A new council housing development in Harworth, near Doncaster, has paid tribute to one of the town’s former sporting superstars by naming a new road after him.
Tom Simpson grew up in Harworth and went on to become one of Britain’s most successful cyclists, with numerous track and road victories including Olympic Bronze and Commonwealth Silver medals, as well as being the first British rider to wear the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France.
In honour of his achievements, a street on the new development, built by construction company, Woodhead Living, has been named ‘Simpson Walk’ and Chris Sidwells, the nephew of Simpson was there to help with the official unveiling.
He said: “It’s wonderful for Tom to be remembered this way in the town where he grew up, and where his parents and sister lived. Although he made a home in Belgium when he raced as a professional, he always regarded Harworth and Bircotes as his English home, and visited here regularly.”
‘Simpson Walk’ is part of A1 Housing and Bassetlaw District Council’s latest housing development and has seen 43 properties constructed on a former sports field and Smith Square. It has been built by Robert Woodhead’s specialist team, Woodhead Living and was procured through EEM Ltd.
The award-winning development has already replaced a total of 43 Airey Houses – a pre-fabricated house built in the 1950/60s – with a mixture of two, three and four-bedroomed detached and semi-detached houses and bungalows.
The official opening of Simpson Walk also marks the completion of Phase Two of the project, with Phase Three well underway to construct an additional 28 houses on Thompson Avenue.
Don Spittlehouse, Managing Director of A1 Housing, said: “We are extremely pleased to recognise Tom and his achievements by naming a new road in his honour.
“We are very proud of the new development that encompasses Simpson Walk and Smith Square, which is providing A1 Housing tenants with comfortable, modern, energy efficient homes. I hope that all of the new residents have settled in and are enjoying their new homes.”
Alistair Taylor, Head of Housing and Regeneration for Robert Woodhead Ltd, said: “This award winning development is a fantastic example of collaborative working at its best.
“With a project like this, where we have a clear programme of work we can invest in both the local economy and the local labour force; and by using our expertise we have also been able to accelerate the programme to complete this phase nine-weeks early. To top it off, having a local hero’s legacy reflected on one of the street’s we have built makes the completion of this phase all the more special.”
Cllr Steve Scotthorne, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “This is a fantastic new development that is really setting the standard for the future of Council housing in the district. It is also extremely fitting that the new road which has been created honours one of Harworth’s great heroes.”
