Join us celebrate Apprenticeships Week 2023

National Apprenticeship Week is celebrated from 6th – 12th of February 2023. The Week brings together the entire apprenticeship community to celebrate everything that is amazing about apprenticeships.

North Wales Housing have offered a number of different apprentices over the years; plumbers, electricians, general maintenance, housing and grounds maintenance.

In preparation for this week, we have taken the opportunity to speak to apprentices past and present to ask them what they think of apprenticeships and why they choose to do it with NWH. We will release these every day on our Facebook and Twitter initially, and then add them here.

Find out more about apprenticeships in Wales here https://www.gov.wales/apprenticeships-genius-decision/become-an-apprentice

First residents move into affordable eco-friendly homes in Anglesey village

North Wales Housing has handed over the keys to new residents of a development of 16 affordable, sustainable homes in the picturesque village of Gaerwen.

North Wales Housing partnered with Anglesey Council to deliver the £2.9m Stad Maes Rhydd scheme which has been designed to help meet the desperate need for affordable homes in rural areas.

The new development comprises ten two-bedroomed homes, two three-bedroomed homes and four much-needed one-bedroom apartments.

Sustainability has been prioritised throughout the development and the partners have taken a ‘fabric first’ approach to create highly-insulated homes which will retain warmth.

As Gaerwen is not connected to mains gas, low carbon electric air source heat pumps and roof mounted Photovoltaics solar panels have been installed. Residents moving into their new homes will enjoy lower energy bills and have been given training and support in how to use their pumps.

One of the aims of the development was to enable local people to put down roots in the area which is experiencing a shortage of affordable homes.

It has been built on a rural exception site. Such sites allow small developments of affordable homes to be built on land that wouldn’t usually be used for residential properties.

Being in such close proximity to Gaerwen village centre, Stad Maes Rhydd is well served by local amenities and is close to the A55 Expressway connecting to Llangefni, Holyhead and Bangor. It is also hoped that residents can benefit from close proximity to local employment opportunities.

Lauren Eaton-Jones, Assistant Director of Commercial at North Wales Housing, said; “These homes have been built with local communities in mind. Engaging with local residents was a key part of the process so we are confident that this new development will go some way to meeting the village’s needs.

“It’s a thrill to see people moving into their new homes and to know that this coming autumn and winter they will benefit from more affordable energy and homes built with energy-efficiency in mind.

“Strong partnership working has also been key to the success of this scheme and it’s been a pleasure to work with Anglesey Council on bringing these much-needed, affordable homes to Gaerwen.”

North Wales Housing colleagues were also supported by the Rural Housing Enabler to bring local people into the process and confirm need in the area.

Anglesey Council’s Housing portfolio holder, Councillor Alun Mummery, added; “We are pleased to be able to work in partnership with North Wales Housing to provide more new affordable homes on the Island. Young people and families are really struggling to put down roots in their communities and build a life here. Small, energy efficient and affordable schemes like Stad Maes Rhydd are vital to the sustainability and future of our villages.”

“It is a pleasure to see residents moving into their new homes and we hope they thrive in this new community.”

The homes are rated ‘A’ in their energy efficiency, well above the Welsh Government requirements to meet the target of net zero by the end of 2030. Additionally, preparations have been made to add an electric charging point for vehicles in future.

New operations director for North Wales Housing

North Wales Housing has appointed a new Operations Director.

In her new role, Claire Shiland will oversee a diverse team of around 130 employees and the strategic direction of general housing, supported housing, older persons’ housing, customer services, maintenance, asset services, customer experience and community partnership projects.

Claire joins North Wales Housing from Grŵp Cynefin. She first started in housing in 2002 and other previous experience includes working for Cartrefi Conwy and Anglesey Local Authority. Claire was the first Direct Entry Inspector at North Wales Police prior to returning to housing.

She said: “Coming back into the housing sector after three years at North Wales Police has been a fantastic experience and working in Grŵp Cynefin has confirmed to me why I love working in this sector.

“The culture, ambition and agile approach at North Wales Housing really appealed to me and I am really looking forward to reconnecting with the many people there who I’ve already worked with and of course getting to know the rest of the North Wales Housing family.”

The opening for the role followed the departure of Brett Sadler who left North Wales Housing to take up a Chief Executive post at West Highlands Housing Association in Scotland.

North Wales Housing Chief Executive Helena Kirk said: “We are delighted to welcome Claire to the team. Her extensive experience and understanding of the area and sector will be key in ensuring we continue to deliver a significant positive impact in North Wales.

