New home gives father and son a very merry Christmas
20th December 2006
An Oldham dad and his war hero son are looking forward to the best Christmas present ever – a new home and a new start.
Graham Worswick, 46, is moving to his dream home in Cottonfields, Chadderton, thanks to help from the Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal (HMR) Pathfinder programme.
Graham’s current home at Warwick Street in Werneth – only half a mile from his new home - has been earmarked for demolition, under plans to regenerate the area by providing a greater choice of homes for sale, rent and shared ownership.
Although initially concerned by the news, the father of two received financial support from the Pathfinder to help him afford a new three-bedroom home, which he describes as ‘simply fantastic.’
The delighted dad now expects to be in his new home early in the New Year, together with his 23-year old son Richard, who has just returned from his Army base near Hanover in Germany
Graham said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. As soon as I saw the house, I fell in love with it, and so did my son. It looks like something out of ‘Location, Location, Location’!
“It’s got a beautiful new kitchen, a front and back garden, and plenty of room for my son to come and stay whenever he’s back from overseas. It’s the best Christmas present I could ever imagine. We can’t wait to move in.”
Councillor Dave Hibbert, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration said: “We are committed to giving local families affected by HMR regeneration plans every possible support. We’re obviously thrilled for Mr Worswick and his family.”
Graham’s son Richard has been in the armed forces for several years, and has performed active service in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also has a 24 year-old daughter called Sheri, who lives in Middleton.
Graham, who works as a machine operator at Werneth firm Sellers Engineering, was able to afford his new house through a financial support package called the Home Plus Plan.
The scheme, available to local people whose homes have been affected by Pathfinder clearance plans, allows applicants to access up to £35,000 to help them bridge the financial gap when buying a new home. The money does not need to be paid back until the new property is sold in the future.
More than 40 people in Oldham have taken advantage of the scheme to date, and more than £1.2 million has been accessed.
Graham said: “I couldn’t have dreamt of living somewhere like this without the help I’ve received. When I first heard that my home faced demolition, I was pretty shell-shocked, but the HMR team has been brilliant. They’ve supported me every step of the way and given me a fresh start in life. It’s a bit like a dream to be honest – I never expected to be given a chance like this.”
The HMR Pathfinder has already invested around £10 million in the Werneth/Freehold area of Oldham, as part of its plans to provide a mix of
different housing types suited to modern needs. A further £17million of HMR funding, plus £3million of other public and private sector funding, will be invested in the area by 2008.
Around 2,000 new homes are in the pipeline for development across the Oldham Rochdale HMR Pathfinder area. In Werneth:
- Keepmoat have received planning permission to build 63 new homes at Suthers Street
- Manchester Methodist Housing Association are building 23 homes of various sizes and tenure on Devon Street
- BASE (a consortium led by Barratt Homes and Artisan) will be working with residents to develop plans for a £28 million development of up to 160 eco-friendly homes off Spencer Street, which incorporate ideas from a European architectural competition.
Photo: Graham Worswick and his son Richard celebrating exchanging contracts and outside their new home.
