Joynul Miah, a Pinnacle PSG housing officer based in Westminster, has been shortlisted from more than 300 entries to the 2012 Housing Heroes Awards. These awards are in their fourth year and will once again showcase the people and teams that are doing exceptional work in the housing sector.

Joynul is now one of six left in the running for the Inspirational Colleague of the Year award.

The event is organised by Inside Housing magazine and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and attracted an amazing response with submissions from the length and breadth of the UK.

The winners will be revealed at a sparkling awards ceremony at London’s Hilton Hotel tomorrow, Friday 11 May. Last year over 600 people attended making it one of the biggest award ceremonies in the social housing calendar.

Stuart Macdonald, Editor of Inside Housing, said: ‘All the finalists have done amazingly well in getting this far. Well done to Joynul for being shortlisted. The competition was really tough with more than 40 entries in some categories.’

Joynul was nominated for the award by his manager, Guy Sanderson, Village Manager on the Mozart Estate, Westminster.

Guy said: “Joynal started with us less than a year ago after initially working for us as a volunteer through the Future Jobs Scheme. Since then, he has been spending several evenings, every week, working with young people on the estate, mainly from ethnic minority groups. This work is done on behalf of the London Tigers and takes place at St Judes Hall on Queens Park Estate.

 Joynul devotes hours and hours each week from his spare time with these young people to teach them valuable life skills and most importantly providing them with a positive male role model.”

We wish Joynul the best of luck for the ceremony tomorrow!

For the past two weeks community and estate halls around Woking have been transformed into cinemas for the night thanks to four bicycles and some muscle-power from local residents.

The first event took place earlier this month at the Lake View Hall on the Lake View Estate in Woking. Over 30 parents and children from the local estate were treated to a free evening showing of Kung Fu Panda 2 thanks to ‘Cycling Cinema’.

‘Cycling Cinema’ is the brainchild of Magnificent Revolution, a not-for-profit educational collective based in London, and is used to promote healthy living and green energy.  The group provides basic cinema equipment including bikes, a generator, films and a screen, and the cinema audience provides the power by hopping on the bikes and generating pedal-power to run the show.

Two further Cycle Cinemas were organised in the Woking area over the last week, showing Rango at the St Mary’s Day centre in Byfleet and Toy Story 3 at the Old Woking Community Centre in Old Woking with over 24 parents and children attending the screenings. 

The screenings were organised by New Vision Homes and sponsored by the Woking Cycle Station, a local project that promotes cycling and the recycling of push bikes.  They were on hand to encourage the local youngsters to get on their bikes and help with any maintenance and safety issues they may have.

The events were the idea of Steve Charles, New Vision Homes Housing Manager, who said after the initial performance, “By showing people how many bikes it takes to power household appliances, they help people to understand energy in an enjoyable and engaging way”.

”At the end of the film I knew the evening was a roaring success when the audience erupted into a spontaneous applause and it was brilliant seeing the kids so happy enjoying themselves”, added Steve.

More showings are being organised later in the year.

The Regenter Myatts Field North consortium comprising Regenter (a 50/50 joint venture between John Laing and Pinnacle Regeneration Group), Higgins Construction, Rydon Maintenance, Pinnacle PSG and E.ON has today achieved financial close on the Lambeth Myatts Field North Housing PFI project.

 The project will transform Myatts Field North in Lambeth into a new mixed and sustainable community, having obtained approval by HM Treasury for £150m in Government funding in February 2012. The major regeneration of the Estate will begin this Spring, making it a more vibrant, welcoming, and greener environment.

 The 25-year housing PFI project includes the construction of 808 new build homes and the modernisation and refurbishment of 172 existing homes. It will also include the development of a state-of-the-art landscaped park; development of new streets, green spaces and allotments; refurbishment of estate-based retail units and the construction of a new showpiece community centre with sports facilities. 

 The total new build of 808 new homes will encompass:

-       305 new Council homes to replace 100% demolished homes

-       146 affordable (shared ownership) homes

-       357 new homes for sale with ten per cent accommodating full wheelchair access.

A project specific Joint Venture Development Company called Myatts Field Development LLP (comprising Pinnacle Regeneration Group and Higgins Homes) has been set up to deliver the 357 market for sale new homes and 146 shared ownership homes in partnership with Notting Hill Home Ownership.

Sustainability is at the heart of the redevelopment proposals with a reduction in 80 per cent of carbon emissions. A combined heat and power plant installed on the estate will provide heating and hot water to the entire development. The master plan returns to the estate a traditional street pattern, which opens the area to surrounding neighbourhoods.

Lambeth Council Divisional Director for Housing, Rachel Sharpe, said: “This regeneration project heralds a fantastic new era for people living on the estate. When this project is complete our residents will benefit from better quality homes and their quality of life will have improved by an environment that is totally transformed.”

Jim Saunders, Managing Director of Regenter, said: “We are delighted that the Regenter Myatts Field North project has now achieved financial close and that the hard work on this critically important regeneration project can begin in earnest. The provision of mixed new and improved housing, open spaces, and community facilities will improve the lives of local people. We look forward to working in partnership with the London Borough of Lambeth, our consortium partners and the local community to deliver this much needed and incredibly exciting housing-led regeneration.”

Neil Euesden, Managing Director of Pinnacle PSG, the consortium’s housing management provider, said: “This is an exciting community based regeneration scheme for the residents of the Myatts Field North Estate. Pinnacle PSG is very pleased to be part of this successful partnership delivering transformational and sustained change to the community.  We look forward to continuing and developing our relationship with local residents and the Council.

Richard Higgins, Chairman, Higgins Group PLC said: “We are delighted to be involved in this significant project which will revitalise the Myatts Field Estate.”

Michael McCammond, Director of Development and Investment at Pinnacle Regeneration Group, said: “The Myatts Field North regeneration is hugely significant for us because it represents an exemplar for everything Pinnacle Regeneration Group stands for. Within an exciting mixed tenure masterplan, we are combining our “capital” - as a long term investor in the PFI and developer of new high quality 1 and 2 bed apartments for sale - with a 25 year tenure-blind service delivery commitment that we believe will guarantee a successful long term future for the new community”. 

Jeff Henton, MD of Rydon Maintenance commented: “As the consortium partner responsible for the refurbishment element of the project and the long term facilities management of the estate, we look forward to working very closely with the local community and the residents.  This is another really exciting opportunity to strengthen the excellent relationships we already have in and with the London Borough of Lambeth.”

Jeremy Bungey, Head of Community Energy at E.ON, said: “I’m delighted that this project has taken another step forward today. Working with our partners we look forward to helping create a vibrant, modern and more sustainable community, lowering residents’ energy costs and generating a lower-carbon future for the UK.”