumbing tasks and the electrics.
Now Chris has the skills to do these - but that would mean he couldn't deal with the volunteers at the same time - so the plan is to get Johnny (the maintenance man) in for two days both do the work on the boilers and certify them (as he is CORGI registered to work with gas appliances).
Obviously the only other alternative would be to shut down the refurb to volunteers while Chris did the work and then have Johnny certify it but while this would get it done it would be less than ideal in terms of keeping the refurb a project of Phoenix's members. One problem Chris faces is never knowing what volunteers he's got coming in on which day and what skills they will have (and therefore what level of supervision/ help they will require) - it makes it difficult for him to timetable and complete the tasks that only he can do - if there is a lesson to be learnt from this refurb it is that this side of things must be better organised.
If you wish to come down please get in touch with Chris or the Office first and lets try to plan this further ahead than on a day by day basis.
We have only a few weeks left to complete the project and we need to get No.10 let pronto. Thanks to all those who have shown up this week - Keep the good things going in my abscence.
Back Soon. Paul.
There was a rush of new volunteers (Gary, Akani) but the few people who have been trained to do what they do - in particular Sten who had just completed a plumbing course and Pat who's been taking care of most of the carpentry- are away on unavoidable holidays next week. Even your humble narrator will be away next week. This is at a crucial stage in the refurb when we need to sort out the more difficult plumbing tasks and the electrics.
Now Chris has the skills to do these - but that would mean he couldn't deal with the volunteers at the same time - so the plan is to get Johnny (the maintenance man) in for two days both do the work on the boilers and certify them (as he is CORGI registered to work with gas appliances).
Obviously the only other alternative would be to shut down the refurb to volunteers while Chris did the work and then have Johnny certify it but while this would get it done it would be less than ideal in terms of keeping the refurb a project of Phoenix's members. One problem Chris faces is never knowing what volunteers he's got coming in on which day and what skills they will have (and therefore what level of supervision/ help they will require) - it makes it difficult for him to timetable and complete the tasks that only he can do - if there is a lesson to be learnt from this refurb it is that this side of things must be better organised.
If you wish to come down please get in touch with Chris or the Office first and lets try to plan this further ahead than on a day by day basis.
We have only a few weeks left to complete the project and we need to get No.10 let pronto. Thanks to all those who have shown up this week - Keep the good things going in my abscence.
Back Soon. Paul.
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
at last! people who know what they're doing
Volunteering has picked up with people coming in having useful skills - painting and decorating Akani and Hazel, plumbing Sten, carpentry Pat - please come back again soon you were all great!
Chris has temporarily shut down no.10 (which is pretty much painted and decorated) so that we can concentrate on no.7 (which still needs a lot of work). no.14 is finished and people are already living there, no.5 (the site office) still remains to be done.
More people have also been coming who have no building trades skills but just want to help out, eg. your humble narrator. Our thanks go out to Ray and Martin who've been phoning around. While there are still a lot of the more skilled tasks to do there are still lots of opportunities to learn things - your humble narrator has tried his hand at plastering (as did Tony during his visit)and tiled his first bathroom wall in no.10 (with creditable results).
More photos soon.
paul.
Chris has temporarily shut down no.10 (which is pretty much painted and decorated) so that we can concentrate on no.7 (which still needs a lot of work). no.14 is finished and people are already living there, no.5 (the site office) still remains to be done.
More people have also been coming who have no building trades skills but just want to help out, eg. your humble narrator. Our thanks go out to Ray and Martin who've been phoning around. While there are still a lot of the more skilled tasks to do there are still lots of opportunities to learn things - your humble narrator has tried his hand at plastering (as did Tony during his visit)and tiled his first bathroom wall in no.10 (with creditable results).
More photos soon.
paul.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
saturday 25th july - hard work, tea breaks & getting to know the neighbours
Saturday 25th July - Refurb Open.
