AN AWARD ceremony for innovation in businesses, sponsored by Oswestry's Aico, has announced its winner.

The Innovation Week Awards announced the winner at its Inside Housing’s Innovation Week, which celebrated the best of businesses, and Aico, based in Maesbury Road, also came up trumps with a top prize.

The ceremony capped off a week of learning and support around innovation from November 7-11 with five webinars, each highlighting the different ways in which innovation can improve social housing, as well as addressing the potential challenges.

Friday’s event concluded with the announcement of 2022’s Innovation Week Award winner as Raven Housing Trust, a social housing provider in Redhill, Surrey.

Chris Jones, a judge at the contest praised their work.

He said: "Raven Housing Trust did fantastically well to win this year's Innovation Award as all the finalists were exceptional."

Raven Housing Trust will receive £10,000 of funding to further support its innovation initiative and a full day of consultancy with Aico’s product development team to help them develop their idea further.

Chris added: "This year the judges decided that they wanted the prize money to go to a project that would accelerate technology adoption in the sector and also directly impact people's lives"

The award is designed to recognise a social housing organisation using technology and the Internet of Things to improve the lives of residents, solve problems and deliver genuine benefits for communities.

A spokesman added: "Raven Housing Trust currently uses software that assists their colleagues to create asset management plans.

"Within their entry, the housing provider explained their goal of developing this software further, to enable them to share their asset management plans with their customers via an online portal.

"Raven Housing Trust will use the solution to increase resident communication surrounding asset management and improve customer service." 

The other finalists on the shortlist were Onward Homes, Places for People, RHP Group and Thorngate Churcher Trust. 

Inside Housing’s Innovation Week will return in 2023.