Awards
We are delighted to have been awarded a number of prestigious awards in recognition of not only our achievements and the outstanding commitment of our staff, but also that of our residents.
2011
Business
- Investors in Excellence
- Investors in People
- Coventry Compact Award
- Coventry Cohesion Award
- Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service - Celebrating Partnership with Industry
- What House? Awards
- HAPPI Award, Housing Design Awards
- Coventry Telegraph Business Awards - Customer Service Award
- First Time Buyer Awards - Community Integration Project of the Year
- National Housing for Older People Awards - Housing with Care Provision
- National Home Improvement Agency Quality Mark Award
- Midlands Excellence Awards - Sustainability Category
Individuals
- Colin Smith Award - Irene Ashton (resident)
- Young People of the Year Award - Residents of Springfield Mother & Baby Unit
In December, we were awarded Investors in Excellence accreditation, a quality mark given to organisations who can demonstrate that they are committed to improving business performance.
Orbit Heart of England has also been awarded Investors in People status in recognition of excellent employee development and engagement.
After following the Investors in People tailored people management standard, we have demonstrated a commitment to engage our staff and support their professional development.
The successes of the Growing Paradise project to build community cohesion has been recognised with a Special Commendation at the latest Coventry Compact Awards.
The project, managed by Groundworks West Midlands and part funded by our Community Investment Fund, is a successful community project which has brought local residents together to improve their health and build strong neighbourhoods through the use of underused community greenspaces to grow their own food.
The Coventry Compact Award is a celebration of effective partnership working between partners and recognises and rewards the commitment of volunteers to improve quality of life for Coventry communities.
Growing Paradise also won a Coventry Cohesion Award. These awards from the Coventry Partnership are granted to highlight the work that local community, voluntary, public and private sector organisations do to build bridges between different cultures and communities.
Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service – Celebrating Partnership With Industry 2011
In October, we received the Celebrating Partnership With Industry Award for our work to form a partnership with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to the benefit of the local community.
Our Sampson Close development in Coventry scooped Silver in the Best Sustainable Development category of the What House? Awards, in recognition of the scheme’s environmental credentials.
The new eco-homes meet PassivHaus standards with high levels of insulation and other environmentally friendly technology which means that these homes are very cost effective to run.
HAPPI Award, Housing Design Awards 2011
St Bede’s Extra Care Scheme won the HAPPI ‘Best development for housing our ageing population’ Award.
The Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) Award recognises the success of the scheme to support older people and how the scheme has been designed to fit into its surroundings.
Built on the former St Bede’s school site in Bedford, the extra care development will provide affordable housing for local people aged over 55, incorporating assistive technology to help people maintain their independence.
For further information on our services to support older people, visit our Orbit Independent Living website.
Coventry Telegraph Business Awards – Pioneering Customer Service
In May, Orbit Group’s ‘Customer First’ approach to customer service received recognition when we were announced winner of the Pioneering Customer Service category at the Coventry Telegraph Business Awards, supported by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
Our ‘Customer First’ approach is all about improving the way our staff and services work to give our customers the best possible service. This is achieved through staff training but also through major investment in customer-facing technology.
In April, Briar Croft Extra Care Scheme was announced winner of the Community Integration Project of the Year in the First Time Buyers Awards. This award celebrates the outstanding contribution that this project has had to the neighbourhood and the positive impact it has had on local residents.
Briar Croft provides a home for life for its residents, raising older people’s aspirations of what they can expect from their home and creating a community within a fit-for-purpose building.
National Housing for Older People Awards
Briar Croft Extra Care Scheme was also recognised with a Silver Award in the Housing With Care Provision category at the National Housing for Older People Awards 2011 in February.
For further information on our services to support older people, visit our Orbit Independent Living website.
National Home Improvement Agency Quality Mark Award
Our Care & Repair Service this year received recognition for the excellent quality of their services with a National Home Improvement Agency Quality Mark Award.
The service, offered by Orbit Care and Repair Home Improvement Agency, supports people to continue living independently in their own home by providing repairs, improvements, energy efficiency and adaptations to meet individual’s needs.
In February, we received a Highly Commended award in the Sustainability category of the Midlands Excellence Awards for our work on sustainable developments, such as the award winning Sampson Close development in Coventry.
Individuals
In November, Orbit Heart of England customer Irene Ashton was voted winner of this year’s Colin Smith Memorial Award in recognition of her extensive community work.
The annual Colin Smith Memorial Award is given to an individual tenant, leaseholder or resident in the East Midlands in recognition of their outstanding contribution to their community.
Find out more about Irene Ashton and the award on our News Pages.
Young People of the Year Award, Buckinghamshire
Resident young single mums at Springfield Mother & Baby unit residents won 2nd place in the Buckinghamshire Young People of the Year Award for their musical fund raising activities.
The group, who call themselves ‘The Motherhood’ wrote songs about their experiences as young mums and recorded a charity music CD which has raised hundreds of pounds for a local hospital neo-natal unit.
For more information on the award, visit the Young People of the Year website.
To find out how Orbit Heart of England is working to support vulnerable groups such as young single mums, visit our Orbit Independent Living website.