TWO new Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA) homes in the village of Gwehelog, near Raglan, are providing much needed affordable housing for local people.

MHA’s new Ty Freeman development is made up of two, two-bedroom semi-detached houses that overlook the rolling Monmouthshire countryside.

Monmouthshire residents Geoffrey and Janet Phillips have lived and worked in the area all their lives and are delighted to be moving into their new home. Geoffrey said: “I worked as a farmer in Raglan for 37 years and the job always came with a house.

“I was forced to retire a few years ago due to ill health and we had to move into a privately rented property.

“It was expensive to rent and to run, and it became impractical for us as we’re getting on now. So when we heard about these new houses we were very excited. We wanted one as soon as we saw them. They’re in such a great location, the views are amazing.”

Janet Phillips said: “We can’t believe our luck. We’ll be saving well over £200 a month on rent alone and it’s in such a beautiful place.

“We had to pinch ourselves when we found out we’d been successful in applying for this home. We couldn’t ask for more.”

Emma Grinnol and daughter Sophia are also moving into a new home at Ty Freeman. Emma said: “It’s great to be moving into somewhere locally that I can afford and that’s ready to move into.”

MHA development surveyor Lee Roberts said: “It’s always great to hear how excited people are to be moving in to their new MHA home, it means we’ve done our job.

“MHA is committed to building affordable homes to rent in Monmouthshire that meet the needs of local communities and we’re delighted to provide these two new homes for people in Gwehelog.”