The TPAS Scotland National Good Practice Awards (NGPA) is Scotland’s leading yearly celebration of the successes of tenants and community groups, landlords, partners and individuals from across the social housing sector.
This year’s competition saw over 200 entries (the largest number yet) each of them highlighting the lessons learnt from the excellent work each organisation and/or individual has done to support people and projects over the last 2 years and applaud the strategies and actions they have put in place to support people and communities during the pandemic.
Congratulations to everyone who entered in 2022 and a big shout out to our winners and runner ups……
Best practice in Developing Community Award
Winner: New Linktown Tenants and Residents Association & Linktown Community Aid of Kirkcaldy
New Linktown Tenants and Residents Association & Linktown Community Aid of Kirkcaldydemonstrated how getting together brings benefits and how pride in your community springs from many places and can be shown in lots of different ways.
Runner up: Fort William’s, Upper Achintore Regeneration Group
Through a tailored approach Upper Achintore Regeneration Group from Fort William improves the lives of all those living in the area by listening to needs and finding ways to address them via regeneration of the area.
Best Practice in Digital Involvement Award
Winner : The Home Group
The Home Group introduced a number of digital services over the past few years to make the customer journey easier. They provided options for customers on how to access services and make contact. The menu of options ensures customers can choose whether digital or non-digital best suits them.
Runner up: Scottish Borders Housing Association.
Scottish Borders Housing Association recognised the need for people to stay connected during Covid and took the opportunity to not only ‘keep things going,’ but to increase digital inclusion and involvement by increasing people’s opportunities. They kept people informed and reassured, combated loneliness and gave options to contribute and take part from the comfort of their own homes.
Best Practice in Involving All Award
Winner: Aberdeenshire Council
Aberdeenshire Council has used opportunities to access funding via and Connecting Scotland to improvedigital inclusion for tenants mainstream and Sheltered tenants and members of the Gypsy/Traveller The impacts have been extensive.
Runner up: South Ayrshire Council
South Ayrshire Council has successfully used virtual platforms during the pandemic so tenants can come together in a more casual way, build up new skills, embracing technology and combating social isolation. And by extending using their online approach to take a different approach to rent setting.
Group Champion of the Year
Winner: Glasgow Baby Foodbank from North Glasgow
Glasgow Baby Foodbank started in 2019 as a group of mothers who came together to address a gap of essential baby items for families. Today they are a crucial service in North Glasgow and beyond.
Runner up: Muirhead Tenants and Residents Association, from South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire group Muirhead Tenants and Residents Association showed that together communities could get through the pandemic They stepped into action to help, protect, and assist their community.
Organisation Champion of the Year
Winner: Linstone Housing Association
As soon as the emergency was clear, Linstone Housing Association in Paisley created a structure to pivot community engagement and focus on proactively contacting every single tenant to identify what their needs were and how we could be supported during the pandemic, working together with their registered TARAs to achieve remarkable things. Flexibility, agility, and innovation were the cornerstone characteristics of their success!
Runner up: South Lanarkshire Council.
South Lanarkshire Council’s has worked hard over the past two years to ensure tenants and customers have shaped their services to reflect tenant priorities and effectively implement them.
Employee Champion of the Year
Winner: Paddy McKenna - Cassiltoun Housing Association, Glasgow
Throughout the pandemic Paddy McKenna from Cassiltoun HA, in Glasgow’s Castlemilk led a community wide response to Covid-19. Paddy ran brainstorming meetings to shape delivery and Zoom workshops to gather new ideas on what people needed.
Runner up: Michael Hanley - Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council’s Housing Officer Michael Hanley demonstrated a real passion for getting tenants involved and engaged in Housing Services throughout lockdown.
The Alan Ferguson Champion Tenant or Resident of the Year
Winners:
- Frances Carson chair of Muirhead Tenants and Residents Association
- Leonora Montgomery - from Aberdeen City Council
Both these individuals are known and respected throughout their communities and beyond. They’ve achieved a strong sense of community, helped disadvantaged households. reduced social isolation and made a significant impact on their landlord’s services.
Runner up: Liz Richardson
Liz Richardson from Highland Council helped improve services, create positive working relationships, improve housing provision for people with a disability and got more tenants involved in tenant participation.
“Linstone’s helping hand which reached out to so many people during the pandemic demonstrates the essential role this housing association has in our communities.
“In times of crisis, people look to their housing association for leadership and assistance and we felt privileged to provide that over many months when people’s lives were literally turned upside down. This Award is a huge pat on the back for the brilliant Staff and Board of Management who are a remarkable team.”
- Adele Fraser, chief executive of Linstone Housing
The Awards will be back again in 2023 – check back later for more information….