Appeal for New Roof

 

We need to raise £100,000 towards the cost of replacing the roof on our two older buildings, to preserve this vital part of our community's heritage.

Springett Almshouses provides affordable homes for older, vulnerable residents who have strong connections with Hawkhurst and surrounding areas, but the roof is now in urgent need of replacement.

We are asking if you would support our appeal and help us to continue providing a safe and comfortable place for our residents to live in.

We would be hugely grateful for any contribution.

​

​How you can help ?

To donate, please visit our fundraising page:
 

www.justgiving.com/campaign/springetts

For further information:

Tel: 07914 698645
Email: springettsclerk@gmail.com
Post: The Clerk, Springett Almshouses, Horns Rd, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 4QZ

Thank you.

​

Some Background

​​

Almshouses are charity organisations, offering warm safe and secure homes at an affordable cost for local people in need. Providing housing for over 36,000 residents across the UK, they are recognised for fostering strong community living, where residents are able to rely on neighbours and trustees for support while still maintaining independence. Research shows that this balance has a powerful impact, helping to combat loneliness and isolation, and significantly improving residents’ wellbeing and quality of life.

 

In Hawkhurst, the community is lucky enough to have not one, but two sets of almshouses, providing affordable accommodation for people from the local area who have limited financial means. At The Springett 

Almshouses on Horns Road, there are eleven flats, offering safe, comfortable homes with easy access to shops and amenities. A recent extension has added a bright communal room with kitchen, which has quickly become the social hub of the almshouses, the location for monthly coffee mornings, bingo afternoons and seasonal events.

​​

The Springetts story began in 1866, when Eliza Springett established the almshouses in memory of her late husband John and daughter Margaret. A few years later, in 1871, local landowners formally transferred cottages and land to create what became known as The Springett Almshouses, with the aim of supporting Hawkhurst residents who had fallen on hard times. Alongside the buildings came a trust fund to pay for maintenance and provide a weekly allowance for residents.

​

Over the years, the board of trustees carefully managed repairs and improvements. The first repairs were carried out to the almshouses in 1875. Records in a leather-bound minutes book detail painting bills, new iron fencing, drainage problems, and in 1927 discussions began to install running water, a utility we take for granted now. Electricity arrived in the 1930s, modern bathrooms and kitchens in the 1970s, and

central heating in the late 1980s.

​

Over the years, the almshouses have continually adapted to changing needs while keeping their original purpose firmly intact. Now, the two older buildings are in need of new roofing, to ensure they can continue to provide safe homes for residents in the future. As with so much of Springetts’ history, community support is key to preserving these much-loved buildings for the next generations.