Saturday - Nancy, Alison, Marike, Mark, Chris and Paul graft away on the painting of number 10. Magnolia walls, white ceilings, eggshell woodwork, combine with the remnants of pale blue woodwork from the previous occupants to produce a 'beachcomber' look - there is a brief discussion on the merits of this look before it is obliterated under a fresh tide of paint. There is some discussion as to the level of care required - eventually a consensus is reached that it should be done to a (adopts a Lily Savage accent) 'fook it! thar'll do!' Plus One standard.
A very productive day.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
tuesday and wednesday
tuesday paul pat and chris all day
wednesday paul and chris all day, ray (am) and pat (pm).
development committee meeting tonight.
see you saturday my dayjob peoples...
wednesday paul and chris all day, ray (am) and pat (pm).
development committee meeting tonight.
see you saturday my dayjob peoples...
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Saturday 18th
With strong determination I went down to Sumner House and got stuck in prepping walls and window frames, and hulked into a demon with a paint roller & brush...
In the end it was just Chris, Johnny, Alison, Marike & me ..It's not enough...This message goes out to ALL phoenix members...those of you who haven't helped thus far PLEASE get involved!!...we are doing this for us...if you can spare just a couple of hours we can turn this refurb project around....Please help!xx
Ray
In the end it was just Chris, Johnny, Alison, Marike & me ..It's not enough...This message goes out to ALL phoenix members...those of you who haven't helped thus far PLEASE get involved!!...we are doing this for us...if you can spare just a couple of hours we can turn this refurb project around....Please help!xx
Ray
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
I cannot stress enough how much I have become empowered through learning skills (like rendering and plastering) has added to my skillset. We have under 8 weeks to go to finish 3 flats. time is tight. Money is tight. Geting down to site to help complete this project has been challenging for those who juggle this with their own paid work. The rewards are and will be great when it is completed. I for one will do everything I can to promote, work on the project and get my own work completed in time to see this through. If you're reading this I hope you feel the same way.
Ray
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Come on, all!
Monday, 6 July 2009
Monday 6th July - rendering
1:6 - cement:sand. oh, and some water. And lots of patience from Chris, an excellent teacher, trying to explain, yet again, how to attend to those walls - how to make them smooth, how to deal with corners, how to avoid the mixture dropping on the floor.
He had to put up with all the Dutch swearing
also. The frustration but mostly pleasure of learning a new skill - with unfortunately neither enough time nor talent to learn it properly. Yet.
Rendering of flat 5 completed-with a start in flat 10.
Very little to do with my half-day of clumsy, enthusiastic efforts. Even so, it feels it mattered.....
Also this Monday - the Development Committee exploring the possibility of other self-refurb project. To be continued....
marike
He had to put up with all the Dutch swearing
also. The frustration but mostly pleasure of learning a new skill - with unfortunately neither enough time nor talent to learn it properly. Yet.
Rendering of flat 5 completed-with a start in flat 10.
Very little to do with my half-day of clumsy, enthusiastic efforts. Even so, it feels it mattered.....
Also this Monday - the Development Committee exploring the possibility of other self-refurb project. To be continued....
marike
Friday, 3 July 2009
Saturday Openings - Come On Down.
Chris will be opening up the refurb on 2 days on the weekend so that people who work in the week can make their mark - those days are Saturday 18th July and Saturday 25th July. If either of these are the only days you can make it then please Come On Down, skilled or unskilled what matters is that we are in this together. Please tell everyone you meet in the co-op about these days, lots of things still need doing on the 3 remaining flats.
If you want to come in just phone up Chris Bridges (07973383430) and let us know.
See You There.
The Site Office has now moved to 5 Sumner House.Today, Pat and Tony got on with replacing the skirting boards in 10 Sumner, while Paul did his first plumbing in copper using solder, flux and a blowtorch (end feed technique) under Chris's expert supervision. Monday - Alison (on her day off!!!)and Marike will be in.
