Almshouses charity grateful for £350,000 gift

A housing charity has been given a £350,000 property in a village to help create two new affordable homes for local people amid growing housing pressures.

Warmington Almshouses Charitable Trust (WACT) has provided low-cost accommodation since 1862 in the village, between Peterborough and Oundle.

The house is located in Warmington and will be converted into two self-contained homes. The charity said it gave it an opportunity to expand the provision for the first time since it was founded by Fanny and Charlotte Proby of nearby Elton Hall.

Charity chairman, Steve Cheeseman, said the team was "astonished and incredibly grateful" to the anonymous donor.

Over the years, WACT, which is entirely volunteer led, has supported younger single people and families as well as older people, enabling them to remain within the community at an affordable cost.

Former resident Nicola, who lived at the almshouses with her young daughter, described the charity as "an amazing local organisation" that provided affordable rent and flexibility, which is often unavailable in the private rental sector.

The renovation of the house will require significant fundraising as well as practical assistance from local tradespeople willing to contribute expertise or discounted services, the charity said.

"It gives us the chance to turn one house into two genuinely affordable homes for local people, but as a very small charity we can't do this without support. Every pound raised will go directly into creating homes, not overheads," said Cheeseman.

The charity's existing homes are available for a "weekly maintenance contribution", rather than rent, which is currently £470 per month for a single person and £510 for a couple.

WACT said the project also drew attention to the wider national issue of almshouses not being included within official definitions of "affordable housing" in planning policy.

This limits their access to funding streams and developer contributions that are routinely available to housing associations.

"If governments were serious about unlocking more affordable housing, almshouses should be part of the answer," Cheeseman said.

"The model already exists. The trust is there. The need is obvious."

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