Couple who lost home in fire saved from a homeless Christmas by housebuilder

A devastating fire in November left Elaine Sandford, 33 and Jack Nichol, 27 without a home. It was a home they were planning to leave, but there were still several months before they could officially move into their new three-bedroom semi-detached house at Woodgate, Pease Pottage.

When directors at Woodgate-developer Thakeham discovered the couple’s plight, they reallocated resources to fast track the building work of the reserved plot. The team effort meant that the couple could move in almost three months before their new home was officially due for completion. In an historic milestone for the Woodgate development, on December 20, Elaine and Jack became the first residents to move into their new home – barely a month after the fire.

New homeowner Elaine said: “We are so grateful for Thakeham speeding up the process and making sure we could have a new home that we love in time for Christmas. We knew there was a lot to do but hoped the move-in date could be brought forward. We thought that it might be possible to move in a month or so earlier than planned, but when Thakeham told us that they’d be able to get us in for Christmas; it was like a dream come true.

"We were so excited to move in. Thakeham had even decorated a Christmas tree for our front room. It was a lovely surprise. We’d obviously had a terrible shock with the fire and were dreading Christmas without a home. But, thanks to Thakeham this Christmas has been better than we ever expected!”

The pair were originally attracted to the home after taking the Virtual Reality (VR) experience offered at Woodgate. It gave them the unique ability to explore their new property before it was even built and really get a feel for the place.

The strong sense of community that Woodgate offered was also a key selling point for the young local couple.

Elaine added: “One of the biggest selling points for us was Woodgate’s charity ties, with it being the future home for St. Catherine’s Hospice. It’s clear that Woodgate has invested a lot into building the perfect community for people to live. We have also been impressed with all the little details that have been thought of, for example, every house has an electric car charger, which is lucky for us as Jack has just got a new electric van!”

The couple were able to purchase their new home with the help of the government-backed Help to Buy Scheme, with the assistance and support from Woodgate.

To find out more about the Woodgate development, visit: MyWoodgate.co.uk