Going from strength to strength

2014/15 has proven to be one of our most successful years in our 15 years as a community-based housing association:

• Two blocks of rundown maisonette properties in Irvine were fully refurbished, totally changing the look of the properties which front on to Kilwinning Road, Irvine.  An adjacent block was also demolished;
  
• 101 people were housed by us over the course of the year – the highest ever for the Association;
  
• Over 300 people attended our Community BBQ in held on a beautiful sunny day in August 2014.
  
• 1156 local people were helped with CVs and employment searches through our Community Link Project Financial Inclusion Service.  42 people were helped directly into employment! 
  
• We achieved Investors in People Gold standard and Investors in Young People status. 
  
• We were awarded almost £154,000 of grant funding during 2014/15 from the Big Lottery and the Scottish Government People In Communities Fund. 
  
• Our Community Link Project continues to provide a wide range of advice and free internet access to local residents – enabling them to develop IT communication skills and access cheap on-line purchases;
  
• We submitted a proposal towards the community asset transfer of Redburn Community Centre – offering a new scope to the benefits which can be delivered within the community we serve; 
  
• We continued to expand the range of local initiatives we are involved in by being a distribution centre for food parcels, issuing starter packs to needy new tenants, providing sponsorship for the Kilwinning Fireworks Night and Marymass, issuing annual Christmas Hampers to older tenants, providing a Service Plus scheme for the benefit of tenants who pay their rent on time and becoming involved with the ‘Irvine Vision’.

It’s a pleasure everyday to be Director of ANCHO - I can’t believe what a good year this has been for us!  And our customers seem to like what we’re doing too!  88% of our customers say they’re happy with the service we provide, 96% say we keep them well informed, 89% of them are happy with the quality of their ANCHO home and 93% are happy with the neighbourhood they live in.  Our performance levels remain high across the board and our finances are more secure than they have ever been.  We are looking forward to seeing more successes going forward into 2015/16, with the development of our new Youth Arts initiative, completion of the community asset transfer of Redburn Community Centre and our Small Steps project.
Elaine Gibson, Director

ANCHO’s Management Board is extremely pleased at the continued success of the organisation.  We have always seen ourselves as positive contributors to the communities we work in – and a year like this one shows us we are on the right lines.
Jackie Browne, Chairperson