About Us

For nearly 30 years, Arawak Walton has stood as more than just a housing provider; we’re an integral part of diverse communities across Manchester, Stockport, and Trafford.

Our mission is to champion the provision of quality affordable homes in sustainable multi-cultural neighbourhoods.

Guided by our core values, we prioritise people and set ambitious goals while staying rooted in our origins. Adapting to changing times through teamwork and prudent financial management is essential, as is our unwavering commitment to transparency and accountability.

Our dedication to listening and responding to stakeholders’ needs drives continuous improvement in service quality. We don’t simply offer houses; we create homes, supporting and championing our communities at every opportunity. Innovation helps us anticipate and respond to evolving circumstances, ensuring we evolve alongside our communities.

Building partnerships and alliances amplifies our impact, while financial strength and effective management enable us to deliver value. We’re transparent about our performance, fostering trust and accountability every step of the way.

In 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) confirmed our top-tier G1/V1 status, a testament to our commitment to meeting and exceeding regulatory standards. Despite challenges like inflation and interest rates, we remain dedicated to expanding housing access and addressing pressing needs, such as providing larger family homes for those in temporary accommodation.

Proud of our achievements, yet relentlessly committed to progress, we’ve grown into the largest independent black and minority ethnic (BME) Housing Association in the region with over 1,200 homes, 36 dedicated members of staff and we stand with an asset base of £48 million and a turnover of £6 million. But at Arawak Walton, we’re not just builders; we’re architects of futures.

At Arawak Walton, we aim to continue delivering excellent customer service while seeking opportunities to generate savings and income wherever possible. This ensures we can reinvest in our current neighbourhoods while also growing the number of homes we own and manage, helping to meet the demand for our homes and the aspirations of our tenants.

We work closely with national, regional, and local organisations to ensure our voice is heard as strongly as the larger associations. Arawak Walton is a member of BME National, the body representing the majority of black and minority ethnic housing associations. It sits within the umbrella of the National Housing Federation.

Locally, we belong to the Manchester Housing Providers Partnership, Trafford Housing Forum and Stockport Strategic Housing Partnership.. This enables us to raise issues that affect the communities we serve, and our stakeholders see us as having a key role in achieving their objectives.

Additionally, we are members of Community Housing Associations North West (CHANW), collaborating and influencing housing strategy alongside other community-based housing associations in the Northwest of England.

Housing associations exist to ensure everyone in the country can live in a quality home that they can afford. 

Our Values

We value people – We shall listen and respond to the needs of all people involved with Arawak Walton.

We aim high – We shall improve the quality of our services.

We are proud of our roots – We provide homes, not houses and support and promote our communities whenever we can.

We move with the times – We stay alert to changing circumstances and respond to them with imagination and innovation.

We rely on teamwork – We look for partners and alliances to help us achieve our aims both inside and outside the Association.

We are keen financial managers – We need financial strength and effective financial management to underpin and expand our work; we use our resources to add value and release potential.

We are open and accountable – We provide user-friendly information about our performance as a housing association.

Our Senior Team

Here is our organisational chart: Staff Structure

Amanda Harris, Finance Director.

Amanda joined the Association in May 2019. She is a CIMA qualified accountant and has a BA (Hons) degree in European Finance and Accounting.

She has worked in housing for over 25 years and has undertaken many roles within Finance – such as Head of Finance, Financial Accountant and Management Accountant. She’s been involved in many partnership projects and joint ventures and enjoys working for a sector that puts tenants and communities at the heart of housing.

Amanda oversees all aspects of finance and IT, including treasury, long term financial planning, insurance and Value for Money.

Kate Forrester, Operations Director (Interim)

Kate joined the Association in December 2022

She holds an MSc in Housing Studies and is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

She has worked in housing for over 35 years, 20 at a senior level.  She has held Director positions with Northwest Housing Associations and headed neighbourhood services for a large national housing provider.

She has worked on large scale projects regenerating neighbourhoods, worked with various tenant groups to improve services and has been an active member of various Housing and Community Partnerships.

She has a keen interest in Equality Diversity & Inclusion, receiving industry awards for work promoting inclusivity.

Kate is responsible for the operational activity including asset compliance, maintenance, housing and customer services.

