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A hairdresser from Skipton has become the youngest ever person to be elected to the board of Craven Housing.

Gemma Hollings, 20, of Keighley Road, was nominated for the position and is one of six tenants on the 15-person board, which manages and maintains more than 1,500 properties in the Craven area.

She feels that her youth will be a major asset in understanding the needs of a new generation of tenants.

Gemma said: "Getting housing for younger people is very important. It's so difficult for young people to get on the property ladder or even rent and we need to support them.

"A lot of the board members are over 40 and own homes, so as a young tenant I think it's good that they want my point of view."

Gemma's role is voluntary, but with support from her employer, Anita Brown Hair Studio, she is coping well with the extra pressure.

"We have away days where we have to go out and visit housing areas, but my bosses are brilliant about it," she said.

Anita Brown, who runs the hair studio, acknowledges the importance of Gemma's work.

"This is a great opportunity for Gemma and I'm not going to stop her doing what she wants to do," she said.

Craven Housing holds fundraising and charity events as well as running the Greatwood and Horse Close community centre in Skipton.

Gemma will be responsible for organising such events and is passionate about the area, having attended Greatwood Primary School as a child.

"I think the housing association should get more publicity," she said. "Before taking on the role I didn't even realise they did all this good work and neither will other people, which is a shame."

Craven Housing's chief officer David Bolton said the association was pleased to welcome Gemma to the board.

"Gemma brings a wealth of valuable input from a young person's perspective. It has always been a challenge to attract a more diverse mix to our board which reflects the communities in which we serve for. Gemma goes some way to addressing this and her input will complement the skills and experience of our existing board members," he said.

9:02am Saturday 2nd February 2008

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