We are pleased to share the published version of our annual accounts and strategic review for the year ended March 2023.

Having launched our Corporate Strategy last year, we’ve been progressing the delivery of key activities that underpin its first year. We are pleased that we’ve seen continual improvements against our performance targets and through engagement with our customers launched our supporting customer experience strategy. Through this we have gained valuable feedback, informing where we can continue to build on improvements we’ve already made – and go further.

We are pleased that whilst the economic headwinds meant that we saw much of our cost base increase,
we have delivered a healthy surplus of £24.1 million, 104% above last year (£11.8 million).

During the year we underwent our in-depth assessment with the Regulator of Social Housing which reconfirmed our G2/V2 rating. This gave us a clear understanding of where we need to focus our efforts to achieve a G1 status, and we are working with our Regulator to revisit this rating during the course of the next year.

You can read our Strategic Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 here.

Saturday 30 September is International Day of Older Persons, and the theme for this year is about the importance of an age-friendly community.

An age-friendly community is one that ensures we all have a place in society as we age, where we are respectful and included, and are able to live a good life as we age.

To celebrate, local community groups are coming together with Southwark Council to host a celebration and information sharing event at Peckham Square on Saturday 30 September from 12-4pm.

 This free event will include:

• Music, singing and dancing performances by local residents and community groups
• An open mic
• Information stalls to find out more about community groups, clubs and services
• Free health checks and advice from health professionals (from 1pm)
• Photos and films from Southwark’s past and present

All members of the public are welcome to attend and no tickets are required.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal, and it is important to know the warning signs.*

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

• Nausea
• Light-headedness
• Headaches
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Sleepiness.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds or you suspect a leak:

• Stop using all appliances, switch them off, and open doors and windows to ventilate the property
• Evacuate the property immediately; stay calm and avoid raising your heart rate  
• Call the Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 to report the incident, or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Gas Safety Advice Line on 0800 300 363
• Don’t go back into the property; wait for advice from the emergency services
• Seek immediate medical help; you may not realise you’ve been affected by the carbon monoxide and going outside into fresh air won’t treat any exposure by itself.

*Older people need to pay special attention to symptoms, which may put flu-like symptoms or feeling drowsy down to old age.

It’s important to be in the know about gas safety, so you can keep you and your family safe.

As part of gas safety week, we have shared several ways to ensure your home is gas safe.

Always get an annual gas safety check

It’s recommended that you get an annual gas inspection on your home’s gas appliances, and this should be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. As a Wandle resident, it is our responsibility to ensure these checks are arranged every 12 months. During the inspection, the engineer will look at your gas pipework and also complete a tightness check to confirm there are no leaks. These gas safety checks usually take around 20 to 30 minutes. 

We ask that in order to carry this out you let us in your home, and rearrange an appointment if you are not in.

Obtain a gas safety certificate

It’s important to obtain Gas Safe certificates to provide you with the knowledge that the appliances in your home are safe to use. What is a gas safety certificate? Also called a Gas Safety Record, this is a document that should be given to you by a Gas Safe registered engineer after they have carried out any gas works or repairs at your home. This record shows that your appliances are safe to use and should be updated every 12 months — an annual Gas Safety Record is a legal requirement for Wandle and we will be in touch to arrange. 

Book an annual boiler check

It’s highly recommended that you have your boiler serviced once a year. This will keep it running safely and efficiently, as well as ensuring that your boiler warranty remains valid. The good news is that many boiler manufacturers, including Ideal Heating, will contact you when your boiler service is due. It’s even super easy to book a service online.

Get a carbon monoxide alarm fitted

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? If your appliances have not been installed or ventilated properly, they run the risk of leaking this dangerous, odourless gas. To keep your home safe, buy an audible CO alarm, follow the manufacturer’s install instructions, and place it roughly 15cm from the ceiling. Also make sure that you regularly test the batteries. By taking these steps, you and your family will be alerted if a carbon monoxide leak occurs.  

Only use gas appliances for their intended purpose

Tampering with gas appliances can be fatal; it’s important that you only use gas appliances for their intended purpose. This will ensure that the appliances are used safely and avoid any unwanted emergencies. Gas appliances should have adequate ventilation: making sure no air vents are blocked allows gas appliances to burn properly, reducing the risk of fire or explosion. 

Know what to do in an emergency

Act fast! It’s crucial that you act fast in a gas emergency by carrying out the following steps. If you smell gas at your property, you must open all doors and windows to help ventilation, turn off the gas emergency valve control, leave the property and immediately call National Emergency Gas on 0800 111 999. 

Make sure you follow all the advice given to you by the emergency adviser and wait outside for the engineer to arrive. You must not use any electrical switches, smoke or naked flames near your home.

Wandle has pledged its support for Gas Safety Week (11 – 17 September 2023) and will be raising awareness about the importance of gas safety.

Gas Safety Week is here to remind the public how to keep themselves gas safe, and organisations across the nation are working together to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

This year, Gas Safety Week focuses on celebrating the breadth and diversity of gas engineers and the essential role they play in keeping the nation gas safe. As well as reminding the public, about gas safety and tips to ensure they stay safe, including not attempting DIY on gas appliances and being aware of the warning signs of unsafe appliances.

