My RHA
Railway People - Clare Richardson
18th December 2017 | posted in News
That’s not just because she works in housing, but also because, like the television celebrity, she is renowned for making jams, jellies, chutneys and lots of other lovely treats.
When she is not working as one of our Tenancy Services Officers, Clare loves spending time in the kitchen
She says: “My cupboards at home are never empty because I love cooking and making things, whether it’s jam, chutney, sloe gin or even raspberry vodka.
“When I told my colleagues that I was giving homemade presents for Christmas, as it was the same time as Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas, they started calling me Kirstie, which I didn’t mind at all!”
Clare has been with Railway Housing Association for nine years. She divides her time between three of our sheltered housing schemes, Tempest Anderson House in Darlington, Plevna Mews in Shildon and Hackworth Court in Stockton. She also has responsibility for helping people living in our self-contained flats in Dormanstown and Nunthorpe on Teesside.
Clare explains: “My role is to look after the interests of residents and the overall health and safety and maintenance of the schemes.
“This can involve helping people to settle into their new home or supporting those who are ending their tenancy, through to ensuring the cleaning and grounds are up to the correct standard.
“It’s very much a people-focused role, which is what I like.”
Clare, who lives in Barnard Castle and has four children and one grandchild, started her working life in a family-run travel agency. She then moved into care, including a stint for Barnardo’s which involved helping five young people with a return into the community (something she says she is very proud of) before going into housing.
Clare says: “I worked for one of the biggest housing associations in the UK, but having been at Railway for the last nine years I can definitely say that small is better.
“I am a people person so here you get to know your colleagues and residents much more than you do at a larger organisation and that’s very important to me.
“When I was a travel agent I never tried to sell anyone a holiday I wouldn’t have been happy going on myself and I have always tried to apply this approach in whatever job I have done since.”
