Housing Heroes 2019 winners announced
The winners of the Housing Heroes awards 2019 have been announced in Manchester on the eve of Housing 2019.
The ceremony once again served as a curtain-raiser to Housing 2019, the Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual conference and exhibition.
The awards, jointly organised by Inside Housing and the Chartered Institute of Housing, recognise the commitment, passion and hard work of the unsung heroes of the housing sector.
Attending the event were more than 800 members of staff representing 100-plus organisations from across the sector, from whom this year’s judges had to choose 17 winners and 14 highly commended entries.
The winners were drawn from across the UK. Wales in particular has punched above its weight this year, with almost one in four winners hailing from west of the Anglo-Welsh border.
They include James Rides, a tenant of Taff Housing Association, who was named Tenant Innovator of the Year in recognition of his personal initiative, leadership and commitment to tackling environmental issues.
This year’s award for lifetime achievement in housing, meanwhile, went to John Synnuck, the longstanding chief executive of Essex-based Swan Housing Association.
The judges praised Mr Synnuck as an ambassador for the sector who has “taken housing into the next generation”.
The full list of winners is below:
Housing Heroes 2019: winners
| Category | Winner’s name | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice of the Year | Aiden Peppard | Pendleton Together (part of Together Housing Group) |
| Central Service Team of the Year | Business improvement team | Wales & West Housing |
| Communications Team of the Year | Communications and media team | Trivallis |
| Customer Experience Award | Responsive repairs team | Orbit |
| Development or Maintenance Team of the Year | Same-day repairs service | Homes in Sedgemoor |
| Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team of the Year | Equality and diversity engagement group | Network Homes |
| Exceptional Contribution by a CIH Member (CIH member) | Julie Nicholas | Monmouthshire Housing Association |
| Frontline Team of the Year (over 10,000 homes) | Tower Hamlets Homes caretakers | Tower Hamlets Homes |
| Frontline Team of the Year (under 10,000 homes) | Anti-social behaviour team | Vale of Aylesbury Housing |
| Inspirational Colleague of the Year | Shadrack Mbatha | Wolverhampton Homes |
| Inspirational Leader of the Year | Amy Griffith | Housing Plus Group |
| Lifetime Achievement in Housing | John Synnuck | Swan Housing Association |
| Mentor of the Year | Lee Bloomfield | Manningham Housing Association |
| Support and Care Team of the Year (under 7,000 homes) | Tower Hamlets crisis house team | Look Ahead |
| Support and Care Team of the Year (over 7,000 homes) | Plus Dane/SHAP refugee resettlement team | Plus Dane Housing |
| Tenant Innovator of the Year | James Rides | Taff Housing Association |
| Tenant Lifetime Contribution | Tom Madden | EastendHomes |
Housing Heroes 2019: highly commended
| Category | Winner’s name | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice of the Year Award | Bethany Edge | First Ark |
| Communications Team of the Year | Communications and marketing team | One Manchester |
| Development or Maintenance Team of the Year | Property services | Dunedin Canmore |
| Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team of the Year | Achieving and harnessing board diversity | Together Housing Group, in partnership with Progress Housing Group |
| Exceptional Contribution by a CIH member | Barbara Shaw | Ashfords LLP |
| Frontline Team of the Year (over 10,000 homes) | Supported housing team | Aldwyck Housing Group |
| Frontline Team of the Year (under 10,000 homes) | Community safeguarding team | Poplar Harca |
| Inspirational Colleague of the Year | Rob Widders, first response team | Salix Homes |
| Lifetime Achievement in Housing | Sue Hockett | Women’s Pioneer Housing |
| Mentor of the Year | Michael Chaplin | Ashfield District Council |
| Support and Care Team of the Year (under 7,000 homes) | Nightingale House | Cadwyn Housing Association |
| Support and Care Team of the Year (over 7,000 homes) | Care and support | One Housing |
| Tenant Innovator of the Year | Jodie Barry | CCHA |
| Tenant Lifetime Contribution | Sheila Bunt | Prospect Community Housing |
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