whg’s Fire Protection Manager wins national Woman in Fire Safety award
Our Fire Protection Manager, Martina Lydon, has been recognised at a national level after winning the Woman in Fire Safety Award at the Aico Community Awards 2026.
The award recognises Martina’s outstanding contribution to improving fire safety and building safety standards across our homes. Leading fire protection across around 9,300 properties, Martina has played a key role in helping ensure our customers live in safe, compliant homes and that the highest standards are maintained across our fire safety services.
Over the past year, Martina has led the team to achieve BM TRADA accreditation for fire door installation, strengthen the management of fire, security and lift safety contracts, and improve quality assurance across key building safety services. These improvements have enhanced oversight, compliance and customer reassurance across services that help keep our customers safe.
As part of our ongoing commitment to customer safety, Martina has contributed to our achievement of 100% completion on homes that required a fire risk assessment for our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) 2025/26, reflecting our proactive approach to building safety and compliance.
Alongside her role at whg, Martina is studying for a degree in Construction Management and continues to develop her expertise in fire and building safety.
Commenting on the award, Martina said:
“I’m absolutely blown away to have won this award. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout my career, particularly my colleagues in the Building Safety team who work tirelessly every day to keep our customers safe. This recognition reflects the commitment and hard work of the whole team.”
Chris Luke, Assistant Director of Building Safety, adds:
“Anyone who has worked with Martina will know how dedicated she is to maintaining the highest standards of safety for our customers. From achieving BM TRADA accreditation for fire door installation to improving oversight of our fire, security and life safety services, she has made a significant contribution to building safety across our homes. This award is thoroughly deserved and reflects the difference she makes every day.”
The award reflects our continued commitment to investing in building safety and delivering safe, secure and well-maintained homes for our customers. This work supports the ambitions set out in Our 2030 Plan, which focuses on high-quality services, proactive safety standards and putting customers at the heart of everything we do.
