Awards galore! A Message from Colm McDaid following the CIH Awards

Cecil Lemon and Murray Watt

Supporting Communities had a very successful evening at the Chartered Institute of Housing NI & RoI Awards on Friday night.

Our very own Laura O'Dowd won the very prestigious CIH Professional of the Year Award and will go on to represent CIH NI at the UK Awards in Manchester at the end of June.  It is a great honour to receive this Award and it is wonderful that the Judging Panel recognised all the work that Laura not only does, not only in her role at Supporting Communities, but for the housing world in NI & RoI in general.  I am sure you will all join with me in offering our congratulations to Laura & wish her the very best as she represents Supporting Communities and CIH NI/RoI on an even bigger stage!

Another well deserving winner was Highfield Residents’ Association & West Belfast SP representative Cecil Lemon. Cecil was nominated in the Housing Hero category and Supporting Communities is delighted to be associated with his great achievement.  Cecil has given so much of his life to representing his community; he follows in the footsteps of past winners of this Award, all of whom have been nominated by Supporting Communities including Michael Kelly and Bernie Burns.

Supporting Communities was also shortlisted in two other categories (Working Together & More Than Bricks & Mortar) so it was a very proud night for us indeed!