Joint statement: Tribute to Hattie Llewelyn-Davies

Eastlight Community Homes, Watford Community Housing and Thrive Homes have announced with great sadness that Hattie Llewelyn-Davies passed away on Saturday, 23 May 2026, following a short illness.

Hattie, who was awarded an OBE in 2004 for her groundbreaking contribution to housing and homelessness services in London, was Chair of Eastlight Community Homes. Based in Braintree, Essex, Eastlight works across the East of England and owns and manages almost 15,000 homes. 

She played a central role in shaping the organisation, leading the merger between Colne Housing and Greenfields Community Housing in 2020 and becoming its founding chair. 

At Eastlight, she led the creation of a genuinely resident-led organisation rooted in community gateway principles. Her belief in resident voice shaped how Eastlight works day to day, from its Customer Influence Committee to its Resident Members Charter, and a wider focus on accessibility, inclusion and lived experience. 

In November 2025, Watford Community Housing announced Hattie’s appointment as chair designate of its group board, starting on 1 April 2026. She was subsequently appointed designate chair of Chime Housing, the new organisation being formed through the merger of Watford Community Housing and Thrive Homes. 

The merger, agreed in March 2026 and due to complete on 1 June 2026, will bring together more than 13,500 homes across Hertfordshire and surrounding areas. Hattie played an important role in shaping this partnership, bringing her experience of Community Gateway models and her strong focus on resident voice and service improvement. 

Hattie’s career began in 1972 at the age of 18, when she worked at the Kingsway Day Centre in west London, supporting older people experiencing homelessness. After starting out as a volunteer, she worked her way up, becoming chief executive of the Piccadilly Advice Centre, a drop-in service for homeless young people supported by The King’s Fund, between 1979 and 1986. 

During her time there, the centre helped shift homelessness services towards a more rights-based approach – giving people the information and confidence to take control of their own housing decisions. 

Alongside this, she served as chair of the Single Homeless Project from 1973 to 1986 and chair of the Young Homelessness Group from 1984 to 1986. Her work in the 1980s, including supporting people living with HIV and helping to establish the Great Chapel Street Medical Centre, deepened her understanding of the connection between housing and health – something she would go on to champion throughout her career. 

She later moved into senior leadership roles, including chief executive of Sitra Services (1986–1988), regional director at Circle 33 Housing Trust (1988–1991) and chief executive of Shepherds Bush Housing Group (1992–1996). 

Hattie went on to hold a number of key board roles across housing, including as governor of Peabody, and chair of Viridian Housing (2006-2012) and PA Housing (2018-2021). 

Alongside her housing work, she held senior roles across the NHS over nearly three decades.  

She chaired Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, before becoming chair of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in April 2025. She also served as a board member of NHS Providers and was part of the steering group of the Disabled NHS Directors Network. 

Hattie was a strong and consistent advocate for closer working between housing and health, often speaking about the need to better connect services around people’s lives. She also spoke openly about her own experience of disability. Living with auto-immune conditions, she understood the reality of having a non-visible disability and used her voice to challenge stigma and push for greater understanding and representation, particularly in leadership roles. 

“Hattie was an extraordinary person – passionate, principled and completely dedicated to housing association residents and NHS patients. 

“She was generous, calm, thoughtful and deeply intelligent – an expert who brought others with her and made people feel they could step forward and lead. She was absolutely clear that people with lived experience must be at the heart of governance and decision making, shaping not just what organisations do, but how they think and act. 

“She was a one-off, with a rare combination of humanity, clarity and determination. After a career spanning more than five decades, she still had the energy, ambition and drive to do more – to go further in improving the lives of others, including all of us who had the privilege and pleasure of working alongside her. 

“She will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with Hattie’s children and grandchildren, and with all those who knew and worked with her, and we will be sharing further tributes in the coming weeks and months.” 

“Hattie was an incredible friend, and a remarkable colleague to everyone who was lucky enough to work with her. Her many achievements speak for themselves, driven by her kindness, her belief in fairness and dignity, and her commitment to giving a voice to those who need it most.

“Over the last year, Hattie was instrumental in the merger between Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing, bringing incredible vision and passion to the partnership, and she believed deeply in the benefits that a larger community gateway housing association will deliver for residents.

“She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy through the work she did, the organisations she helped to shape for the better, and the many lives she touched.”