Fort William group wins national award
Issued by Plantation Community Association
The Plantation Community Association (PCA) has been awarded national recognition in winning Tenant and Resident Group of the Year at a ceremony held in St Andrews on Friday 7th November 2014.
The awards were organised by national organisation TPAS Scotland (Tenant Participation Advice Service Scotland). The “Group of the Year” award was presented by STV weather man Sean Batty to PCA Secretary Lesley-Ann Boath at the glittering ceremony in front of an audience of over 350.
Lesley Baird, Chief Executive of TPAS Scotland said: “TPAS Scotland is delighted to celebrate and highlight the PCAs achievements. Lesley-Ann, Helen, Kara and the other PCA committee members are all fantastic volunteers who work tirelessly to make the Plantation a better place to live for all.”
“The judging panel included senior people in the world of housing, including representatives from the Scottish Government, the Chartered Institute of Housing and other housing professionals. The Group of the Year was our most hotly contested award with strong nominations from around the country. The award went to the PCA for their vital work in improving services and community spirit in the Plantation. Many congratulations to all involved.
Lesley-Ann Boath, secretary of the PCA, said: “Its great recognition for all the hard work the Plantation Community does to improve our area. In the last year we won over £240K in lottery funding to help develop our Pine Grove amenity area. We also work to improve housing conditions, run a weekly Kidz Club and organise lots of events which build community spirit such as the Christmas dinner which we organise every year for our older residents.
“The PCA works in together with the major landlords in our area: the Highland Council and the Lochaber Housing Association. We work hand in hand with them to improve the area for all. Every day the PCA is working to improve life for everyone who lives in the Plantation, and getting this national award is great recognition of the positive impact we are having.”
Lesley-Ann Boath was at the awards with other tenants from the Plantation, as well as representatives from Highland Council and the Lochaber Housing Association. Lesley-Ann added: “Many thanks to our Highland Council Tenant Participation Officer Kate MacLennan for nominating us.”
Kate MacLennan said: “I’ve worked with the PCA for over five years now. They have achieved so much in improving the area for everybody and I’m just delighted they’ve got this national recognition for all the great work they do day in, day out. The skills of their committee members have grown so much – as shown by Secretary Lesley-Ann Boath’s recent award for being the West highland College ’ Further Education Student of the Year.
"By getting involved, tenants not only improve their area but they get new skills and confidence too. One of the great bonuses of my job is helping to support communities and individuals as they grow and achieve things they never thought possible. I’m delighted for the PCA and look forward to seeing what they go on to do next.”