The Guinness Partnership

We are devastated at the tragic news that our dear colleague Natasha Reddington Romanov was found dead earlier today. Natasha’s next of kin have been informed. This is devastating for Natasha’s loved ones and colleagues. Natasha was a wonderful woman whose kindness and warmth lit up every room and she was much loved by everyone who knew her. We all feel a deep sense of loss at this terribly sad time.

Happy 100th Birthday Mrs Marsh! Mrs Marsh, a resident at our Independent Living Service in Waterlooville, recently celebrated this amazing milestone surrounded by friends, family, and our local Guinness colleagues – with funding for the celebration provided through our Guinness 100 club. Read more about Mrs Marsh’s birthday celebrations and our 100 Club here: https://lnkd.in/ejqmWPpf

We are thrilled that two of our latest developments received highly commended awards at last week’s First Time Buyer Readers' Awards 2024. McArthur’s Yard, Bristol in the ‘Best First Time Buyer Apartment’ category and Signal Park, Tolworth, South West London in the ‘Best Large Development’ category. The First Time Buyer Readers’ Awards are an annual celebration of excellence in building high-quality housing and helping aspirational people onto the housing ladder. These awards recognise our commitment to providing high-quality and sustainable homes. Well done and a big thank you to everyone involved in creating these new homes. And a BIG thank you to everyone who voted for us and congratulations to all the other nominees and award winners.

Paul Love has now taken up the role of Chief Financial Officer at Guinness. He joined Guinness in March 2018 as Director of Finance for our care subsidiary and has worked as Group Director of Care & Support since August 2022. Paul has a strong track record in financial and risk management and has served on a number of Boards. Paul is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and brings over 25 years of senior experience in social housing and the not-for-profit sector. Congratulations Paul.

It’s Manchester Pride 🌈 Along with HouseProud-LGBT some of our colleagues are attending Pride in Manchester today. This year’s theme, ‘Buzzin’ to be Queer – A Hive of Progress’ uses the worker bee as a symbol of unity and strength, acting as a reminder that we can achieve great things together 🐝 Give our float a wave if you see our colleagues today! 👋 #HouseProud #PrideManchester #BuzzinToBeQueer

New research from The G15 has found that social homes are crucial to preventing London becoming unaffordable to key workers, young families, and those on low incomes. The research, part of the #RoomToGrow campaign, found that two nurses on an average salary of £38,000, sharing an average rented accommodation would be unable to afford market rents in 14 of London’s 32 boroughs – effectively making almost half of London out of bounds for the important workers our city needs. The Funding London’s Affordable Homes report also found that social homes provided by not-for-profit Housing Associations in the G15 are 70% cheaper on average than private market rents, saving our tenants a total of £4.8bn per year and allowing those who would otherwise be unable to live in London places to do so. We’re proud to support the #RoomToGrow campaign and shine a light on the real social and economic value created by London’s affordable homes. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eQRSHD4S

We're delighted to share that we’re running a pilot scheme with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to support children across five of our estates in Rochdale, Gloucester, Crewe and Derby. Set up by renowned country singer Dolly Parton, the Imagination Library provides a collection of high-quality, age-appropriate books, sent to children at home. Children enrolled in the programme will receive a free book, personally addressed to them, every month until they turn five 📚 This is an amazing way for our young residents to gain access to books, and to encourage reading at a young age. We want everyone to get the best start in life with the skills to help them thrive in school and beyond. By partnering with the charity, we hope to help inspire a love of reading from a young age. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/epXj26Ut

Really pleased that The Guinness Partnership welcomed MHCLG Ministers Matthew Pennycook MP and Baroness Taylor and colleagues to our DaneStrete development in Stevenage - England’s original New Town - as they launched the Government’s plan for New Towns. Thank you to Guinness colleagues and our partners at Lovell Partnerships Ltd and Stevenage Borough Council for putting this together so successfully at short notice! #Planforhousing

We are delighted that our multi-tenure Signal Park development in Tolworth has made it onto the shortlist for 'Best Shared Ownership Development' in the Inside Housing Development Awards 2024. The development was completed in the summer of 2023 and has since helped 64 households onto the property ladder through Shared Ownership. Signal Park now offers another affordable housing option in Tolworth, with the latest 92 homes being for London Living Rent. Wish us luck for the Inside Housing Development Awards 2024!

We recently hosted a The G15 event on workplace wellbeing together with Clarion Housing Group, Peabody, L&Q and Southern Housing. Chaired by Liz Skelton, our Director of Health and Safety, the online event was called ‘Thriving Together – Cultivating Workplace Wellbeing in Housing’. Guest speakers Dr Rachel Lewis (Birkbeck, University of London and Affinity Health at Work) and Laura Howard MSc (The Contented Workplace Company) hosted a round table discussion covering the benefits, challenges, and practicalities of embedding a wellbeing strategy within organisations. During a session hosted by Dr Danielle Clarkesmith of the Anchored Mind, attendees learned about ways to improve mental wellbeing and overall happiness. And Rick Lee OBE, Chief People Officer at Willmott Dixon, discussed their wellbeing approach and explored why leaders are so important for setting the tone of an organisation. We would like to thank everyone who took part in the event and workshops!