Home is where the heart is - Beverleys, Beeston, Leeds

This Valentine’s Day our ‘Home is where the heart is’ event attracts over 50 people to our latest development ‘The Beverleys’

Unity now manages three schemes in the area of Beeston. The management of this scheme, featuring 55 two, three and four bedroom properties is shared between Unity Housing Association and Chevin Housing Association, part of the Together Housing Group. The properties are a mix of rented and shared-ownership properties – providing opportunities for first time buyers in the area of Beeston.

The event served to welcome the families now living there to the local community and gave them the opportunity to meet their neighbours, their local councillors and a number of other people who had been involved in the scheme’s development.

Upon arriving at the event, residents were given Valentine’s themed treats and were formally welcomed to their new homes by Unity’s Chief Executive, Ali Akbor, and Managing Director of Together Housing Group, Amanda Garrand.

The guests at the opening event also had the opportunity to visit an occupied house on the development. The tenant said that ‘I am really happy with the service that Unity has provided. I’m loving the house and the area is really nice; neighbours are friendly. I can never imagine leaving this house!’

The Beverleys development did not only bring physical regeneration to the area of Beeston but also economic and social regeneration in that it’s construction provided apprenticeship, work experience and training opportunities for local people. Apprentices were employed by construction company Bramalls, part of the Keepmoat Group. As a result, six local people including Paul Stevens and Ben Kilbride, went on to secure full-time jobs.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Executive Member for Development and the Economy, also present at the event, commented that ‘it is great that a new set of family homes are helping to regenerate the area by bringing in employment opportunities and that local people are benefitting from this’.

The event was followed by a buffet at Rowland Road Working Men’s club where residents had the chance to get to know one another.