The West Lothian-based association said that Stuart has been a tremendous resource for the association and has played an instrumental role in guiding its mission and business since its inception.

After more than two decades on AHA’s board of management, he officially stepped down at the annual general meeting on September 5th.

His retirement from the Board coincided with the association’s 25th anniversary celebration and so the association invited Stuart, who the organisation called an “indispensable member” of its board for almost all of those 25 years, to do the honours of blowing out the candles of Almond’s birthday cake.

In his time with the association, Stuart held several roles including chair and vice-chair. He is a qualified solicitor and has been a partner with Shoosmiths for a number of years. A specialist in company law, Stuart has worked for many Scottish registered social landlords, advising on corporate and regulatory matters.

George Webster, AHA’s chief executive, said: “Stuart was the original legal adviser to the fledgeling association over 25 years ago and we were delighted when he agreed to join our Board. His knowledge and experience has been a boon to the association, and just as important has been his compassion and genuine desire to provide Almond’s customers with the best possible service. I’d like to extend my personal thanks to Stuart for his help and support to myself and of course to the association and our tenants.”

Stuart said: “Working with Almond has been more rewarding than I could ever have imagined as it allows me to spend time and energy to promote the availability of decent housing for everyone.”

The association has said that they are immensely grateful for all the valuable input and insight Stuart has offered it over the years, and that it wishes him well in his future endeavours.