Our LifeTime service beat eight other organisations to scoop the Northern Housing Award in the Resident Support/Advice programme of the Year category.
Lifetime, based at The Gateway on Sankey Street, provides more than 60 activities, advice and social events every week across the borough for people in their fifties and above; from a camera club, community choir and exercise classes to volunteering opportunities and much more.
The award was won thanks to the innovative way in which LifeTime promotes social inclusion and health through connecting residents in an active, fun and supportive way, and on the awards night, the service was particularly praised for its work with volunteers and its social media presence.
WHA CEO David Cummins said: “We are delighted to have won the award and I would like to thank all of our LifeTime team for all their efforts in making life better for not only our residents – but the wider community of Warrington as well.
“At its most basic, LifeTime is a youth club for the elderly, but it has also been described as a real “lifeline” by some of its members and their families – which we are very proud of.”
The awards evening was opened by Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, who said the awards serve to demonstrate that the organisations it celebrates are “much more than housing providers; they’re community builders as well.”
Representing LifeTime on the night was LifeTime Officer Andrea Rees, apprentice Amy Chapman, Janet Sullivan of WHA’s Home Improvement Agency along with Tenant Board Member and LifeTime volunteer, Bernard Whitley, with his wife Margaret.
WHA deputy chair Steve License added: “LifeTime is an important part of our long history of investing in our communities for social purpose and is our response to concerns about the effects of loneliness and isolation on our older people.”
The awards were hosted by comedian Justin Moorhouse and attended by 470 guests at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.
With 19 winners on the night from more than 200 shortlisted applications, the awards represented and celebrated the achievements of a cross-section of the social housing industry and its partners from all over the North: housing associations, council landlords, local authorities, contractors and consultants, and more.
For more information on LifeTime activities go to www.lifetimegateway.org.uk or call 01925 246824.
