Three women from across The Calico Group have been recognised for their outstanding achievements by the prestigious Women in Housing Awards 2019, which highlights the amazing work of women who make a major contribution to the housing industry.
Lesley Burrows, Chair of Group Board, has been shortlisted in the ‘Board Member of the Year’ category.
Lesley is in her 8th year as chair and is incredibly supportive of others. This creates an environment which builds confidence in others, encouraging all involved to seize opportunities and deal with challenges in an open and transparent way.
Lesley said: “I have had the privilege to serve as a Chair of The Calico Group for almost 8 years and have seen the group overcome significant challenges, without compromising on our values, and at the same time strengthening our business to increase the social impact for our customers.
“Providing quality homes and changing lives is in our DNA. Growing up on one of our estates, I am passionate about the work we do as a group and as a sector, so to be nominated for the award is an honour in itself.”
The ‘Happy and Proud’ project with Calico Homes and Alicia Foley, Community Investment Manager, has been shortlisted in the ‘Improving the Lives of Women or Communities (small)’ category.
The ‘Happy and Proud’ project was carried out in partnership with The Participation Works and received £28,000 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The project provided opportunities for young girls in South West Burnley to develop their confidence, learn more about important women throughout history, and to learn new skills with a view to instilling a sense of pride in their home town and raising aspirations.
Alicia said: “We are really honoured that Happy and Proud has been shortlisted for this category at the Women in Housing Awards. For the young women we are supporting in our communities, this project is making a real difference to their lives and it is great to see their hard work and achievements being recognised.”
Ann-Marie Thornley, Head of ICT at The Calico Group, has been shortlisted in the ‘Development and Maintenance’ category.
Ann-Marie has been part of The Calico Group for nineteen years and was nominated by a former business associate, Gareth Baron, who worked closely with Ann-Marie on various projects and felt that she was deserving of recognition.
Gareth said: “Ann-Marie is always pleasant to deal with and is an inspiration. She has a great relationship with her team and encourages healthy eating and exercise (we always had to take the stairs when coming for meetings!). She also did a great job at the Calico Strictly Come Dancing event at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom last year”.
The Women in Housing Awards 2019 winners will be chosen via a panel of industry experts be announced at the celebration ceremony hosted at Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday 10 October.
