Volunteer Ian Smith & Barratt and David Wilson Homes MD John Fitzgerald 12 Dec 2014
Sedgley Model Railway Plans On Track Thanks To Homebuilder

David Wilson Homes - West Midlands

The award-winning homebuilder, which plans to build 181 new luxury two, three, four and five bedroom homes on Gospel End Road, the site of the old Baggeridge Brickworks, has prepared an area of land so volunteers, who run the railway in Baggeridge Country Park, can install a tunnel and extend the track.

The Wolverhampton and District Model Engineering Society started work at the park, owned by South Staffordshire Council, some 30 years ago. Chairman, Martin Bedson says the improvements are part of plans to create one of the best model railway experiences in the country. Martin, said; “The best model railways create adventure through disorientation, the passengers being unaware of their location on the track, we hope to achieve that with a new tunnel for the train to pass through, plantation of trees and hedges and the extension of the track.

“We are very thankful to David Wilson Homes for the work they have done in our attempts to create a greater experience for the many people who enjoy the model railway every year.”

David Wilson Homes, which has worked alongside contractor McAuliffe, will also build a brand new workshop next to the track for the societies many volunteers to work from. Martin, said; “Until recently the society had been operating from a disused building in the corner of the park with limited facilities. We will soon have a new kitchen area, meeting room and workshop to work from.”

John Fitzgerald, Managing Director of David Wilson Homes Mercia, said; “The model railway is extremely popular with visitors to the park and helping to improve the experience is something we are very proud of.

“We strongly believe that community development is one of the most important aspects of any new housing development and we hope that the work on the railway will be to the benefit of people who live in the local area.”

Councillor Mary Bond, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services at South Staffordshire Council, said; “Baggeridge Country Park has many great attractions, of which the model railway is an important part. It is very popular with visitors to the park and we have a team of volunteers dedicated to helping maintain it. Now the track can be extended and a new tunnel built, adding to people's enjoyment.”

The new housing development, to be named Baggeridge Village, is located in a semi-rural area surrounded by open countryside and Baggeridge Country Park. Just one mile from the village of Sedgley and sitting in between Wolverhampton and Dudley, the development will enjoy easy access to a great range of shops at the Wulfrun Shopping Centre and the popular Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Commuters can benefit from excellent links to the M5 and M54 motorways.

For more information, please call the sales hotline on 0844 811 3322 open seven days a week from 8am to 9pm or log on to www.dwh.co.uk.  

David Wilson Homes Mercia has been merited the maximum five star official rating from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) for the fifth year in a row. The news was announced after more than 20,000 new home buyers across the country took part in this year's HBF customer satisfaction survey.

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. For further information about David Wilson Homes Mercia please contact Hannah Elwell, Director of PR or Joseph Doyle, PR Account Executive on 0116 247 1777 or hannah@unsworthsugden.co.uk or joseph@unsworthsugden.co.uk  

2. Barratt Group sold 14,838 homes in the year to June 2014, making it the biggest housebuilder by volume in Britain

3. Barratt was awarded a maximum five star rating for the fifth consecutive year in the 2014 Home Builders Federation Customer Satisfaction Survey

4. Site managers working for Barratt Group won 90 awards for quality workmanship in the 2014 NHBC Pride in the Job Awards. Barratt has won more Pride in the Job awards than any other housebuilder for the last ten years

5. Barratt is the only housebuilder to provide a five year warranty on the fixtures and fittings in its new build homes at the time of purchase