Five ‘Wee Gatherings’ were held across Cairn’s locations in Thurso, Inverness, Edinburgh, Bellshill and Irvine, bringing colleagues together to share ideas and contribute to the development of Cairn’s next business plan for 2027-2030.

Following the success of last year’s organisation-wide gathering, Cairn introduced a series of smaller, local events to make it easier for colleagues across its geographically dispersed teams to take part, while reducing travel costs and time away from services.

The events began with the launch of Cairn’s refreshed vision, ‘Creating places people are proud to call home’, with colleagues taking part in interactive workshops to explore the values and priorities that will help bring this vision to life.

A key focus was understanding the needs of Cairn’s tenants and communities. Colleagues explored recent tenant feedback, which highlighted the importance of high-quality repairs and maintenance, affordable homes and rents, investment in existing homes and strong customer service.

Building on this feedback, colleagues worked together to consider Cairn’s strategic priorities for the next three years, identifying opportunities to improve services, strengthen collaboration and deliver better outcomes for tenants.

The Wee Gatherings also provided an opportunity for colleagues from different teams and locations to connect, share experiences and develop a greater understanding of the roles they each play in supporting Cairn’s tenants and communities.

Audrey Simpson, chief executive of Cairn Housing Association, said: “Bringing our colleagues together is an important part of building a strong, connected organisation, and our Wee Gatherings provided a fantastic opportunity to share ideas, learn from one another and celebrate the work we do.

“As we develop our next business plan, it’s vital that we listen to the people who know our services best - our tenants and colleagues. The ideas and feedback gathered throughout these events will help shape our priorities and ensure we remain focused on creating places people are proud to call home.”

The events concluded with the Cairn Awards, recognising the achievements, dedication and long service of colleagues who have made a positive contribution to the organisation and the communities it serves.

Feedback from the Wee Gatherings will now be considered alongside tenant consultation findings and other engagement activity as Cairn develops its new business plan, which will set out the organisation’s priorities and ambitions for 2027-2030.