Next door neighbours who have spent a combined 42 years living in Castleton Court have found new homes opposite each other in a brand-new development.
Pat Crozier had been in the Haughton Green high rise for 30 years, the last 12 of which she was next to John Halton and the pair became firm friends.
He decided to take a place in Irwell Valley Homes’s new Rivington Chase development, built with Be One Homes, in Horwich, and was delighted to get back closer to his Lancashire countryside roots.
After around a decade of relying on each other through life’s ups and down the pair did not want to be split up and Pat has also secured herself an apartment across the corridor from John.
Both are among customers who Irwell Valley Homes are rehousing in preparation for the demolition and regeneration of Castleton, Southey and Fitzerald Court.
Having moved into their new homes they are looking forward to exploring the surrounding area.
Pat says once she found out a place was available at Railway House, on Rivington Chase, the process of moving went smoothly.
She said: “I am over the moon. I felt safe because I had a neighbour so it is a relief that we still live near each other.
“We look after each other and help each other with appointments and things like that so it was very important that we stayed neighbours, I am very relieved.
“He will show me another side of life and get me out walking, I’m a city girl and he’ll show me the countryside.”
John added: “I was shocked (when I found I needed to move). But when they showed me the place I could go to, it’s not far from where I’m from and I thought that will do for me. It’s lovely here and I’m going back to my roots.
“I’m on my own, to me having a friend and neighbour is the most important thing once you start getting a bit older.”
Rivington Chase is an Irwell Valley Homes development of 63 homes. There are nine shared ownership houses,11 affordable rent houses and 43 affordable rent apartments.
The overall cost of the scheme is £15.3million, which includes grants of £3.5m from Homes England and £1.26m from Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Brownfield Land Fund.