Employees celebrate 10th anniversary

Stafford’s largest landlord has raised £270 for its adopted charity for 2016 during a special birthday celebration.

This year Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) is celebrating its 10th birthday, and to mark the important milestone in the housing association’s history, staff staged a fun day at their Parker Court headquarters.

During an afternoon of fun and games they also released dozens of biodegradable balloons, which do not harm wildlife or the environment, in the organisation’s corporate colours, red and blue. The entertainment continued with a tug-of-war contest, football, pass the parcel and even an inflatable assault course.

Meanwhile, a raffle raised funds for A Child of Mine, which supports bereaved parents. So far this year, SARH employees have raised £1,650 for the charity founded by local mum, Gayle Routledge, who lost her own son to a rare form of childhood cancer.

Craig Jones, Director of Finance and Commerce, commented: “This really was a great way to celebrate a huge milestone for the organisation, and everyone got into the spirit of the occasion.

“Together with our partners and customers, our staff have played a vital role in the success of the organisation which will this year also see the completion of our 500th new home.”

Debbie Emmitt, Director of Neighbourhoods and one of the team behind the event, commented: “Everyone fed in ideas that they thought would make the day fun for everyone, and it couldn’t have turned out better.”

One of the younger members of the SARH team, former apprentice Sasha Turnbull, added: “It was great to be asked to join in the fun celebrating with so many colleagues. The past two years at SARH have been a great opportunity, and I am looking forward to the future here.”

Pictured left to right are Simon Thompson, Head of Development; Harpreet Rayet, Development Manager; Debbie Emmitt, Director of Neighbourhood Services; Craig Jones, Director of Finance and Commerce; Stephanie Burrows, Personal Assistant and Jo Hough, Assistant Director of Organisational Development.