Marie Hope has been named Tenant/Resident Involvement Officer of the Year (Contractor) at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Central region awards final.

Marie supports tenants on Willmott Dixon’s contracts with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council in Leicestershire and Trent & Dove Housing in East Staffordshire.

She works closely with local service providers to offer work experience opportunities and coordinates a wide range of community projects, many of which deliver benefits to local people and their communities.

Community projects have ranged from simple bulb planting, or collecting Christmas gifts for sheltered accommodation residents, to a full upgrade of the facilities at a community centre so that classes can be held for local residents.

Marie has also led efforts to drive customer service improvements, which has helped to increase the level of customer satisfaction from Trent & Dove Housing tenants to 99.1% in December 2010 - a record achievement for the branch.

She will now go forward to the TPAS national awards, where she will compete against the Southern and Northern regional winners for the title of National Tenant/Resident Involvement Officer of the Year - Contractor. The finals will be held at TPAS's National Conference and AGM in July.

Willmott Dixon Partnerships is working with Trent and Dove Housing Ltd to repair and maintain 5,200 homes in the East Staffordshire area including Burton upon Trent and Uttoxeter.

The company also works with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to provide a repairs and maintenance service to the council’s residents across 3,500 properties.

Marie, who lives in Hinckley, said: “It was a complete shock when I found out that I had been shortlisted for the award, and an even bigger surprise to find out that I had won – especially when I discovered that I was up against such a high standard of other entries. I was absolutely thrilled and the praise I’ve received from my colleagues and local tenants has been very touching. At the end of the day I am just trying to do my best for the local community and couldn’t do any of it without the support of my team members and the tenants who we serve.”

Willmott Dixon Partnerships managing director, Mick Williamson said: "We are investing in the communities in which we work, to create a lasting legacy once contracts have finished, and Marie’s endeavours are a prime example of what can be achieved. We are extremely proud of Marie's fantastic success at the TPAS awards and pleased that her ongoing tremendous efforts have been recognised in such a way. Her hard work and dedication to the local community goes well above and beyond the call of duty and is a great example of Willmott Dixon’s strong customer focus.”

Willmott Dixon Group is one of the UK’s largest privately-owned capital works, regeneration and support services companies.

With over 158 years of experience, the company provides services within the built environment to Government, registered social landlords, local authorities and private sector clients throughout the UK.

Willmott Dixon Partnerships works with social housing landlords, currently providing support services to over 120,000 homes, 1,200 public buildings and 50 commercial properties across the UK.