Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA) has elected Lorraine Tait as its new board convener following former chair Andrew Watson’s appointment to the board of the Scottish Housing Regulator in July.

Lorraine is currently trust manager of the Weir Charitable Trust, a grant funding charity that supports projects run by Scottish-based community groups and small charities. She has 22 years’ experience in housing, having worked with both Eildon Housing and Port of Leith Housing Associations across a variety of posts, in finance, human resources and corporate services. During her career in housing she also gained wide-ranging experience in employability programmes, sheltered housing provision, governance, and compliance with regulation.

Lorraine has a degree in Business and Enterprise, holds a Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Fellowship of the Chartered Management Institute. She was first appointed as a full BHA board member in February 2016, and appointed co-convener in February 2017.

Lorraine said: “I am proud to have been elected convener of the board at BHA and am really looking forward to working with the Board and the Leadership Team, continuing to put our customers at the heart of everything we do. I’ve spent most of my career in housing and have a real passion for it.

“What first attracted me to BHA was the fact that their focus is not just about giving people a home, as Helen and her team have worked very hard to create an organisation that builds communities as well as houses. The team support tenancies, assist vulnerable people in their homes, run a befriending service and a nursery - and they’re also extremely innovative thinkers, as the new community wind farm proves.”

Helen Forsyth, chief executive of Berwickshire Housing Association, said: “Our former chair Andrew Watson supported BHA through some challenging times, and everyone here was delighted for him when he was appointed to the board of the Scottish Housing Regulator earlier this year. He left some big shoes to fill and I am pleased to say that in Lorraine we have someone who can fill them brilliantly. She is passionate, committed and highly experienced, and I am very much looking forward to working with her.”