Providing homes and a range of support services to more than 4,000 people across Leith and north Edinburgh, PoLHA accelerated its approaches to diversity and inclusion at the start of the pandemic, providing health and wellbeing support to staff, starting a new staff group to tackle systemic racism and supporting diverse communities during lockdown.

Heather Kiteley, PoLHA’s group chief executive, said: “Recognition from the National Centre for Diversity is an important benchmark for PoLHA, helping us to celebrate our commitment to placing equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do.

“In this most difficult of years I’m particularly proud that our work to provide extra support to employees during the pandemic has been recognised and I’d like to thank everyone who has helped to make this possible.

“We have also developed new work streams to ensure the diversity of Leith and north Edinburgh’s communities is reflected in our activities. Our anti-racism group has been especially important, enabling staff to work together to explore how racially diverse we are as an organisation, raise awareness of racism in all its forms and understand the role we can play in tackling systemic racism as an employer, landlord and key organisation in Leith and north Edinburgh.”

The Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces 2021 Index assesses the ways in which the UK’s top private, public and third sector organisations make their employees and customers feel valued and respected by promoting FREDIE (fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion and engagement) best practice.

Solat Chaudhry, chief executive at the National Centre for Diversity, said: “I send my warmest congratulations to Port of Leith Housing Association on successfully reaching number 63 in the Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces Index 2021. It’s been a challenging year and yet, it has not dented the excellent work that organisations and individuals do in promoting FREDIE best practice.

“We had to have these awards this year. We could not ignore the fantastic efforts that everyone has continued doing. I congratulate everyone who works so hard day-in-day-out to maintain these high standards.”