Community festival
Sentinel are pleased to sponsor this year's Popley Festival on Sunday 20 May at Popley Fields Community Centre. With free admission (£1 for parking) this annual event will feature:
- Arena events
- funfair
- car-boot sale
- family picnic
- team events and competitions
- archery
- re-enactments and entertainment
- charity stalls
Pop along and say hello to the Homescope team who will be on hand to answer your questions about Shared Ownership and some brand new developments coming up.
Call Popley Fields Community Centre: 01256 414494 for more details.
No man is an island
Residents of our new Popley Islands development looked on as an “optical puzzle” art feature called Parallax was erected in pride of place in November.
Local people were part of the whole design process, from helping to shortlist and interview the artists, to meeting them, hearing about their ideas and making the final decision about awarding the commission.
Last year as part of this project, Popley schoolchildren got a chance to have a go at the traditional art of blacksmithing. Our commissioned artists – Anwick Forge – set up a mobile forge at Marnel Junior school where pupils got some hands on experience working with metal.
The sculpture, forged in steel, is based on the quotation “No man is an island…”, and now forms part of the newly created area of open space in the centre of the new development. We hope this sculpture will be a focal point for the community for many years to come.
The £40m regeneration of the area began in January 2010 with the first keys handed over to new residents just a year later. We expect the new community to be fully established by March 2012.
Find out more about the Popley Islands development
Playtime in full swing
Children at Marnel Junior School are enjoying a suite of new play equipment thanks to a grant from our Community Chest. The project, which was allocated funding by the Basingstoke Neighbourhood Panel, involved the installation of five new pieces of play equipment in the school's playground.
With this new equipment children are able to keep active during breaks which keeps them entertained and helps them to concentrate better in class. The equipment is so popular that each year group is allocated slots to avoid over-crowding. Extra time on the adventure playground is also used as a reward to motivate the children.
Brian and Helen, members of the Basingstoke Neighbourhood Panel, agreed that it was Community Chest money well spent when they visited the school and were able to witness first hand the use of the equipment in full swing.
The new equipment consists of up-and-over bars, monkey bars, rope walks and climbing bars and is surrounded by a soft rubber matting for increased safety.
If you know of a project in your area that could benefit from our Community Chest visit the Community Chest webpages to find out how you could get funding.
See more pictures of the equipment in action on our facebook page.
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Popley pop-in
Residents in the Popley Poets area can now pop into Pebbles Childrens Centre for a chat with Sentinel staff. The informal community drop in sessions run from 2pm till 4pm on the third Tuesday of the month. You don’t need an appointment, so, whether you’re popping into Pebbles with your kids or making a special trip, we’ll be there to chat about your home, your neighbourhood, your rent account or anything else that affects you as a Sentinel customer. Check out facebook.com/sentinelha or our online calendar for more details.
Supporting local talent
Our three-year sponsorship of Marnel Football Club Popley (MFC) has helped more than 100 local kids get access to great football coaching. The club is regularly visited by Premiership talent scouts, and they’re now looking to get adult teams together too, so the younger players can get used to playing against adults.
On Saturday 23 July they hosted a youth football tournament at the Power League centre in Brighton Hill. Teams from across the area competed and we were there too running a spot the ball competition. You can contact MFC Popley by email on mfcpopley@hotmail.co.uk to find out more, or check out facebook.com/sentinelha
Joining the community at the village fete
Our staff joined hundreds of people who flocked to the Village Green in Sherfield on Loddon on Saturday 11 June for the annual village fete. As well as the usual stalls and traditional games, entertainment included a falconry display, juggling, circus skills and live music.
Youngsters had a chance to win prizes by entering our colouring competition and test their dexterity by hooking a duck.
Finally, for those of you who visited our stall and had a go at guessing the number of wine gums we could cram into the empty wine carafe… there were 149! Prizes are on the way to the lucky winners.
Tropical welcome fo new residents
Popley residents and Sentinel Housing Association are celebrating moving into the first new homes on the Popley regeneration project on Reading Road.
In just a year, Faroe Close and Maldive Road has been transformed, with the outdated maisonettes and concrete walkways replaced with stylish family homes and apartments, as part of a £40m project.
With the first 18 of the 202 new homes already occupied, we welcomed new residents to Popley Islands at a special Caribbean-style street party on May 12 with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and contractor Hill Partnerships.
