Sam Allardyce was on hand to take the first customer calls at the new head office of Regenda Housing Group.

The Bolton Wanderers manager helped staff celebrate the opening of the customer call centre at Enterprise Business Park, Middlebrook.

The centre employs 33 customer service advisors who will handle up to 1,000 calls a day from the group's 13,000 residents across the North-west.

Regenda Group chief executive Bernard Gallagher said: "We are sure our residents will quickly feel the benefits that our Regenda First service will bring them in terms of a more efficient service."