Royalty was in East Devon when The Duke of Gloucester visited Budleigh Salterton and Ottery St Mary to open new almshouses.
As part of the celebrations in Budleigh the late Queen’s cousin, Prince Richard, officially opened the town’s first-ever almshouses.
In Ottery he was given a tour of the new purpose-built homes where he met the first residents, Anne Bastyan and Chris Thomas.
The Duke of Gloucester is pictured here in Ottery St Mary meeting almshouse residents.
Photo: The Almshouse Association.
The Duke of Gloucester was given a tour of the new almshouses at Feoffee Rise, in Brook Street, Ottery St Mary. Photo: Bill Pitcher.
Touring the first-ever Budleigh Salterton almshouses is: HRH The Duke of Gloucester, right, with Nick Phillips CEO The Almshouse Association, Chris Davis The Shandford Trust chair, Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, Lee Howell, Cadet Flight Sergeant Maxwell Harris. Photo: The Almshouse Association
Nick Phillips, The Almshouse Association CEO who accompanied the royal visitor, said the Duke opened the first new almshouse charity to launch in 50 years, visiting Budleigh after The Shandford Trust developed the new homes.
He said: “This is particularly significant at a time when many established almshouse charities are expanding. It is a wonderful accolade to see the community come together to establish a new charity.
“We warmly welcome The Shandford Trust into our community, marking a fantastic milestone for the modern almshouse movement.
“It is inspiring to see a new almshouse charity established, highlighting how this ancient model of community-led housing remains as vital and relevant today as it has ever been.”
The Duke of Gloucester was at Brook Street, in Ottery St Mary, accompanied by local dignitaries, where he met Ottery St Mary mayor, councillor Vicky Johns, and Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, Mary Quicke MBE. Photo: Bill Pitcher.
The Duke of Gloucester, Royal Vice-Patron of The Almshouse Association, was given a tour of the three new homes in East Budleigh Road and the purpose-built Feoffee Rise accommodation in Brook Street, Ottery St Mary.
He was accompanied in Budleigh by the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Devon Lee Howell, Budleigh Salterton mayor, councillor Gina Woodcraft and Lord Clinton. The royal also visited neighbouring Seachange health and wellbeing hub to learn about the on-call help and support for almshouse residents.
The Duke of Gloucester is pictured here in Ottery St Mary where he looked around the new almshouses with Nick Phillips The Almshouse Association CEO, Willie Hartley Russell, The Almshouse Association chair and Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, Mary Quicke MBE. Photo: The Almshouse Association.
The Duke unveiled a plaque to commemorate the official opening, and was presented with a painting of Otter Head.
The Duke of Gloucester visiting almshouses in Budleigh Salterton, where he unveiled a plaque Photo: Richard Gray/The Almshouse Association.
Chris Davis, chair of The Shandford Trust said: “The completion of this initial project marks only the beginning for our local charity. Driven by our team of professional local volunteer trustees, The Shandford Trust is already actively seeking new build or conversion opportunities to establish more new almshouses, ensuring older generations can remain safely within their communities for decades to come.”
Pictured here in Ottery St Mary is HRH The Duke of Gloucester with local dignitaries, and supporters of the new almshouses. Photo: The Almshouse Association.
Earlier in the day The Duke of Gloucester was at Brook Street, in Ottery St Mary, accompanied by local dignitaries to meet Tina Collins, Ottery Feoffee Charity clerk, Sir John-Michael Kennaway, Ottery Feoffee Charity chair, and councillor Vicky Johns, Ottery St Mary mayor.
The Duke of Gloucester, who was in Ottery St Mary to officially open new almshouses in Brook Street, unveiled an official plaque.
Photo: Bill Pitcher.
The Duke of Gloucester visited The Institute in Ottery St Mary, where he met local dignitaries during his tour of the town’s new almshouses.
Photo: Bill Pitcher.
After touring the almshouses, on the former Brook Street day centre site, The Duke met local dignitaries at The Institute, in Yonder Street, and heard the history of the Ottery Feoffee Charity.
Nick Phillips said: “This royal visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester highlights the vital role that small charity housing providers play in tackling today’s housing crisis. Having the Duke spend time with residents like Mrs Bastyan and Mr Thomas underscores the deep human value of the almshouse model.
“Feoffee Rise is a magnificent example of how independent almshouse charities provide tailored, community-led support. This opening does not just celebrate new buildings; it provides a powerful blueprint for the future development of more almshouses across the UK.”
He added: “The Ottery Feoffee Charity’s long-term vision perfectly aligns with our mission to build sustainable community housing that will safely serve local people for centuries to come.
“However, to meet the growing housing challenges of today, we need this movement to scale up. We are actively looking for more almshouse charities to be started across the country.
“To achieve this, we urgently need more philanthropists to step forward with funding, and more dedicated trustees to give their time and expertise to run these vital new charities.”
Mr Phillips said: “Ottery St Mary is a brilliant example of what is possible, and we hope their success inspires others to help us build a legacy for many more communities across the UK.”
