Celebrating 125 years of Clarion
This year Clarion is proud to be celebrating its 125 anniversary, marking the date on 20 May 1900, that our founder, William Sutton, died and bequeathed the better part of his substantial £1.5m (£200m today) fortune to build housing for working families on low incomes.
By 1913, 2,200 people had made their homes on Sutton Estates, and in the years since this has multiplied to the 360,000 residents served by Clarion today, born in name out of the merger of Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing in 2016.
“This year we’re celebrating our 125th anniversary and the legacy of William Sutton. But these celebrations are about much more than just that. We’re also sharing the pride we have in our people and our communities, our pride in what social housing stands for, and refocusing on the legacy we want to leave for our residents into the future. For now, I look forward with excitement to sharing more of what we have planned.”
Throughout 2025 we will be marking the anniversary of Sutton’s gift with celebrations and events to get both residents and Clarion colleagues involved. These include filmmaking workshops for residents, a new charitable fund for community projects, and a campaign to nominate the resident heroes in Clarion communities.
As well as this, we’ve been digging deeper into the people who make our communities so special and asking them to share their stories with us. We’ll be sharing these stories throughout the year and including some of them in our anniversary book.
Sheila's story
Sheila White, a spirited 92-year-old Clarion resident, shares her heart-warming journey spanning nearly a century.
In this video, Sheila vividly describes life in Sutton buildings, from the modern amenities like indoor plumbing and gas lighting to the strong communal spirit where neighbours supported one another.
Watch Sheila’s touching video to experience her journey and be inspired to share your own story—because every home holds a story worth telling.
Looking to the future
Upon reaching the milestone of 125 years making a difference, we’re also taking the opportunity to look forward, reflecting on Sutton’s legacy and how we can do even more to embody the values he demonstrated. To meet this challenge, we’ve convened experts from a number of different fields to work together with us to produce a report highlighting the future challenges social housing faces, and what we can do to overcome them.
We’re also proud to announce the opening of the sixth William Sutton Prize, with the prize pot increased to mark our 125th anniversary year. Submissions opened on 15 January, with £125,000 available for ideas that transform social housing residents' lives. The winners will be announced at a year-end ceremony featuring a performance by Clarion’s anniversary choir.
We’ll be sharing highlights from all of these events and more throughout the year, as well as making further announcements on how Clarion residents can get involved and share their pride in their communities.