Hayfield Donates £2,000 to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal

Hayfield has donated £2,000 to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal to commemorate the charity’s 100th year. One of the first British Legion branches was established in the West Oxfordshire village of Stanton Harcourt, where Hayfield Green is now in its final stage of construction.

Hayfield Green is the sensitive restoration and redevelopment of the former 21-acre RAF Stanton Harcourt airfield. In July 2021, a large bronze memorial plaque commemorating the 135 heroic men and women who served there during WWII was unveiled by Group Captain Emily Flynn, Station Commander of RAF Brize Norton. The poignant ceremony involved over 100 local residents and school children.

A Remembrance Sunday Ceremony involving serving and ex-serving armed forces personnel, the local vicar Rev’d Jo Hurst, and local residents, will take place at the new memorial, which is mounted to a former Water Tower, located in the centre of the open space at Hayfield Green.

Andy Morris, Managing Director of five-star housebuilder Hayfield said: “We have made this donation to the Royal British Legion as our way of showing thanks and support for the heroic efforts and achievements made by serving and ex-serving armed forces personnel. We are pleased the donation has been attributed to the Stanton Harcourt Poppy Appeal, as we have worked alongside this brilliant community for nearly four years.

“We are immensely proud that the former RAF Stanton Harcourt base is now accessible to all. Nine buildings and structures – together with sections of the airfield runway – which date back to 1940 have been restored to their former glory. As Hayfield concludes the final phase of construction, it is fitting that the impressive memorial will provide a permanent tribute to this village’s contribution to securing all our freedom.”  

The two-metre-high bronze plaque was designed and produced by Derbyshire-based military memorial specialists Leander Architectural, following many months of research by housebuilder Hayfield, Stanton Harcourt Parish Council, and the RAF Air Historical Branch, based in Middlesex.

Dr Lucy Elphinstone, Secretary of the Royal British Legion Stanton Harcourt branch said: "The Stanton Harcourt branch of the Royal British Legion is one of the oldest and celebrated its centenary in 2021. Members of the branch very much appreciate the generous donation made to the Poppy Appeal this year by Hayfield."

In May 1940, George Wimpey & Co and British Runways Ltd commence construction to create RAF Stanton Harcourt. In only four months – with a fatal enemy attack part-way through – the brave team of construction workers had completed three tarmac runways, a range of associated buildings and structures, together with vital anti-aircraft defences. The RAF base is notable for having been a departure point for Winston Churchill for the pivotal Casablanca Conference in January 1943. Prior to that – in July 1941 – the Stanton Harcourt airfield was also a starting point for a bomber raid on the German battleship Scharnhorst.

Hayfield has painstakingly restored the original air raid and blast shelters, Guard House, Water Tower and Bomber Training Building, immortalising the history for generations to come. In addition, the multi award-winning housebuilder has delivered 66 houses, bungalows and maisonettes that have been sensitively designed across the 21-acre site. The redevelopment also includes a rich landscape of swale networks, native species planting, gateway tree retention, and the creation of inviting formal garden areas.

Hayfield Green is now 95 per cent sold. The mix of 66 traditional brick, stone and render homes are set amongst landscaped open space, and all the homes are heated by eco-friendly Air Source Heat Pumps. Prices range from £495,000 to £525,000 for the two remaining exceptionally spacious homes. Hayfield’s £5,000 Armed Forces or Key Worker Discount is available to all eligible buyers, while the Government’s Forces Help to Buy initiative helps Armed Forces Personnel raise deposit funds.

Hayfield Green is located off Main Road, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, OX29 5RL. To book an appointment call 0800 048 4863 or email HayfieldGreen@hayfieldhomes.co.uk