If you want to come in just phone up Chris Bridges (07973383430) and let us know.
See You There.
The Site Office has now moved to 5 Sumner House.Today, Pat and Tony got on with replacing the skirting boards in 10 Sumner, while Paul did his first plumbing in copper using solder, flux and a blowtorch (end feed technique) under Chris's expert supervision. Monday - Alison (on her day off!!!)and Marike will be in.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
handover party weds at 4.30
At 4.30 on wednesday 1st July we will be downing tools and celebrating the completion of 14 Sumner with a few (well deserved) ales (and possibly some cheap cava). If you took part in the refurb you should have recieved a text from either Chris or Johnny inviting you - if we accidentally forgot you come down anyway.
Thereafter the Site office will be moving to 5 Sumner...
Thereafter the Site office will be moving to 5 Sumner...
Monday, 29 June 2009
Heatwave!
It's Official - after the biblical hail of Saturday - It's a Heatwave!
Surprisingly 14 Sumner is quite cool inside - the sitex steel grills keep it shady with a slight breeze. Outside the sun warms up the steel, the grills are hot to the touch, but the breeze seems to take the heat away, little of it makes into the flat. Chris leaves me to 'cut in' with the black floorpaint round the skirting board Pat painted on Thursday with varying degrees of success (Ooops! Sorry Pat). The board shows 3-4 people coming in for Tuesday and Wednesday looking particularly busy. It's tantalisingly close to being finished - so much so that each step forward (in making things look messy again) feels like a step back.
Soon there'll be nothing left to do but the 'snagging' - picking up the missed bits and blotches - see how quickly we've all learnt the secret argot of painters and decorators.
Tune of the day 'Tell me why (I don't like Mondays)' by the Boomtown Rats.
Surprisingly 14 Sumner is quite cool inside - the sitex steel grills keep it shady with a slight breeze. Outside the sun warms up the steel, the grills are hot to the touch, but the breeze seems to take the heat away, little of it makes into the flat. Chris leaves me to 'cut in' with the black floorpaint round the skirting board Pat painted on Thursday with varying degrees of success (Ooops! Sorry Pat). The board shows 3-4 people coming in for Tuesday and Wednesday looking particularly busy. It's tantalisingly close to being finished - so much so that each step forward (in making things look messy again) feels like a step back.
Soon there'll be nothing left to do but the 'snagging' - picking up the missed bits and blotches - see how quickly we've all learnt the secret argot of painters and decorators.
Tune of the day 'Tell me why (I don't like Mondays)' by the Boomtown Rats.
Friday, 26 June 2009
One Last Push (and a Party?) 26/04
One Last Push to finish off 14 Sumner on Monday and Tuesday
- if you can make it down that would be great.
- if you can make it down that would be great.
...Then we celebrate :) A Party - not sure when yet.
But all the people who've come so far will be invited.
This Thursday. Myself, Pat and Chris paint woodwork and pipework. Chris paints the floor. Colin and John show up and show a prospective tenant around, on Friday Chris is away to a wedding in Wales (so no build).
When 14 Sumner is let we will be moving the office to5 Sumner (entrance on the other side of the block) and work will start on the remaining 3 single flats. Come on Down.
But all the people who've come so far will be invited.
This Thursday. Myself, Pat and Chris paint woodwork and pipework. Chris paints the floor. Colin and John show up and show a prospective tenant around, on Friday Chris is away to a wedding in Wales (so no build).
When 14 Sumner is let we will be moving the office to5 Sumner (entrance on the other side of the block) and work will start on the remaining 3 single flats. Come on Down.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
In the Summertime (when the weather is hot...)
Things going a bit quiet on the volunteeering front what with the good weather. Several people who were down on the list have cancelled or just not shown up. Please phone up if you are not coming - it affects how chris uses his day depending on who is coming in.
