Longhurst Group duo shortlisted for prestigious national awards
26 June 2018
Two Longhurst Group colleagues have been shortlisted for prestigious national awards.
Val Paragon, Service Manager at Mary Street Extra Care service in Birmingham and Helen Florence, Service Manager at Wisbech Foyer in Cambridgeshire, have both been named as finalists in the 2018 Women in Housing Awards.
Val has been shortlisted in the Woman of the Year category while Helen is among the nominees for the Young Achiever award, which will be presented at the awards ceremony on Thursday, October 11 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
Val was recognised by the judges for her leadership of Mary Street, which provides individualised support for up to 20 elderly residents – many of whom are living with dementia – who choose to live as independently and happily as possible within an African Caribbean culture.
Meanwhile, Helen has been shortlisted as recognition for her work at Wisbech Foyer, in what is only her second managerial role at the age of just 26.
The Foyer provides accommodation for up to 17 young people aged between 16 and 25. Specialist staff help residents develop independent living skills, supporting them with individual training needs, accessing education and employment.
Louise Platt, Longhurst Group’s Executive Director of Care and Business Partnerships, said: “On behalf of everyone at Longhurst Group, I’d like to congratulate both Val and Helen for this fantastic recognition of their incredible work.
“Everything we do at Longhurst Group is to improve the lives of our customers and both Val and Helen are shining examples of that, so it’s brilliant to see their hard work recognised.
“Everyone across the Group will be keeping their fingers crossed for them both at the awards ceremony in October – good luck!”
The Women in Housing Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding women working in housing.
Now in their sixth year, the awards highlight the work and achievements of the many women who make a major contribution to the sector.
Building on existing success, in 2018 the Women in Housing Awards were acquired by Inside Housing and they are being run in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Housing.
For more information on the awards, visit www.womeninhousingawards.co.uk