IT'S BEEN A year of transformation at Trafford Housing Trust, and somewhere along the way chief executive Matthew Gardiner lost his office; instead, he hot-desks to gain insights at ground level. The 370 staff at the mid-size Manchester-based social-housing provider say their colleagues go out of their way to help each other (an 80% positive score), and they feel a strong sense of family (73%). Created in 2005 following a stock transfer from Trafford metropolitan borough council, the trust manages 9,500 properties and is now the borough's biggest developer, having built 164 new homes for sale, shared ownership or rent last year. www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk
