A WEST Oxfordshire resident tomorrow leads a national campaign to celebrate the positive impact of social housing.

Leslie Channon, who lives in Burford with her two young sons, will spearhead #HousingDay 2018, a 24 hour social media event raising awareness for the social housing sector.

In 2014, Ms Channon's blog about her experiences of living in social housing was one of the most well-read of #HousingDay.

Four years on, this year's theme is tenant voice and the Cottsway tenant hopes her story can persuade others to come forward.

She said: “#HousingDay has long been close to my heart.

"Sharing my story in 2014 was a scary thing for me.

"I was initially embarrassed, then I asked myself ‘if not you…who?"

“Being able to overcome my fear really empowered me.

"The support I received from Cottsway was fantastic and, at the time, a lifeline.

"It enabled me to own my #HousingDay story and help me find my passion and where I fit within the sector, not only as a tenant but also as an advocate."

Ms Channon is a former chair of Cottsway's Scrutiny Panel and the housing association has supported her bid to give tenants a voice, including helping her study for a Master's in Housing Studies.

She is also a non-executive director of the Tpas tenant engagement experts, and is chair of the ‘Voice for Tenants’ group.

#HousingDay was previously primarily a Twitter event, but tomorrow it will take its message to other social media channels, including Facebook.

This year's event falls during the Government's Social Housing Green Paper consultation period, which aims to rebalance the landlord-resident relationship, tackle stigma and support social mobility.

Visit housing.org.uk for more details.