Virtual coffee mornings, a Feel Good Campaign with small tokens of recognition including a time off pass and paid respite periods for staff who continued working during lockdown are just some of the initiatives that have kept spirits high at Aspire Group during the pandemic.

The Staffordshire-based not-for-profit group's charity, Realise, which provides essential education and employment support to young people also made a difference as the driving force behind a Covid support network set up to get support to those who needed it in local communities.

A culture of creativity, ambition and collaboration drives the organisation, which also includes Aspire Housing and apprenticeship specialists and social enterprise, PM Training.

The group provides around 9,000 homes across north Staffordshire and south and east Cheshire and its profits are reinvested in new homes and revitalising communities and in a comprehensive range of support services designed to transform lives.

The group demonstrates its commitment to its values by encouraging innovation, promoting cross-organisational working and being ambitious not just for the business but for the people it serves and its employees. So, while there is a traditional hierarchy, Aspire Group encourages staff to take ownership and responsibility, devolves decision-making and supports them to be the best version of themselves.

Aspire Group, which has introduced a special award to recognise staff's efforts during the pandemic, is moving away from fixed office bases to flexible workspaces, favouring a remote, home and mobile working model.