Eildon Group - Brief History and Achievements

ABOUT THE EILDON GROUP
Brief History and Achievements

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It has taken Eildon 30 years to develop into one of Scotland’s most respected group of not-for-profit organisations.

We confidently predict we will continue to expand and provide an increasing range of housing and community based projects and services in the foreseeable future.

Introduction
In 1973, a small group of staff at Dingleton Hospital, Melrose, decided they wanted to help their patients to live in ordinary houses in the community. They decided the best way to achieve this was through the creation of a housing association which would be run as a charitable organisation by volunteers.

From this seed of an idea, Eildon Housing Association has grown and branched out into a group structure that provides over 2,500 people with quality affordable houses - and for those with special needs, the care and support they need to enjoy maximum independence in a community of their choice.

The following synopsis plots the key stages in Eildon's development so far.

The Early Years	1973 - 1979

On 16 February 1973, a steering group met at Dingleton Hospital, Melrose to discuss the possibility of creating a housing association with the aim of purchasing existing houses in the community in which people ready to leave institutional care could live independently whilst still receiving support from Dingleton staff. This pioneering approach developed at Dingleton Hospital was the forerunner of what we now call 'Care in the Community'.

During this early period Eildon H.A. acquired a number of houses in Melrose, Galashiels and Selkirk financed through grants obtained from the Scottish Office administered through the local authority.

Although the financial viability of the Association in those early years was always precarious it is a great credit to the voluntary Committee Members that they achieved their objective and laid the foundations for the successful organisation it is today.

The Important Transitionary Phase	1980 - 1984

The early eighties brought increasing opportunities for housing associations to address a wider range of housing problems. Eildon H.A. responded, characteristically, by considering a more ambitious and diverse role throughout the Scottish Borders.

Under the Chairmanship of Sir Russell Sanderson, followed by Bill Wilkie in 1982, an agreement was reached with The Housing Corporation for Eildon H.A. to provide a more strategic role. This led in 1985 to Eildon H.A. taking on its first staff and the beginning of an annual multi-million pound rolling development programme across the Borders.

A Successful and Expanding Organisation	1985 - 1995

The following decade saw Eildon H.A. completing £25 million of development in over 40 locations throughout the Borders.

With over 800 tenants, a staff of 40 and an annual turnover of £1.6 million, Eildon H.A. transformed itself into one of Scotland's most effective and respected regional housing associations.

One of Scotland's Leading Housing Associations	1996 - 2001

In addition to operating a successful development programme which provided over 100 new houses each year, Eildon acquired properties through the acquisition of former Scottish Homes stock in Tweeddale and Health Board stock at Huntlyburn, Melrose.

There was also a major commitment to help Scottish Borders Council and Borders Health Trusts to achieve their Community Care objectives through a number of new projects including very sheltered housing for older people, and the relocation of a ward of Dingleton Hospital into a purpose designed residential home for people with dementia - one of the first to be owned and run by a housing association in Scotland. Further initiatives were launched through the provision of a Housing Support Service to vulnerable tenants living in Eildon's normal housing stock, confirming Eildon's commitment to a wide range of care and support services which employs about 60% of Eildon's staff.

The Association's commitment to quality was confirmed in 1999 with the award of an 'A' Performance Rating from Scottish Homes, one of only a handful of housing associations to receive the highest grading.

Creating a New Group Structure to Respond to a Wider Range of Initiatives 2002-04

Over recent years Eildon’s Committee of Management has been assessing the challenge of extending Eildon’s skills beyond housing and care into wider action initiatives that supports community development.

For over 20 years Eildon has carried out Wider Action projects when they form part of an Eildon housing development.

With the need to look at the regeneration of communities in a broader context Eildon has been working closely with Communities Scotland and Scottish Borders Council to consider how best to respond to the needs of communities within a community planning framework.

As a result Eildon has looked at its own structure and developed a new Group Structure which was launched at Eildon Housing Association AGM in August 2004.

With this new Group Structure in place the Eildon Group is able to respond to a wide variety of community led initiatives and provide a range of skills to provide new projects and services to make communities more sustainable and viable.

Eildon Housing Association will concentrate on Social Rented Housing and the provision of Care and Support Services.

Eildon Tweed Valley will concentrate on the delivery of Agency Services for other housing organisations.

Eildon Enterprise will concentrate on the delivery of projects and services to the wider community.

Image of Eildon Staff Training

Meeting Future Challenges	2005 - onwards

Continued support for SBHA

Following the successful transfer of 6,500 Council Houses from Scottish Borders Council to SBHA in February 2003, Eildon has a Partnership Agreement with SBHA and delivers Technical Agency services to them for the delivery of their modernisation and regeneration programme.

Through working closely with SBHA both Associations aim to exchange information and where beneficial to tenants will work together where savings can be made.

As soon as SBHA's subsidiary organisation SBBS (Scottish Borders Building Services) has the potential, Eildon will enter into negotiations to explore advantages of offering a contract to SBBS to provide a range of maintenance services to Eildon tenants in the same way as they provide services to SBHA tenants. In this way both Eildon and SBHA should benefit from a more efficient use of maintenance services.

Key Sponsor of BCIF

Eildon is a key sponsor of the Borders Construction Industry Forum, which operates out of Eildon's offices in Melrose. This Forum was the first of its kind in Scotland and aims to work with all sectors of the building industry to make it more competitive and capable of responding to the increased volume of work anticipated in the Scottish Borders over the next 10 years.

Eildon will continue to work closely with BCIF and help it to export its knowledge to other areas of Scotland.

New Procurement Initiative

Eildon is currently exploring the potential for a Rural Procurement Club in conjunction with Communities Scotland and will be inviting other like minded housing associations to consider the possibility of bulk procurement standardisation of components and documentation for the more efficient delivery of modernisation and new build programmes. This initiative will also include the encouragement of local Construction Industry Forums using the model of BCIF.

Agency Services for Housing Organisations

Eildon will continue to explore Agency Service opportunities in addition to those contracts already established with Rural Stirling HA and SBHA. Eildon Tweed Valley H.A. Ltd has been restructured to specifically concentrate on Agency Contracts for other housing organisations.

Support for 'New Ways' Forum

Eildon is also a strong supporter of the 'New Ways' Community Planning Forum and senior staff from Eildon are represented on the Forum and several of the Theme Teams. Eildon believes the Community Planning Process will be a significant catalyst in transforming the planning process and encouraging partnership initiatives. Eildon Enterprise has been formed to respond to Community Planning initiatives.

Support for Borders Housing Network

Eildon will continue to work closely with our RSL colleagues in the Borders through the Borders Housing Network which consists of Berwickshire Housing Association, Eildon Housing Association, Scottish Borders Housing Association and Waverley Housing.

Regular meetings of the Network Members are held to explore areas for joint working and to discuss matters of common interest.
The Borders Housing Network provides a Joint Strategic Development Funding Plan (SDFP) each year to Communities Scotland which is discussed and supported by Scottish Borders Council.

Borders Care and Repair Service

In 2004 Eildon signed an Agency Service Agreement with Scottish Borders Council to provide a Care and Repair Service for the Central Borders which is intended to become a Scottish Borders Care and Repair Service in due course.

This service is the responsibility of Eildon Enterprise Ltd and operates from their Office in Selkirk.

Eildon Housing Association Ltd
Eildon Tweed Valley H. A. Ltd
Eildon Enterprise Ltd
The Eildon Trust

Registered Office:
Eildon House, Dingleton Road, Melrose, Scottish Borders, Scotland. TD6 9QY.
Tel: 01896 822 121 Email: enquiries@eildon.org.uk

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