Do you thrive in a busy working environment?

Here at Loddon Homes no two days are ever the same and we are on the hunt for someone who can hit the ground running.

Business Support Assistant – Part Time

Loddon Homes is an “all hands on deck” organisation, so if you enjoy being part of a team and are prepared to roll your sleeves up to help meet the business needs of this small Council owned Housing Association, then we need you to help us continue to deliver high quality affordable homes for local people in and around Wokingham.

This role will vary based on business needs, but you can expect to contribute towards achieving excellent levels of customer service, resident engagement activities, board management arrangements as well as day to day administrative tasks.

You’ll have experience of working in a busy, customer focused industry. You’ll be tech savvy, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Great with people, great at communicating verbally or through reports – to succinctly and precisely convey important information about our organisation. You’ll have strong attention to detail and be able to prioritise your own workload and feel confident in making recommendations for improvement to administrative business tasks. You are self-managing, super-efficient, managing deadlines well but never sacrificing those high standards. Above all you care about people. You walk in our customers’ shoes. You work closely with a team to get the best results. You take pride in delivering something that makes a difference. And one more thing…..a driving licence (and access to a car) is essential.

Hours of work – 22.5 hours per week

Pattern of work – Monday – Friday 9.30am-2.30pm

Closing date – open-ended to find the best person

To apply – please send a CV and covering letter detailing how you meet the requirements of the job description to Karen Howick, Head of Operations, Loddon Homes Ltd: Karen.Howick@wokingham.gov.uk

Download the job description HERE.

75% of our residents say we are a ‘great’ or ‘good’ landlord

We’re pleased that all of our residents have now received a copy of our 2023 annual report, which provides essential information on our performance for the financial year 2022/23, as well as information about what we are doing in 2024 to address the issues that matter to our residents.

The current economic climate and national focus on housing has impacted both households and their landlords. The report highlights our commitment to creating thriving communities, by delivering good quality, sustainable housing to our residents who make them their homes.

We also remain committed to providing safe and supportive accommodation for residents with more specialist housing needs, working closely with Wokingham Borough Council and our partner care providers.

Resident engagement

One of the best ways we can improve our services is through resident engagement and interaction. We want to encourage and increase resident involvement and will be creating more opportunities for our residents to become involved in what we do over the coming year.

We see the sharing of information about your home and the area where you live as an essential part of our commitment to residents, and our Annual Report forms a vital part of this commitment.

We’re currently recruiting for a Resident Board member. Find out more HERE.

Read all about it…

You can download a copy of the report HERE.

“I love it at Loddon Homes – thank you.”

A happy resident at Fosters Extra care Supported Scheme

We are looking for one of our residents to join the Loddon Homes and Berry Brook Homes Boards.

Whether you’re a Loddon or Berry Brook resident or shared owner, we would welcome your application.

As a Board member, you can make a real difference to our residents’ lives and the communities they live in.

An opportunity to have a positive impact

The main requirement for this role is that you are willing to engage enthusiastically and have a real passion for making Loddon Homes and Berry Brook Homes the best landlords we can be for all our residents.

We are offering an attractive remuneration package of £3,000 per annum plus reasonable expenses. If you are receiving welfare benefits, we can set out what this might mean for you.

Find out more

Download our brochure to find out more about the role, including how to apply. Please click HERE.

Deadline

We have also extended the previous deadline date until we find the best person but we’d encourage you to apply now if you are interested.

Please share with other Berry Brook Homes or Loddon Homes residents. We look forward to hearing from you.

Loddon Homes held a community fun morning for residents at its Fosters Extra Care scheme in Woodley on Thursday 24 August. The event included entertainment by singer, Marcus Boll, and residents were treated to ice cream from an ice cream van.

The event was well attended and was an opportunity for residents to get together and to meet with members of the Loddon Homes team and their Wokingham Borough Council Housing Officer.

Residents said they thoroughly enjoyed the event, and hoped there would be another one soon.

Stephen Conway, Chair of Loddon Homes, agreed “it was lovely to see our residents enjoying themselves, singing along to a selection of tunes from the 50s and 60s, and enjoying their ice creams. We’re very proud of the community at Fosters and it’s a pleasure for us to hold this event.”

Despite the great British Summer, residents enjoyed our Community Fun Day at Arnett Avenue

Loddon Homes held its first community fun day at its flagship Arnett Avenue development on Tuesday 8 August. The event included face painting for children and adults alike, balloon modelling and magic, and an ice cream van.

Despite the damp weather, the event was well attended by residents, and was an opportunity for the community to come together and to meet with members of the Loddon Homes team and their Wokingham Borough Council Housing Officer.

Residents said they enjoyed the event, and hoped another could be planned for next summer.

Stephen Conway, Chair of Loddon Homes, agreed “it was lovely to see residents coming out to join in especially the young people, many of whom had their faces painted, took turns being a Magician’s assistant and played games.  We’re very proud of the community at Arnett and it’s a pleasure to hold this event.”

