Rural Shropshire housing association celebrates 50-year anniversary
A housing association is celebrating 50 years of working to provide affordable homes for people in rural Shropshire.
The National Agricultural Rural Trust was officially registered in 1976, opening its first development of affordable homes in Hadnall six years later.
The trust then evolved into Shropshire Rural Housing Association, which has since gone on to provide more than 300 homes across rural Shropshire - with the recent opening of 13 new properties in Chirbury marking the association’s largest development in decades.
John Green, chief executive of Shropshire Rural, based in Bayston Hill near Shrewsbury, said the anniversary was a good opportunity to take stock of the association’s achievements.
“We are extremely proud of the association’s work, providing hundreds of good quality, warm and comfortable homes for Shropshire’s rural communities over the past five decades,” he said.
“It’s been fascinating to look back through the archives to compile a timeline of the many housing schemes the association has opened, from the very first set of bungalows in Hadnall to the modern energy-efficient homes in Chirbury last year.
“Each development has been different, but every one fulfilled the same need to provide housing that people in rural areas of Shropshire could afford to live in - enabling them to stay in their local community rather than having to move elsewhere.
“In this way, the provision of affordable housing genuinely helps rural communities to grow and thrive.”
Celia Bahrami, chair of the Shropshire Rural Housing Association board, paid tribute to the organisation’s staff and board members over the past 50 years.
“This milestone is a testament to the dedication, vision and hard work of everyone who has been involved with the association since its foundation,” she said.
“From our members of staff to the volunteers on the board who provide strategic direction and support, everyone has contributed in a variety of important ways.
“As we celebrate 50 years of serving rural Shropshire, we remain firmly committed to building on that legacy - working hard to support our tenants and continuing to work with our partners and local communities to ensure that affordable, high-quality homes continue to be available for generations to come.”
For more information, visit the website at www.shropshirerural.co.uk.
