We’re delighted to welcome Neil Laird to Orbit as our new Technology and Data Director 👋 Neil will lead our technology and data teams, driving our digital transformation, strengthening data-driven decision making, and supporting our ambition to deliver amongst the best customer service of any housing association in the country. With more than 20 years’ experience spanning national infrastructure, retail, and managed services, Neil brings deep expertise in leading complex technology and data environments at scale. Welcome to the team, Neil – we’re excited to have you on board.
We’re incredibly proud to share that Orbit Homes has been awarded the Gold Award for Customer Satisfaction by In-house Research Ltd – for the 10th consecutive year 🏆 This award is based on direct feedback from customers, independently gathered by In-house Research, a specialist in measuring customer satisfaction in the new homes industry. Winning the Gold Award for the 10th year running reflects our excellent consistency, including achieving a Net Promoter® Score (NPS) of 83 and that over 90% of Orbit Homes customers surveyed would recommend us to a friend. We’re delighted to retain this award for the 10th consecutive year, recognising our team’s ongoing commitment to putting customers at the heart of everything we do.
Making this Easter egg-stra special with chocolate-filled donations! Our colleagues have been helping our Orbit Homes teams spread a little extra joy in our local communities this Easter. 🐣 Colleagues in the Midlands donated over 100 Easter eggs for children across Northamptonshire in support of a campaign led by local resident Jeanette Walsh. The eggs will be distributed to social services teams across the county, including the Leaving Care and Special Guardianship teams. 🐰 In the South, chocolate treats were donated to the Margate Family Hub - part of the Kent Family Hubs network, which provides advice, support, and services to families across Kent. 🍫 Over in the East, Easter favourites were donated to the Muddy Puddles nursery in Norwich. A big thank you to our colleagues for helping make a difference this Easter.
We’re proud to share that Orbit Homes has earned a five-star housebuilder rating by the HBF for the third year running! 🌟 A five-star rating is the highest accolade awarded by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and is only granted to home builders who receive exceptional customer feedback in key areas related to the quality of their home and the service they received. This exceptional achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our entire team – not only in building high quality homes, but in creating sustainable communities where our customers love to live.
New Homes Coming to the Midlands🏡 We’re pleased to share that plans have been approved for Lancaster Fields, our new fully affordable development on the outskirts of Coventry. In partnership with Stonebond, Orbit Homes will deliver 33 new homes for social rent and 30 homes available for purchase through Shared Ownership. All homes at Lancaster Fields are set to support energy efficiency with solar panels and EV charging points included as standard. The development will also embrace sustainability and support our wider commitment to The Wildlife Trusts' 30by30 campaign, helping nature’s recovery by 2030. The new homes will be built by Stonebond using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Built with timber frame installation, the homes will offer improved insulation, energy efficiency, and warmer, more affordable living. Grant funding from Homes England will support the delivery of affordable homes at the site, and construction is expected to start this summer.
We’re excited to welcome Nicola Cale as our new Customer Welfare Strategy Lead. Nicola will help shape and deliver our customer welfare strategy, making sure customers can access high-quality support that helps them manage financial pressure, sustain tenancies, and improve their overall wellbeing. She will also lead the continued development of our customer wellbeing programme, Better Days, which provides free, practical support for customers, including money and debt advice, mental health services, employment and skills coaching, and digital support. Nicola’s appointment strengthens our commitment to improving customer experience, bringing additional focus and strategic leadership to the support customers receive.
We’re pleased to welcome Lorraine Sawyer as our new Procurement Director. Lorraine joins Orbit with extensive leadership experience across the housing sector and will lead our procurement team in continuing to build effective, resilient supply chains, that have a strong focus on social value, customer impact, and long-term sustainability. Lorraine will also lead the delivery of our current tender to procure customer-centric repairs and maintenance services commencing in Spring 2027. This will play a key role in supporting our 2030 Strategy ambition to deliver amongst the best customer experiences of any housing association in the country.
A very special fundraiser inspired by one of our customers🐾 Residents at our Queensway Court Later Living scheme in Leamington Spa came together to fundraise for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association recently. Inspired by one of our scheme’s newest residents, guide dog Barrett, customers held a treat-filled coffee and cake morning that raised £360 for the sight loss charity. Barrett moved into Queensway Court to live with one of our customers, John, after John’s sight worsened. After seeing first-hand how guide dogs help those with sight loss and vision impairments our residents and scheme colleagues were keen to show their support for the charity with the fundraiser. It’s heartwarming for us to see how Barrett helps John live actively and independently, and he’s quickly become a firm favourite at the scheme! We’ve loved welcoming Barrett into Queensway Court and we were delighted to support our customers in raising money for such an incredible cause.
We’re thrilled to share that we've won the award for 'Best Retrofit Innovation or Project' at the Housing Innovation Awards 2026!🏆 Our retrofit pilot project introduced air-to-air heat pumps as a cost-effective alternative to storage heaters, improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and providing both heating and cooling to boost comfort for our customers and climate resilience. The pilot demonstrated strong return on investment, improved indoor air quality, and real progress in tackling fuel poverty. And we’re now actively sharing the outcomes to help influence policy, funding standards, and wider adoption across the housing sector. At this year’s awards we were also proud to be nominated for Best Repairs and Maintenance Innovation for our Repairs Responsibility Tool. Our intuitive online tool helps customers quickly and clearly understand responsibility for different types of repairs in their home, using interactive room layouts, self-help videos, and integration with our customer service systems. It’s designed to empower customers, reduce confusion, and create a more transparent and efficient repairs experience. Both of these nominations reflect our commitment to driving innovation that improves homes, services, and experiences for our customers.
New Homes Coming to Norfolk 🏡 We’re proud to share that Orbit Homes has started construction on 272 new homes at Victoria Gardens in Great Plumstead. Victoria Gardens will deliver high quality homes across a mix of tenures, including 138 homes for affordable rent and Shared Ownership, alongside 134 homes for market sale. The development will also embrace sustainability and support our wider commitment to The Wildlife Trusts’ 30by30 campaign, helping nature’s recovery by 2030, including large areas of public space and an orchard. 🌱 The affordable homes are supported by Homes England grant funding, and with works already underway, the first homes will be available this summer.
