25 July 2011
TWO CASTLES HELPS FAMILY OPEN THE DOOR TO A NEW HOME
Kevin Beeke, his partner Sarah Isaac and their son Jake, now live in a three bedroom house at Norham - a new Two Castles Housing Association development of high quality, affordable and sustainable homes.
After feeling isolated in their previous property situated outside the village, the family are enjoying their new lives in the heart of the community and are now located within walking distance of the local nursery which their son has attended for eight months.
Kevin said: “We were delighted to move into our new house, which would not have been possible without Two Castles.
“Housing in the Berwick area is particularly expensive. Our previous property was a poorly maintained, privately rented cottage outside of the village which was very expensive to heat during the winter months, often costing us up to £80 a week. The bad weather also left us snowed in on a couple of occasions and because we lived outside of the village, it left us feeling extremely isolated - making it really hard to get to the closest shop or visit family and friends.
“Thanks to Two Castles, things couldn’t be more different. Our new home is situated right in the heart of the village and we’re already beginning to feel like part of the community. Also, because our new home has high levels of insulation – it’s much more cost effective for us to run and saving us money.
“We’re really grateful to Two Castles for helping us turn our situation into a positive and would recommend them without hesitation.”
Norham is a development of 20 homes available for rent, including six, two bedroom bungalows, six, two bedroom houses as well as eight, three bedroom houses and five homes available to buy.
The properties meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 - the national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes. The homes also include a number of eco-friendly features, including energy efficient solar panels to provide hot water. They also have water butts to recycle rain water and rotary clothes dryers.
Rob Brittain, property services director of Two Castles Housing Association, said: “There is a high demand for affordable housing in Berwick where many people are being forced to move out of the area due to the demand for holiday homes creating high prices in the marketplace.
“We are delighted to be able to provide much needed affordable homes in this area and will continue to work closely with Northumberland County Council to identify local people who are in the greatest housing need to ensure they are given priority for the properties once they are completed.”