“We have a clear objective to provide the services our customers want, to a standard which increases customer satisfaction and at a cost which ensures value for money. Claire’s appointment will allow us to build on the work already done towards achieving this.

“Attracting such a high-calibre candidate, with Welsh language skills to match our tenants’ wishes and needs, shows how our investment in people and agile working is helping to retain and bring talent so we can realise our corporate plan targets.”

Have you tried our Chatbot Huw?

Available 24/7 via our website, Huw may have that answer you have been looking for. Simply click on the icon on the bottom right of our website and type in your question.

Still not got the answer? Fear not, during office opening hours you can use our Live Chat, which is looked after by a member of our Customer Services team.

Conwy Job Expo – see you there!

Are you looking for a new job? Want to find out more about North Wales Housing?

We’re attending the Conwy Job Expo on Thursday 12th May, come and see us and have a chat. FREE to attend. Details:

Conwy Job Expo

Thursday 12th May, 2pm – 7pm

The Barn, Eirias Events Centre, Colwyn Bay.

Opening hours Bank Holiday

North Wales Housing will be closed on Monday 2nd May ’22, re-opening on Tuesday 3rd May ’22.

Got a question you need an answer to? Try asking our friendly Chatbot Huw, available 24/7 by clicking the bottom right button on our website:

Only emergency repairs will be done during this time. These can be reported by calling 01492 572727.

Online career hour event gives people the opportunity to make a difference in 2022 with a new career

People looking to make a fresh start and a new career in 2022 are being invited to attend a special event to find out how they can make a difference in our communities with a job at North Wales Housing (NWH).   

NWH will host an online Career Hour Event on Wednesday 2 February at 1pm-2pm so people can find out more about working in the social housing sector and the careers available at NWH. 

Online Career Hour event  

When: Wednesday 2 February , 1-2pm  

Location: Online 

More information https://www.nwha.org.uk/news-and-events/events/online-career-event-hour/ 

During the event different teams will give you an insight into what they do and what it’s like working in the housing sector and at NWH, as well as find out more about exciting vacancies coming up.   

It is an exciting time to join NWH, we’ve got some exciting plans for the future and are creating new roles.  Come and join us and make a difference.  

Register 

Want to attend? Register your interest at [email protected] 

Annual Review revealed at AGM

Today marks the day of our Annual General Meeting (AGM). As part of our AGM an Annual Review document is produced every year. This document gives us an opportunity to look back on the year, our achievements, and challenges.   

Click here to read this year’s Annual Review, some of the highlights include: 

  •  Our amazing response to covid and supporting residents and staff 
  • Our pledge to improve mental health in the workplace 
  • New homes and developments in the pipeline 
  • Our new vision and Corporate Plan objectives 
  • And much more…

 If you have any questions about anything in this Annual Review please get in touch.  

Lauren Eaton-Jones joins NWH as new AD Commercial

Lauren Eaton-Jones joined North Wales Housing Association in June 2021 as our Assistant Director of Commercial.

Appointed in May, Lauren has over 20 years Development experience. Her background is in Town Planning, working in several roles at Flintshire County Council, gaining invaluable experience across a broad range of developments. More recently, Lauren has worked in the private sector as a Planning Consultant for a multi-disciplinary consultancy firm.

Lauren’s appointment comes as Development plays an important part in our new Corporate Plan and is core to NWH’s vision of the future.

Lauren joins the NWH Senior Leadership Team, made up of Helena Kirk – Chief Executive, Brett Sadler – Operations Director, Jayne Owen – Finance and Resource Director, Ruth Lanham-Wright – Assistant Director Homes, Allan Eveleigh – Assistant Director Communities, Lynne Williams – Head of People and Emma Williams – Assistant Director Finance.

You can find out more about Lauren, and other members of Senior Leadership Team here https://www.nwha.org.uk/about-us/meet-the-management-team/

We would like to wish Lauren a warm welcome to the NWH family, and can’t wait to work with her.

New Corporate Plan maps the future for NWH

As we hopefully see an end to the Covid pandemic, North Wales Housing are looking ahead and have developed a new Corporate Plan, which sets the direction for us for the next three years. 

The new Plan covers our intentions to customers, our people, our homes and our finances. Read though this Plan and find out what we intend to do and how we will achieve this.  

Read the Plan here https://www.nwha.org.uk/about-us/business-plan/

We hope you join us on this journey as we make North Wales a better place to live and work.  

Got a question? 

If you have a question, or would like to provide feedback on the Corporate Plan please get in touch https://www.nwha.org.uk/contact-us/