Grant-giving trust awards Bournemouth War Memorial Homes £100,000 grant for disabled veterans' bungalows

Bournemouth War Memorial Homes provides high quality one, two and three bedroom homes to ex-service veterans in need. The homes, which are situated facing onto Castle Lane West as well as on the south side of Jewell Road in Bournemouth, are funded entirely by donations as well as by rental income generated from the properties which is offered at a discounted rate. The charity is overseen by a board of trustees who carry out work voluntarily to run and maintain the properties.

Air Commodore Ricardo Cobelli OBE RAF (retd), chairman of The Bournemouth War Memorial Homes, said, “On behalf of our trustees and residents we would like to thank Talbot Village Trust for its continued and generous support of service veterans in need. Our trustees identified an area within our existing site where it was possible to build five two-bedroom bungalows suitable for disabled veterans, and we were able to complete the build rapidly and to a high standard due to the extremely generous grant from TVT.”

He explained that all of the properties will be occupied by service veterans already on the waiting list and added, “Talbot Village Trust has been a longstanding supporter of BWMH, and over the years this support has enabled us to make remarkable improvements to the homes.”

Russell Lucas-Rowe, TVT trustee, said, ‘‘On behalf of all of our trustees, it is a real pleasure to have had the opportunity to support the BWMH charity on its project to build these new bungalows suitable for disabled veterans and their families. BWMH provides homes and a safe haven to many veterans from the Second World War, but also to ex-service personnel of all ages in need.”

TVT is the legacy of two sisters who founded Talbot Village in the mid-19th century as a reaction to rural poverty. The village provided housing, a school and a church as well as agricultural land to grow food. Thanks to the sisters’ philanthropic approach and a careful investment programme, the trustees have been able to maintain and increase the value of the fund.

The trustees meet biannually, and will be accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before spring next year.