January 2009 Update
At the start of 2009 we can look back on some major achievements since we launched the 'Houses for Heroes' Appeal only eight months ago.
Perhaps the most important one was the completion of the first phase of the building programme, comprising four houses at Motherwell in Lanarkshire, on 15th December. This meant that our first two tenants were able to move in by Christmas. One is a former Senior NCO in the Royal Signals who, during his 22 years service, lost part of one leg and the sight of one eye in a vehicle accident. The other is a young private soldier from The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who is having to leave the Army as a result of very serious injuries, including the loss of the use of one hand, suffered during operations in Afghanistan. Just the sort of 'hero' that the Appeal is designed to help.
We remain on course to start the build of ten houses at New Scone, near Perth, in the early spring and that of four bungalows at Penicuik, south of Edinburgh, in the summer. Two of our existing houses, both bungalows at Airdrie built in 1955, have recently become empty. We plan to completely refurbish both of them, converting them to full wheel chair accessiblity, as soon as possible. Providing we can obtain planning permission we hope to build a further one or two bungalows in the extensive rear gardens. This phase, when completed, will provide significant additional wheel chair accessible housing in the key Greater Glasgow area much earlier than originally planned. With the four houses already built at Motherwell we will, if all goes well, have provided 20 houses by the end of 2009, or one-third of the way towards our target of 60 houses.
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