MORE than 50 Whitehill and Bordon residents attended an Armed Forces flag-raising ceremony on Monday to mark the start of Armed Forces Week, while it was announced that a Louisburg Barracks developer is offering service personnel discounts on new homes.

The flag-raising ceremony was held in the run up to Armed Forces Day on June 24.

Meanwhile, Louisburg Barracks developer David Wilson Homes reminded people of its special offers and contributions for armed-forces personnel.

The developer said it “understands the importance of having the perfect place to call home” and was proud of its Armed Forces Deposit Contribution Scheme, which offers Army, Navy and RAF employees a £500 contribution for every £25,000 of the cost of a new property they are buying, up to a maximum contribution of £5,000.

Armed-forces personnel can also take advantage of the Forces Help to Buy Scheme which aims to make it easier for servicemen and women who are first-time buyers, or need to move due to a change in circumstances, to buy a new home with a five-per-cent deposit and 75-per-cent mortgage.

The scheme allows regular-forces personnel to borrow their five-per-cent deposit as a 10-year interest-free loan of up to 50 per cent of their salary from the Ministry of Defence.

This gives a necessary boost to then secure a 75-per-cent mortgage and a 20-per-cent Help to Buy equity loan funded by the Government. This scheme is planned to run until March 31 next year, so potential buyers are urged to move quickly if they want to take advantage of it.

Sales director Michelle Storer said: “At David Wilson Homes we’re proud of the fantastic work our armed forces do and pleased to be able to help servicemen and women in any way we can to find their perfect home.

“We understand that it’s important to have the perfect place to come home to and have homes available at developments across Hampshire.

“Our schemes help to take some of the stress out of moving home and we would encourage any Army, Navy or RAF employees to find out more about what we can offer them.”

David Wilson Homes has a range of properties available to reserve across its developments in the area including Heritage Quarter in Bordon, St James Place in Clanfield and Oakhill Gardens in Swanmore.

Monday’s flag-raising ceremony was attended by children from town schools and nurseries. There was a minute’s silence to remember the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire last week.

The new Mayor of Whitehill Colin Leach paid tribute to the corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for the important role they played in the town for over a century (from 1903 to 2015).

Before they departed, they were awarded Freedom of the Town at the Farewell to the Garrison Festival in 2015, after which they moved to new barracks in Lyneham, Wiltshire.

This week Whitehill Town Council said the military presence had formed “an important part of the town’s heritage”.

Mr Leach recognised the “tremendous support, sacrifice and commitment” from all armed forces and paused to pay respect to those who had given their life in conflict.

He commended armed-forces families and volunteer groups who provide support, such as the Royal British Legion and the Whitehill and Bordon War Memorial Association.

A Book of Remembrance is held at Bordon Library to commemorate local people who fell in both world wars and subsequent conflicts.

Today, Longmoor Training Camp still provides a local armed-forces presence in Whitehill and Bordon and there are still plenty of military houses in the town.