50 years of Cloch celebrated at AGM
A presentation by the Director, Paul McVey, gave a whistle-stop tour of five decades of work and achievements.
This year’s Annual General Meeting for Cloch Housing Association was both formal business and a celebration of Cloch’s achievements.
Members, staff and Cloch partners Oak Tree Housing Association met at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock to formally approve the Accounts and elect the Board for 2018/2019.
A presentation by the Director, Paul McVey, gave a whistle-stop tour of five decades of work and achievements.
The presentation talked about the humble beginnings of the Association in 1968, when a group of local worthies created Christian Action (Housing) Greenock with the intention of creating modern homes for families. The idea was to stop young families drifting from Greenock and to provide affordable homes.
The housing association worked through the 1970s without any staff, building and acquiring properties. In 1979, the name Cloch Housing Association was adopted because the Board wanted to remove any suggestion of “giving charity” from its name.
It was not until the mid-80s that Cloch’s first Director, Mairi Brown, was employed. As the staff grew through the ‘90s, so did the stock, including a stock transfer and multiple developments. In 2001, Inverclyde Care & Repair joined the Housing Association and the development continued.
Development stopped around 2010 and since 2012, with a completely new Senior Management Team including only their third Director and a refreshed Board, the organisation has been developing a vibrant, modern organisation with a fresh outlook on delivering high quality customer services and homes.
Ironically, in 2018, the aim of stemming the drift of people out of Inverclyde continues.
Paul finished by announcing a new development due to go on site in the summer of 2019. The organisation is also embracing the 21st century with a new customer hub and Web Portal. The future is very bright for Cloch and its customers.
The meeting ended with a cake cutting and a chance to mingle over a glass of prosecco and a buffet.
Pictured: Monica Sheekey, Vice-Chair, cuts the cake.