Aico host Community Awards 2024 to Celebrate Local Excellence

Aico’s bi-annual Community Awards celebrates excellence within the social housing industry and local community. On Thursday the 18th of April, 400 guests and finalists took to Birmingham’s International Convention Centre to honour the outstanding work of individuals and organisations across the UK.

In support of the Electrical Industries Charity (EIC), this year, Aico curated 13 categories providing entrants with the opportunity to showcase inspirational colleagues, projects, and innovations. The categories were judged by Neal Hooper, Managing Director of Aico, Lesley Baird, Participation Expert, James Prestwich, Director of Policy for the Chartered Institute of Housing, and Khadra Ibrahim, Careers and Community Development Lead for RBKC Housing Management.

The first award of the evening, Collaborative Partnership, was proudly presented to Jewson Partnership Solutions, for their partnership with YouthBuild Ventures UK to establish YouthBuilders, a construction company aimed at empowering YouthBuild graduates with practical skills, employment, and a living wage.

Warrington & Vale Royal College’s Business Centre developed an Employer Engagement Strategy to improve their curriculum offer to align with the skills needed in the sector. The strategy was honoured with the College Initiative of the Year award.

Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative was awarded to Equans for their Equans Expert initiative. This initiative delivers informative workshop sessions covering aspects of business such as marketing, design, cyber-security, and HR, giving individuals the confidence and skills to benefit others.

Lightning Solutions Electrical Services took the award for Electrical Contractor of the Year. The Welsh company have been trading for over 10 years and are continuously going above and beyond to ensure high standards for their customers.

The next award to be presented was Resident Engagement, which celebrated St. Leger Homes and their variety of programmes which educate and create discussions between their tenants and residents.

Georgina Homer of Wolverhampton Homes, then took to the stage to claim the Woman in Fire Safety award. Georgina’s passion for resident engagement, dedication, and engaging personality are all assets to Wolverhampton Homes. Georgina commented, “I am thrilled to win this award, and incredibly humbled. I’m at a point in my career where I have chosen to make a career change, and this is part of the representation that I’ve made the right choice.”

The evening saw entertainment from 2022 Britain’s Got Talent Winner and Comedian, Axel Blake, who filled the room with laughter.

The winner of Neighbourhood Transformation was Bassetlaw District Council, for their outstanding work modernising its Independent Living Scheme portfolio. Bassetlaw aim to improve the overall living experience for residents, improve energy efficiency, and make better use of external spaces.

Florentina Dita has exhibited powerful leadership at PiLON. Leading the creation and implementation of their core values, and taking ownership of their social value initiatives has awarded Florentina the Rising Star award.

The Community Awards recognised Alexa Scrivener as Inspirational Colleague of the Year, for her commendable achievements as a role model, and her exceptional tenant engagement at Stirling Council.

Kelda Wood, Founder of Climbing Out, was one of the presenters for the evening and commented, “It’s fantastic to be building a relationship between Aico and Climbing Out, and I’m delighted to have been able to support the awards evening. It’s been such a great opportunity to recognise people doing amazing work in the community.”

The winner of the Sustainability Project of the Year award was presented to Moat Homes on behalf of their Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, in which they have leveraged cutting-edge technology to significantly improve the energy efficiency of 613 homes.

Professor Paddy Gray of Connswater received the Lifetime Achievement award. Paddy has an abundance of experience in the housing sector, starting in 1981 when he was recruited to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and has since led thirty housing action area teams in Belfast.

The Best Distributor Community Initiative was awarded to Service Electrical Distributors Ltd, who with the Sovini group, are supporting communities with local requirements, women’s refuges, armed forces support, substance recovery and sports clubs.

Finally, the new award for 2024, Aico’s Apprentice of the Year was presented to Cole Galligan from Loughborough College and Raylec Electrical, for his professionalism and dedication towards his apprenticeship.

Once all the winners had been announced, attendees danced into the night alongside Top Collective, a spectacular 9 piece ensemble band.

Host of the night, Carl Jones, commented “It is heart-warming to see how much these awards mean to all the inspirational individuals and groups who have been shortlisted for such fantastic work in their local communities. Congratulations to Aico for launching such a brilliant initiative, shining a light on these unsung heroes at a tremendous night of celebration.”

The Aico Community Awards achieved great success by honouring inspirational individuals and organisations who innovate, excel, and prioritise others. The event raised over £9,000 for the EIC with Aico matching the donation, resulting in a total contribution of £18,000.

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