Whether you've taken part in a community project, have a neighbour who deserves a shout-out, or want to share a great tip that other residents could use, this is your space to shine.
Your experiences help bring our communities to life - and they might just inspire someone else too. If you've got something worth shouting about, big or small, get in touch and be part of our next issue!
Our Winter edition is all about making it your year, together – and reminding you that you don’t have to do it alone.
In this issue, we’re shining a spotlight on our Neighbour of the Year award winners, connecting with our Community Hubs, and sharing tips and support to help you take control of your money.
In this edition, we’re celebrating our Orbit community with highlights from your latest Customer Annual Report. You’ll find practical tips to save energy and money, while supporting your wellbeing as the days grow cooler.
This uplifting issue celebrates real Orbit voices – from chef Kyle’s budget-friendly recipes to inspiring community stories, digital safety tips, and greener living advice. It's packed with everyday ideas and updates to help you feel informed, supported, and proud to be part of the Orbit community.
Looking after your wellbeing is important. Mental Health Awareness Week falls in May, so we’ve got a Better Days special feature that includes details about Health Assured, our new myWellbeing programme partner. They can offer you free and confidential support, as well as expert advice on a wide range of personal issues. Find out more on page six.
Would you like to improve your digital skills? Check out our new face-to-face myDigital training sessions on page seven and build your confidence in the digital world.
A big thanks to those Engaged Customers who helped decide the final quarterly winner of our ‘Love your community’ photography competition. It was a tough decision! We’ve also announced the overall winner of the £250 Love2shop voucher. See page 9 to find out more.
Learn details about our upcoming Your Voice Awareness Week. Head to page 11. Have you met our new chatbot, Orbot yet? More info is on page 10.
In case you missed it, learn more about how we’ve delivered services to you over the last year, by watching our short film with highlights from our customer annual report, ‘Delivering positive change together’.
In the latest edition of Orbit Life magazine, read about how Barry, one of our Independent Living customers, completed a wing walk on an airplane to raise money for charities close to his heart. You can also learn about AnneMarie, an Engaged Customer who was nominated for a ‘Women in Housing’ award.
Find out who the latest winner is of our ‘Love your community’ photography competition and check out the shortlisted photos from your communities.
In the spring edition of Orbit Life, learn who the winner of our ‘Love your community’ photography competition is and check out the shortlisted photos from your communities.
You can also find out more about the improvements we’re making to our repairs service, including a quicker, easier booking system and working more closely with our contractors to make sure repairs are done right.
In the Winter edition of Orbit Life, read about Tracey, a caring resident who has setup a volunteer pop-up grocery shop to help her neighbours purchase their food shopping and other essentials more easily. You can also read more about understanding your rent and service charges, as we’ll be writing to you this month to let you know what your rent and any other charges will be for the year starting in April.
Love your community? Enter our new photography competition where you could win a £50 Love2Shop shopping voucher. Find out more along with some helpful photo taking tips!
In the Autumn edition of Orbit Life magazine, you can find the latest cost of living updates and advice – and details on how you can access our ‘Cost of living hub’ and free Better Days support services.
You can also read about how we’ve delivered on our Customer Promise to you in this year’s customer annual report, ‘Customer voices driving positive change.’ Created in partnership with customers, the report looks at what you’ve told us is most important to you and how we’ve performed over the last year, plus what our plans are for the future. See page two of Orbit Life to check out our short highlight film.
In the latest edition of Orbit Life, read all about your Good Neighbour award nominees and how they're making a real difference in your communities. Learn about Ken, who was nominated by his neighbour, Anne. She noticed how Ken would run coffee mornings for older residents and go out of his way to check on everyone, especially if anything unexpected occurred such as a power cut. Ken is always willing to head up to the chemist or shop if asked and will also run rubbish down to the bins for his neighbours.
In the Spring edition of Orbit Life, we’ve got an update on the cost of living support, particularly for those people who may be on benefits. We’ve also got some information about the Energy Price Guarantee, an update on prepayment meters and details on social tariffs for mobile phone and internet providers – that could save you money!
With the crowning of our new King and Queen on 6 May, the Coronation celebrations may now behind us. However, we’ve pulled together a feature on how some of you in our Independent Living schemes joined in the festivities and celebrated this special time in our history.
We can’t choose our neighbours, but we can choose how we treat them. We can all do something, no matter how small to be a good neighbour.
In this edition of Orbit Life, we’ve got some fantastic tips and ideas about how you can be the neighbour that you would like to live next door to. We’ve also got details on how you can nominate that brilliant neighbour who goes over and above to care for your community for our Good Neighbour Award. It’s a great way to thank them for the work they do to make your community a great place to live.
With the colder weather and Christmas now approaching, we want you to know we’re here to help. In this edition of Orbit Life, we’ve got advice on how to make sense of the support available to help us all manage our increased energy bills and details on how you can access free energy advice information from our new partner, National Energy Action.
We’ve also got five easy ways you can spend less this Christmas! We’re #InItTogether
The increases for food, fuel, energy and general costs are having a massive impact on us all.
That’s why we’ve pulled together a ‘cost of living’ special edition, to help you find the information you might need, and all in one central place.
Learn about the free support available to you through Better Days, our partners and the Government - along with tips and advice on how to get the most for your money through apps and savvy shopping. We’re #InItTogether
We’ve made a few changes… based on what you told us you wanted in your magazine.
Now included: in a bolder, brighter layout which is easier to read. We have more stories about residents and their lives, community articles, Better Days help and support information and what partner support and services are available to you. This issue was supported by our guest editor – Samir, who is one of our engaged customers, and ensured we share content you will love.
We really do hope you enjoy reading it!
