Congratulations, Chris Blackett!

We are pleased to say that Chris Blackett, our former Chair of the Gateway Membership Team (GMT), was highly commended for the volunteer category at the BBC Make a Difference awards!

Out of so many brilliant local projects being showcased, it is wonderful to see Chris being crowned runner-up for the BBC Three Counties area. We proudly nominated Chris for her commitment to supporting Watford Community Housing residents and the local community, and making sure they have a powerful voice. 

Chris and some of her fellow GMT members attended a fabulous ceremony on 18 September, hosted by BBC breakfast show presenter Andy Collins and with performances by local charity Electric Umbrella and a Robbie Williams tribute act, Maximum Robbie. 

At our AGM on 15 September 2025, Hind El Khoumssi formally took over the role of Chair of the GMT from Chris, who has served as Chair for a decade and is well known to many residents for her tireless work to champion tenant issues and the Community Gateway model.

We will be publishing an interview with Hind in the coming weeks, so watch this space!