We said goodbye to Barbara Harbinson, HOT CEO for over 15 years, on 31st October 2016 and welcomed our current CEO, Alison Haskins, the following month. A fresh face for HOT that was complemented by a new look, with a new logo.
2016 saw many new introductions. We also welcomed the Staying Well project to HOT. Now in its eighth year, the project was initially introduced as a flagship project to tackle social isolation within central Halifax. The service supports people to engage in social activities and health services in the community. There are lots of community groups and all kinds of things to do from Art to Zumba!
Another new initiative this year was the Right Steps to Work project, in partnership with Pluss. A new voluntary programme that set out to help 1,900 individuals to move into work across Calderdale, Wakefield and Kirklees, it offered support with personal development, job search, work trials, and give advice on benefits, apprenticeships and self-employment.
We also became accredited as a Real Living Wage Employer in 2016 to see everyone working at HOT, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors; receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.25 – significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.70 and the new minimum wage premium for over 25s of £7.20 per hour. We’re proud that we continue to offer this to all staff today.
Learn more about our 21st Birthday celebrations
As well as the information from our archives and the contributions our connections are kindly providing to tell our story, we have lots of other things planned. Learn more on our official webpage, via the button below.