Vice Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire meets veterans taking part in the Veterans Self-Build Scheme
National charity, Alabaré, who support Armed Forces Veterans who have struggled and been homeless in their civilian lives since leaving the military, welcomed the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, to the site at Drummond Park in Ludgershall on 29th August to see the innovative Veterans Self-Build Scheme.
The scheme is a collaboration between Alabaré, leading developer Lovell and affordable housing provider Stonewater who have teamed up to give ex-military personnel workplace training, mentoring and the opportunity to secure a new affordable home.
The Vice Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory, KBE, CB, DL was eager to speak to the veterans on the scheme and hear how the programme is supporting them into new careers, and a new home which they have had the chance to help build.
Sir Andrew took a tour of the site and spoke to the veterans to hear how the scheme has impacted their lives since leaving the military.
Sir Andrew said: “It was an absolutely inspiring afternoon, witnessing how a major house builder, a veteran’s charity, and wider initiatives can support service leavers, especially those who need extra help to build skills and find a future direction in life. The work being done by the Veterans Self-Build Scheme, along with the support of Lovells, is creating that very environment. I believe we should consider how this model can be expanded regionally and even nationally, especially given the government’s new housing targets and the valuable skills veterans possess. Wearing both my Vice Lord-Lieutenant hat and as Chief Executive of SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity, I see tremendous opportunities here.”
One of the veterans who is approaching the end of his year on the veterans self-build scheme is Chris. Chris, who is currently living in Salisbury, served in The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Rifles for four years, and saw service in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Chris sought help from Alabaré after his relationship broke down and he lost his home.
Chris said: “This program has saved my life, I was living in the woods at my lowest Eb and now I am about to move into my house and start work. It has been really hard but amazing.”
The Veteran Build Experience has been running at Drummond Park, in Ludgershall, for two years so far, with six veterans already benefitting from taking part. The former Defence Medical Equipment Depot is being developed by Lovell into a community of 412 homes, including 103 affordable homes managed by Stonewater.
Each veteran has the opportunity to join the Lovell workforce, learning valuable, transferable skills to increase long-term employment. At the end of the programme, each has the opportunity to live in one of the homes managed by Stonewater that they have helped to build.
Sir Andrew also spoke to the partners to understand their vision for the future of the Veterans Self-Build Scheme and how it is contributing to the vision of ensuring no veteran in the UK faces being homeless.
Andrew Lord, CEO at Alabaré, said: “I am very proud of the achievements of the veterans who have taken part in the veterans self-build scheme. It is wonderful to see Chris and Jack overcome issues they have faced in the past and go on to gain new skills, employment and their own rented home.
“The third cohort of participants has just started, and the initiative continues to provide real opportunities for veterans in the construction industry.”
Regional managing director at Lovell, James Duffett, said: “The Veteran Build Experience at Drummond Park is incredibly important to us, and we are very proud to have shown Sir Andrew Gregory our vision and passion for this scheme.
“This project is not only helping ex-military personnel to develop new skill sets and explore new career opportunities, whilst living in homes they have proudly helped to build, but it is also helping us at Lovell to diversify our workforce and bring new talent into the construction industry. At Drummond Park, we are building not just homes but a legacy, and we are committed to supporting each veteran who joins the veterans self-build scheme.”
Matthew Crucefix, Director of Development (South & West) at Stonewater, said: “At Stonewater, we have a long-standing commitment to supporting our veterans, ensuring they have the tools, opportunities, and stability to thrive in civilian life. The Veteran Build Experience is the latest in a series of initiatives we’ve championed, building on our successful collaborations to create both employment and housing opportunities for those who have served our country.
“From our partnership with Alabaré that has provided life-changing support to veterans, to our ongoing work through self-build schemes, we’ve seen firsthand how transformative these projects can be. Witnessing veterans gain not just a home but also the confidence and skills to rebuild their lives is incredibly inspiring. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and remain dedicated to expanding these efforts, helping more veterans secure a brighter, more stable future.”
To find out more, visit alabare.co.uk/what-we-do/veterans/self-build-scheme/
Eligible veterans can learn more about the scheme by contacting Gary Chapman on 07980968132
FOOTNOTES:
Alabaré’s Veterans Self Build was initiated to help forge a permanent solution to Veteran homelessness and unemployment. It provides veterans with an opportunity to gain skills in the construction industry whilst building a home that they can live in. Support is also provided to help each veteran overcome challenges they have faced in their civilian lives and gain skills to live successful independent lives once more.
For more information, please contact Dave Carter, Senior PR & Communications Officer on 07500 827172 or email d.carter@alabare.co.uk
About Lovell:
Lovell, part of Morgan Sindall Group plc, is a leading provider of partnership and open-market housing. The company has expertise in housing-led regeneration including new-build, affordable and build to rent, open market housing, refurbishment and retrofit, later living and strategic land. With offices across England, Scotland and Wales, Lovell offers a full range of residential solutions to its partners as both contractor and developer.
Morgan Sindall Group plc is a leading UK Construction & Regeneration group with annual revenue of £4.1bn, employing around 7,700 employees and operating in the public, regulated and private sectors. It reports through six divisions of Construction, Infrastructure, Fit Out, Property Services, Partnership Housing and Urban Regeneration.
To find out more about Lovell, visit: https://corporate.lovell.co.uk/
For media enquiries please contact Molly Fawcett on 0116 247 1777 or email molly@unsworthsugden.co.uk.
For more editorial information:
For further information or for PR enquiries about Lovell, please contact Molly Fawcett on 0116 247 1777 or molly@unsworthsugden.co.uk.
About Stonewater:
Stonewater is a leading social housing provider, with a mission to deliver good quality, affordable homes to people who need them most. We manage around 34,500 homes in England for over 76,000 customers, including affordable properties for general rent, shared ownership and sale, alongside specialist accommodation such as retirement and supported living schemes for older and vulnerable people, domestic abuse refuges, a dedicated LGBTQ+ Safe Space, and young people’s foyers.
Every home we build is designed to be affordable to own, rent and maintain. We are leading one of the most significant and progressive house-building programme, aiming to build a minimum of 1,500 new homes a year from 2022/23. Our Development Team work closely with partners including Homes England, Local Authorities, developers and construction companies. This collaboration ensures we design and construct excellent homes that enhance neighbourhoods and support prosperous communities.
Stonewater is proud to be the largest long-term strategic partner alongside Guinness Partnership with Homes England. We were awarded £250 million in 2021 – allowing us to build an additional 4,180 high-quality, affordable homes by 2029. It adds to the £224 million awarded to the Stonewater/Guinness strategic partnership in 2018 to build 4,500 homes by 2022.
This funding means we’re able to continue entering longer-term commitments to buy land and target areas of greatest housing need. It’s a huge boost to our organisation but, more importantly, it means more homes for those who so desperately need them and will go some way towards addressing the housing crisis affecting people and communities across the country.
We recognise that the way we work matters too. We are committed to providing homes that are energy efficient and are working towards the Government’s targets for carbon neutrality. Our Environment Strategy helps us minimise the resources we use as an organisation and manage our impact on the environment.
In recognition of our work in this area, we have been awarded a Gold ‘SHIFT’ rating, an independent assessment and accreditation scheme that measures organisations against challenging environmental targets. Stonewater was also the first UK housing association to partner with the Community Forest Trust, planting six new trees for every home we build and has made a decision to move away from fossil fuel heating on our own new build homes from 2021.
For more information, visit our website at www.stonewater.org