Veterans mark launch of new housing development on former RAF airfield
A Staffordshire village's military heritage has been honoured at a new showhome at a housing development on a RAF Lichfield site.
Members of the Veterans Reconnection Hub, which is based at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum in Whittington, attended the opening event at Bellway’s Sheasby Park development in Fradley.
RAF Lichfield was built at Fradley Common at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and the RAF remained at the site until 1958 when the airfield closed. Bellway began work on the new homes at Sheasby Park, off Common Lane, in 2016.
Marie Richards, Sales Director for Bellway West Midlands, said: “It was an important moment for us to have the veterans here with us to celebrate the opening of the showhome and the launch of the third phase of homes at Sheasby Park. We wanted to remember the RAF Lichfield site and honour the men and women who served at the airfield and risked their lives.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Veterans Reconnection Hub, which plays an important role within the community supporting veterans and their families.”
Among the attendees at the launch event were nine members of the Veterans Reconnection Hub, including Dennis Smart and Andy Lloyd from the Lichfield branch of the Staffordshire Regiment and Hub founder, Van Barrett MBE.
Van, who has a master’s degree in military veterans’ health and wellbeing, said: “A few of us visited Sheasby Park during the first phase of development and we had a great time looking around. So we were delighted when Bellway made contact asking us to be their VIP guests and open the showhome.
“There’s certainly been a lot of development and more new homes since we last visited and it means a lot that Bellway continues to commemorate local military history.
“I served in the army for 24 years and left in 1994. I set up the Veterans Reconnection Hub in 2017 because I discovered that while there are a variety of specialist support available, there wasn’t an organisation in place which veterans could contact to access those services – we aim to connect veterans and family members to local and national support."
Van added: “We also host breakfast clubs and walking groups which help veterans get out and meet like-minded people. We talk and socialise in a supportive and safe space and we have found that veterans look forward to these events as the social aspect really helps their mental health.”
Phase three of Sheasby Park includes one-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom houses.
