Housing association donates much-needed £500 to Rugby Foodbank as more and more residents need help

Clarion Housing Group, the largest housing association in the country, has marked the reopening of its two Rugby new home schemes, Houlton Meadows and The Spinneys, with a £500 donation to Rugby Foodbank.

Rugby Foodbank has supported the community for the past eight years, currently distributing more than 1.5 tonnes of food in the area every week.

John Hemmings of Rugby Foodbank thanked Clarion Housing for the donation, saying:

“The donation from Clarion Housing will help assist the work we do at Rugby Foodbank, including the purchasing of food where we have shortages, paying the bills incurred at Foodbank centres, as well as fuelling and maintaining our Foodbank van, which is crucial to the collection and distribution of food.

“During the last year Rugby Foodbank has supported over 5,200 people in food need in the Rugby area, and we continue to see these numbers increase locally and nationally.

"This donation is therefore significant in keeping our operations running and in maintaining the services that our clients depend on.”

Doors closed to prospective buyers in March due to the coronavirus outbreak but Houlton Meadows and The Spinneys are now offering viewings arranged by appointment to allow house hunters to explore the new homes on offer safely.

Ruth Birch, regional sales manager said: “Clarion has a long history of caring about communities, ever since the 19th Century when our founder William Sutton gifted his entire fortune into philanthropic trusts for affordable housing.

"By doing so he created the company that would eventually be known as Clarion. To this day we continue this practice by reinvesting profits into building affordable housing across the UK.

“We’re happy to enable people to view our homes once again, but we acknowledge that this is still a challenging time for many people living in Rugby.

"We know the donation will be put to good use by Rugby Foodbank and support those who currently need a helping hand.”

The group hopes the reopening will be a boost for buyers and the wider housing sector in Warwickshire, presenting an opportunity for tenants currently renting to own their own home through Shared Ownership.

The two developments are part of Clarion Housing’s plan to tackle the housing crisis by increasing its pipeline of new build developments, with profits reinvested into building more affordable homes and supporting communities across the UK.

Both schemes have homes available via Shared Ownership, which allows buyers to purchase a share in a new home, paying rent to Clarion for the remaining portion.

Because the mortgage required is smaller, the initial deposit is more affordable.

Over time, the buyer can increase their share of the property if they choose to until they own it outright.

Clarion Housing is part of Clarion Housing Group, which reinvests profits into building new homes and providing support and opportunities to its residents through Clarion Futures, its charitable foundation.