One of Colchester's largest affordable home developments has kicked off to a great start with the goal of helping Colchester families find quality homes to rent.

The prestigious £4m Heathlands development at Winstree Road, Stanway, has been officially opened by leading East of England housing association Colne Housing as part of its 35th anniversary celebrations.

They dedicated a new garden bench for Heathlands residents' use, sporting Karl Duguid's name on an engraved plaque, which will be placed in the gardens behind Colne Housing's homes on Radwald Chase.

U's captain Karl was "on the bench" on site alongside Colne Housing Chairman Bill Frame for the official launch on Monday 28th April.

Colne Chairman Bill Frame said: "Heathlands is the pride of Colne Housing. Like Karl's leadership of Colchester United Football Club, Heathlands is set to become a true favourite with everyone.

"The development is already proving a hit with a wide range of families which is not surprising considering the quality of the scheme and the wide green open spaces."

The U's longest serving current player also led a training master class with Stanway School students as part of the Heathlands site launch.