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Q&A with Evie Copland - Rising Stars 2016

A member of Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership’s (DGHP) communication team and Rising Stars finalist, Evie Copland lets Alex Berry in on what inspires her and what she loves about her job.

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Who in the housing world really inspires you and why?

I’m lucky that my biggest inspiration is only across the corridor. My director Jayne Moore is one of the most fantastic people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Her passion for doing what is right for tenants is absolutely infectious. Being part of her team is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

What building would you like to visit worldwide and why?

The Dubai Mall – I’m a shopper and I feel like it would be heaven!

How did you get into housing?

I started with DGHP in a newly created job which meant there was an element of flexibility in exactly what the job would entail. What could have been a fairly technical office job flourished into a brand new role which could concentrate on looking at ways we could help our tenants in creative ways. Housing had never been on my agenda but I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Which five people would you invite to your dinner party and why?

  • My Aunt Margaret – she’s 95 this year and was an original WAG.
  • Barack Obama simply because I think he’s a wonderful human being!
  • Jackmaster, a Glasgow DJ
  • Liam Fray from The Courteeners
  • Steven Johnson from Collaborative Change to talk business with, as the work he does is some of the most inspirational I’ve ever come across

Apart from being a Rising Stars finalist, what has been the highlight of your career to date?

Last Christmas I stumbled upon a case where an applicant’s son was acting on her behalf from New Zealand. His poor mother was living in his house in Scotland with little mobility and a long list of health issues. He had decided that enough was enough and something had to give. We spent a lot of time co-ordinating works to the property she was matched to so that when she moved, it would be perfect for her. When it came to the time to move, he flew across the world at short notice to come and get his mum moved in as soon as possible. On his last day in the UK, he invited me to come and meet his mum. The pair of them were so grateful – it was humbling to know that we had made such a difference to her quality of life.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Go for it! I apply that to all things.

If you had three wishes, how would you use them?

I’d wish everyone had a safe place to call home. I’d wish that flooding would never happen again and that we could enjoy more than three days of summer a year in Scotland!

What piece of advice would you give somebody embarking on a career in housing?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a journalist to save the world – now I work in housing, I can change someone’s world, one home at a time. What an incredible career to embark on.

What’s the best thing about your current job?

No two days are ever the same!

If you are our Rising Star for 2016, how might your life have changed in 12 months’ time?

If I was the Rising Star for 2016, I hope I would have been part of something wonderful; that the profile of housing was high on the agenda of government and that the public opinion of housing – of all tenures – was a positive one.


READ MORE

New jobs website launchedNew jobs website launched
Rising Stars finalists announced
Voting now open in Rising StarsVoting now open in Rising Stars

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