Seasons greetings

Christmas Newsletter
 

Seasons greetings to our followers! 
It's been a rollercoaster year of highs and lows here at Tower Blocks UK. We have enjoyed working collaboratively alongside some fantastic groups and individuals over the past 12 months and we are looking forward to 2023 and embarking upon new projects. 
 
As always, our focus remains on community empowerment and in this edition of our newsletter, we invite you to participate through engaging with our Citizen Journalism project, sharing your views on fire safety in our short survey, and getting involved with helping us to build upon our tower blocks archive in partnership with the Bishopsgate Institute. 
 
We wish you all a joyous festive break and a Happy New Year.  

#LifeInTheTowers
Earlier this year we piloted a new Citizen Journalism training project alongside Rainbow Collective & London Tenants Federation. Read more about the project here. View the films below and if you are interested in taking part in future citizen journalism training sessions please get in touch with us or share your own tower block stories using the hashtag #LifeInTheTowers on social media.

Bishopsgate Institute project
We are collaborating with the prestigious Bishopsgate Institute to create a special tower blocks archive collection. Do you have anything tower blocks related to add to the archive? We would love to hear from you. Get in touch with us to discuss.

After 4 years of hearings, the Grenfell Inquiry has now ended. Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his team of lawyers will publish a report - expected in 2023, determining the cause of the fire & responsibility. The Metropolitan police will then decide about pursuing criminal charges. The wait for justice is ongoing for the survivors and bereaved and we continue to stand with them.

Fire Safety Survey
Do you live in a block of 4+ storeys? 
We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about fire safety in your building. 
Please fill out our short           2-minute survey

Go to survey

Claddag; a leaseholder disability action group have recently taken the government to the High Court to challenge the decision not to implement the Grenfell Inquiry recommendation for personal evacuation plans for disabled residents in high rise blocks. Find out more and support the campaign here.

Zero tolerance to damp and mould

Mould and damp were found to be a direct cause in the tragic death of 2-year old Awaab Ishak.  Housing Secretary Michael Gove has promised a crack down on poor living conditions and has now written to all councils and housing associations. 
 
In his letter, Mr Gove writes 'I request you do everything in your power to prioritise the improvement of housing conditions, in line with existing duties in the Housing Act 2004. Find out more here. 

You can get further information on damp and mould on our FixMyBlock webpage and use our template letter to make a formal complaint to your landlord. If you are experiencing problems with damp or mould in your block, we would like to hear from you - please get in touch.

Gas Safety 
Gas safety is important in every home but in tower blocks there are additional reasons for checking that everything is secure. In some forms of construction such as Large Panel System tower blocks - gas is banned. Visit our FixMyBlock webpage to find out more about gas safety checks and how to raise any concerns you may have. 

Staying warm this winter 
The energy and cost of living crises continue to severely impact many families. There may be support or financial help available in your area including through your local authority. Citizens Advice have a useful information page and our friends at Fuel Poverty Action have put together a guide on how to get help.

End of an era
In September, our co-founder, Sam Webb MBE passed away unexpectedly. We've received an outpouring of heartfelt messages and we thank you all for your kind words which have been passed onto Sam's family. We will continue to keep Sam's legacy alive through our work.

Follow Us

We always love to hear your thoughts, views and opinions, so please do reach out and connect with us via email or social media.

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