Shropshire Rural Housing Association welcomes three new board members
The appointments bring experience in housing, regeneration and leadership to support the association’s work providing affordable homes across rural Shropshire
Three new board members have joined Shropshire Rural Housing Association bringing experience to support its work across rural communities.
James Fullford, Martin James and Paul Birch have joined the association which provides more than 300 affordable homes across rural Shropshire.
Celia Bahrami, chair of the board, said the appointments would strengthen its skills and experience as the association continued providing good quality affordable homes, supporting tenants and local communities, maintaining existing properties and considering opportunities for more rural housing.
She said a strong experienced board was particularly important for a relatively small housing association and welcomed working with the three members.
James Fullford, who works for Aspire Housing, has spent his career in housing and communities and is passionate about ensuring tenants influence services.
He said: “Living in Shropshire, I really wanted the opportunity to give something back to the place I now call home.”
Martin James brings extensive experience in housing management, development and regeneration, having worked in the sector since the early 1990s, including development and asset management at Housing Plus.
He hopes his experience will help the association thrive, make sound decisions, tackle future challenges and support the board’s growth plans.
Paul Birch is an experienced HR and communications specialist who has held senior leadership roles in Shropshire’s social housing sector and at Telford College.
He said rural housing helped keep communities strong and his experience showed how good governance, clear decision-making and a strong organisational culture could improve services for tenants and support the association’s continued success.