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Hoober neighbourhood update

The latest news and information from Brampton, Harley, Manvers, Nether Haugh, Wentworth and West Melton.

 January 2025

Christmas 2024 at Cortonwood

Cortonwood Comeback Centre on Chapel Avenue, Brampton, was at the heart of Christmas 2024, ensuring everyone's faces were aglow.  With carols, services and activities for all ages, it was non-stop jingle all the way.  Even on Christmas Day, Councillor Lelliott and the incredible staff there opened the Centre's doors and shared the season with those who would otherwise spend the day alone - 16 people came along for sandwiches and a chat, having a great time opening presents, chatting together and making new friends.

Thanks to all the wonderful staff involved in the food bank, they were able to provide 60 food hampers, which supported 140 people and families.

Hip Hip Hooray

After the fantastic performances of Social Eyes and pupils from Highfield Farm Primary School with Christmas songs and Christmas Carols at the Masefield Avenue Christmas Tree Lights Switch On Event in November 2024, Ward Councillors showed their appreciation by presenting a medal to all involved. 

With broad smiles and cheers all around, pictured are Cllrs Brent, Lelliott and Williams enjoying the celebrations with the performers from Social Eyes. Watch this space for Ward Members' visit to Highfield Farm Primary School.

Make Your Money Go Further 

At the invite of Hoober ward councillors, RotherFed's Make Your Money Go Further Team were out again on Thursday, 19 December, 2024, at Wentworth's Mechanics Institute. 

Residents got useful advice on how to save, get the most out of their money and stay warm and well with a Winter Warmer Pack or a referral to the Green Doctor. 

They were also joined by Hollie Downey, RMBC's Community Energy Officer, to raise awareness of the Community Energy Team and the support they can offer.

You can get advice on staying warm, well and saving on your household bills by contacting the Green Doctor on 0300 303 3292, or emailing: greendoctoryorkshire@groundwork.org.uk

Free independent advice

Rotherham Baby Packs

Councillors Brent, Lelliott and Williams (pictured below) were at the launch of Rotherham's Baby Packs. Funded by Rotherham Council, the packs are part of the Council's commitment to ensuring that every child in Rotherham gets the best possible start in life.

These new packs will soon start to be delivered to pregnant women across the borough after registration for them opened in January 2025.

Hoober ward councillors would like to encourage any expectant families to register.  Each pack contains clothing, a toy, a book, and other useful items for the first six months of baby's life, all packed in a sturdy storage box that can later be used as a memory box.

Read more information and register.

Winter Advice

Age UK's Keeping Warm and Well in Winter

Keeping warm in winter is important as we get older, as cold weather and winter bugs can affect us more than they used to. Winter weather can also stop us from getting out and about sometimes. But there are things you can do to stay warm and well and prepare yourself and your home for the winter period such as:

• Keep moving
• Eat well
• Get your Winter vaccinations
• Make sure your home in warm enough
• Wrap up well
• Applying for benefits you're entitled to
• Stocking up on cold and sore throat remedies and food
• Taking care outside when the ground is slippery
• Emergency numbers
• Heart and circulation
• Looking out for other people

If you want to learn more, you can contact Age UK Rotherham on 01709 368372 or visit their website.

Independent Age supports older people facing financial hardship by offering information, advice and support.  Their helpline and expert advisers offer free, practical support to older people without enough money to live on.

This is done through their grants programme and they support hundreds of local organisations working directly with older people across the UK. 

Did you also know that Independent Age offer a whole range of information sheets and booklets, all free to download, including such topics as Winterwise (practical tips on staying warm and healthy in the Winter months), Living with Long Term Health Conditions, Moneywise (how to boost your income and cut your bills), Scamwise, Pension Credit and so much more?

For general information or advice and information packs, just follow the links.  Alternatively, you can ring them on freephone 0800 319 6789 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm).

