Hosted by STV’s Emma Cameron, the event brought together individuals and teams from across the sector to celebrate excellence in governance, property management, employee wellbeing, community impact and professional development.
Now in their second year, the Awards continue to highlight the dedication and positive impact being delivered in Scotland’s communities.
The standard of entries was exceptionally high, with judges praising the innovation, commitment and impact demonstrated across the nominations.
Opening the ceremony, Allan Scott, chair of Share, praised the “outstanding work” taking place across Scotland’s housing sector, saying the quality of submissions reflected the strength of work being carried out nationwide.
The ongoing campaign to secure a supermarket for the Castlemilk community in south Glasgow was among those to be recognised on the night.
The Castlemilk Housing and Human Rights Lived Experience Board won the Community Impact Award for their work in trying to attract a store to the area.
The Board has been battling for a supermarket to serve its 14,000-strong community for more than three years. It was set up by Ardenglen, Craigdale, Cassiltoun and North View Housing Associations to promote housing as a human right and what that means for people’s everyday lives living in the area.
Chair of the Board, Anna Stuart MBE, said: “It has been accepted by the United Nations that our community has the right to fresh, affordable nutritious food, a right that we are currently being denied. This award is further confirmation of the need for a supermarket locally and this is something we will not stop working towards until we secure one.”
The right to good quality, affordable food is set out in Article 11 of the UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Over the course of their campaign, they have had a submission accepted by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva and had an Early Day Motion Debate in the House of Commons about the issue. The group have also secured extensive media coverage around the issue.
“We have petitioned everyone from our local MP and MSPs to the Scottish Human Rights Commissioner and have built up real momentum to try and give our communities access to the quality of food they deserve, this award is just another small step to achieving our goal,” added Anna.
Lar Housing Trust’s operations subsidiary won the Excellence in Property Management category in recognition of its dedication to tenants, providing them with a seamless route to a high-quality new home and detailed engagement once they have moved in.
Chief executive, Mikko Ramstedt, said: “We are honoured to have been recognised for the impact we are having on people’s lives. I should like to pay tribute to all Lar staff on both the development and operations side of our work for their endless commitment to helping people settle in high quality homes and put down roots in their own communities.”
Lar was also a finalist in the Community Impact Award category.
Award winners on the night included:
Digital Learning Organisation of the Year
Winner: Lanarkshire Housing Association
Excellence in Property Management (sponsored by The Property Institute)
Winner: Lar Housing Trust
Housing Team of the Year (sponsored by ARK Consultancy)
Winner: Kingdom Housing Association
Highly Commended: Yorkhill Housing Association
Governing Body Team of the Year (sponsored by Henderson Loggie)
Winner: Reidvale Housing Association
Outstanding Commitment to Employee Wellbeing (sponsored by Hanover Scotland)
Winner: Almond Housing Association
Community Impact Award (sponsored by Kingdom Housing Association)
Winner: Castlemilk Housing and Human Rights Lived Experience Board
Highly Commended: Maryhill Housing Association
Read the original article in Scottish Housing News here
