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Three Valleys Housing and Baggaley and Jenkins Limited have been awarded the Regeneration Scheme of the Year title for their joint efforts in the three-year, £20 million regeneration of Ilkeston’s Hopewell Farm Estate.

More than 600 of the country's leading housing professionals flocked to the 2007 Housing Excellence Awards held in some style at the Mere Golf and County Club in Cheshire on 16th May. Established in 2004 by the leading industry magazines Northern Housing, Southern Housing and Midlands Housing, all part of the Excel Publishing Company, the awards celebrate those who have distinguished themselves over the previous 12 months in both the social and private housing sectors.

The keynote speaker was David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, who spoke passionately about the need for the industry to celebrate its unique contribution to a massive improvement in the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the UK in recent years.

Three Valleys Housing and Baggaley and Jenkins Ltd had been shortlisted for the remarkably high quality of the rebuilding and refurbishment work carried out at the Hopewell Farm Estate in Ilkeston during its £20 million, three phase regeneration. In the category of Regeneration Scheme of the Year the judges were looking for a contribution to a wider strategy for sustainable communities, contributions to training and job opportunities for local residents, mix of tenure, and also for a development which is completed to a point where there is a record of success with demonstrable results bringing significant change to an area.

In selecting the Hopewell Farm Scheme as winner, the judges said they had been impressed by an outstanding submission and a substantial project with three years of proven results. The award was accepted by Stuart Caddy, Chairman and Managing Director of Baggaley and Jenkins, and Kevin Lowry, Chief Executive of Three Valleys Housing.

“This is great news for Three Valleys Housing and for all the tenants and homeowners of the transformed Hopewell Farm Estate,” said Mr. Lowry. “Having been involved in such schemes around the Midlands for many years I can confirm that rarely has there been such a fruitful working partnership between a Housing Association, a contractor and a community. Baggaley and Jenkins has clearly made substantial efforts throughout the scheme to integrate with the community and has contributed on many levels to a very successful regeneration project which surely deserves to be viewed as a model for similar projects.”

“We have been delighted to exceed expectations in this flagship scheme,” said Stuart Caddy. “Baggaley and Jenkins personnel are widely accepted by the estate’s tenants and owner-occupiers as a friendly, courteous and efficient team and this prestigious award is a fitting tribute to the spirit in which the day-to-day work of the regeneration has been undertaken.”