Belgrave Neighbourhood Co-operative Housing Association (BNCHA) has won the Most Innovative Approach to Culture and Wellbeing Award at the 2025 Housing Digital Housing Innovation Awards.
Based in the Belgrave area of Leicester, BNCHA has been running since 1976. It is now the country’s largest co-operative housing association, serving 480 tenant members.
As well as encouraging members to participate in the co-op’s governance, BNCHA offers a number of wellbeing services for its members, including the Belgrave Food Hub, which provides low cost groceries to families, as well as a community garden project and its EKTA initiative, which offers workshops on wellbeing, finance and life skills.
The annual awards, delivered at a ceremony last week at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, are hosted by Housing Digital, an online publication focusing on social housing, to celebrate innovation in the sector.
The Confederation of Co-operative Housing, the UK organisation representing housing co-operatives, shared the news of BNCHA’s award on its website, stating: “Over the last four years BNCHA has blossomed from a struggling co-operative into a vibrant community hub, driven by the passion of its volunteers. … With a focus on wellbeing, empowerment, and togetherness, BNCHA has become a shining example of how a co-operative can transform lives and inspire positive change.”
Jaimini Bharakhada, BCNHA’s chair, said: “The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Co-operatives, so Belgrave Co-operative Neighbourhood Housing Association is incredibly pleased to have won this award to shine a light on the great work that housing co-operatives do, not just in the UK but all over the world.
“BCNHA has worked really hard over the last four years to bring this community together to create a renewed approach to wellbeing and culture, not just within the co-operative, but also the wider area of Leicester.
“Happy International Year of Co-operatives everyone!”