Winter Advice for Pets Us Brits think the world of our pets and what better way to show them our love than by making sure they are safe and warm this Winter, so here's a few helpful tips from the RSPCA: Dogs When out walking in the dark, wear reflective clothing and get a reflective collar or light for your dog's collar.  Buy elderly or poorly dogs a coat or jumper to keep them warm.  Keep dogs away from icy ponds or lakes and watch out for snow becoming compacted under paws.  Antifreeze and rock salt can be poisonous to pets so wash paws thoroughly. Cats Keep your cat's bed away from cold draughts.  In the coldest months, you cat must have access to a warm environment, such as your home or another heated indoor area. Rabbits and Guinea Pigs Outdoor pets need extra bedding such as dust-free hay.  Keep their enclosure protected and insulated from bad weather by using blankets or covers, making sure they're still well-ventilated.  Wet bedding will freeze on cold nights and could make them ill.  As the temperature drops, consider moving it into an outhouse, shed or unused garage. Birds in Aviaries, Coops or Runs Add plenty of extra dry, warm bedding, such as straw and cover their enclosures to keep the wind and rain out.  Birds eat more to keep warm in cold conditions, so give them plenty of food and fresh water and make sure this doesn't freeze over. Fishpond Check it daily to ensure the surface isn't entirely frozen over as poisonous gases can build up under the ice.  Don't break the ice or pour boiling water onto the pond as this can harm the fish.  Instead, carefully place a saucepan of hot water on the surface to melt a hole in the ice. For more information check out their website.

New Year, New You!

You could get in shape, make new friends and learn new things this winter, boosting your physical and mental health.  You are welcome to come along to these planned events in Hoober Ward:

Brampton Bierlow Parish Hall

Mondays

Indoor Bowling - suitable for over 18 years - 1.00pm to 3.00pm

Cardio Dance - everyone welcome - 6.30pm to 7.30pm

Tuesdays

Pilates - beginners class - 5.00pm to 6.00pm

Pilates - beginner to intermediate - 6.15pm to 7.15pm

Wednesdays

Easy Sequence Dancing - suitable for all ages - 1.00pm to 3.00pm

Slimming World - suitable for over 16 years - classes start at 5.00pm and 6.30pm

Thursdays

Slimming World - suitable for people over 16 years-old - classes start at 9.00am and finish at 10.30am

Games Afternoon - free for all, just drop in and chat or play table top games (includes, tea, coffee and biscuits) - 1.00pm to 3.00pm

For more information (including prices), telephone 01226 752280 or visit their website.

Cortonwood Comeback Centre

Mondays

Computers, CV, Benefits, form filling, job search etc, 9.30am to 3.00pm                      (appointments may be necessary)

Coffee Morning - 10.00am to 11.30am

Craft Group - 12.30pm to 2.30pm

Taekwondo - 5.30pm to 7.00pm

Fitness Class (Strength and Tone) - 7.00pm to 7.45pm

Fitness Class (Pilates and Yoga) - 7.45pm to 8.30pm

Tuesdays

Computers, CV, Benefits, form filling, job search etc, 9.30am to 3.00pm                      (appointments may be necessary)

Lunch Club - 11.45am to 1.30pm

Senior Youth Club - 6.30pm to 8.00pm

Wednesdays

Computers, CV, Benefits, form filling, job search etc, 9.30am to 3.00pm                      (appointments may be necessary)

Messy Monster Play Group - 9.00am to 10.30am

Sewing Club - 12.30pm to 2.45pm

Junior Youth Club - 5.30pm to 7.00pm

Fitness Class (Cardio Fitness) - 7.15pm to 8.00pm

Thursdays

Computers, CV, Benefits, form filling, job search etc, 9.30am to 3.00pm                      (appointments may be necessary)

Senior Citizens Club - 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Taekwondo - 6.00pm to 7.30pm

Fridays

Lunch Club - 11.45am to 1.30pm

Youth Theatre (Age 8+ years) - 5.00pm to 6.30pm

Saturdays

Dog Training - 12.30pm to 1.30pm

Dog Training - 1.30pm to 3.30pm

For more information, telephone 01226 759572 or visit their website.