What Chris really needs is more people with painting and decorating experience he can just leave to get on with the job (while he gets on with the other stuff in the other flats) - the problem is that most of the people who can do this in the co-op are getting paid doing it and so not available (so much for the credit crunch! - Though this does show what a valuable skill it is to learn.) We need to work out how to pull more people in.
Chris is is persuadable to work on the weekends eg. to swap one saturdays working for a monday (usually a quiet day) - perhaps we could pick some saturdays in a few weeks time and then phone around to see who is actually up for working on them (that way we know for sure). Perhaps we could post out a leaflet to everyone in the co-op: Ray's piece below perhaps?
What Chris really needs is more people with painting and decorating experience he can just leave to get on with the job (while he gets on with the other stuff in the other flats) - the problem is that most of the people who can do this in the co-op are getting paid doing it and so not available (so much for the credit crunch! - Though this does show what a valuable skill it is to learn.) We need to work out how to pull more people in.
Chris is is persuadable to work on the weekends eg. to swap one saturdays working for a monday (usually a quiet day) - perhaps we could pick some saturdays in a few weeks time and then phone around to see who is actually up for working on them (that way we know for sure). Perhaps we could post out a leaflet to everyone in the co-op: Ray's piece below perhaps?
Monday, 22 June 2009
refurb shut this friday
Volunteers needed everyday except friday when the refurb will be shut. Contact Chris or John on the numbers below.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
A quiet Friday - What about working on a Saturday?
friday june 19th - progress so far.
A quieter day than usual. On Friday myself and Chris did a half day (well til 1pm) because Chris had to go to the dentists, this meant I was only exposed to half a day of Radio 2 (the builder's choice) as opposed to the full dose. The top tune of the day was 'Lucille' by Little Richard, previous top tunes have included '(you make me feel) mighty real' by Sylvester and 'hit me with your rhythm stick' by Ian Dury.
14 Sumner is almost finished and ready for hand over. The bath is in, the kitchen is in, all the walls have been stripped, replastered, sanded off, filled, had their undercoats. The woodwork has been replaced or keyed and filled and has (mostly) had its undercoat, the tiling in the bathroom just needs grouting and filling. All in all it has stopped looking like a building site and started loking like a flat all of a sudden - so much so that Alison is looking around for people who want to move in. I feel fairly confident it will be finished within the next week. This means the dusty dirty heavy work with it is over and what we really need now are people with decorating skills.
The other flats have less work to do on them - the project is running to schedule.
Looking at the volunteer list (the one sent round at the Annual General Meeting) many people asked about the possibility of working on Saturdays. I think this is something we have to think about carefully, as Chris points out it is hardly worth closing down the build one day in the week if (when push comes to shove) he would only get 1-2 people along on a Saturday instead. Cost is an issue here - we can only afford to pay Chris for the days allocated in the budget already not for any additional ones. While clearly we can't do noisy drilling type work at the weekends for fear of disturbing the neighbours, painting we can do.
I think we should give it a go. It's true most people in the co-op (like Dolly Parton - damn that Radio 2) work 9 to 5s and are only available weekends and evenings, but the real question is not can we find enough people to volunteer for this build but whether we can find enough to take on further and bigger projects.
What do other people think?
ps. Any chance of someone posting a photo of me?
- Paul Helliwell
A quieter day than usual. On Friday myself and Chris did a half day (well til 1pm) because Chris had to go to the dentists, this meant I was only exposed to half a day of Radio 2 (the builder's choice) as opposed to the full dose. The top tune of the day was 'Lucille' by Little Richard, previous top tunes have included '(you make me feel) mighty real' by Sylvester and 'hit me with your rhythm stick' by Ian Dury.
14 Sumner is almost finished and ready for hand over. The bath is in, the kitchen is in, all the walls have been stripped, replastered, sanded off, filled, had their undercoats. The woodwork has been replaced or keyed and filled and has (mostly) had its undercoat, the tiling in the bathroom just needs grouting and filling. All in all it has stopped looking like a building site and started loking like a flat all of a sudden - so much so that Alison is looking around for people who want to move in. I feel fairly confident it will be finished within the next week. This means the dusty dirty heavy work with it is over and what we really need now are people with decorating skills.
