Highland Council Tenants Awards 2013

5th August 2013

Nominations are being invited by The Highland Council for the first Highland Council Tenant Community Awards sponsored by The Co-operative Membership.

Councillor Dave Fallows, Chairman of The Highland Council�s Finance, Housing and Resources Committee welcomed the launch of the Highland Council�s Tenants Awards, he said: �This new award scheme will be a great opportunity for our tenants to shout out loud about what and who makes their communities better.

�The tenant awards compliment the Council�s Programme of working together for the Highlands. We look forward to giving the winners the recognition they deserve at our annual tenants� conference.

Anyone who lives in an area managed by The Highland Council�s Housing and Property Service can be nominated for the awards. Nominations are open for:
Young Person of the Year.
Good Neighbour.
Making a difference in your community � Individual Award and Group Award.

Winners of each category will receive a �50 Co-operative gift card and commemorative certificate. The prizes will be presented at The Highland Council�s 5th Annual Tenant Conference on Saturday 21 September at the Merkinch Community Centre in Inverness.

David Skinner, member of The Highland Council's Tenant Conference Planning Group said: "Highland Council has many tenants who make a real positive difference in their communities. These awards allow us to recognise some of the great work taking place around the Highlands."

Stephen Kelly, Membership Officer for The Co-operative Group in Scotland, said: �The Co-operative takes pride in the role it plays at the heart of communities across Scotland. The Highland Council Tenant Community Awards are about people taking pride in where they live, and so we are delighted to be able to support them in their inaugural year.�

The annual Highland Council Tenants conference is open to Highland Council Tenants who can apply for a free place using a booking form in the summer edition of the Highland Tenant Update newsletter. Conference booking forms and Tenant Awards nomination forms can also be found on the council�s website at www.highland.gov.uk/tenantparticipation.

The deadline for both applications for tickets to the conference and nominations for the awards is Friday 23 August, 2013. Conference tickets will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.


Awards

There are four Highland Council Tenant Awards. Each winner will get a �50 co-operative gift card, and a certificate recognising them for the good work they do. The prizes have been donated by the co-operative membership. Awards will be presented at Highland Council�s Annual Tenants Conference

The awards are open to anyone who lives on a Highland council housing estate (or a mixed tenure estate which includes Highland council housing), where council housing tenants have benefitted from the activities of the individual or group who are nominated.

Highland Council Tenants� Conference

The annual Highland Council Tenants� Conference is being held this year on 21st September at Merkinch Community Centre, Inverness.
Highland Council Tenants from throughout the Highlands are welcome to attend, but places are limited so must be booked in advance. Expenses will be paid for tenants who need to travel any distance to come to the conference.
The purpose of the tenants conference is to involve and inform tenants about the management of their council housing in the Highlands. Further information about the conference can be found at www.highland.gov.uk/tenantparticipation

The Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group is the UK�s largest mutual business, owned not by private shareholders but by over seven million consumers. It is Scotland�s fourth biggest food retailer, and the leading convenience store operator, with 400 food stores, covering an area from Shetland in the north to Annan in the south.

The Group is also a major financial services provider, operating The Co-operative Bank and The Co-operative Insurance. It is Scotland�s number one funeral services provider, a major pharmacy chain, and one of Britain�s largest farming operations.

As well as having clear financial and operational objectives, the Group has also set out its social and sustainability goals in its groundbreaking Ethical Plan, which specifies over 50 commitments in these areas.

Further information is available at www.co-operative.coop