The regeneration will complete in 2013, providing 202 new homes, newly equipped play areas, two new shops, well-lit footpaths, and a large ‘kickabout’ area. And the boarded-up Barbican pub is also likely to be replaced, subject to 
planning permission, which will provide a further 42 homes and two shops.
The new eco-friendly homes also feature built-in wardrobes, extra storage space, and the houses all come with sheds and secure back gardens.
The regeneration of Faroe Close and Maldive Road is Sentinel’s fourth in Basingstoke. Other projects and schemes at Oakridge, Bishops Green, and Popley Poets which together will provide nearly 800 new homes to replace outdated social housing.
To see more pictures from the event visit our facebook page.
Lucy's island dream comes true
Lucy Povey couldn’t believe what came up on the computer screen. Her bid on the home of her dreams had just been topped by someone with more housing points. Gutted, she resigned herself to starting another search for a new home after Christmas.
Then, just a few days before Christmas, she got a letter. The other bidder had taken a bigger house somewhere else, so Lucy was offered the new two-bedroom terrace on our new £40m Popley Islands development in Basingstoke.
“I know I’m very lucky,” says the 21-year-old mum from nearby Oakridge, “I’d been on the waiting list for three and a half years, and thought I would get nowhere. It was a bit daunting, signing up for it, as I’d never been through it before. But it was fairly straightforward.”
As we don’t move people around over Christmas, Lucy picked up the keys in January. Surrounded by unpacked boxes while the carpet-fitters get to work, Lucy can’t wait to settle in with three-year-old daughter Ronnie.
Lucy is one of the first residents to move into the regenerated area of Faroe Close & Maldive Road. The infamous maisonettes were bulldozed last April, and Lucy is one of more than 200 families, couples and individuals making up the new community.
The hi-spec homes feature built-in wardrobes, lots of indoor storage, and the houses are also equipped with sheds in secure back gardens. Once complete in 2013, there will also be a new parade of shops, a large open space ‘kickabout’ area, and well-lit paths linking up the various parts of the new development.
Obviously, on a largely empty site, there aren’t too many neighbours yet, but Lucy says: “I know one of the girls opposite, who used to live in my close [in Oakridge]. And I’m close to my family too, which is important to me.”
So what next for Lucy? Well, with a new baby on the way, she’s just happy to have moved into her dream home. “It’s great. I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot.”
If you’re interested in moving to the new Popley Islands development, make sure you get on the housing waiting list and get bidding. More new homes will be available in May this year.
High flying rescues
A new video available on YouTube shows how Hampshire Fire and Rescue practiced hair raising rescues at great heights using the tower crane at the new Faroe and Maldive site.
Find out how Hampshire Fire and Rescue got on with high-flying rescues in Popley.
Popley Islands - new designs
Residents of the Popley Islands estate were invited to share their views on new designs for the area. Following feedback from our last consultation event, we talked to Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council about including the Barbican Public House as part of this regeneration project.
We came up with some new designs and are invited local residents to come along and see the revised plans we’ve developed based on our previous consultations. There was a chance to make comments and ask any questions about the designs before we submitted our application for planning in October.
You can see the drawings here . If you have any questions about the project you can pop into a drop in session at the site office, or contact Simon Bridgen.
Young people banish boredom in Bramley
Young people in Bramley are getting together to help banish boredom in their village. We’ve teamed up with Basingstoke and Deane’s Community Development worker and youth organisation Vinvolved to help them put their ideas into action.
So far over 80 youngsters have been involved with meetings and consultations. Ideas range from setting up a youth club and regular sports activities to building a skate park. We’ve started working together with a small group of young people and the youth club and sports activities are already taking shape.
If you’d like to set up a youth project in your neighbourhood, get in touch with your neighbourhood coordinator and find out how we can help.
Sculpture forges new links in Popley
Popley schoolchildren went hammer and tongs in July to start work forging a new sculpture for the £40m Popley Islands regeneration project.
Our commissioned artists - Anwick Forge - set up a mobile forge at Marnel Junior School so pupils could fashion the steel for an 'optical puzzle' art feature called 'Parallax'.
The sculpture is based on the quotation "No man is an island…", and forms part of a council-backed initiative to brighten up Popley - an area that's seen major investment in recent years.
Sentinel's Executive Director Val Bagnall said: "There's a big effort going into improving Popley, and while it's great we're a major part, we're very pleased to see local children rolling their sleeves up to help us revive community pride in the area."