The other flats have less work to do on them - the project is running to schedule.
Looking at the volunteer list (the one sent round at the Annual General Meeting) many people asked about the possibility of working on Saturdays. I think this is something we have to think about carefully, as Chris points out it is hardly worth closing down the build one day in the week if (when push comes to shove) he would only get 1-2 people along on a Saturday instead. Cost is an issue here - we can only afford to pay Chris for the days allocated in the budget already not for any additional ones. While clearly we can't do noisy drilling type work at the weekends for fear of disturbing the neighbours, painting we can do.
I think we should give it a go. It's true most people in the co-op (like Dolly Parton - damn that Radio 2) work 9 to 5s and are only available weekends and evenings, but the real question is not can we find enough people to volunteer for this build but whether we can find enough to take on further and bigger projects.
What do other people think?
ps. Any chance of someone posting a photo of me?
- Paul Helliwell
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Phoenix Newsletter article: We're Building!!...By Ray Clarke
Over the last 8 weeks, Phoenix has undertaken an unprecedented development programme..
An agreement between Phoenix Community Housing Co-Operative & Poplar Harca Housing Association has afforded Phoenix the use of 5 vacant ground floor properties at Sumner House in Watts Grove, Bow, London E3.
These properties will offer mid-term agreements to our membership.
In addition to the successful completion of the renovations to these properties, Poplar Harca will offer Phoenix up to 85 more units "in perpetuity". Ultimately providing some more security for our membership and a little more financial stability in an extremely unstable economic/ housing climate.
On site throughout the course of this project is
Chris Bridges (07973383430)
Chris has many years of experience & training in the construction industry. As site manager, Chris is also fully trained in all aspects of health & safety.
As a member of Phoenix, I can truly say that being around
Chris has been an education.
Brazing copper pipes, fitting toilets and bathroom sinks,
removing old rendering, damp-proofing, Sanding down are just a few of the skills I would not have picked up off chris had I not become involved.
Chris loves playing with his toy!
Chris drilling a larger hole for the sink drainage..
Fitting my first toilet
(cistern & throne!)...
my second compression valve)
Along side Chris we have Johnny Walker (07879618081)
Johnny has to date successfully co-ordinated volunteers from Phoenix Membership. Galvanising us into transforming
these 5 properties into a viable, affordable housing solution.
"I cannot express the awards you get from working on this project!! Volunteers who have given their time usually spend much more than they orignally volunteer, which goes to show the tangible benefits members get educationally, socially and, dare I say it, spiritually."
As well as overseeing the membership participation Johnny has broadened Phoenix's awareness by bring to our attention the economic and ecological benefits of joining a community paint scheme. Phoenix are now implementing this scheme, providing a useful supply of paint in a variety of colours to it's managed properties.
In fact, great emphasis has been given to renovation and sustainability throughout this development programme: Refurbishing existing cupboards, skirting boards, doors, restoring pipework and heating systems. This is as environmentally & ecologically conscious a project as anyone can hope to become involved in.
So far this project has amassed around 100 hours of labour per week through membership participation. But this is by no means enough to complete this scale of work and more help is vital to the success of this project.
At the time of writing this, out of the 5 properties managed & developed by Phoenix, 1 is currently now being let to Phoenix members, with another ground floor flat potentially ready to be let by Friday 26th June. Work to the 3 remaining flats are ongoing.
Phoenix would like to thank all it's active members for donating their time and effort into such a timely and essential project.
