BARRHEAD Housing Association (BHA) is marking its 30th anniversary with a series of celebrations.

Tenants will have the chance to win a garden makeover and a week without rent as part of numerous events organised as a toast to the association’s milestone year.

BHA has also announced plans for a 1980s-themed family fun day on Thursday, June 16, which will include bouncy castles, a car boot sale, facepainting and a treasure hunt.

The Investors in People-accredited organisation has been a visible and reliable presence in the town for over three decades, as evidenced by the significant rise in its base of customers.

Currently, 923 residents depend on the services BHA provides, compared to the 750 occupants 10 years previously.

Chief executive Shirley Robison has put that increase down to the hard work of the association’s 21-strong core of staff and its governing board.

She said: “The biggest achievement is turning the association into a financially viable organisation that is well governed and controlled by local people and performs well against the Social Housing Charter.

“Our main aims are to support our tenants through investing in our properties, provide a good-quality repairs service and help our tenants with a range of new services, including assistance in welfare benefits, better energy-efficient homes and cheaper fuel bills.

"We also want to build more new, affordable and good-quality homes for rent.”

BHA works with a wide range of community partners, including the Impact Arts programme and the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), and regularly applies for external funding in order to support projects such as the CAB’s Helping East Renfrewshire Online (HERO) scheme.

The association is awaiting the outcome of its second stage application to the Big Lottery’s Investing in Communities fund to expand its welfare and energy advice and is a member of Our Power, an independent supply company which helps to lower tenants’ energy costs.

Entries for the BHA’s garden makeover must be made by no later then Friday, May 13 to enquiries@barrheadha.org or in person at the BHA office on the town’s Main Street.

Those keen to apply for a rent-free week in August should have a clear rent account and use the aforementioned email address to enter the competition, which will feature five lucky winners, by Thursday, June 16.