Home for Families of War Wounded Soldiers Opens
Thanks to readers of the Daily Telegraph newspaper a home is to be opened for families of seriously injured soldiers to stay in while visiting them in hospital.
The 7 bed-roomed converted home has been named Norton House and is situated at the end of a quiet lane in one of Surrey’s exclusive neighbourhoods. Readers of the newspaper donated a staggering £430,000 during the 2006 Christmas appeal to enable the families to stay in the substantial converted six-bedroom home at the end of a quiet lane in one of Surrey's more exclusive neighbourhoods.
Planning permission was granted for the house last August and will be officially opened this week.
Relatives have to travel hundreds of miles to the rehabilitation centre at Headley Court in Surrey, where the only places to stay is either hotels which can cost families money they could not afford, or in cramped official accommodation.
Major General Andrew Cumming, the association's chief executive, said the readers' contribution "gave us the courage to go ahead with this project".
He said: "It made us understand that people from across the country really cared about this project and there was a possibility of success."
Families of injured troops can now visit their loved ones in relaxed surroundings with no added stress about hotel or restaurants bills. This could prove vital for the long-term rehabilitation of the soldiers.
Norton House was named after Captain Peter Norton who was awarded the George Cross in Iraq for bravery. While dealing with a roadside bomb, Peter lost both his left arm and leg.
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) the Armed Forces charity had purchased the house for £1.7 million and had given full access of the project to the newspaper. The association paid a further £100,000 to install a disabled lift and special bathrooms for the handicapped.
Residents Protested for Planning Permission for the Home
Plans were almost brought to a halt last year when residents living in upmarket Grays Lane in Ashtead complained it would lower the value of their homes as well as increase traffic noise and ruin the tranquil area’s ‘community spirit.
Servicemen began a campaign within Ashtead to drum up support and Des Brown the Defence Secretary, shadow defence secretary Dr Liam Fox and General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the Armed Forces gave their full support to the SSAFA’s plan.
The Daily Telegraph urged its readers to sign an online petition in favour of the plans and raised 43,712 signatures.
After much deliberation and many meetings regarding the petition, the planning committee granted the application by seventeen votes to one when the head of the council and committee chair urged its members to be brave and vote for the public good.
Major General Andrew Cumming, SSAFA chief executive, said he was "delighted" by the decision.
"This decision enables us to now move forward in our undertaking to provide urgently needed accommodation for the families of injured servicemen and women," he said.
"We would like to extend our thanks to the huge number of people who have publicly supported our application. We are enormously grateful to each and every one of them and, in particular, to Peter and Sue Norton who have been an inspiration to us in everything we are trying to achieve.
"Like them, SSAFA passionately believes that our servicemen and women deserve to be respected and valued and that their families should have our full support at all times."
Falkland’s veteran Simon Weston was delighted with the decision and understood the resident’s reservations. "The fact is that there is already a house built there and it’s already an occupied property so the proposal is not going to make much difference.
"I understand residents’ reservations but the impact of this plan has been overstated and someone has been scaremongering.
"In the end I welcome the fact that the council made the right decision," he added.
Families of our brave soldiers deserve to be given a helping hand in easing their stressful and emotional time. This in turn will help those seriously wounded by having their loved ones with them while healing.
