Thousand of revellers flooded into the Eid Mela festivities in Cannon Hill Park recently.

Dane Housing has just launched its 2008 sponsorship scheme which awards money to local community groups in need of support.

Lunchtime 'taster sessions' gave Dane Housing employees the opportunity to try activities such as tai chi, salsa dancing, and laser clay shooting recently. The classes were organised as part of National Learning at Work Week - and they proved to be a big hit with staff.

There's no shortage of events to keep residents of Congleton, Cheshire amused over the next few months. The Dane Housing team has organised a packed programme of activities for all ages, from summer tea dances to samba workshops.

A Cheshire-based housing association is pioneering technology that’ll help their residents to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Dane Housing Group’s Telecare Service consists of a range of sensors installed in the home. It’s designed to reduce accidents, falls and visits to the hospital. This additional personal freedom lessens the need for residential or nursing care and relieves the pressure on family carers. It’s perfect for people with long-term health conditions and those recently discharged from hospital or receiving intermediary care.

Dane residents, who have been actively involved in working with the company to improve services and their neighbourhoods, were acknowledged for their hard work and commitment to making a difference, at a special event. Seventy residents from across the Borough enjoyed Dim Sum at The Forum Restaurant prior to attending a performance of Kiss Me Kate at the Daneside theatre.

The Dane Housing Group is a decade old. It’s come along way since it took over ownership and management of Congleton Borough Council’s housing stock in 1998.

Friendship Care and Housing’s have moved to ultra-modern facilities right in the heart of Nottingham.

Friendship Care and Housing has struck up a first-of-its-kind partnership with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. They’ve come together to offer high quality advice and fire safety guidance to 16,000 households and 1,000 people working across The Midlands.

Residents living in a Friendship Care and Housing’s Alvechurch care home have discovered a new way to get out and about and meet new people. Stars in the Sky is a new project based upon an award-winning initiative created specifically for adults with learning difficulties. Led by Tom Long, Stars in the Sky organises social events and meetings for its members, giving them the opportunity to meet others in similar circumstances. It helps people meet new friends, go out on dates and attend activities that can result in long-term partnerships.

Friendship Care and Housing has been awarded £7.5 million in government funding from the National Affordable Housing Programme for 2008-11. The money is being put towards the construction of 290 new homes and affordable homes in Derby. Due to be built over the next 3 years, they’ll give many families a much-needed leg-up onto the property ladder.

The Dane Housing Group and Congleton Borough Council have formed an eco- partnership to help combat climate change within the Borough. Their wide ranging proposals include reducing energy use within the home, tackling local fuel poverty and improving the local environment.

Who better to measure the success of a housing association than two young people who've recently experienced life on the streets? The idea that people with first-hand experience of housing problems should survey New Charter's service users was first raised at the Tameside Homeless Conference. Amongst the conference's delegates were several young people from a Hyde housing project run by NACRO, the reduction charity.

Completing a satisfaction survey gave Mr and Mrs Brooks from Congleton more than they bargained for. Filling out the survey meant they were also entered for a £100 prize draw. And it was their names that came out of the hat. Dane Housing asked all their residents to complete a satisfaction survey to let them know exactly how good the associations 2007/2008 external painting programme was.

Friendship Care and Housing has been awarded £7.5million in government funding from the National Affordable Housing Programme for 2008-11. This means their plan to build 290 quality homes has passed an essential milestone. That's great news for communities in Derby needing affordable housing.

West Midlands-based Friendship Care and Housing are doing everything they can to make older long-term residents' lives as stimulating as possible. They're providing care that combines quality of life, dignity and respect. And they're making sure this level of care lasts right up until their final days. Their special approach, designed to meet the specific needs of each and every resident, stems from many years' experience caring for people, especially from the African Caribbean community.

Ashley Goodman aged 16 and Jason Delaney aged 19 are fast on their way to becoming fully-qualified tradesmen with HomeZone. They are the Repair Team's latest apprentices, and will help deliver day-to-day maintenance to the association's 4,500 properties.

People who've made an outstanding difference to their community have been celebrated at a glittering awards ceremony in Manchester. Nominations were invited last month and a judging panel of neighbourhood workers had the difficult task of sifting through these to find the ultimate community champions.

Coventry's leading housing group is urging city residents to take a leaf out of the book of a community stalwart. Despite suffering from two strokes last year, Thelma Hammond, has battled to secure new fencing for nearby residents, a zebra crossing and a community noticeboard.

HomeZone, part of the Bromford Housing Group, have donated £1,500 to St Giles Hospice in Whittingham. The money was raised by a number of charity events held throughout the year and it's being used to buy a new bed for the hospice.

Students from across Europe are getting the chance to experience life in the UK whilst gaining some invaluable career skills, courtesy of HomeZone. The students who came through European Training Services, a company specialising in Foreign Exchange programmes, are staying with host families in Staffordshire.

People who've dedicated their working life to improving community relations in the West Midlands have been recognised in a special awards ceremony. 'Midland's Cohesion Project' workers were presented with certificates by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Cllr Dave Batten and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Randal Brew.

