News Archive

There are some properties that fall under the responsibility of Cestria with boiler flues which cannot be inspected because they are hidden within ceiling voids or where flues have been boxed in.

If you suspect that you have this type of flue then please read on for more information so you know what to do.

Smarterbuys is delighted to announce that the second deal to be featured on the site is a washing machine!

The deal is live for one month starting Monday 14th May 2012.

Digital TV switchover is the biggest change in television since the introduction of colour. In September 2012 analogue television will be switched off across the Tyne Tees region. If you don't have digital TV by the time of switchover, you will lose your TV channels.

The weather may have been wet and windy but that didn't deter a group of County Durham children from digging deep to help create a new wildlife area in their village.

A famous Bangladeshi singer will visit the North East this weekend to headline a music festival celebrating the birth of Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.

North East housing association Cestria Community Housing has been highly commended at a prestigious national award ceremony.

The Chester-le-Street provider was recognised in the Social Landlord of the Year (Regional) category of the 2012 Housing Excellence Awards.

New College Durham have some summer courses available on a variety of subjects.

On Sunday 24th June a sponsored 10k and 3k Family Fun run takes places around Lambton Park, Chester-le-Street. All funds raised will be donated to the Willow Burn Hospice and the SAFC Foundation.

From Thursday 31st May Cornerstones Centre for the Community at the Methodist Church, Chester-le-Street will be holding a 'JOB SUPPORT CLUB' in Partnership with New College Durham.

All aboard: Switchover help scheme coming to a stop near you

With the better weather approaching (hopefully) we have been offered an exciting opportunity which is open to all staff, tenants, board members, family, contractors, suppliers - pretty much anyone! All you have to do is say that you are connected to Cestria and you're in!

With spring now well and truly underway, students in County Durham have been working hard to provide birds in the area with new homes.

A kind-hearted pensioner from County Durham has put her handicraft skills to good use by making blankets to support a local women's refuge

Wish you could get big product discounts and low interest finance deals? Smarterbuys is the discount deal scheme designed specifically for social housing.

Is your garden blooming marvellous? Why not enter the Cestria Community Housing Gardening Competition?

The spring issue of our Cestria Courier is available to read on our website. We have also released the dates for our Estate Tours taking place from April 2012. 

Click here to view the full article.

You can compare your utilities and make savings now with Cestria Energy Angels

Cestria Community Housing aims to deliver excellent services to its customers at all times. Unfortunately, over the weekend period we experienced a problem with our telephone connection which albeit was beyond our control may have impacted on the service provided Out of Hours to our customers.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Do you want to know more about the benefit changes taking place from April this year? Or do you want to know what the Budget 2012 means for you?

Birds, bees and butterflies will soon have a new home thanks to a group of County Durham school children and a local housing association.

Youngsters from Sacriston Junior School are hoping to create a safe haven for local wildlife by designing a special garden in their village.

Our head office has moved to an adjacent building on the Lambton Estate.

We are moving offices on Friday 16th and Monday 19th March 2012. We will try to ensure that the move is managed with minimum disruption to our tenants but we ask for your patience during this time and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

There has recently been lots of press coverage about the Government plans to reinvigorate the Right to Buy. Our Right to Buy team will continue to follow guidelines issued by the Government and will post any updates on our website.

Residents in County Durham are saving hundreds of pounds on their utility bills, thanks to a new partnership between a local housing association and an energy advice organisation.

Cestria Community Housing, in Chester-le-Street, has teamed up with Energy Angels to help local people switch to cheaper tariffs and offer advice about saving energy in their homes.

A County Durham housing association has proved it is committed to tackling loan sharks by joining a national campaign.

Cestria Community Housing has become an official partner of the England Illegal Money Lending Team – its first in County Durham – and is working closely with the organisation to eradicate illegal money lending in the Chester-le-Street area.

The Safe Durham Partnership have been particularly active tackling crime and safety concerns in Sacriston. Their activities and the outcomes have been widely publicised locally.

On Thursday, 16th February 2012 Martin Warhurst (Director of Finance & Corporate Services) welcomed 50 tenants to an event at Beamish Hall Hotel.  The aim of the event was to look back at how far we have come together in the last four years, to thank our tenants for their commitment to tenant involvement, and to celebrate the fantastic achievements they have made as part of their different groups. 

We really like to know what our customers think of our services. To do this, we use a system known as mystery shopping, which allows us to receive ongoing feedback from tenants.

Turning your thermostat down in all rooms apart from one is a great excuse to stop the kids from going off to watch movies or play video games!

If you are still viewing your television picture through an analogue transmitter you are not alone, Millions of households in the UK have not switched over to digital and are currently unable to receive digital terrestrial TV otherwise known as Freeview.

Cestria Community Housing is supporting Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2012, a national campaign which aims to highlight the help available to people living in a cold, damp home.

A 70-year-old County Durham woman has been reunited with family members and old friends after undergoing computer training provided by her social landlord.

Two new funding streams have been made available through the DCC Area Action Partnership (AAP) and the CVS.

Pupils in County Durham have marked the 80^th anniversary of their school by burying a time capsule filled with items representing life in 2012.

Community-spirited individuals are being asked to volunteer for a new project which will help keep vulnerable people safe in the event of heavy snow and ice this winter.

Cestria Community Housing has unveiled plans for a new development of social housing in a County Durham Village.

The Chester-le-Street based social landlord is building 22 two-bedroom bungalows in Sacriston which will help regenerate the area and provide much needed affordable homes.

Residents on a North East housing estate have been given cameras to record improvements they would like to see in their area as part of a new community project.

Metal theft is on the increase. Help keep your house and neighbourhood safe.

On 1^st April 2012 the Housing and Communities Agency will take over from the Tenant Services Authority and will be the new regulator of Social Housing.  A consultation exercise has been launched in relation to the proposed changes to the Regulatory Framework which will be introduced following the Localism Act and Directions to the Regulator and tenants are invited to comment on these proposals.

Can you spare time to volunteer to clear pathways or do you know somebody who would benefit from the Snow Angels service? If so, we would like to hear from you!