The Almshouse Association Awards Panel

Simon Pott – Chairman of the Awards Committee

Simon is a Chartered Surveyor, Land Agent and Auctioneer based in Bury St Edmunds, managing, buying or selling estates and farms in the Eastern Counties.

He has enjoyed roles including President of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Chairman RICS Management Board and later the Judges RICS Awards. He was governor, later Chairman of the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, then Vice-President of the University.

An almshouse trustee since 1980 of the Guildhall Feoffment in Bury, he also chairs The Day Foundation in Coddenham, Finetta Hale Almshouses in Somerton and is a trustee of Little Gidding. A past Chairman of The Almshouse Association, he is a Director of Almshouse Consortium Limited and chairs the Almshouse Association Awards.

Education is a primary interest; as well as Cirencester, he has been a governor at Felixstowe College, Oundle School, Orwell Park and the County Upper School in Bury, and now of Culford School.  He chaired The Bury Society, Guildhall Feoffment, Bury in Bloom and now The Guildhall

Heritage Trust and had an MOD appointment, becoming Honorary Commander RAF Lakenheath housing the USAF Strike Force of F15s. With wife, Jenny, and four children, the family home, Ounce House, was an award-winning hotel.

Jennifer Millard

Andrew Clague

Andrew is an architect who has expertise in conservation projects and new builds in a historic environment, almshouse design, and all forms of residential work. 

He is a former vice president (practice) of RIBA.

Andrew is passionate about the almshouse movement stemming from working on almshouse projects from very early on in his long career. This includes new designs, carrying out quinquennial inspection-type reports, and supervising skilled craftspeople to carry out sympathetic repairs. 

He was the lead architect in the design of three almshouses schemes which were awarded a Patrons Award.

Andrew is a member of The Almshouse Associations Patron’s Award Committee, travelling UK-wide to inspect recently built or redeveloped almshouses that had been submitted for an Award.

“I have huge respect for the almshouse movement because almshouse charities provide a brilliant form of community-led housing for a broad range of ages and backgrounds.  Because the charities are run locally for local people, there is a real sense of care for the residents beyond that which you would expect in well-run affordable housing schemes.”

Andrew is a qualified Yacht master and has sailed the Atlantic.

Details of his practice work based in Canterbury is at www.jamesclague.co.uk and www.andrewclague.co.uk.

Richard Waite

Richard qualified as an Architect in 1979 and has practiced in Norfolk and elsewhere for over forty years. He has completed just over 96 schemes for various almshouse charities and almost all of them in a listed building context.

Richard has been Clerk to the Trustees at the Hospital of the Holy and Undivided Hospital (Trinity Hospital) Castle Rising (1614) for the last 14 years and has been on The Almshouse Association’s Panel of Consultants since it’s inception and was also on the Board of the Association for 12 years until latterly moving to the advisory body.

This has been my second year as a member of the Awards Committee and I am thoroughly enjoying reviewing the fascinating submissions, as well as visiting the broad range of almshouse developments and meeting the wonderful trustees and residents.