Glen Oaks Housing Association is celebrating its success after being named as a finalist in the UK Housing Awards.

The Glasgow-based Association got a pat on the back after being included in the shortlist for ‘Outstanding Approach to Promoting Digital Inclusion’ at the ceremony held in London last week.

Glen Oaks has been blazing a trail with its ‘Starting Out’ initiative which has been going for three years with a firm focus on money advice, energy efficiency and digital inclusion.

The project has been generously funded from Big Lottery Scotland and the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund.

Further funding has been secured from the People and Communities Fund for it to carry on for a fourth year.

The awards ceremony took place at a high profile gala occasion and Glen Oaks staff and Board members travelled south for the event.

Alasdair McKee, Glen Oaks chief executive, said: “The Starting Out project allows us to offer a helping hand to the communities we serve in a greater way than has been done before on issues like I.T. support and money advice.

“We’re delighted to have been a finalist in these prestigious awards and equally pleased to be able to deliver this level of help to our tenants.

“Of particular note is the work we are doing helping tenants to learn more digital skills and encourage them to get online – especially in an age when more and more services require digital involvement.

“We are also able to help absolute beginners who need advice with a smartphone or computers and people wanting to search for jobs or apply for benefits online. This is all helping to ensure an increase in digital inclusion and awareness within our communities.

“It has proved to be a worthwhile and valuable project and continues to be very popular with our tenants.”