Wheatley picked up awards for:

• Excellence in Customer Service – Wheatley Group’s Environmental Team
• Excellence in Housing Innovation – Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership’s (DGHP) Repairs Team
• Communications in a Crisis – Wheatley Group’s ‘A Route through the Pandemic’ campaign

Wheatley’s environmental team was honoured by judges for going above and beyond to deliver truly outstanding customer service during a challenging year.

The team of 700 working across the central belt responded to the pandemic by helping vulnerable customers with groceries and making welfare visits. That was on top of their regular tasks, including the 24/7 concierge service, stair cleaning in multi-storey flats and responding to emergencies.

In response to the coronavirus crisis, Wheatley Group expanded its Eatwell emergency food parcel service. The environmental teams were at the forefront of that lifeline service helping to deliver more than 28,000 emergency food packages to vulnerable customers across Scotland.

Judges in the Excellence in Housing Innovation category were also impressed by the new repairs service at DGHP, which joined Wheatley in December 2019.

DGHP brought the repairs service in-house in April 2020. Working across 2,480 square miles, the team provides a customer-focused, efficient and cost-effective service by using technology to deliver real-time information and resources.

Rounding out the hat-trick, Wheatley Group’s approach to tenant communication during the coronavirus pandemic was recognised with the ‘Communications in a Crisis’ award.

Martin Armstrong, Wheatley Group chief executive, said: “This is a fantastic result. CIH Scotland’s recognition through these three awards is testament to the hard work, passion and commitment Wheatley staff have brought to their jobs every day through the challenges of this past year.”

The CIH Scotland housing awards recognise and celebrate the creativity, passion, and innovation of housing organisations and individuals across the sector in Scotland.

This year’s ceremony, hosted by actor and comedian Neil Mullarkey, took place online due to coronavirus restrictions.