Capturing Creativity 2017

Eighteen years ago, Community Housing Cymru (CHC) set up an Award scheme to recognise innovation in memory of a very special person - Pat Chown.


Pat gave a big part of her life in helping people in many ways to improve their lives and achieve their potential.


To remember Pat, her contribution to housing and other areas together with her constant search for better ways of doing things, CHC invites entries each year for the Capturing Creativity Award.


The Award’s aim is to recognise innovation:

• New ways of responding to day-to-day issues.


• New ideas about improving and regenerating communities.


• Different ways of helping people to improve and make a positive difference to their lives.

The Award judges look for entries which demonstrate that the project has been ground-breaking and has made a real positive difference to peoples’ lives.


The winner receives the Award and the positive recognition that goes with that. In addition they can nominate a Welsh based charity to receive a £1,000 donation.

The Judging Process and the 2016 Winners

The main emphasis for the judges in assessing entries comes from the title of the award, “Capturing Creativity”. They also take into account:

• How the project is helping people.


• Having clear aims and goals.


• Making the most of available resources.


• Partnership working being actively encouraged and operating effectively


• Could the project be reproduced by others.


• Generally, the overall project “feel”.

Charter Housing’s Cause for Concern won the 2016 Award. It made a real and significant positive difference to peoples’ lives by addressing safeguarding concerns with a “simple” change of approach. It achieved that by adapting existing systems to work in a more people focussed and effective way. In addition it works across the business, and with other organisations, helping to sustain tenancies. All of this is achieved within their existing resources.

A Flavour of Other Entries

Hundreds of entries have been received over the years including:

• Homeless people being trained (accredited), then going into schools to explain, starkly and powerfully from personal experiences, how drugs can mess up your life.


• A ‘de-cluttering’ service which actually addressed the multiple problems some people faced and helped them to change and improve their lives in many positive ways.


• A bus visiting towns and villages in north Wales to provide confidential and sympathetic advice and signposting on sexual health matters.

Not all these won the award but they did make a mark. Also there were many more covering helping with financial inclusion, involving older people in their communities etc.

Over To You!

These activities above are wide ranging. That is at the core of the award together with seeing that the worthwhile activity is taking some form of different approach.


There are lots of great things going on in Wales. We want to celebrate those activities.


Go on, put in an entry for the Capturing Creativity Award this year.


It will be valued and, who knows, you may win! Look out for more details soon.


(And don’t forget the added extra that you can nominate a charity for a £1,000 donation).