Success at the Essex Housing Awards 2025
We recently attended the 2025 Essex Housing Awards, an annual event that celebrates the best developments, services, and individuals across the county. We had a successful night; we won two awards, were Highly Commended twice, and shortlisted in four other categories. We’re incredibly proud of everyone’s achievements.
This year, we co-sponsored the awards with Estuary Housing Association. We’re currently exploring a potential merger with Estuary, and it was an honour to celebrate the fantastic achievements in the industry alongside them.
The Mo Slade Rising Star Award
We’re especially delighted to share that Ursula Aitchison (our Policy, Strategy, and Research Specialist) won the Mo Slade Rising Star Award. This is given to a young person or apprentice that has made a big contribution to a housing project or service, and who shows integrity, drive, and ambition.
Ursula was recognised for her commitment to accessibility and inclusion within the workplace and for customers, and her impact on policy making within the organisation.
This is the second year in a row that a CHP employee has won this coveted award.
Medium Housing Schemes (25-100 Homes)
In partnership with Anderson, we also won the Medium Housing Schemes (25-100 Homes) award, for our development at Fitzroy Place in Blackmore. This award recognises schemes that make a significant contribution to meeting housing needs, while improving the image and perception of housing in Essex.
By inviting residents to help co-design it, the Fitzroy Place development championed the voices of the local community. The scheme was recognised for the way it’s meeting current residents’ needs as well as addressing the shortfall of affordable housing in the area.
In addition to these two awards, CHP was Highly Commended across two other categories.
Smart Working
We were Highly Commended for our work in partnership with Switchee in the Smart Working category. By using smart thermostat technology, we’ve revolutionised the way we tackle issues like damp, mould, and fuel poverty. We were recognised for the way we’ve moved from a reactive to a proactive approach when it comes to supporting customers.
Large Housing Schemes (101+ Homes)
Finally, we were Highly Commended in partnership with Countryside in the Large Housing Schemes (101+ Homes) category for our Wolsey Park development in Rayleigh. This scheme was recognised for the way it’s setting new standards for sustainable, inclusive, and community-focused development in Essex.
Our other finalists
It was a very successful year for CHP, with four additional finalists across three more categories.
Two other colleagues were shortlisted for the Mo Slade Rising Star Award; Jordan Mears (Senior Income Advisor) and Keira Hill (Community Engagement and Investment Assistant).
As an organisation, we were also shortlisted in both the Meeting Housing Need (Homelessness) and Meeting Housing Need (Specialist Housing) categories.
A huge well done to all the people and teams who were recognised at this year’s awards!