A LOCAL group has been awarded funds by The Big Lottery’s Awards for All Wales with additional support from Presteigne and Norton town council and the JAC Trust, for an opening consultation and launch.

Home Presteigne is a new cooperative organisation for housing. It was set up in response to the findings of the Presteigne and Norton council survey in 2011, which identified significant local need for affordable housing. The idea is that local people might plan, develop, build and own sustainable and affordable homes in the future.?

Jane Walsh and Rachel Francis, who are both residents of Presteigne, have been employed to organise and run the initial consultation, which will include offering talks with local groups, a questionnaire for everyone to take part in, a project for children and the launch.

Rachel said “We are very grateful to The Big Lottery for seeing the potential in this project. Home Presteigne is just a group of ordinary citizens who care about the usual things: our community, the environment and the right to a good quality life. The steering group have been working hard to set Home Presteigne up and to get the structure right, it’s an ongoing process and we hope lots of other people will support us.”

The questionnaire will be open to all, including an online version and will run for three weeks during late May and early June. The results will be presented at the launch of Home Presteigne on July 9.