Alyssia is changing the landscape at Housing Plus Group
A dedicated member of our grounds maintenance team is sharing her career story – and how she’s helping to break outdated gender stereotypes along the way.
Alyssia Keay, who started working for Housing Plus Group earlier this year, has been working in grounds maintenance roles for more than five years – and says despite it being a traditionally male-dominated field, it offers many opportunities for women to build a rewarding and fulfilling career.
“It’s empowering to do the job that I do because not only do I enjoy it, but I do it to the best of my ability and you get the recognition that you deserve, regardless of gender,” she said.
“It’s very equal and everyone gets treated the same, which is how it should be.
“I love what I do, I take real pride in my work – I like everything to be pristine, and with that comes lovely feedback from our residents, and that feels really rewarding.”
Alyssia says she has wanted to do a job that requires her to work outside from a young age, inspired by her childhood spent at horticultural show events with her grandparents.
She said: “When I was a little girl, my nan and grandad would always take me to Malvern Show. My nan would love to look at the flowers, and my grandad would always show his tractor engines. It’s from them that my love of the outdoors comes from, so I knew that there was some aspect of horticulture that I wanted to do but I didn’t know how to get into it.”
It was through the Government’s Kickstart scheme, which was introduced during the Covid pandemic, that got Alyssia’s career started.
“After not being sure what I wanted to do to now doing a job that I love, it feels brilliant. I’ve really found my niche.”
Alyssia hopes to encourage women to pursue a career in grounds maintenance.
She said: “My advice to any woman thinking about a career in the field is to go for it, see what workshops are out there, see what volunteering you can do, so that at least you can have something on your CV. You could potentially go to college to study horticulture or a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) qualification. There are lots of ways to get into it.
“There really is nothing stopping you, especially if it’s something you really want to do – you really won’t regret it. I love what I do – and despite being the only woman in the team, that doesn’t hold me back in any way, and the more of us who share our experience and encourage others, hopefully the more women we’ll see getting involved in the future.”
James Marston, Environmental Services Manager at HPG, added: “Alyssia is a fantastic addition to our team and we’re glad to have her on board. Her enthusiasm and high standards are excellent.
“Grounds maintenance has traditionally been a male-dominated field, so it’s really encouraging to have her join the team and hopefully will encourage more women to consider a career in this area and with that, bringing fresh perspectives.”
14th April 2026