The Scotland Housing Awards recognise the creativity, passion and innovation of housing organisations and individuals across the sector. This year’s awards received over a hundred nominations across 19 categories, including housing team of the year, excellence in delivering homelessness services, and young achiever.

Craig Stirrat, chief executive of Grampian Housing Association, won the Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of the lasting impact he has made on the housing sector having gone the extra mile during his career.

Craig was promoted to chief executive of Grampian in 2022 having joined in 2014 as director of business development when he re-established the development programme, increasing Grampian’s provision of new homes for social and mid-market rent from 3,300 to 3,800 and still growing.

While at Aberdeen City Council, Craig introduced its first anti-social behaviour helpline and mediation service; developed the scale of its homeless service and supported the establishment of Aberdeen Foyer, a local charity addressing youth homelessness and unemployment. He also improved collaboration with NHS Grampian around improved delayed discharges.

Craig has become an ambassador for housing in Scotland. He served for over 10 years on the CIH Scotland Board and is a former chair of the branch. He has also served on the UK HouseMark Board and the Scottish Advisory Board as well as on the Board of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.

In accepting the award, Craig Stirrat said: “To be honoured by my peers in the CIH is truly humbling and I appreciate the warmth and support from friends and colleagues, in particular my thanks to Board members and colleagues at Grampian Housing Association.

“Having held various housing management, strategic planning and asset management positions with Aberdeen City Council, Fife Housing Group and now Grampian, I am passionate and committed to driving positive change in the sector and leading colleagues to put tenants at the heart of service delivery.”

Abhi Agarwal, chair of Grampian Housing Association, added: “I am delighted that Craig Stirrat has won the Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his services to the housing sector.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Craig’s 40 years in housing. This recognition is a great day for social housing. I am proud and humbled to be the chair of Grampian and having the opportunity to work with Craig.”

It was a double win for the Association as its Heat and Eat initiative was announced the winner of the Excellence in Health and Wellbeing category.

The new initiative was launched earlier this year to address soaring energy bills and the cost of living crisis which is severely affecting many of the Association’s tenants. With funding of £166,000 from the Scottish Government’s Social Housing Fuel Support Fund energy top-up payments of £245 were awarded to over 600 tenants.

An additional £20,000 was secured from The National Lottery Community Fund. This enabled slow cookers, air fryers, heated throws, winter duvets and warm clothing to be supplied to tenants. Fresh food packs were also distributed in partnership with CFINE (Community Food Initiatives in North East Scotland), a local organisation tackling poverty.

Rachel Byiers, support services lead at Grampian said: “We recognise the financial stress many of our tenants are experiencing and the tough choices they sometimes have to make between ‘eating and heating’. We will continue to support our tenants in any way we can.

“By addressing the practical needs of tenants Grampian is helping to reduce the anxiety associated with debt and fuel poverty which in turn helps to improve the health and wellbeing of tenants.”

Grampian’s zero emission heating project at Mackenzie Gardens, Turriff in rural Aberdeenshire was a finalist in the net zero in housing category

Margaret Waddell, the Association’s former Business Improvement Lead was also shortlisted for the Lifetime Achievement award.

The full list of winners includes:

Excellence in customer service - sponsored by West Granton Housing Co-op
Wheatley Group’s Customer Voice Programme - Wheatley Group

Excellence in housing innovation
Book it, Track it, Rate it – Wheatley Group

Working in partnership
The Outreach Worker Project - Places for People Scotland in partnership with Police Scotland Edinburgh Division, NHS Lothian and the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drugs Partnership

Excellence in development for affordable housing
Primrose Place, Alloa - Kingdom Housing Association with Clackmannanshire Council

Excellence in tenant scrutiny - sponsored by Scottish Government
Your Voice Group - Your Voice Group with Argyll Community Housing Association

Excellence in the private rented sector - sponsored by Safe Deposits Scotland
PKC Lets and Ukraine Landlord Offer - Perth & Kinross Council

Excellence in regeneration and sustainability - sponsored by Kingdom Group
North Sighthill Regeneration, Edinburgh - City of Edinburgh Council with 21st Century Homes

Housing organisation of the year - sponsored by SFHA (Scottish Federation of Housing Associations)
Link Group at 60 - Sustainable Homes, Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Business - Link Group

Excellence in learning and development
Learning, Educating, Attaining, Recruiting and Nurturing (LEARN) - Elderpark Housing Association

Excellence in health and wellbeing
Heat and Eat Initiative - Grampian Housing Association

Housing-led approaches to ending homelessness
Naumann Initiative - Kingdom Housing Association
Highly commended: SCS Homes - Simon Community Scotland

Excellence in communications - sponsored by Resource
Transformative Communication to Engage Tenants, Communities and Staff - Link Group

Net zero in housing - sponsored by RCH Group
ACHA Whole House Retrofit Project - Argyll Community Housing Association in partnership with Procast Group
Highly commended: Zero Emission heating Project: Mackenzie Gardens, Turiff, Aberdeenshire - Grampian Housing Association in partnership with M-4

Marion Gibb award for equality in housing - sponsored by Homeless Network Scotland, I-Sphere, North Ayrshire Council, Queens Cross Housing Association and the Scottish Government
Equality in Housing Podcast - Housing Options Scotland in partnership with UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence

Apprentice of the year
Amber Winton - Hillcrest Homes

Excellence in leadership - sponsored by ALACHO (Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers)
Yvonne Baulk - North Ayrshire Council

Housing team of the year
Housing Access Team - Fife Council

Young achiever in housing
Becky Clark - Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association

Lifetime achievement
Craig Stirrat - Grampian Housing Association

All 76 shortlisted entries for the Scotland Housing Awards have also been included in the 2023 Good Practice Compendium a core learning document full of inspiration, ideas, and innovation to help everyone across the sector create a future where everyone has a place to call home.

Commenting on the award winners, CIH Scotland director Callum Chomczuk said: “I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of our award winners and nominees. The standard of application this year, as in previous years, has been extremely high and is a testament to the great work and innovation happening throughout Scotland’s housing sector every day.

“The Scotland Housing Awards, and the Good Practice Compendium, is one of the most important activities that CIH Scotland undertakes each year and highlights the difference that housing professionals are making across Scotland and the impact of wider public policy objectives that make a difference to all of our lives.”