THE resurgent housing market has given a boost to war veterans and vulnerable people across the North-East.

Househunters in the region have played their part in a fundraising drive by North-East estate agent Rook Matthews Sayer (RMS) to help Newcastlebased housing support charity, Norcare.

RMS launched a campaign called The Market is Moving Again at the back end of last year, during which it pledged to make a donation to Norcare for every home listed for sale.

Such was the buoyancy of the market that RMS raised £6,350, beating its original donation target of £5,000.

The money has been used by Norcare to buy a 15-seater minibus to help its service users. Norcare is pioneering a pilot scheme to support war veterans who have fallen on hard times after leaving the Armed Forces.

Clive Rook, managing director of RMS, said the cause captured hearts at the company, adding: “We had no idea how much we would raise. All the staff at RMS participated, their energy and enthusiasm helped. We chose Norcare because of its work with the homeless, and we were excited that they are opening a new centre for vulnerable veterans.”

Rod Jones, chairman of Norcare, said: “Many of our service users are isolated and rely on the social contact they have from Norcare events, but at the moment many of them struggle to get there.”