Dorothy and Robert Heeks have helped Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA) to kick off a week-long celebration to mark Rural Housing Week 2018.
The couple celebrated the completion of the new development at Weston Court, which includes their new home, with WRHA Board members, colleagues and partners.
This year, the main theme of Rural Housing Week is to demonstrate the positive value of housebuilding in rural areas and to show why the idea of NIMBYism is outdated.
Dorothy and Robert are helping to prove that housebuilding in rural areas is helping individuals and families to remain in the villages they know and love. Having been married for 54 years, they are now looking forward to living out their retirement in Long Compton, thanks to WRHA.
They recently moved into a two-bedroom bungalow on WRHA’s newest development, after deciding the time had come to downsize. Five homes for affordable rent and four for local market sale have been developed at Weston Court, with a mix of houses and bungalows to meet local need. All the properties have been built specifically for people with a connection to Long Compton or the adjoining parishes, such as through family or work.
The scheme has been community-led from start to finish, with the Parish Council shaping the entire development and giving its full support throughout. It is the first completed scheme which has been borne out of the Long Compton Neighbourhood Plan which aims to give local people more say in the future of where they live.
Craig Felts, Company Secretary of Warwickshire Rural Housing Association, commented: “Our aim is to help local people to stay in the Warwickshire villages they love. Rural Housing Week proved the ideal time to welcome the Heeks to Weston Court and wish them a long and happy future in their new bungalow.”
Pictured above: Mr & Mrs Heeks are welcomed to their new home by Derrick Dyas, Chairman of Warwickshire Rural Housing Association, along with representatives from Long Compton Parish Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Orbit and Warwickshire Rural Community Council.
