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PEN Member Wins National Award for Community-Led Tenancy Project
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We’re delighted to share the news that PEN member, Bushbury Hill EMB, has been awarded this year’s Project Award by the National Federation of Tenant Managed Organisations (NFTMO).
Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board (EMB) is a tenant managed organisation in Wolverhampton which works to boost the quality of life for residents of the Bushbury Hill Estate.
Its charity arm, Bushbury Hill Community Action Group, helps tackle health issues by working with local services to provide community-based support.
Community-Based Project
NFTMO’s Project Award is given in recognition of a project which enhances the lives of residents and positively impacts the lives of the wider community.
It was awarded to Bushbury Hill EMB this year for its transformation of derelict land and buildings into the Fifth Avenue Community Centre, a thriving community hub.
In an asset transfer from the council, the project involved the removal of 20 overgrown trees, the installation of security systems and the creation of a community shop for people on low incomes.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused delays to the project, the determination of the board to see their vision come to life has now been realised, and the community shop has a footfall of 150 families per week.
Fifth Avenue Community Centre offers a wide range of community activities from after school clubs, drama groups, cooking lessons and sand play to community counselling, all run primarily by local volunteers.
The centre is open to anyone who lives in the local area with a focus primarily on the estate’s most vulnerable tenants.
Board members are all volunteers who live on the Bushbury Hill Estate. They all give up their time because they all want the estate to thrive and to improve the quality of life for the people who live there.
NFTMO Project Award 2025
The NFTMO Project Award was presented to Board members at the National Federation of Tenant Managed Organisations (NFTMO)’s Annual Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Straford-Upon-Avon.
Although the Bushbury Hill EMB board did not expect to win, the decision for the award to go to them was unanimous.
Our Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, Diane Lewis (pictured second from the left), played a key role in the project and has been a member of the Board for nearly nine years. She attended the awards ceremony and gala.
Three out of the seven awards given that night went to representatives from Wolverhampton.
Ongoing Community Activities
Beyond the award ceremony, Bushbury Hill Estate continues to offer its tenants and people in the local area a wide range of activities to get involved in. Recently, these have included a coach trip to Llandudno which was free for tenants, and a free trip to the Black Country Museum for the over-50s.
In addition to her work as PEN Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, Diane has also been heading up an initiative to provide brand new school uniforms for tenants who would otherwise struggle to afford them. These are funded by the Bushbury Hill EMB rather than its charity arm, and support children from nursery age right up to senior school level.
To learn more, please visit the Bushbury Hill EMB website.
