Housing association to showcase award-winning work at Building Cohesive Communities conference » Housing » 24dash.com

A Midlands based housing association is showcasing its national award winning work in bringing communities together at a conference to be held at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

Ashram Housing Association, based in Birmingham but operating across the region, won the Housing Corporation’s highly prestigious Gold award for Excellence in Building Cohesive Communities.

The award includes a prize of £50,000 to fund a programme to disseminate Ashram’s work across the country.

The ‘Building Cohesive Communities’ conference, to be held at the Birmingham Hippodrome, on Wednesday 15th October, will see Ashram sharing its ideas and approaches with housing professionals from across the country.

The Gold award was established, by the Housing Corporation, to identify and share the excellent practice of Housing Association’s nationally and to help support improvements to the services provided to residents and tenants.

Ashram scooped the award for its unique approach in using sport, community design and advocacy in working with a diverse cross section of communities in overcoming cultural and community barriers.

Jas Bains, Chief Executive of Ashram, said: "This event is taking place on our home turf and is an opportunity for us to show what Birmingham has to offer.

"We’re looking forward to sharing our experiences with colleagues from across the country and can be immensely proud that our work is being showcased."

At this event, Ashram will also be publishing a national report on sporting affiliations amongst young Muslim people and the potential use that this has as a tool to create a sense of shared identity and build cohesive communities.