Dorset-based affordable housing specialist AJC Group has completed the Jurassic Coast Challenge and raised significant funds for local homelessness charity, Hope Housing. Collectively, the AJC Group team’s efforts of walking 1,500 miles along the Jurassic Coast has raised £6,500.
This challenge coincided with the housebuilder’s pledge to build 500 new affordable homes by 2028. The firm currently has 173 homes under construction, with a strong land pipeline located across Dorset, Hampshire, and Somerset.
The 35-strong team contended the hilly uneven terrain, along the coastal path in The Purbecks, Dorset, across the weekend of the 13th and 14th May. Varying distances were carried out by different members of the team including the miles being walked, jogged, or ran, to suit the individual capabilities. Some of the team even committed to running 100 km either in a single day or across the two days.
David Cracklen, Director of AJC Group, said: “We are delighted to have now completed the challenge after weeks of training on evenings and the weekends. We have so far raised £6,500, with contributions still being donated, which we – and Hope charity – are immensely grateful for.
“In recent years, the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area has experienced a rise in the number of homeless people seeking accommodation, due to the cost-of-living crisis and shortage of affordable housing. We are very proud to be supporting a local charity that does such amazing work for the community.”
Based on St Swithuns Road South in Bournemouth, Hope Housing, Training and Support opened in 2009 by Julie Berti and her father David Botterill. 92 men and women aged 18-65 are currently temporarily housed in Hope’s 12 properties located within Bournemouth and Poole. The main site has cabins in the grounds for specific projects.
AJC Group is on track to deliver over 200 mixed-tenure homes during 2023, reflecting a total construction value in excess of £100m. The firm has become one of the most active residential development specialists across the Wessex region.
Six sites are currently under construction by AJC Group, including a development in the village of Okeford Fitzpaine near Blandford Forum in rural Dorset. Live projects on Lindsay Road, The Sloop, and Herbert Avenue, are all located in Poole, while The Sonnet apartment scheme is in Bournemouth. The firm has also recently started construction at one of its largest projects, which will deliver 57 affordable houses and apartments for Aster Group within the former Dorchester Brewery regeneration scheme.