People who've dedicated their working life to improving community relations in the West Midlands have been recognised in a special awards ceremony. 'Midland's Cohesion Project' workers were presented with certificates by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Cllr Dave Batten and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Randal Brew.

The first financial exclusion conference in Tameside criticised sub-prime lending activity in areas of low incomes. Keynote speaker David Heyes MP used the occasion to mount a stinging attack on the cynical business strategy of firms who provide premium rates of credit attached to supply of household goods. Mr Heyes used his background of managing a Citizens Advice Bureau as well as his constituency casework to identify targeting of traditionally low wage areas like Tameside.

Tameside in Greater Manchester has held the area's first financial inclusion conference: 'The Money matters.and so do you'. All members of the public were invited to attend - and, with no small print to hide behind, organisers were proud to lay on the event for free! The conference's purpose was to raise awareness of financial inclusion and bring people together to look at ways of overcoming this social problem.

These special talent shows, organised by ExtraCare Charitable Trust, even had a panel of look-a-likey judges. Geoff Monk played Louis Walsh, Andrew Monk stepped convincingly into Simon Cowell's tight trousers and Caroline Bernstein did a turn as Sharon Osbourne.

Anti-social behaviour affects everyone in different ways. Whether it's the odd car driving past with music blaring or the neighbours having a heated argument, we all learn to live with it in small doses. The problem starts when you have to live with it every waking hour of every working day. It ruins your whole way of life!

Three young Coventry residents are picking up skills for the future, thanks to a new apprentice scheme. HomeWorks, Whitefriars repairs and maintenance service, recruited the trio to boost the skills within the team and offer the young people the chance to build a new and valuable career.

A talking penguin has been given a warm welcome in one of New Charter's neighbourhoods - Dunkenfield. It's the latest way of forming good habits, and rewards children for picking up their litter. But rather from the South Pole, this fella's from Derby.

HomeZone and their local authority partners are helping some of the UK's most vulnerable young people get out of care and into a property of their own.

New Charter uses more than £4,000 of diesel each week. With recent contract wins by our specialist Building Company this figure is set to rise. So, Fleet Manager, Helen Anderson spotted the opportunity of turning points into prizes with the help of Morrisons in Dukinfield. As the nearest and cheapest filling station to our depot, most of the van drivers chose to fill up here - so we gave them all loyalty cards. Thanks to the diligence of the drivers, they've earned over £1,000 of Morrisons gift vouchers just by filling up.

The Dane Housing Group is giving local first time buyers and people needing a new home after a relationship breakdown the chance to buy somewhere at an incredible 30 per cent discount. With prices starting from £81,900, getting your foot on the property ladder is a far more realistic possibility.

Two young people who were in danger of being left homeless but got back on their feet with the help of a pioneering social project are getting ready to start new lives at university.

Shared ownership residents at a landmark city centre development are to be given the use of eco-friendly Smart cars. The four vehicles will be available to all residents of the 182-apartment Brindley House scheme, in Birmingham, to help them combat the problems of parking and keep vehicle emissions down.

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1001careers.com attended the annual NHF conference to publicise just how the website has moved the recruitment goalposts for the sector.

More than 1,000 new affordable homes are to be built in the West Midlands each year by a powerful new group of housing providers.

A new refuge for women and children experiencing domestic violence has been officially opened by Meg Munn, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Women and Equality. Karren Brady, managing director of Birmingham City Football Club and ambassador for Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid, was among the guest speakers at a special ceremony to celebrate the development of the new resource by Harden Housing Association, part of the West Mercia Housing Group.

When Yvonne Hatton started out as a care worker on one of Derwent Living's retirement schemes in Nottingham - she never imagined that she would end up in management.

What better way to launch 1001careers.com, the online careers centre set up by the housing sector for the housing sector, than by getting all those who've made it possible together for a spot of champagne lunch? Invite a few Dalmatians along too that's how!

More than 600 staff at Whitefriars Housing Group were recognised for their hard work at the association's Stardust staff conference yesterday (Thursday Feb 22).

Back in 1999, Karen James joined Derwent Living as a part-time cleaner. But she wasn't mopping floors for long. Today, she is the company's commercial sales manager. Karen has gained knowledge of the various types of Derwent Living property along the way, from retirement schemes and social housing to student accommodation.

Housing Associations in England are campaigning for energy suppliers to align all of their prepayment meter (PPMs) tariffs to the same as their best standard credit rate (BR).

So Solid Crew member MC Romeo recently attended 'Fusion', an information day run by housing association Community Housing Group (CHG).

Residents who go the extra mile to improve their community will be awarded official qualifications for their achievements, thanks to a new initiative from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).

Birmingham Foyer took home the Foyer Federation five-a-side trophy for the second year in a row, after winning the tournament held in Aston recently.

Louise progressed from Administration Clerk to Supported Housing Manager in less than 10 years. She sees herself moving forward even further within the next decade.