If you'd like to become involved, contact Chris Bridges on 07973383430, Johnny Walker on 07879618081, or contact Alison Masterman at the Phoenix Office on 020 7033 9539
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
information for volunteers
Main office
Phoenix Housing Oxford House, Derbyshire Street,
London E2 6HG
tel: 020 7033 9539
email: mail@phoenixhousing.co.uk
www.phoenixhousingcoop.org
Volunteer information
1. The aim of this project is to:-
a. Provide good quality self contained housing for phoenix members
b. Give work experience and skills to those who want it (you don’t need skill to get involved just your keenness).
2. Project address:-
a. 5, 7, 10, and the Site office14 Sumner House
Watts Road
Popular
E3 3RB
3. Site hours 9am till 5pm
4. Map attached
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=537512&y=181969&z=0&sv=E3+3RB&st=2&pc=E3+3RB&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
5. Closest station is on the DLR Devons road
6. Project / site manager: - Chris Bridges 07973383430
7. Volunteer coordinator, eco material sourcing:
Johnny Walker 07879618081
8. Essential things to have: -
a. You
b. Your own CE marked safety boots - Or your boot size in advance (please note that without a pair of C E marked safety boots you won’t be able to help on site) However there are many boots on site so check with John or Chris.
9. Available training in addition to practical work experience on site and a great deal of work satisfaction along with a strong future for Phoenix (see 11):
a. Through Alison in the main office some free courses have been found and are available for volunteers to gain CSCS cards
i. For people looking to find jobs in the building industry the main agencies and builders (but not all) require individuals to have a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card (CSCS) - the first steps in acquiring one is to sit a health and safety test in Canning Town, Phoenix can provide the study materials – once the test is passed you can apply for a labourer CSCS with a reference from Chris – the Canning Town training centre could even arrange for you to go on to take tradesmen courses.
b. First aid courses which are a great skill to have and are good for your C.V.
10. All tools, safety equipment and supervision will be provided.
11. This project is a pilot and future projects of this kind are already taking shape at the planning stage. We have attracted interest from other housing orgs who have been very positive about working with them in the future.
Phoenix Housing Oxford House, Derbyshire Street,
London E2 6HG
tel: 020 7033 9539
email: mail@phoenixhousing.co.uk
www.phoenixhousingcoop.org
Volunteer information
1. The aim of this project is to:-
a. Provide good quality self contained housing for phoenix members
b. Give work experience and skills to those who want it (you don’t need skill to get involved just your keenness).
2. Project address:-
a. 5, 7, 10, and the Site office14 Sumner House
Watts Road
Popular
E3 3RB
3. Site hours 9am till 5pm
4. Map attached
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=537512&y=181969&z=0&sv=E3+3RB&st=2&pc=E3+3RB&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
5. Closest station is on the DLR Devons road
6. Project / site manager: - Chris Bridges 07973383430
7. Volunteer coordinator, eco material sourcing:
Johnny Walker 07879618081
8. Essential things to have: -
a. You
b. Your own CE marked safety boots - Or your boot size in advance (please note that without a pair of C E marked safety boots you won’t be able to help on site) However there are many boots on site so check with John or Chris.
9. Available training in addition to practical work experience on site and a great deal of work satisfaction along with a strong future for Phoenix (see 11):
a. Through Alison in the main office some free courses have been found and are available for volunteers to gain CSCS cards
i. For people looking to find jobs in the building industry the main agencies and builders (but not all) require individuals to have a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card (CSCS) - the first steps in acquiring one is to sit a health and safety test in Canning Town, Phoenix can provide the study materials – once the test is passed you can apply for a labourer CSCS with a reference from Chris – the Canning Town training centre could even arrange for you to go on to take tradesmen courses.
b. First aid courses which are a great skill to have and are good for your C.V.
10. All tools, safety equipment and supervision will be provided.
11. This project is a pilot and future projects of this kind are already taking shape at the planning stage. We have attracted interest from other housing orgs who have been very positive about working with them in the future.
call for materials
Hello Sir/Madam
My name is John Walker; I am the volunteer and materials coordinator and a member of Phoenix Housing Co-op. We have a unique on-going pilot project I would like to inform you about.