Mechanics Institute, Wentworth

Mondays

Silver Swans Ballet Exercise - 10.30am to 11.30am

Silver Swans - 11.40am to 12.40pm

Art Group - 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Tuesdays

Tai Chi - 1.00pm to 2.00pm

L/B/T Body Conditioning - 5.30pm to 6.16pm

Pilates - 6.30pm to 7.30pm

Wednesday

Pilates - 4.00pm to 5.00pm

Wentworth Chatty Crafters - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Textiles - 11.00am to 3.30pm (1st Wednesday monthly)

Thursdays

Pop-In (tea/cake/chat) - 2.00pm to 4.00pm

Women's Institute - 7.00pm to 9.00pm (2nd Thursday monthly)

Fridays

Pilates - 9.30am to 1.30am

Barnsley & District Parkinson's UK - 10.45am to 12.45pm

Indoor Bowling - 1.45pm to 4.15pm

Sundays

Yoga Life Journey (1st Sunday monthly)

Harley Mission Rooms

4th Friday Monthly

Friday Friends (cuppa and a chat) - 10.00am to 12.00noon

Motorbikes, Quads & Off Road Vehicles

Motorbikes, quads and off road vehicles are not just a nuisance, they can be responsible for anti-social crime. Please report incidents to South Yorkshire Police.  If it's an emergency, always call 999, for a non-emergency use 101 or go online.

Cortonwood Crossing Update

Work continues on the new crossing at Cortonwood Retail Park to ensure connectivity and safety for all pedestrians.  There are still a few weeks of work remaining to complete, however, the carriageway resurfacing will soon take place, followed by the installation of the traffic signals and equipment.

Have your say on changes to our Housing Allocation Policy

Rotherham Council’s Housing Allocation Policy outlines how social housing is allocated to applicants on the housing register.

We have recently reviewed and drafted an updated version of the Policy in response to changes in local demand and to make sure it complies with UK legislation and good practice.

The Policy sets out who can apply for social housing, how we assess and prioritise applications for local people and how we can make best use of our homes. Reviewing the Policy will allow the us to:

• set out clearly how we allocate and let social housing
• ensure decisions are made fairly and with clear reasons
• make it easier for applicants to understand the eligibility criteria
• improve the way we prioritise people, ensuring support to those with the most urgent housing need
• make sure we comply with recent changes in legislation and good practice

A full table of proposed changes to the Policy can be found online here.

Housing applicants, residents, stakeholders and landlords have until April 6, 2025 to share their views via this online survey.

WalkSafe App

WalkSafe was founded in 2020 with a concept to give users as much information about their surroundings as possible.

It can be used between friends to track each other’s journeys, let each other know when you’re home safe or share your live location with trusted friends.

We are working alongside WalkSafe, South Yorkshire Police and other Local Authorities in South Yorkshire to include safe places on the WalkSafe app. This will allow app users to find a safe place whilst they are out and about, if they need help or to plan their routes with safety in mind.

In order to be added to the app, venues have to meet certain requirements such as staff having received safeguarding training or venues implementing measures to improve safety such as Ask for Angela and nationally registered Safe Place venues (you can find more information on these at www.safeplaces.org.uk).

WalkSafe is free to download and use from your usual app store.

For more information, check out their website.

Your Views on the Policing Precept

The South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, is asking for your views on the setting of the policing precept for South Yorkshire – the small part of your council tax bill that is spent on policing and crime services.

South Yorkshire Police work hard every day to keep our communities safe and it is important that you have your say on the amount you pay towards policing.

The money will be used to tackle the issues that you are telling us that are important:

• Increasing confidence in policing
• Tackling antisocial behaviour
• Reducing knife crime
• Working towards Vision Zero- eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, accepting that traffic accidents are preventable
• Preventing CSE and pursuing those who commit offences

The responses you provide will be used to form part of the proposal for the council tax precept for next year.

The survey will close at 12 noon on Monday 3 February.

