PEOPLE have moved into their new affordable homes in a popular North Yorkshire market town, after they recently reached completion.

Broadacres Housing Association, in partnership with Wharfedale Homes, has provided 18 new homes for affordable rent in Helmsley.

The one and two-bedroom homes are located in the centre of Helmsley, just off Swanland Road and form part of a larger development completed by Wharfedale Homes.

Among those to move in include Bob Leete, who has returned to the town where he was born and bred.

Mr Leete, 65, said: “For the past two years I have lived away from Helmsley and because of short-term leases on rented properties I have had to move four times.

“I grew up in Helmsley and was the blacksmith in the town for 30 years, so I was keen to return and Broadacres have now enabled me to do this.

“I spent a lot of my childhood playing in the spot where my home now is and I even remember scrumping the fruit from the orchard which is opposite my new home and now I can help myself to the fruit again as it has become a communal orchard.

“I finally feel like I have come home, and it still hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

All the homes have been allocated to people with a connection to the town and surrounding area, as part of Broadacres’s strategy to ensure rural communities in North Yorkshire remain sustainable for future generations.

Gail Teasdale, chief executive of Broadacres, said: “The cost of renting privately in Helmsley is high due to the town’s popularity as a tourist destination within the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.

“This means many people from the town are forced to move away because they cannot afford to live there.

“The scheme we now have in Helmsley will help to ease the cost of living for local people who want to remain in Helmsley, whether that’s to be close to work, family or many other important reasons.

“It forms an important part of our strategy to deliver high quality, affordable residential schemes in our rural communities, and ultimately help us realise our vision of becoming the best rural housing provider in the UK.”

Broadacres is a not for profit housing association which owns and manages more than 6,000 in the North of England.

It provides homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale.

It also provides a range of support services to different client groups.

Further information on Broadacres can be found on the website at: www.broadacres.org.uk