After a very short illness, Ken passed away peacefully, on the 22nd August 2020.

Ken was well known, enormously respected and well-liked within the housing sector. He spent most of his career in housing, initially as an IT consultant but laterally as an employee of Hillcrest Homes as the IT manager.

His role in the development of housing management software spanned most of his career and resulted in vast improvements in the capability and flexibility of the software we all use today. Within Hillcrest, he was responsible for the implementation of Aareon software, served as the chair of the user group and pushed for enhancements to improve its capability, which ultimately resulted in higher customer satisfaction.

After retiring, Ken joined the board of both Hillcrest Futures and Hillcrest Enterprises. He generously gave his time, shared his expertise and contributed to the success of both organisations. After a period of time on the board, Ken also took on the chair of Hillcrest Futures and worked closely with the managing director to drive the business forward.

Angela Linton, Hillcrest chief executive, paid tribute to Ken, saying: “Ken was a warm and caring individual who treated everyone with courtesy and respect. He was friendly and compassionate and took the time to learn about services individually. He always showed a real interest in the work of the company, attending performances by our drama group and showing a real enthusiasm for the possibilities of our new charity shop.

“Ken approached everything with integrity, a desire to deliver a professional service and was always a true gentleman. His contribution, throughout his period at Hillcrest was greatly appreciated and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are very much with his wife Wendy and all of their loved ones.”