Trust resident becomes 100th governance graduate

6th September 2008

A Somer Community Housing Trust resident will be presented with a special award this Saturday after becoming the 100th person to complete a residents’ governance award.

Jane Keeley, who lives in Midsomer Norton, will be presented with a framed certificate by Hugh Laird, Director of the Board Development Agency, to mark her achievement.

Jane passed the ‘Residents in Governance Award’ endorsed by the Institute of Leadership and Management. The course is designed to give an introduction to governance and how it can help residents in their roles as tenant representatives, on community groups and as tenant board members. The course gives participants an understanding of what governance is and why it is important, helping residents’ meetings to be more productive and fulfilling. Areas covered include: planning for success, meetings, board craft and effective communication.

The Trust offered the training opportunity to members of the Somer Residents’ Committee (SRC), which together with the Trust Board, is developing resident involvement in governance within the Trust as well as advising the Board on strategy and policy issues affecting service delivery to residents.

Jane Keeley is a member of the SRC and said:

‘The course was exhilarating, it’s been like turning a light bulb on. We need governance in every aspect of our lives. I have used the training to help my community. I have now set up a residents’ association and we have put on community events and made improvements to our sheltered housing facilities and plans now are underway for a new community bedroom so that residents’ family members can stay overnight.’

Hugh Laird will be joined by the Trust’s Managing Director, Angela Gascoigne, to present the award at the Residents’ Fun Day on Saturday, 6th September at St Martin’s Garden Primary School in Bath. He said:

‘Jane has done a tremendous job with this course. She has worked hard to achieve this award which is no mean feat. More importantly she has put what she has learned into good practice and made a real difference to her community. I’ve seen her grow in confidence during the course and we are all delighted to see what she has achieved.’

Angela Gascoigne, Managing Director, said:

‘Empowering residents to play a significant and practical role in the governance of the Trust is very important to our Board. The members of the Somer Residents’ Committee work hard and show real commitment to their own neighbourhoods but also to the residents as a whole.

‘This training has increased people’s knowledge and made people more confident because they know how the association works and the part they can play. It’s a testament to the trainers and to those who have undertaken the training that others are very keen to take part in the next round of training.’