Take part in the survey by clicking on this link: https://forms.office.com/e/71LQhxePkz or scanning the QR code below:

Wiseup Event

The Joint Community Safety Team are holding an event for South Yorkshire residents.

WISEUP is on Monday 17 February 2025 and is aimed at over 50’s, but most content is suitable for adults of all ages, particularly those with caring responsibilities for adults. 

The event will be held at Lifewise Centre, Hellaby, Rotherham, S66 8LB in our purpose built fully interactive set https://www.lifewise999.co.uk/, which is just off Junction 1 of the M18 by car, and easily accessible by the X1 bus service if you have no access to a vehicle.

The day includes important inputs from South Yorkshire Police & South Yorkshire Fire Service, including:

• Doorstep crime
• Home fire safety
• Herbert Protocol
• Drive Safe for older drivers
• Fraud & cyber crime

10am – Arrival, tea and coffee

10.30am – AM Scenarios

12pm – Lunch (30 minutes) – please bring a packed lunch as there is no café on site

12.30pm – PM Scenarios

14.30pm – Finish

Tea and Coffee will be provided to all guests.

Car parking is available, but this is limited.

Places are free but must be booked by emailing lifewise.booking@southyorks.pnn.police.uk providing the full name of all attendees, postcode and mobile phone number.

The centre is fully accessible and all on one level, but please let us know if any of the attendees are wheelchair users or have a hearing or visual impairment.

For all our events and news follow our Facebook page Community Safety at Lifewise

Open Arms drop-in sessions

Together with Citizens Advice, Laser Credit Union and Rotherham Federation, Open Arms deliver free drop-in sessions throughout Rotherham to help support people with the cost of living. 

Open Arms Community Support Hub will run from Wath Community Library on alternate Tuesday's, including the following dates: 

• 4 February 2025
• 18 February 2025
• 4 March 2025
• 18 March 2025

Open Arms are also offering free Mindful Living Sessions at locations across Rotherham if you are able to travel.

They offer a free two-hour session focusing on any of the following, Arts and Crafts, Dance and Exercise, Wellbeing or Citizens Advice question and answer sessions. 

Sessions are available for groups of five or more.

To book, please get in touch with Rotherfed by email: info@rotherfed.org or by calling 01709 368515, or visit the Rotherfed website.

Make new friends at Rotherham u3a

If you're not in full time work, lonely and would like some company, want to meet and make new friends who share your interests or are just looking for something new or want to learn more on an existing interest, then Rotherham u3a could be your answer. 

They provide a myriad of social, cultural and education opportunities throughout Rotherham Borough, including crafting, exercise, sport, photography and more. Now is the perfect time to join as they celebrate their 30th anniversary.

Their annual membership runs from Septermber and for 2024-2025 and costs £60 for the year. Members can attend as many groups as they like. There is a pro-rata membership reduction in January 2025 to £40, and a reduction to £20 when joining from April.

If you're interested in learning more, they are hosting an open event on Friday 21 February 2025, 2.00pm to 3.30pm at Broom Lane Methodist Church, 1 Stag Lane, Rotherham S60 3NR or just take a look at their website.

Councillors for Hoober ward

Cllr Rajmund Brent Email: rajmund.brent@rotherham.gov.uk Tel: 07504 980578 | View all details about Cllr Rajmund Brent

Councillor Denise Lelliott Email: denise.lelliott@rotherham.gov.uk Tel: 07931 260825 | View all details about Cllr Denise Lelliott

Councillor John Williams Email: john.williams@rotherham.gov.uk Tel: 01709 807949 | View all details about Cllr John Williams

Contact your local Neighbourhoods Team

Tracey White

Neighbourhood Co-ordinator for Hoober

Email: tracey.white@rotherham.gov.uk

Tel: 07789 617837

Nicola Hacking

Senior Neighbourhood Coordinator for North Rotherham  

Email: nicola.hacking@rotherham.gov.uk

Tel: 01709 254376

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