We are pleased to announce that Wandle have recently taken handover of 6 affordable homes in Southwark developed by Featherstone Homes.

The 6 properties were purchased from Featherstone Homes, a leading property developer who specialise in creating contemporary and first-rate homes. Each property is suitable for families and includes a front garden and a private terrace for residents to spend time and relax.

The scheme on Lynton Road in Southwark has already provided 4 social rent properties and will deliver a further 2 shared ownership properties, which are currently being marketed for sale.

The properties are located within Bermondsey, which is known for its vibrant restaurants, markets, and galleries, while being situated within a peaceful neighbourhood in central London.

Anne Waterhouse, Chief Executive of Wandle said: “I am proud we can support families by supplying these much-needed homes in one of our key boroughs. These six affordable homes will provide a safe and affordable foundation for our residents to build a future.”

Wandle’s Community Safety team have successfully helped relocate one vulnerable resident move closer to their family and friends after a difficult period. 

The resident was living in Kingston and was suffering from a drug addiction and mental health problems. They had previously spent time in prison due to a history of substance abuse and theft to support their habit. In the summer of 2022, an anti-social behaviour case was raised due to concerns over the use of their property.  

Our Community Safety team checked in on our resident and it became clear their flat was being used by unknown persons who were also struggling with substance abuse.  They’d often gain access through forceful means that intimidated the resident and their neighbours. 

The local police asked Wandle for assistance and the case was referred to the Local Authority Community Multi-Agency Risk Assessment (CMARAC). We worked as a team to create an action plan to support the resident and decide on a resolution.  

Unfortunately, our customer was sent to prison again for a short period of time. To ensure the resident’s property was safe and to protect other residents, we secured and screened the property to guarantee nobody else could gain access.  

When our resident was released from prison, our amazing Community Safety Officer Claudette worked with local partners, the police, and a probation officer to help our resident into rehabilitation for their drug addiction and mental health issues.  

Eventually, the resident decided to move closer to their family in Portsmouth to continue their rehabilitation. They have now settled into their new home for a fresh start and away from the issues they experienced in Kingston. 

We always want to support our residents and maintain their tenancies, however, at times the best solution for all is to assist our customers find a new home so they can move on. 

At Wandle, we do not tolerate antisocial behaviour or criminal activity. If you need to report ASB, you can do this through MyWandle or by calling us on 0300 2000 120. 

• Asda Café – Kids eat for £1 with no adult minimum spend in family-friendly Asda Cafes.
• Bella Italia – Kids eat for £1 with every adult main meal between 4pm and 6pm.
• Bill’s restaurants – Up to two kids can eat free when one adult orders any main dish.
• Bodean’s BBQ Smokehouses – Kids eat free for every adult meal purchased.
• Hungry Horse – Every Monday at the Hungry Horse, there are selected kids’ meals for £1 and larger meals for £1.50.
• Morrisons Café – Kids aged under 16 eat for free at any Morrisons café when an adult spends £4.99 or more on a meal.
• Pausa Café at Dunelm – Kids can get one free main meal, plus two snacks and a drink for every £4 spent by an adult at the café.
• The Real Greek – You can get a free kids meal for under 12s for every £10 spent on an adult meal.
• Sainsbury’s Cafes – One kid’s meal or lunch bag for £1 with any adult main meal purchased over £5.20.
• Westfield restaurants and cafes – Nearly 30 restaurants at Westfield London and Stratford City are offering free kids’ meals this half term, including Las Iguanas, Franco Manca and Big Easy, plus many more.
• Yo Sushi! – Kids under 10 eat free for every £10 spent on food by the accompanying adult.

Wandle’s New Homes pilot supports residents to downsize into a new home that is more affordable and comfortable to manage.  

We recently supported a family who have been Wandle residents for over 35 years and were looking to downsize into a smaller property that would become their forever home.  

Mr and Mrs H*, along with their son, had been living in their home in Balham for a considerate length of time and in turn, had outgrown their home.  

Our wonderful Project Liaison Officer, Ange Lewis, worked with the family to find them a new home and found them a lovely two-bed flat in Battersea with a beautiful garden.  

At Wandle, we believe it is important our residents think of their new homes as an extension of themselves; therefore, they make the decisions about how their new homes’ will look and feel. The H* family decided how each room should be decorated and worked with our amazing contractors to choose their preferred kitchen and bathroom to suit their personal style.  

Mrs H* thanked everyone who was involved at Wandle, who made their move possible. She wanted to personally thank their Liaison Officer, Angie Lewis, who guided them throughout the process and answered any questions they had. As well as our outstanding contractors who worked tirelessly to make their new house their forever home.  

Mrs H* said: “The work done by our contractor Dan and his team was outstanding! The flat and garden are lovely. It’s a new start and our last move! Once again thank you!”.  

JD* is a single mother to a 15-year-old son, who had recently signed a new tenancy with Wandle. Due to JD’s long-term health condition, she was unable to work and was struggling to purchase the essentials for her new home.

JD was informed of the Helping Hand Fund by our housing team and applied for financial support. Due to the urgency of JD’s case, our resident support team fast-tracked her application and she was awarded £1,000 in Argos vouchers. With the funds JD was awarded, this meant she was able to purchase white goods, rugs, bedding, and other household necessities to turn her new house into a home.

JD was extremely thankful for the help she’d received from Wandle and said, “I am so grateful for your help. It’s a big help for me and my son. Thank you so much!”.

Shortly after JD and her son had moved in, our Resident Support Officer Suzana Karakashi contacted them to see how they were doing.  

JD was very appreciative of the resident support team and advised she had since purchased a new washing machine, cooker and fridge freezer from the fund. Both JD and her son thanked Wandle for our support, advising they were both very happy and were settling into their new home.

Information about the Helping Hand Fund

The Helping Hand Fund is available to all Wandle residents who are financially struggling. It aims to support residents by providing vouchers for food and other household items from supermarkets, furniture, carpets, washing machines, essential white goods, and even technology as internet access is now essential for Universal Credit and other online services. Please note that the fund is not to be used to cover your rent.

Applications for the Helping Hand Fund are now open. You can apply by emailing helpinghandfund@wandle.com.

K&T are looking to recruit new apprentices in gas, electrical, plumbing and business administration roles to start in September/October 2023. They are holding an open day on Saturday 13th May 2023 between 9am-1pm. To book a place and for further details, please email K&T at careers@ktheating.co.uk.