2017 COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

PRESENTATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD 2017

  In the first week of September The Rotary Club of Oldham announced this year's winner of the Community Service Shield - First Choice Homes.   Over the past seventeen years this is the thitteenth award made.  Despite a search for suitable candidates on four occasions none of the nominations meet the criteria.

  The award seeks to acknowlege an individual, company, or organisation who, whilst maintaining a high standard in their business or professional occupation reaches out to the commnitys of support or encouragement to individuals or group on a regular basis over a significant period of time.

  In this way they are providing an important community service outside of their normal business activitities that qualify for a nomination for the above award.

  Director of Customer Services Dave Smith & Stronger Community Officer Zerg Rajha attended the meeting to receive the award from Club President David Halford.

  F C H O was formed in 2002, and charged with the responsibility of running Oldham Councils housing stock, nine years later they progressed frommanaging to ownership mof 12,000 homes, with accommodation for 25,000 people.  In addition they have another 20,000 ontheir waiting lists.

  Over the next five years,actoss the Oldham Borough, they have plans to build a further 800 homes.

  As a responsible social business they believe that the long term future is sustained in the way they support their customers.

  Every staff member is allowed 2 days out of work to get involved within the community, in addition staff members join together to volunteer for Give and Gain.  In June 50 of them volunteered to work alongside residents to improve the environment on Higginshaw estate.  This included digging and planting new flower beds and planting and placing hanging baskets.