The £40m regeneration of the area around the Maldive Road shops is the latest in a decade-long investment programme for Popley by Sentinel and follows on from the £15m regeneration of Longfellow Parade (off Shakespeare Road), plus around £3m spent on new windows, kitchens, bathrooms and boilers in Popley in the last year.
Community artist Anwick Forge said it was "a fantastic opportunity for local children to see how 'big art' is made", as well as having the chance to learn new skills and see a traditional craft like blacksmithing in action- something very few people get to experience these days.
Simon Taylor, Education Manager from local arts education charity The Making, is managing the project on our behalf and added: "We are ensuring that local residents are part of the whole design process, from helping to shortlist and interview the artists, to meeting them, hearing about their ideas and making their own contribution towards the finished product.
"The children had a really memorable day getting to grips with all the unusual tools and the exciting way Anwick Forge work with bits of metal!"
Meanwhile, the demolition of the outdated 1960s maisonettes is now complete, and everything is on track for the first new residents to move in next January.
The sculpture will be installed next April, with an official unveiling and community event planned for May 2011.
Poetry in motion
Active residents from the Popley Poets area of Basingstoke have formed the Shakespeare Road Community Association to tackle local issues and influence the way the community develops.
As the £15m regeneration of Longfellow Parade is due to finish this summer, we’ve been working with local people to see what else can be done to improve the neighbourhood. Although it’s early days at the Poets, it’s a really good time to get involved. If you’re interested, contact Richard Pilbeam, Community and Customer Involvement Coordinator on 0800 195 5515 (landline) or 0300 666 5515 (mobile) or email Richard.pilbeam@sentinelha.org.uk.
Making a difference in your neighbourhood
Improved car parking, landscaping and a tidy up of local allotments are among the improvements requested by village residents in Sherfield-on-Loddon and Bramley. In Bow Drive, Sherfield-on-Loddon, we've tidied up the garage area and improved the landscaping. And in Europa Close Bramley, we've increased the number of parking spaces to help ease congestion. If there's something you'd like to see improved in your neighbourhood, get in touch with your neighbourhood team.
Calling all Popley residents
The Popley Safer Neighbourhood Team need to know what you think police should be focusing on in the area. Every three months they get together to agree priorities and they need your help. "We set the team up, so that Popley residents can make a real difference to the way we deal with criminal behaviour in the area," explains PCSO Phil Rapley, "We'd really like more input from local people, even if they can't make the meeting, they can let me know what their concerns are so we can make sure we're focusing on what is most important to the people that live here." For more information or to share your views contact PCSO Phil Rapley on 0845 045 45 45.
Tackling the housing shortage
As housing waiting lists increase we're doing our bit to help people find a home, with an ambitious development programme. Since last December we've provided 30 new homes in German Road, Bramley, with the final 16 now occupied. In Popley, we've provided 96 new homes as part of the new Marnel Park development. The demolition of the 120 outdated maisonettes in Faroe Close and Maldive Road started in April.
Sneaky Peak
We'll be displaying revised drawings based on the preferred residents option at an event on Monday 30 November at Marnel Junior School in Popley from 3.30pm to 7.30pm. This is a chance to discuss any final comments and observations residents may have, before we put in a planning application for the 'hub' area in December. If you are unable to come along the drawings can be seen here prior to the consultation.
Please email any comments you may have to us at info@sentinelha.org.uk
Big Bramley Bash
Young people in Bramley helped us design the first local event put on especially for 10-18 year olds in the area. We asked local teens what they're most interested in and then teamed up the transport police, the NHS and other organisations who work with young people to offer free fun, information and advice to support them through their teenage years. The lucky winners of the free prize draw all came from Moat Close, congratulations to the Baker family, V Rolfe and Tyler Weston.
Supporting young talent
More than 100 young footballers in Basingstoke benefited from a new MFC Popley sponsorship deal with Sentinel. The three-year funding not only helped pay for new kits and equipment for the club, it also helped set up a new Power League tournament. Clubs from all over Basingstoke made the most of the great July weather and took part in the new tournament. MFC Popley was set up three years ago with a handful of youngsters from the various Popley estates. Since then, membership has soared, and the club's star players have attracted attention from professional clubs, such as Reading, Southampton, Chelsea and Portsmouth.
Fun in the sun
Our sponsorship helped The Clift Meadow Trust in Bramley bolster their funds by more than £5,000 during their St Georges day event in May. Trust Secretary Dusty Taylor said: "You can be assured that this will be put to good use for the benefit of the community".