Firstly here’s some info about Phoenix Co-op:
Founded in 1980 Phoenix is a fully mutual housing co-operative run by its tenant members. We seek to provide accommodation for single people in housing need who are on a low income.
For over twenty years we have provided a local, volunteer-led solution to the problem of homelessness in East London.
The Sumner House rebuild project
Phoenix housing has a unique opportunity to develop 5 flats for use as mid term lease accommodation. The Flats are unused and in need of total modernisation. This project will allow us to house some 6 Co-op members for a minimum of 5 years, while at the same time making a positive use of Local Authority flats that would be empty and boarded up indefinitely.
Phoenix are able to undertake this project only as the Co-op’s members volunteer their labour to negate our labour cost. We also receive help from organisations such as Community Repaint, who supply us with free paint. The aim of this communication is a call to all suppliers of building materials as well as suppliers of white goods and bathroom suits for assistance with the rebuild project.
The Co-op are confident that successful completion of this project will allow us to pursue future projects of this kind to secure phoenix Co-op long term survival?
Sustainability is our aim ecologically as well as socially. As a result future-proofing this project is also high on our agenda.
We are at present 2/3 of the way through damp coursing all flats and are about to start re-plastering and refitting the kitchens and bathrooms. Please check out our photos.
The payoff for your involvement and support would include knowledge that you have helped vulnerable people to re-house themselves in unused property. We would also document the impact of your support, which you could use as content for your PR purposes.
If your company/organisation are interested and would like more information please use the contact details below. Phoenix are a registered charity, please see our website for more info.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
John Walker.
jwalker@phoenixhousing.co.uk-07879618081/02070339539
Phoenix Community Housing Co-operative Limited,
Room 9, The Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green,
London, E2 6HG
Tel: 020 7033 9539
Email: mail@phoenixhousing.co.uk
My name is John Walker; I am the volunteer and materials coordinator and a member of Phoenix Housing Co-op. We have a unique on-going pilot project I would like to inform you about.
Firstly here’s some info about Phoenix Co-op:
Founded in 1980 Phoenix is a fully mutual housing co-operative run by its tenant members. We seek to provide accommodation for single people in housing need who are on a low income.
For over twenty years we have provided a local, volunteer-led solution to the problem of homelessness in East London.
The Sumner House rebuild project
Phoenix housing has a unique opportunity to develop 5 flats for use as mid term lease accommodation. The Flats are unused and in need of total modernisation. This project will allow us to house some 6 Co-op members for a minimum of 5 years, while at the same time making a positive use of Local Authority flats that would be empty and boarded up indefinitely.
Phoenix are able to undertake this project only as the Co-op’s members volunteer their labour to negate our labour cost. We also receive help from organisations such as Community Repaint, who supply us with free paint. The aim of this communication is a call to all suppliers of building materials as well as suppliers of white goods and bathroom suits for assistance with the rebuild project.
The Co-op are confident that successful completion of this project will allow us to pursue future projects of this kind to secure phoenix Co-op long term survival?
Sustainability is our aim ecologically as well as socially. As a result future-proofing this project is also high on our agenda.
We are at present 2/3 of the way through damp coursing all flats and are about to start re-plastering and refitting the kitchens and bathrooms. Please check out our photos.
The payoff for your involvement and support would include knowledge that you have helped vulnerable people to re-house themselves in unused property. We would also document the impact of your support, which you could use as content for your PR purposes.
If your company/organisation are interested and would like more information please use the contact details below. Phoenix are a registered charity, please see our website for more info.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
John Walker.
jwalker@phoenixhousing.co.uk-07879618081/02070339539
Phoenix Community Housing Co-operative Limited,
Room 9, The Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green,
London, E2 6HG
Tel: 020 7033 9539
Email: mail@phoenixhousing.co.uk
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