Shortlisted finalists for 2026 Community Awards announced by Aico

This year has witnessed an “exceptional volume” of entries, with the appointed Judges commenting on both the quality and breadth of the submissions received. Indeed, the standard of entries made the shortlisting process a particularly challenging task.

The Judging Panel for the 2026 Community Awards includes Neal Hooper (managing director of Aico) in addition to Alexa Scrivener (transformation lead at Stirling), Georgina Homer (fire safety advisor for Wolverhampton Homes), Dr Matt Home (CEO, Willowdene) and Yetunde Dania (partner and head of office for Trowers & Hamlins LLP).

The shortlisted entries for 2026 are as follows:

Apprentice of the Year

Following the close of entries for this category in January, the shortlisted candidates were invited to attend an assessment day at JTL. After completing both written and practical examinations, the finalists selected for this category are:

*Emily-Jane Simmons (Focus Training Group, Bristol)

*Jack Brammer (JTL Training, Rotherham)

*Oliver Astrand (North East Surrey College of Technology)

*Jessica Johnson (Abingdon and Witney College, Oxford)

*Jack Daily (West College, Scotland)

*Chris Parnell (JTL Training, Norwich)

Best Distributor Community Initiative

This award is dedicated to distributors who have gone the extra mile and have been committed to supporting the wider communities they serve.

*Medlocks (Thatcham)

*Edmundson Electrical (Irvine)

*City Electrical Factors (London)

*YESSS Electrical (Trafford Park)

*Service Electrical Distributors

*LEW Electrical Distributors

Collaborative Partnership

This award category highlights the organisations that have shown examples of strong partnerships across the industry and local communities.

*Birmingham City Council

*Fortem

*Insite Specialist Services

*Glasgow City Region

*Equans

*Bromford Flagship

College Initiative of the Year

This award celebrates the best and most innovative initiatives among the UK further education and sixth form colleges to promote Best Practice and support student development.

*Hull College

*University College Birmingham

*Yeovil College

*South Eastern Regional College

*Arena Training Centre

*Cheshire College South and West

Corporate Social Responsibility

This award recognises social housing providers who have gone the extra mile and shown commitment to supporting the wider communities they serve.

*Ongo

*Falkirk Council

*Equans UK and Ireland

*Leeds City Council

*Smith and Byford

*Torus Foundation

Electrical Contractor of the Year

This category recognises an electrical contractor who has completed the Expert Installer Training and engaged with Aico’s Installer Community, provided exceptional support and demonstrated outstanding professionalism, innovation or service contribution to a project or contract.

*Clarkson Evans

*Hewer Facilities Management

*Magnus Electrical Services

*AB Building and Electrical

*McIntyre Compliance Services

*Barlows UK

Inspirational Colleague of the Year

This award recognises an individual who goes above and beyond to deliver a high quality of work that exceeds the call of duty. This could be someone who has put innovation or creativity at the heart of what they do or someone who has shown unstoppable determination.

*Olivia Greenhalgh (First Choice Homes)

*Peter Taylor (Loreburn Housing Association)

*Graham Hart (South Essex Homes)

*Kieran Docherty (Midlothian Council DLO)

*Mitchell Rose (Alphatrack Systems)

*Steve Messenger (Booker & Best)

Neighbourhood Transformation

This award recognises a social housing provider that has completed a project or has an ongoing project to transform and regenerate their local community and make their area a better place to live.

*ZED PODS

*Rykneld Homes

*WPS/Wates

*Perth and Kinross Council

*Central Bedfordshire Council

*Amplius

People’s Choice Award

This brand new category recognises excellence and celebrates work that truly connects with the audience, which will be voted for live on the night.

*Barrhead Housing

*Dacorum

*Poplar HARCA

*Wolverhampton Homes

Resident Engagement

This award recognises the best engagement with residents in the housing sector and an organisation that puts communication and residents’ views at the forefront of its decision-making.

*Housing 21

*ClwydAlyn Housing

*Riverside Scotland

*Magenta Living

*Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service

*Selwood Housing

Rising Star

The chosen winner will be a special newcomer or junior team member who’s making a difference in their organisation, bringing improvements and working towards positive change in the industry.

*Alfie Squirell (Wiggett Group)

*Amy Williams (Alpha Housing)

*Lynsey Stead (North Yorkshire Council)

*Joe Henshaw (Platform Housing Group)

*George Temple (Vico Homes)

*Mel Bennett (Cambridge Housing Society)

Sustainability Project of the Year

This category rewards organisations and collaborators who are working on or implementing sustainable solutions for a greener future in social housing.

*Nottingham City Council Housing Services

*West Dunbartonshire Council

*River Clyde Homes

*H&A Group

*RE:GEN Group

*CG Fry

Women in Fire Safety

This category is all about celebrating the contribution of women in the UK’s fire industry. The winner will be a female working within the fire industry who has gone above and beyond in their role to make a difference over the last 12 months.

*Liz Sharples (Progress Housing)

*Laura Dougan (St Leger Homes)

*Kirsty Stott (Kingdom Housing Association)

*Michelle Alexis (L&Q)

*Martina Lydon (WHG)

*Emma Meredith (North Wales Housing)

Lifetime Achievement Award

The chosen winner will have lived and breathed social housing or fire safety throughout their career. They will have driven change both in the organisation in which they have worked and in their sector.

*Ross Webb (Sureserve)

*Joe Cryans (City of York Council)

*Adam Watts (EFT Systems)

*Mark Churcher (VIVID)

*June Anderson (Monument Contracts & Maintenance)

*Keith Smith (The Ferry Project)

Aico congratulates all of this year’s shortlisted organisations and would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an entry. The winners will be announced at the 2026 Community Awards evening on 16 April. Send an e-mail to: [email protected] before 20 March to reserve places.