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WRHA Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA) is proud to be celebrating its 30th Anniversary throughout 2019.  And today is extra special as the very first meeting took place 30 years ago.

Current Chairman, Derrick Dyas, attended the meeting in 1989 when Lady Valerie Owen was appointed Chair of the Committee.  From these important first steps, WRHA has grown into the thriving organisation it is today, providing affordable local homes for local people where they are most needed in Warwickshire’s rural communities.

Derrick says: “Thirty years ago the needs of rural communities to secure affordable housing for local people was hardly recognised.  Local authorities were concentrating on the housing needs of their urban populations, which were greater in terms of numbers.

“However, both Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick District Councils recognised that as house prices were increasing, and local rural workers were being priced out of the housing market, there was a need for a specialist organisation to address the needs of rural villages.  Hence, WRHA was born with support from these two authorities.

“I have been proud to be a part of the Association for 30 years, as a founder member, and this year marks my 44th anniversary of involvement in social housing.

“We have forged great partnerships with the rural communities of Warwickshire and delivered almost 600 homes to local people, at rents that are affordable.  Our crowning achievement was the opening, by HRH The Princes Royal, of our Passivhaus development at Wootton Wawen in September 2018 – a recognition of our partnership working with the local community and our commitment to sustainable living and affordability of local housing.”

Throughout 2019 WRHA will be celebrating 30 years of working to support local communities in many ways.