The successful meeting provided an opportunity not only to hear how well Forth has been performing over the last year and to receive the latest set of annual accounts, but also for Forth’s members, staff and tenants to have an opportunity to view the local gallery and museum. It was also a great opportunity for staff, committee members and tenants to come together and catch up over a cuppa and some lovely cake provided by the in-house café.

Tenants shared how much they value the team at Forth and how much their local community means to them – relationships with neighbours that flourished during lockdown and continue to grow and support each other now.

Attendees heard from chairperson Andrea-Finke-Gates about how delighted Forth is to maintain compliance with the regulatory standards this year.

Andrea said: “I feel very privileged to be able to sit here speaking to you as chair of Forth. It is an immense pleasure to be part of everything that we work for and stand for so thank you for that.

“It has been a busy year for all at Forth and an exciting one for me as my first year as chair. I would like to thank Ann Dickson, past chair and Kenny Hutton, co-vice chair for their support over the last year. I’m delighted to advise that we have maintained compliant status with the Scottish Housing Regulator. We do not take this lightly nor sit back on our laurels. Performance is monitored closely by staff and committee alike, always with a focus not only on the Regulator’s requirements but also on doing what is right by our tenants.

“Additionally, it was great to see the development at Cambusbarron with Barratt delivering the much needed 48 homes, our first new homes in Cambusbarron since 2010. I was so impressed with the quality of the homes when I had the opportunity to visit and when I spoke to tenants, they told me that they were so happy with their new homes and the positive impact that it had on their lives and that of their families.

“We now look forward to the coming year and we have a new five-year business plan to drive our decision making forward and I’m very pleased that it is focused on ‘our people’ - by that I mean tenants, staff, factored owners, shared owners, committee and our wider communities. It is far-reaching and ambitious.”

Forth was also joined by David Ogilvie, interim head of housing at Blackwood Homes and Care.

David has over 30 years’ experience in the housing sector, including nearly two decades in senior leadership roles with East Lothian Council, Melville Housing Association, as well as serving on the board of Link Housing Association. He has also worked in national policy and leadership roles with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland, and a brief spell at Homes for Scotland, influencing sector-wide strategies and partnerships across housing, care, and community development.

David delivered an interesting and inspiring talk reflecting on his journey in the sector, lessons to be learned, leadership and resilience which was particularly poignant for Forth as we step forward into a new phase of our own journey.

David said: “As you reflect on your year, I encourage you to embrace the unexpected turns ahead, because it’s often in those moments, the ones that weren’t in the plan, that we discover our greatest strengths.”

Sadly, Forth said a fond farewell to Ann Dickson, its co-vice chair, bringing its committee membership to 11 out of the possible 15 positions.

Ann has been with Forth since 2019 and is one of its longest-standing members.

Forth took the opportunity to extend its deepest gratitude to Ann for her hard work and perseverance through what has been at times very challenging.

Sharon Brady-Wardrope, director, said: “The role of chair carries an immense responsibility which Ann took on with a great deal of wisdom and integrity and perhaps a dash of arm twisting for what may have seemed mission impossible at times!

“However, despite the numerous challenges, with her steady, calm, guiding hand we successfully navigated these challenges and emerged a stronger team with an enhanced reputation and an improved culture with all our people at the heart of what we do.”

Sharon went on to close the meeting with some final thoughts following on from David and said: “Resilience and adaptability in the sector are essential and in particular for Forth at this time as we continue to build a robust framework to deliver excellence.

“Our staff and our committee have continued to work hard delivering our strategic objectives and we now look forward to a new chapter underpinned by our values to be kind, be caring and be respectful.”