A young Peterborough resident, Kane Hempson, has visited the House of Lords to meet with Baroness Falkner to hear of his achievements in contributing to the local community.

Kane, from Appleyard, managed by Minister, part of The Hyde Group, was nominated by his local residents support involvement officer for his hard work and determination in helping to make his neighbourhood a better place.

An accomplished dancer, Kane helped to form an after school dance group called A.S.K, standing for Artistic Street Kids, which have performed at a variety of local events including a school parents evening. For a recent Hyde fun day, Kane choreographed and performed a dance for which he won the first prize of £100.

On the day, Kane met with Baroness Falkner, member of the Hyde Board, to discuss his significant contributions to his neighbourhood, before receiving a tour of the House of Lords and taking tea in the peers’ dining room.

“I have been thrilled to receive Kane in the House of Lords and enjoyed hearing about the great work he is doing in his local community. Young people have a vital part to play in creating an inclusive and vibrant environment that people are proud to call home. I look forward to hearing about the fantastic work I know Kane will carry out in the forthcoming months and years”, Baroness Falkner said.

Kane added: “Visiting the House of Lords and meeting Baroness Falkner was amazing. I learned a lot about Parliament and what the Lords do, and even saw Lord Alan Sugar. I was really pleased to be nominated for this trip and definitely want to get involved more”.

Minster developments across the Kings Lynn area have been found to be in ‘excellent condition’, following a recent quarterly estate inspection.

The assessment, carried out by a team of Minster Board members, Resident Forum members and residents, looked at all aspects of the neighbourhoods. Overall, the estates were found to be in an excellent condition, with some minor repairs reported which have since been resolved.

Moving forward, the Resident Involvement Team will consult with residents on suggestions that were raised to improve Minster estates and assess whether there is scope for implementation.

John Delahunty, Head of Housing at Minster, said: “We are thrilled that all Minster estates were deemed to be in ‘excellent’ condition by our residents; we strive to deliver welcoming communities and homes for our customers. The estate inspections are an excellent opportunity for Minster Board and Resident Forum members to engage with our residents across all parts of the region, and to receive meaningful suggestions for service improvement.”

Anne Harrad, a Resident Forum member who lives in a Minster development in Peterborough said: “The estate inspections are a very good way of seeing what Minster services are really like. I spoke to a number of residents in Kings Lynn who couldn’t speak highly enough about Minster staff and the services they receive. Also, as a resident myself, I know exactly what I’m looking for when I look around the area”.

Local experts on supported housing services gathered at the Minster Sheltered Housing Forum at The Cresset, Peterborough on Tuesday 16th February, with the aim of improving the quality of services for older residents.

Minster hosted the day which included presentations from Age Concern and the Minster Community Engagement Team. There was also a presentation from Minster Income Officers regarding benefits and associated information for older people.

Over 30 residents from Minster supported housing schemes attended the day and gave their personal views on how supported housing services could be improved and also put forward meaningful suggestions on how schemes could operate going forward.

Louise Fife, Housing Services Manager for Minster, said: “We are thrilled to be able to host today’s Sheltered Housing Forum and hope to see informative and useful discussions take place. We are committed to making a positive difference to the lives of our residents by helping them to live independently and view this forum as a tool to do just that”.

Minster has continued to build new homes and negotiate development contracts that extend to 2012 in spite of the rigours of the recession.

“Last year was positive and we are again well placed for continued growth,” says Steve Wilson, Minster’s Managing Director.

Minster successfully bid for a £1.1million grant from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to help finance a scheme of 31 homes for rent in Peterborough.

Peterborough City Council and the HCA are working with Minster and Persimmon Homes East Midlands, to provide the affordable units at the Towermead site in Fletton. This has been achieved by funding early infrastructure works to allow the scheme to progress. Persimmon Homes is now on site and the first Minster homes will be ready to move into early next year.

Minster also celebrated the completion of its first homes in Milton Keynes with a contract to take ownership of 36 houses and apartments at Claridge Park, Middleton.

Working with partner, Crest Nicholson, Minster took handover of five shared ownership houses and nine apartments in 2009. These are the first two phases of a scheme that will see 22 more homes delivered in 2010 and beyond. Significantly, even in this difficult market all five houses were under offer before they were even completed.