First resident moves back into housing association’s refurbished bungalow

First resident moves back into housing association’s refurbished bungalow

A Hull-based housing association holds the key to one of its resident’s good fortune this week.

Pickering and Ferens Homes – which operates from its headquarters in The Maltings, Silvester Street, Hull city centre – is set to officially welcome Michael Crombie back to his newly refurbished home at a celebration event on Thursday.

When the association amalgamated with the Sir James Reckitt Village Haven almshouses in September 2008, one of director Roger Elliot’s main priorities was to begin a complete refurbishment of the 12 large bedsits, which were built in Village Road, Garden Village, east Hull, in 1924.

Now, that vision has become a reality after the conversion of two former bedsits at 11 and 12 Sir James Reckitt Village Haven into one luxury two bedroom bungalow for Mr Crombie.

Pickering and Ferens Homes is set to open up the bungalow as a showhouse for the afternoon on Thursday to enable other residents, as well as the association’s trustees, to see the transformation that has taken place. The work has been completed to a high standard by local contractors Hobson and Porter. The architects were Hull-based Gammond, Evans, Crichton Limited.

Mr Crombie said: “I can’t wait to move back in this week. I have lived here for seven years, but since Pickering and Ferens Homes took over in 2008 they have done so much for me.

“The association has installed gates and fences and they do everything they can to please people. Before the refurbishment work was carried out, I had a sofa bed in my living room incase guests came, as there was so little room. Now it’s such a luxury to have all this space, I feel like a king.”

Roger Elliot, director of Pickering and Ferens Homes, said: “We are delighted to be handing over the keys to Mr Crombie, enabling him to move back into this beautifully refurbished property. Mr Crombie is the first resident to move back into a refurbished property at this particular scheme and we would like to wish him a long and very happy life there.

“Ensuring that our properties are fit-for-purpose, warm and comfortable is a key priority for Pickering and Ferens Homes – the work we plan to carry out over a period of time at Sir James Reckitt Village Haven is testament to the commitment we are making to this.”

Pickering and Ferens Homes is a non-profit making registered charity and manages more than 1,200 properties in the region for people over the age of 60.