Creating communities
We continued to build quality, affordable homes and invest in services that help our communities flourish.
We believe that we have to play our part in tackling the housing crisis that is still impacting the UK today, which is why we invest in building new affordable homes for rent and shared ownership. Last year, we completed building 244 new homes in Peterborough or communities within a one hour’s drive of Peterborough.
Then: We built our first new homes in 2007, when we completed 101 homes in Hampton, Peterborough.
Now: This year, we made great progress at our Peterborough city centre development, known as Indigo, as well as building homes in Stamford, Milton Keynes, Godmanchester and several other sites in and around Peterborough.
Creating communities takes more than just building homes, which is why we also invest in services and support to help people achieve their personal goals. In 2023-24, we supported another 80 young people from eight schools around Peterborough to take part in the Tall Ships voyage where they spend a week manning sailing boats, working together as a crew to grow their confidence and communication skills.
Helping the next generation find what inspires them is important to us and we aim to offer experiences that might not be easy to find elsewhere. Our Park Rangers work experience programme, delivered in partnership with Nene Park and Froglife, is a great opportunity for young people to try something new and think about how they can grow a career in the great outdoors.
Then: In 2009 we opened the doors to our Westwood Community Hub for the very first time. Then in 2016, thanks to a £1 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund, we supported WestRaven Community Café to start serving low cost meals.
Now: Every week, we run Learn My Way sessions to teach people how to get online safely, offer English and Maths support to help people gain qualifications, and we host a friendship and games club where people can come and get to know people in their community.
While at the Community Café, the team host regular ‘Learn to Cook’ courses for people wanting to cook healthy, tasty food on a budget and on average almost 250 people a month stop by to pick up a free item of food from the community fridge.
We also provide our fantastic Care and LifeLine services to help people live independently at home. Our friendly, professional teams can help people get out and about in their community, deliver personal care, or just provide some peace of mind.
Then: In 2017 our team from Kingfisher Court won the Housing with Care award at the national Great British Care Awards.
Now: In early 2024, they did it again! Our extra care community, Kingfisher Court, won the Housing with Care category for the second time. Kingfisher Court was recognised for its excellence in combining housing with the highest quality care, and that it is a real community for its residents.