KPH, which recently launched Heritage Green, a new housing development at New Cardington, Bedford, is committed to the communities in which it works. At New Cardington, the air cadets have their headquarters close to the new development; the KPH sales team and warrant officer Paul Taylor have been in dialogue throughout the year about the mutual benefits of partnering on projects.
In July, when KPH made a donation towards a new minibus for the cadets, the sales staff got to know nine-year old Gibson. So smitten were they by the canine member of the squadron that they decided to produce a gift that was befitting his stature and also reflected their business of building homes.
Kier apprentices were commissioned to build a bespoke home for Gibson under the supervision of site manager, Chris Jarrett. The kennel, which Gibson will soon be able to enjoy permanently, is currently situated in the garden of the showroom at Heritage Green.
KPH sales manager, Louise McCue, who presented the kennel to Paul Taylor and Gibson, when they visited the showhome on Remembrance Sunday, said:
“Gibson is a beautiful dog and a credit to the Bedford air cadets. We are delighted to have built him a KPH kennel; it is a lovely talking point for visitors at the site. We look forward to Gibson stopping by whenever he likes to check that we are taking good care of his doghouse.”
Paul Taylor added:
“Gibson has served the squadron from a very young age. As a ‘senior air dog’ within the unit, he travels far and wide and can often be found with the cadets as they take part in activities around the country. He enjoys their company immensely and is at his happiest when the cadets stop and cook up their rations!”
Historically animals have been used as mascots by the armed forces and to this day they can still be found within various units. During World War ll many Royal Air Force squadrons had dogs as mascots, particularly black Labradors. Formal photographs from that period show the dogs sitting close to their masters as they pose for the obligatory squadron photograph. Today, units deployed to forward operating bases in Afghanistan adopt dogs as unofficial mascots, where they play an important part in maintaining the moral of service men and women.
The new homes at Heritage Green are ideally located for modern living. Situated just under four miles from the county town of Bedford, and 14 miles from Hitchin via the A600, this historic area is well known as home to the Cardington Airship Works founded by Short Brothers during World War l. The homes are priced from just £79,996 with FirstBuy, the government-approved equity loan scheme where you pay from 80%, but own 100% of your beautiful new home.