Queens Cross Housing Association (QCHA) is celebrating after picking up first prize in front of over 1,000 guests at the CIH UK Housing Awards.

The Association’s ‘Sharing Lives Sharing Spaces’ project won in the “Outstanding Approach to Equality and Diversity” category at the awards ceremony in London last week.

“The Sharing Lives, Sharing Spaces project allows us to build closer bridges with the local Chinese community and increase tenant engagement”, project officer Xiao Zhou said.

“It’s great to be recognised for this prestigious award as it shows our work with tenants is proving successful.”

This work is designed to bring people together, help build networks of trust whilst also supporting people from ethnically diverse backgrounds to access services.

As well as cultural events, the project promotes social integration by offering tenants and residents access to a range of activities such as English language classes, a homework café, sporting events, children’s activities and money and welfare rights services.

Marilyn Clewes, Board chair of QCHA, also attended the showpiece event and said: “Queens Cross is a very diverse area and it’s important that the association continues to sustain the engagement of minority communities. In our Woodside area one in five of our tenants are of Chinese heritage.

“I’m very proud of the team as they have put a lot of effort into the project and it is pleasing to see them being rewarded and recognised in this way.”

Queens Cross Housing Association is delighted that the project has received continuation funding from Scottish Government’s People and Communities fund for 2018/19.