Organised by TPAS Scotland and hosted at the TPAS Scotland Annual Conference in Clydebank, Glasgow on 28th and 29th June, the awards attract applications from all over Scotland and celebrate the magnificent work carried out to improve communities and services, spotlighting and sharing best practice, and applauding all the tireless efforts that are making life better.

The Awards are open again for 2023, with six exciting categories;

Best Practice in Developing Community Award

This award will demonstrate the various ways community needs are being met and how:

• Local pride and community spirit is promoted, support systems built, barriers reduced, and health, and wellbeing enhanced
• Those with physical, sight, hearing or speech challenges, mental or physical health problems or learning difficulties or are new arrivals in the community or face barriers due to geography or facilities are engaged.

Best Practice in Digital Involvement Award

This award will highlight how landlords and community groups have used digital methods to increase service user’s ability to:

• access services
• communicate their views on services and local issues
• communicate with their landlord and each other
• engage in consultation

Champion of the Year: Group

This award seeks to celebrate inspirational efforts and achievements from a voluntary group or Scrutiny Panel who have made a significant difference.

Champion of the Year: Organisation

We are looking for a landlord, contractor, agency, body whose contribution is worthy of the highest praise, and improved the lives of its service users.

Champion of the Year: Individual Staff

This award is aimed at recognising an individual staff member who has:

• Met the needs of tenants and the others they serve
• Participated with the community to influence services, performance and/or culture of participation.

The Alan Ferguson Champion of the Year: Tenant or Resident

In celebration of Alan Ferguson who was a dear friend of TPAS Scotland, this award will recognise an individual tenant/member of the community who has made an outstanding and inspirational contribution towards:

• Meeting the needs of the tenants and others in their community
• Advancing engagement and participation in social housing.

The Awards will close on Friday 19th May. Apply on the TPAS website.

Joint winner of the Alan Ferguson Champion of the Year award 2023, Leonora Montgomery, secretary of the Aberdeen Citywide Multi Storey Group, said: “I have always been enthusiastic about tenants and residents having a voice about the services they receive and believe we should ‘Think Outside the Box’ to be as diverse as possible.

“We also need to be prepared to get involved where you can be seen to have influence, not just for yourself but for all tenants and residents. It is great to see the work that we all do at the Aberdeen Citywide Multi Storey Group being recognised via the TPAS National Good Practice Awards.”