An Ilminster man has spoken of his happiness after moving into his shared ownership home at Winterhay Lane in Ilminster after he found himself homeless and struggling to find a place to call his home.
Malcolm heard about the scheme when he was working at a factory near to the development and was excited to see the houses being built.
Malcolm said: “When I worked at the factory opposite, I saw all the houses being built. I thought it was nice for people to get houses like these in this area and now, I’m in one of them.
“I fell in love with the houses while they were being built so it’s great to be living here. It’s quite amazing because you look back at your life and think I’m never going to get one of those houses and thanks to LiveWest I’m here and enjoying every minute of it.”
We worked in partnership with construction company Halsall, South Somerset District Council, Ilminster Town Council and members of the community to deliver 85 affordable homes at Winterhay Lane in Ilminster.
Malcolm, 69, is grateful to be in his shared-ownership home following a difficult period in his life which resulted in him being homeless and having to move into short-term, temporary accommodation.
Having been unsuccessful in his property search in Chard, he found a LiveWest home at the Winterhay Lane scheme.
Malcolm said: “I can always remember the day I found out I had the house. I was driving up through the town of Chard and I had a phone call. It was from LiveWest and she said ‘Malcolm, you’ve got the house’ and I broke down and cried. It was absolutely fantastic, here I am now, and I’m overwhelmed by it.”
The Winterhay Lane scheme is one of the biggest in the area for several years with 85 homes on the scheme. It has 40 homes for affordable rent, 25 homes for shared ownership and 20 homes for rent to buy.
Malcolm said: “I haven’t had any grumbles with LiveWest, whenever I ring them up, they’ve solved the problems that I have. My twin brother and his wife, who helped me with all of this, have been absolutely amazing.”
“LiveWest’s aftercare has been really good. You only have to make a phone call and LiveWest get back to you quite quickly. I’m happy here and thanks to everybody involved. It’s a great scheme, and I don’t know where I would have been without it.”
Malcolm has benefited from purchasing his house through LiveWest’s shared ownership scheme. The retired factory worker lives with his 14-year-old Springer Spaniel, Max, who keeps him active, and is enjoying being in his home.
Malcolm added: “It is absolutely amazing because I have this lovely home for the rest of my life. I’m relaxed here too so it’s good to have my own home.
"I came from a horrendous situation where I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel but eventually everything turned out alright. I’ve got this home now and it’s lovely, so I’m happy to be here.”