Herald - Issue 391

Page 46 • The HERALD • 25th June 2020 v WE’VE BEEN YOUR LOCAL SINCE 1994 v v ON THE HOME FRONT v Sales & Lettings 023 8084 4131 • 7 & 9The Marsh, Hythe e world as we know it might have changed since the pandemic, but people’s plans to build or improve their homes are still going strong. A recent survey conducted by the Homebuilding & Renovating Show indicates that 94% of the respondents are continuing with their projects in the next 12 months, and 92% are happy for work to take place in their properties, even with social distancing. During lockdown, 86% of the self- builders and renovators asked are continuing to research their projects, while more than half (60%) of people’s budgets are protected, with 35% only seeing a very minor decrease. e show organisers also received con rmation from 80% of the audience that there is interest in seeing a virtual event or webinar series online. In light of this, for the rst time ever, the Virtual Homebuilding & Renovating Summer Show will be taking place online from 24th-25th July , o ering a full two-day experience to undeterred people who want to improve their living conditions. Online visitors will be able to discover the products and services required The Virtual Homebuilding & Renovating Summer Show Opens Online For The First Time to start a project from the comfort of their own home, with no travel time. From small plots to big builds, the virtual event is the place to pick up tools and tips and collect all the insights needed. Nick Noble, commercial and events director at Future plc, says: “65,000 people registered for our spring events which were due to be held at the NEC, Birmingham, SEC, Glasgow and Sandown Park in Surrey, showing a huge appetite to be inspired and plan a project no matter what. We’re adapting our event concept to meet this demand as it is vital for our audience to continue having access to expert advice and inspiration for their home project, so we’re making our shows easy for people to enjoy, with no travel, risks or cost.” People who sign up to attend virtually will be met with a variety of content. e Exhibition Hall is the space where people can browse easily by category, exploring exhibitors from renewable energy, windows and doors, kitchens, Continued on page 47 Judges have described a partnership between a homeless charity and a regional co-operative as ‘inspiring’ as the pair win gold at a national award ceremony. The Business Charity Awards 2020 celebrates the significant contribution made by companies to UK charities and social enterprises. Via a virtual ceremony, the Society of St James (SSJ) and Southern Co-op (SC) were announced as winners of the Short-term Partnership Award. Judges said it was ‘a strong submission with sizeable impact’ and that ‘both partners should be commended on fantastic and meaningful collaboration’. e Society of St James and Southern Co-op have been in partnership since early 2019 a er colleagues at Southern Co-op’s head o ce voted for the Society of St James to become their charity partner of the year with a focus on tackling local crime, drug and alcohol addiction, and of course, homelessness. e rst year of partnership was such a success that the partnership has now been extended to 2020/21. Southern Co-op initially focussed on the Society of St James’ social enterprise café, Café in the Park in Portsmouth, helping it to become more self- sustaining. The café provides opportunities for vulnerable adults to build employability skills and grow in con dence to help sustain their independence and recovery. Together, they launched an idea that had originated from the adults working at the café - Pay It Forward. e initiative has enabled local people to help the homeless through a voucher scheme and, between July 2019 and February 2020, SSJ sold more than 1,400 Pay It Forward vouchers. The skills-based volunteering has included marketing and communications, HR and training, and professional advice from property and buying teams. In the spirit of true partnership, Southern Co-op has also bene ted from the collaboration through the expert knowledge the charity has around the subject of homelessness, drug/alcohol misuse and offending behaviour which has informed the development of strategic initiatives for the business. To find out more about the award and the partnership, visit www.thirdsector.co.uk/ business-charity-awards- short-term-partnership- %e2%80%93-southern- co-op-society-st-james- l o v e - n e i g h b o u r h o o d - safer-neighbourhoods/ fundraising/article/1683603 CHARITY PARTNERSHIP WINS NATIONAL AWARD SSJ and SC at the Cafe in the Park A new booking system for Hampshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) took e ect from 15th June, with residents able to book at 30-minute slot through the booking system. Bookings can be made online at: www. h a n t s . g o v . u k / w a s t e a n d r e c y c l i n g / recyclingcentres/book-appointment Telephone bookings, for those without access to the online system, can be made by calling 023 8017 9949. Anyone wishing to book a slot will need to provide their name, car registration and, for online bookings, an email address. Bookings will be limited to one slot per household per week. HWRC’s are likely to be busy when people arrive. Everyone visiting a site from next Monday onwards must ensure they have a con rmed booking before they travel to an HWRC, and is reminded: • ere is no need to bring con rmation of the booking to the site, the site will have information on con rmed bookings; • Site sta will check registration plates upon arrival – people will need to arrive in the vehicle speci ed in the booking; • Anyone turning up without a con rmed booking will not be allowed entry to the site; • As per government guidelines, residents in the speci ed vulnerable category (those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people over 70 and pregnant women) are strongly advised not to visit a site; • New parking arrangements are in place with site sta guiding vehicles, from a safe distance, into spaces • As far as possible, only one person per household should visit the HWRC. • Due to social distancing measures, site sta will be unable to provide any assistance with unloading material or carrying material. Residents are asked to bring only the amount of waste they can comfortably carry and empty into containers. • Trailers are not permitted. • Everyone must keep at least a two-metre distance from others at all times. • Most waste materials will be accepted, except for chargeable waste – soil, rubble, asbestos and plasterboard. • Reuse sales areas will remain closed. Where possible, please continue to store items of furniture which could be reused, donate to local furniture charities, or use online platforms (e.g. Freegle/Facebay/ Gumtree). See the Smart Living website for more information on furniture reuse. Guidelines to Booking System for Hampshire’s HWRCs