Plaque ceremony
15 August 2013
FOUNDER MEMBERS ARE HONOURED
On 13th August 2013, Arawak Walton Housing Association celebrated the pioneering achievements of its founder members by unveiling a plaque at the Association’s head office remembering the names of the founder members of Arawak and Walton Housing Associations. Together with Mr Fred Frederick and Mr Tony Gordon, our acting Chair, Mrs Elouise Edwards did the honour of pulling back the curtains to reveal the plaque.
We were honoured to be joined by Tony Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester. He has had a long history of supporting the association through its fledging years, as it strove to address the housing needs of initially African and Caribbean communities living in some of the most deprived areas of Manchester. This has widened to address issues around community cohesion by facilitating and encouraging the many diverse multi-cultural communities to now call Manchester their home.
As sadly many of the founder members have passed on, we were pleased that many of their families and representatives were able to join us on the day.
Mrs Edwards said, “It seems unbelievable to think that the ideas that started off in someone’s front room over a cup of coffee have resulted in this financially strong organisation which owns almost 1,000 homes and houses over 4,000 tenants. The founder members would be extremely proud of where Arawak Walton has got to”.
Mr Lloyd commented, “Whilst Arawak Walton’s aim was to champion good quality housing for Black and minority ethnic communities, it was also about leading the way in how to deliver diverse, sustainable and vibrant neighbourhoods where people from all backgrounds want to live.” He went on to say, “In addition, they are a role model in showing that Black and minority ethnic businesses can flourish and grow to be multi million pound businesses in a very difficult economic climate.
Mr Gordon responded, “The founders were the ultimate pioneers when it came to showing the way to deliver quality housing for all and we are rightly proud to carry on delivering their legacy.”
Arawak Walton has been providing affordable homes in the heart of Manchester for over 25 years. It specialises in meeting the housing and associated needs of Black and Minority Ethnic communities and is also firmly established as a financially strong and well managed organisation. Arawak Walton was formed in 1994 from the merger of two Black and Minority Ethnic housing associations: Arawak and Walton. Their combined resources provided a sound base on which to build an efficient and effective association centred on the multi-cultural communities of inner city Manchester, Stockport and Trafford.
Call Cym D’Souza on (0161) 272 6094 for further information
Mr Lloyd & Mrs Edwards
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