Tributes paid to former Board Member and customer Barbara Harper

Tributes have been paid to a long-standing Salix Homes customer and volunteer who sadly passed away this week.

Barbara Harper, who is a former Board Member and Chair of our Customer Senate, had been involved in our organisation since the very beginning our journey. She played a key role in the launch of Salix Homes when we first set up as an ALMO (arms length management organisation) to manage Salford Council’s housing stock in 2007.

Barbara, who lived at Nine Acre Court in Ordsall, helped pioneer the original customer engagement model at Salix Homes, standing as a voice for our customers and representing our organisation at events across the country.

She was a driving force behind the stock transfer in 2015, when our housing stock was transferred to us from Salford Council – unlocking millions of pounds worth of funding to improve homes and communities across Salford.

As part of the stock transfer, Barbara worked tirelessly in her role as Chair of the Customer Senate to make sure the transfer proposals represented what was most important to customers.

She also headed up various committees to help improve services for customers, and she chaired the residents association at Nine Acre Court.

Sue Sutton, Chief Executive at Salix Homes, said: “We are all deeply saddened at the passing of Barbara Harper who helped spearhead customer engagement at Salix Homes and has been an integral part of the Salix Homes journey.

“Barbara was very popular, much-loved and respected by everyone that knew and worked with her. She was committed and passionate about helping others and being a voice for our customers, and her family can be very proud of the legacy she leaves behind.

“Having worked closely with Barbara for many years – she was more than a colleague and customer, she was a friend, and she will be very sadly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. Our thoughts are with Barbara’s friends and family at this sad time.”

In recent years, she’d battled ill-health and sadly passed away on Monday at her home, aged 79.