Sponsor, Michael Voges , ARCO presenting the Gold award to Eilish Morris , Manager at St Julian's House. Also included in photo is Caroline McGlynn, tenant at St Julians. Apex schemes scoop Gold and Silver at national awards as residents come up trumps!
St Julians House, for the fourth year running has won national recognition at a national awards ceremony in Manchester.
St Julians won the gold medal for the third time at the National Housing for Older People Awards held at the Manchester Hilton.
Brookhill House in Coleraine achieved a Silver medal in the best Housing with Care category.
Three other Apex schemes were highly commended in their categories: Fr Mulvey House, Derry, Parkview Court in Castlederg & Killowen House in Coleraine.
The awards were presented by media star Ann Widdecombe.
Eilish Morris, manager of St Julian’s said she was “excited” to travel to Manchester with her tenants to collect the award.
More than 4000 residents from 360 specialist housing schemes helped choose the award winners in a unique process overseen by the national housing charity for older people, Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC).
The residents score their home on a variety of statements relating to both the quality of the property and the care, support and general sense of wellbeing they enjoy there.
To make the process more entertaining the statements are written on cards, effectively allowing the residents to form small groups and play a card game while actually scoring their housing and contributing to the awards process. They evaluated their accommodation on the basis of location, building quality, their own apartments or rooms, services and lifestyle.
