Joe is delighted with his warm and spacious home
‘IT’S absolutely beautiful. It’s quite a spacious house and it’s lovely and warm because it has underfloor heating’, said Joe Day of his new home in McCall Cottages.
Joe (70) grew up in Ballycogley where many people will remember him running a dog pound for Wexford County Council and the ISPCA and he lived in rented accommodation in Bridgetown before moving to Rathangan in February.
Having worked with the Bannow and Rathangan Show in Killag for many years, he heard about the cottages being built and put his name on the list. He wasn’t sure he would be successful and was delighted to be allocated a house.
‘I have a one-bedroomed house. It’s really lovely and quite spacious - when you walk in the back you come into the living room and then through to the kitchen, then you have the bathroom and the bedroom and a hallway. It was built to a very high standard. There’s underfloor heating. The heat was the first thing that struck me, it was so warm’.
‘We don’t have to do anything. Someone looks after the grounds. There’s nice gardens front and back. It’s really well laid out with pathways’ said Joe.
‘I’m delighted with it. I got the last house. I was really, really lucky. If I hadn’t applied when I did it probably would have been gone’.
As the weather improves, the residents in McCall Cottages are starting to venture out and meet their neighbours. ‘We’re getting to know one another now as the weather is getting better and we can move outside. We had it very bad during Storm Emma, we had 8ft of snow’.
Joe thinks the new housing scheme will be an inspiration for other areas. ‘I would say it will probably catch on in other parishes. I think most parishes are looking after elderly people but I think a few other parishes have come to see these houses’.