Anne Waterhouse, Chief Executive said, “We take the safety of our customers seriously, and provide homes we would be happy to live in. We carry out annual gas safety check in all our homes with a gas boiler, and we continue to encourage our customers to educate themselves on gas safety so they can stay safe in their homes.”

It’s important that our customers support us in keeping them safe in their homes, by allowing us access to their homes and rescheduling an appointment if it isn’t a convenient time for them.”

Keep up to date with Gas Safe Register’s updates and advice throughout Gas Safety Week by following @GasSafeRegister on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and search #GSW23 and #GasSafetyWeek.

Today (Friday 1 September) is Starts at Home Day and is a celebration of the value and care support services have on people’s lives and communities across the country. 

At Wandle, we exist to support people, across south London, who need a home. We want to be a good landlord and contribute to building strong communities in south London and deliver against our vision ‘Homes to be proud of and services you can trust’. 

Our helping hand fund goes a long way to making our customers lives easier. Most recently, our resident support team helped a young resident who had recently lost her father and was financially struggling to stay afloat. 

In addition, her bathroom and bedroom were severely damaged by various leaks and was dangerous to use.  Understandably this was severely impacting her quality of life and causing her further strain during a difficult time. 

Our asset team worked quickly to install a new bathroom that was fit for purpose and resolved the historic leak damage, making her home safer and more comfortable. Our resident support team were quick to respond to her application and awarded her £400 Argos vouchers to purchase a new rug, wardrobe, and bedding. 

This has made now made her house a home and can now slowly rebuild her life and look to the future. 

About the Helping Hand Fund 

The Helping Hand Fund is available to residents who are on very low incomes, or experiencing exceptional financial hardship. To be eligible, you must be a tenant or homeowner named on a tenancy or lease with us, and able to demonstrate that you need this support. We may ask you for details of your income and expenditure. 

The Helping Hand Fund is also available to new tenants to support one-off costs when moving into your home. 

The Helping Hand Fund cannot be used to pay your rent, or to pay off other debts, and you can only make one application a year. 

Are you a Wandle resident over the age of 50, living in Southwark, and with an energy debt over £300?  

Energy Debt Write-off Funding

Through the HACT Fuel Fund, the Age Friendly Social Housing Programme is now offering the opportunity to write off your energy debt if you are more than £300 in debt with your provider.

You can apply by filling out the application form here > Southwark application. You have until the end of September to apply.

You will need to provide your contact details, address and energy details, the bank details for your energy provider and a copy of your most recent energy bill. The payments will be processed within five working days.

Please let us know if you have any questions or issues accessing the links by emailing customerempowerment@wandle.com.

On Saturday 5 August we held our first community day at St Boniface Hall in Tooting.

Thank you to everyone who braved the torrential rain and made the day such a great success. Ms C* who is a Wandle resident, said ‘I was delighted with the community day and really happy I was contacted as promised regarding an ongoing issue’. Ms C* got to meet a number of staff and said she was very impressed with the event.

We are hosting our next free community day on Saturday 19 August at Copleston Centre, Copleston Road, Peckham, SE15 4AN. Doors open at 11am and close at 4pm.

By joining us on the day you can:

• Meet the Wandle team
• Learn about our services and involvement opportunities
• Have your say on the issues that matter to you
• Win fabulous raffle prizes
• Take part in fun activities for the kids
• Enjoy free food and drink.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We recently enlisted a local artist to create an art mural on one of our blocks.

Graffiti is a major problem and our London and Brighton apartments scheme in Peckham regularly falls victim to graffiti on the gas meters and bin store doors.

Not only is it unsightly, but it’s also expensive as we have to regularly recharge the cost to our homeowners through their service charges.

We reached out to local artist Sam Evans to transform the area into a colourful mural which would bring joy to the community; as well as deter vandals.

He designed three options that were then voted on by our leaseholders. They chose option three (they were all brilliant) and Sam soon got to work transforming the area.

Mural art can be seen across London, bringing colour and culture to local communities. Sam believes mural art can “influence positive change in local areas by being really uplifting, bright and inspiring young people to make the right decision by discipline themselves within the creative world.”

Thank you to Sam for his hard work!

We want to hear from you if you have an idea to improve your estate your block. Email your ideas to neighbourhood@wandle.com.

About Sam Evans

Sam Evans is an artist living and working in London. Inspired by Neo Rauch and David Hockney, he is inspired by his urban surroundings. You can view his other work on his website.

We are hosting our first community day this Saturday at Boniface Hall in Tooting.

The day starts at 11am and finishes at 4pm, is free to attend and promises the following:

• A chance to meet the Wandle team
• Learn about our services and involvement opportunities
• Have your say on the issues that matter to you
• Win fabulous raffle prizes
• Fun activities for the kids
• Free food and drink.

The address is St Boniface Hall, 185 Mitcham Road, Tooting, London, SE17 9PG.

We look forward to seeing you there!