Going for Gold - Gold Award 2007 short list announced
Housing Corporation News Release
Going for Gold - Gold Award 2007 short list announced
16 February 2007 ref: 15/02
12 Housing associations have been short listed as potential winners of the Housing Corporation's prestigious Gold Award 2007.
Now in its second year, the Corporation's popular competition for housing associations has two new themes: Empowering Communities and Environmental Sustainability. Each winning association will receive a prize of £50,000 to help fund their involvement in a year long programme of knowledge dissemination.
A record number of housing associations submitted bids to take part in this prestigious national competition - over 40% more than for the first year.
The short listed entrants are as follows:
Empowering Communities
Endeavour Housing Association
Joint application: London & Quadrant Housing Trust
and Metropolitan Housing Trust Ltd
Look Ahead Housing and Care
Poplar HARCA
Trent and Dove Housing
Willow Park Trust
Environmental Sustainability
Coastline Housing Ltd
Drum Housing Association
Flagship Housing Group Limited
Gallions Housing Association
Greenoak Housing Association
Places for People Group
Sir Duncan Michael, Chairman of the judging panel said, "The Gold Award has established itself as one of the most important and highly regarded initiatives in social housing. From a strong first year in which five superb entries were awarded the prestigious prize from an impressive field of 72 applicants, this year’s entries are up to over 100. The challenge faced by the judges this year has been all the more difficult due to the quality of the entries as well as the increased volume.
"Congratulations are due to all of those who made the shortlist, and to the many other associations who put forward excellent submissions for consideration."
Each short listed association will showcase their projects to a Gold delegation of judges and experts during March. Up to three winning entries in each theme will be selected to receive one of the awards.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 24 May 2007.
For press enquiries please contact: Sandra White 020 7393 2094
Ends.
Notes to editors:
• Launched in June 2005, the Gold Award competition is open to housing associations able to demonstrate outstanding performance in key areas of business. The Award aims to identify excellence and raise operational standards for the benefit of residents across the sector.
• The Judging panel is as follows:
Chair of judges
Sir Duncan Michael, Housing Corporation Board
Judges
Lord Richard Best, President of Local Government Association
David Orr, National Housing Federation
Roy Irwin, Audit Commission
Professor David Strong, Building Research Establishment
Shaukat Moledina, Deputy Chairman, Housing Corporation
Donald Hoodless, Housing Corporation Board
Julie Fawcett, Housing Corporation Board
The Housing Corporation champions are:
Empowering communities - Rona Nicholson
Environmental Sustainability - Andrew Eagles
The expert advisors are:
Empowering communities - Helen Cope and Patrick Harkness
Environmental Sustainability - Chris Watts and Alan Pithers
• The Housing Corporation is the Government agency responsible for investing in new affordable homes and regulating over 1,500 housing associations across England. Its biggest ever investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 will fund 84,000 homes; 49,000 of these will be for affordable rent, and 35,000 will be for affordable sale through the Government's new Homebuy initiative, helping people to get a foot on the property ladder.
