Hello!
We hope you are keeping safe and well. You can listen to this email by clicking here. Inside this email:
• BITMO action on tenant neglect!
• Join BITMO in building local pride!
• Get regular police updates
• We’re here to help with the cost of living
• Become a BITMO “mystery shopper”!
• Missed bin collections in your block?
• Your Tenant Management Organisation needs YOU
• Volunteer day at Belle Isle Parade tree nursery site
• Should you have contents insurance?
• BITMO’s GATE programme for March
BITMO is taking a stand on tenant charges. Every year, we spend thousands of pounds clearing and cleaning properties when tenants move out. That money should be going toward improving the homes you live in—not wasted on unnecessary clean-ups. From now on, we’ll be charging any tenant who moves out of a BITMO property and leaves it dirty or full of belongings.
Why should the rest of the community bear the cost for this? Let’s work together to keep our homes in great condition and ensure our resources go towards the things that matter most. Just like most tenants do, please keep your property clean when you move out, and help us keep costs down so we can spend more on the things people want.
BITMO is on a mission to make Belle Isle a better place to live, and we need your help! Through our Local Pride initiative, our dedicated staff teams are out inspecting the estate, identifying areas that need a little extra care—whether it’s gardens needing attention, communal spaces requiring a tidy-up, or illegal businesses causing problems for neighbours.
Through this work we are closing escape routes to criminals, planting orchards, providing benches and refreshing the planters. We take pride in Belle Isle, and we know most residents feel the same! If you receive a card or letter from us about an issue we’ve found, don’t worry—we’re here to support you. Whether you need help finding a service or advice on how to resolve the problem, we’ve got your back. Let’s work together to keep Belle Isle clean, safe, and somewhere everyone can be proud of.
 New fencing in Windmill Close
West Yorkshire Community Alert is a messaging system brought to you by West Yorkshire Police. By registering you can choose to receive news and appeals, local crime information and/or prevention advice direct to you by email, text or voice message.
Registering for alerts is completely free and once you have signed-up, you can choose how you want to receive the messages and what you want to receive messages about. Click here to register.
You can follow the police for South Leeds on Facebook here.
We know times are tough, especially for those on low incomes, and we’re committed to supporting you. At BITMO, we’ve been working for years to help our community make ends meet. From benefits advice and our community fund to our café, school holiday food and activities and food bank, we’re here to lend a hand when you need it most.
We’ve also run winter warmth campaigns, providing a few cozy extras to help you stay warm at home as well as offering a welcoming space where you can gather with others without worrying about rising heating costs. Through our community fund, we offer support for essential items like school shoes, winter coats, bedding, and even larger items for your home.
If you're struggling with an essential purchase, don’t hesitate to reach out. If any of your neighbours are struggling, please talk to them about the BITMO Community Fund. Please apply online using this form.
Want to help make a difference in Belle Isle? We’re looking for a few enthusiastic individuals to become BITMO “mystery shoppers”!
As a mystery shopper you will phone or visit our office, look at our website, or inspect empty homes that are being repaired to check BITMO’s customer service. We will provide all the guidance and training you need to be confident to understand what the service should be and how to judge it, plus we will take on board your own ideas about how it can be made better.
If you have a couple of hours to spare each month, you can help us improve our services for everyone in the community. We’ll provide all the training you need, and in return, you’ll receive a shopping voucher to cover your time and costs.
Interested? Contact Debbie McCartney today and get involved in shaping the future of our services!
Any missed bin collections are a problem, but it’s even worse for tenants of the three-storey blocks, where six families share a bin and no-one has their own garden to store any uncollected rubbish. When bin collections are missed in these blocks, BITMO caretakers get out to help. Here are some things you can do to help as well:
 You can report missed bin collections on the council website here.
BITMO is on the lookout for people who want to work with us to make the important decisions about how the estate runs for the benefit of the people who live here. We need people with a few hours to spare every month to help BITMO deliver our mission to make Belle Isle A Safer, Stronger, Greener Community where people want to live. If you’ve ever wondered how things get done, or why some things don’t get done, you can be a part of making change. We’ve got vacancies on our housing committee and on our Board. No experience required. We will provide all the support and training that you need.
You might see this as a useful hobby, an opportunity to get more involved and make changes in the community or a route into work or training. Whatever your motivation we will put a plan together with you, to help you achieve your goals. If you would like to know more please come along to BITMO’s GATE on Wednesday 26th March between 5pm and 6.30pm. We’d love to meet you.
BITMO is considering working with a co-operative called Fruit Works to create a tree nursery on the green space between Belle Isle Parade and Winrose Hill. Access is through a locked gate on Belle Isle Parade, between Andy's and the post office. It has been unused for many years and there are no other plans for its use. It is not suitable for building housing on.
BITMO and Fruit Works have knocked on all the doors of houses and flats that back onto the site and talked to all the shopkeepers. There is a lot of support for the plan. We held an open day where 10 residents came to see the site. We are now holding the first of what we hope will be monthly volunteer days on the site. It’s from 10am to 1pm on Thursday 3 April. Please join Fruit Works and the BITMO caretakers on site to cut back some of the plants, remove dumped items and litter pick.
You can read more about the plans here.
You never expect things to go wrong at home, but it could happen, ruining or destroying the things you love and need. Contents insurance financially protects the contents in your home, garage, and shed – such as your clothes, furniture, TV, kitchen appliances, gadgets, and garden tools. If the worst happens, you could claim on your insurance, and if covered, this would pay to repair or replace your contents. That’s why we’ve given it our thumbs-up.
Visit Home contents insurance today for more information on how to get cover.
 Please follow BITMO on Instagram.
Keep up-to-date with BITMO services and local news by visiting the BITMO Facebook Page and the BITMO website.
Belle Isle TMO works in partnership with Leeds City Council to serve the residents of Belle Isle estate.
Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation Limited Registered under the Co-operative and Communities Benefit Societies Act No.29817R. Registered Office: Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle, Leeds, LS10 3QH
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