There’s something quietly extraordinary about a life built on consistency, care, humanity and purpose and for Cath Holmes, Systems Accountant, that journey has unfolded over nearly four decades with Accent Housing.
Cath, an avid runner from Saltaire in Bradford, joined Accent (formerly Bradford and Northern) in June 1988 as Finance Assistant, having completed her studies in business and finance at Bradford college. Her father, a senior figure in housing at Bradford Council, encouraged her to enter the world of housing as it was “a job for life.” At the time, it may have sounded like simple advice, but looking back now, it feels almost prophetic for Cath.
That same summer came another milestone for Cath as she got married in August and saw the beginning of a partnership that would grow alongside her career with Accent.
Not long after joining Accent, she attended a housing conference in Harrogate and visited one of her very first housing schemes – Ripleyville, Bradford’s industrial model village built in the 1860s. Over the years, Cath would return witnessing its closure and demolition in 2022 and now, decades later, she looks forward to being there again for its relaunch. It's rare that people get to see the full circle of a place in that way and even fewer still get to be part of it.
In 1995, Cath and her husband welcomed their first daughter. At a time when flexibility at work was limited, she made the difficult decision to leave her role and focus on family life. But Accent was never far from her path. Just four weeks later, a new opportunity arose, one that fit around her home life, and Cath returned, a window that reopened a lifelong connection with the housing association.
She would eventually find her way back to the finance team, where she has remained ever since. Years later her youngest daughter, Isabel, joined Accent working alongside her mum in the finance team for five years.
Across 38 years, Cath has seen Accent (and the wider world) transform. She began in an era familiar to many, an era of typewriters, handwritten ledgers, rent books and paper files. She adapted and upskilled as computers came into play, systems and processes evolved, and the pace of work accelerated. She experienced the shift from fixed hours, set lunch breaks and handwritten timesheets to today’s flexible and remote ways of working. From walking into the office each day in Baildon to logging on from home during COVID and now working hybrid including from the new office based in the heart of Bradford’s city centre. Cath has embraced every change with resilience.
She has also seen Accent grow from a northern organisation into a national one, evolving through mergers, different names, brands, and leadership, while staying true to its social value and purpose. It’s that purpose that has always meant the most to her, the knowledge that her work contributes to something bigger, something that aligns with her own values. For Cath, this has always been about people ensuring customers are central to every decision and where budgets are spent.
Over the years, she has built lasting friendships with colleagues, strong friendships that have endured long after roles have changed or careers have moved on. She has said goodbye to many colleagues, yet the connections remain. In her role as a Trustee Director of pensions, she has supported others in a different way, using her skills and knowledge offering guidance, care, and continuity.
There have also been moments of deep sadness, including the loss of close friends and colleagues. It is in these moments that Cath’s strength and her compassion truly show.
This year, as Accent celebrates its 60th anniversary, Cath is marking her own milestone in a way that is both personal and powerful. On 26th April, Cath completed the Yorkshire Wildlife Park 10k alongside her daughter Isabel, raising money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of her dear friend and colleague, Michael Brooke.
“Looking back over 38 years at Accent, I feel incredibly proud to have been part of something that truly makes a difference to people’s lives. It’s never just been a job to me, it’s been a community, a place where I’ve grown, built lifelong friendships, and seen real change happen. Running the Yorkshire Wildlife Park 10k with my daughter in memory of Michael feels like a full-circle moment, honouring the past while giving something back to the future.”
You can find out more about Cath’s 10K run via her Go Fund Me page https://gofund.me/6f26ed27e
As Accent celebrates 60 years, Cath Holmes stands as a living thread through its history, a reminder that behind every milestone are the people who make it matter.