Loddon Homes Limited sponsors Ashridge Park Under 12 girls’ team, empowering the players with a full female bespoke kit

Following the recent success of Ashridge Park Football Club’s Under 12 Girls team, who were presented with the Berkshire County Girls Football League trophy; we are delighted to announce that Loddon Homes is proud to be part of the team’s success by sponsoring its kit.

The sponsorship deal will provide each player with a full kit – shirts, shorts, and socks displaying the Loddon Homes logo – enabling the club to focus on utilising its funds towards training and other essential football costs.

Furthermore, the provision of a full kit will help each player to be more comfortable playing football in matching kits specifically made for girls, inspiring and motivating them as players.

“For a number of years, the fastest growing area of our national sport has been girls’ football, driven primarily by the huge success of England’s Lionesses. At Ashridge Park, we are proud to have developed five very successful girls’ teams, ranging from Under 9 to Under 16. Through our partnership with Miskits, a firm which specifically creates kits for girls’ teams, we are able to provide bespoke female-fitting kit to our girl’s teams, which is one of the methods that we are using to empower girls and make them feel comfortable while enjoying their football,” says Ady Dolan, Chair of Ashridge Park Football Club.

One of the Under 12 girls’ team players can’t wait for the new kit and is hopeful it will be very motivational and lead to more goals.

“I love playing for Ashridge Park because I enjoy learning how to play football from our coaches, along with the friendliness of the entire team. The new kit looks fantastic, and as a team we can’t wait to start playing matches in it. And hopefully it will help us to score plenty of goals,” says Ava Dolan, U12 team player.

“Having a bespoke girls kit is really important for the team. It reinforces that girl’s football is considered equally to the boy’s game, rather than having to play in boy’s kit. Having the option for a girl’s fitted kit is also an important factor in ensuring that the girls are comfortable when playing and will encourage them to keep playing, especially as they get older,” says Rachel Owen, U12 player parent.

“As a local landlord, Loddon Homes puts communities at the heart of our business. While our key aim is to provide sustainable, quality homes for Wokingham Borough residents, we also recognise that this is only one part of creating a strong community. Sports such as football provide a great source of enjoyment and wellbeing for the Borough’s residents. We are delighted to be able to play a small part in supporting the Ashridge Under 12 girls’ team in the provision of a new kit that they are proud and happy to wear. Who knows, perhaps we might even have the next Alex Scott wearing the Loddon Homes logo! We wish the team every success in this year’s football season,” says Stephen Conway, Chair of Loddon Homes Board.

The new kit will be seen by thousands of families across Berkshire and Surrey every Saturday morning, inspiring more female football players.

Find out more about the club here: http://www.ashridgepark.co.uk

Read about the team’s recent win here: https://wokingham.today/ashridge-park-fc-u12-girls-celebrate-title-win/

If you are struggling financially during the Cost of Living Crisis, there are many services that offer support.

We’ve compiled a list of services that may be able to help you. You can download it HERE.

You can also talk to us if you are struggling.

Please call us Monday to Friday  9am–5pm – 0118 908 8479 or email hello@loddonhomes.co.uk

If you already own a shared ownership property and want to purchase more shares in your home, this process is known as staircasing.

We have produced a handy guide outlining the steps you need to take, including top tips from one of our shared ownership owners who staircased to purchase 100% of his home.

Download your copy HERE.

Loddon Homes is delighted to announce that it has added a newly adapted and refurbished bungalow to its supported living portfolio – the first of its collection to be 100% electric, and gas free

Two local residents with additional support needs will soon be moving into newly refurbished and adapted specialist accommodation in Woodley, provided by Loddon Homes in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council. The Borough Council and Loddon Homes are investing £3.8million in seven properties to provide specialist accommodation for 30 people, which are due to open during the next three months. This includes three bungalows, one house, four two-bed flats and 15 one-bed flats.

The bungalow has been modified to suit the residents’ very specific needs, enabling them to move out of their former accommodation and continue to live independently with dedicated 24-hour care and support.

The refurbishment was carried out by Wokingham Borough Council and is the first of Loddon Homes supported living properties to be fully electric, with heating and hot water supplied by an air source heat pump.

Working with the Council’s Adult Social Services and Strategic Housing team to deliver the new scheme, the bungalow will be owned and managed by Loddon Homes and is part of its wider dedicated provision to increase supported living within the Borough.

As one of five specialist accommodation schemes to be added to its portfolio in the first half of 2022, Loddon Homes is proud to be supporting vulnerable adults in the Wokingham Borough area.

Monni Ryatt, Managing Director of Loddon Homes, said: “Loddon Homes is fortunate to be able to offer supported living for the most vulnerable in the Borough and is continuing to increase its provision by providing more specialist housing that is adapted to the very specific needs of its residents, exceeding the high demand in the area.”

Cllr David Hare, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Loddon Homes to provide much needed, environmentally friendly supported living accommodation in Wokingham Borough. We want to be able to support vulnerable residents with additional support needs to live within the local area, in a home of their own, close to their families and friends. These homes will offer the residents long-term tenancies in a safe and appropriate environment for their needs, with an appropriate level of care available.”