Each week during the pandemic, more than 20 Silva Homes' staff made 200 calls to customers who were living in isolation, to check up on them and have a friendly chat.

The housing association owns and manages the homes of 14,000 people in Berkshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

Silva Homes was founded in 2007 to help tackle the housing crisis in the south east by providing homes for people who could not afford to buy or rent in the private sector. Silva's purpose is to improve lives, by providing the stability of a home and offering supporting communities.

The association's vision is to be trusted for the quality of its homes and the services it provides. Rather than relying on members of the business to judge their own success, it instead asks others how well they trust it.

In 2018, Silva embarked on a transformation programme that saw it change its name from Bracknell Forest Homes, to reflects its wider area of operation, launch a range of digital tools for customers, to make it easier for them to access its services, and undergo a business restructuring to centre its customers at the heart.

During this transformation, Silva's colleague culture became stronger and is now fundamental to the success of the business. The association's 230 colleagues are accountable, creative and engaged, and these values are embedded into every aspect of planning, resourcing and decision-making within the business.