19 February 2010
Midlands Housing Group launches new website
One of the largest housing associations in the West Midlands has launched a brand new website designed with the help of its residents.
The Accord Group’s new website – www.accordgroup.org.uk – has been created in partnership with some of the Group’s 11,000 residents from across the Midlands.
Scores of residents gave their opinions on what they wanted to see on the new site and how it should look during a series of consultation sessions last year.
The website features a new video section with a film from Group Chief Executive Chris Handy OBE as well as information about how residents can get involved in a £200,000 training project in ‘going green’.
Residents can now also find out the latest Accord news on social-networking site Twitter by following a link on the new Group website. They can also register to have the Group’s latest updates sent straight to their mobile phones via text message alerts.
Chris Handy, Group Chief Executive, said: “It was very important to us that our customers were able to have their say on how our website looks and works as they are the ones that will be accessing it regularly.
“This is why we were keen to involve them in the design process and why we think our new website is user friendly and accessible.
“We are aware that as technology evolves our residents will want to be communicated to in different ways which is why we have joined social networking site Twitter and introduced our new text message alerts.”
The Accord Group is a family of seven different housing associations that provide homes and services in Birmingham and the Black Country including Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell.
The Group is made up of Accord, Ashram, Caldmore and Moseley and District housing associations, housing co-operative bchs, Fry Housing Trust and Redditch Co-operative Homes.
To visit the new website go to - www.accordgroup.org.uk
Re-vamped websites for all seven of the organisations in the Accord Group will also be rolled-out over the next 2 months.