Our Board

Our Board consists of a diverse group of individuals, mirroring the communities we serve. Together, they bring a range of skills, experience, and up-to-date knowledge needed to drive the association’s goals.

Adrian Carridice-Davids, Chair of the Board

Member of Remuneration and Appointments Committee.

Adrian is a Non-Executive Director with a wide range of experience managing large-scale government and community projects. He is currently associate Non-Executive Director for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington & Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Adrian brings with him a wealth of skills and experience, including health, community engagement and social housing.

Jenny McGarry BEd Honours in Education, Board Member,

Member of Remuneration and Appointments Committee.

Jenny is the Head Teacher of St. Mary’s CE Primary School in Moss Side, Manchester. She has been in educational senior leadership for over fifteen years in inner city Manchester. She is a National Leader of Education. St. Mary’s works hard to be at the heart of the community, raising the aspiration of pupils, and proving that all children can progress and achieve success.

Rob Brown Board Member, Deputy Chair of the Board, Chair of the Audit Committee, Member of Remuneration and Appointments Committee.

Rob works at Manchester City Council (MCC) as a Consultation and Engagement Manager. He has worked alongside Arawak Walton for a number of years as part of his role at the City Council. Rob has been on various Board’s including Arawak Walton from 2005 – 2007. Rob brings with him 36 years of experience and knowledge of working in the housing sector at MCC.

 

Troy Tull Board Member, Chair of Remuneration & Appointments Committee

Member of the Audit Committee.

Troy is a Senior Risk Analyst at Worldpay / FIC. Prior to this he worked as a Senior Insolvency Administrator at Kay Johnson Gee LLP in their corporate restructuring and recovery department. Troy started his career at Arawak Walton Housing Association working in the finance department as a Finance and Data Assistant, in 2014 before leaving in 2016 to join Beever and Struthers.

Sally Penni MBE, LLB (Hons) in Law, Board Member, Member of the Audit Committee.

Sally is a Barrister at Law for Kenworthy’s Chambers in Manchester and Vice Chair of Association of Women Barristers UK. She is also a Non-Executive Director of Codethink Ltd., Trustee for Royal Exchange Theatre and highly commended as an inspiring leader by HSBC National Women in Business 2016. Sally joined our Board 2017. In 2020 Sally received an MBE for services to diversity in the workplace, social mobility and law.

Rob Wakefield BSc (Hons) CPFA, Board Member, Member of the Audit Committee.

Rob is the Chief Executive of Community Gateway Association (CGA), a housing association that owns and manages over 6,000 homes in Preston. At CGA Rob is responsible for all matters of corporate strategy, tenant and colleague engagement, service delivery and the development of new homes. Prior to joining the Board in 2016 Rob’s involvement with Arawak Walton began in 2014 when he became a Co-opted Member of the Audit Committee.

 

Sharon Thomas, Board Member, Member of Remuneration and Appointments Committee.

Sharon is currently a Social Investment Specialist at S4B partner of Onward Homes and has over 36 years of experience working in the housing sector in different regions in a variety of roles across the UK. Sharon also volunteers in the local community as a youth director, treasurer of Cheetham Cultural Festival, Director of Burnside Community Centre in Middleton and supporting various community initiatives. Sharon is also a Mental Health First Aider.

Anila Khalid, Board Member, Member of Audit Committee.

Anila works at Stockport Homes Group as Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods across 6 local authorities and has worked in Housing for over 20 years. This does not include a 3-year placement in the USA working on a Healthy Families Program in Maryland. This was an opportunity that arose working as part of the Prevent Child Abuse agenda and has helped immensely in understanding the importance of prevention and supporting families. The aspects of her current role which she enjoys the most are engaging with customers, partners and stakeholders to ensure that communities thrive and are better places because of the work her teams are engaged in.

Elizabeth Webster, Co-optee to the Board.

Elizabeth is Co-optee to the Board. As an Arawak Walton tenant, Elizabeth is able to bring the residents’ perspective to Board Meetings. Her involvement with the Tenants’ Quality Panel will allow her to liaise between the two bodies. Elizabeth has worked in the Television, Film and Theatre industry for the last seventeen years.