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Forces sweethearts

If you have a family member in the Royal Navy, RAF or army, find support from other Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Anyone in Alverstoke?

77 replies

LovelyKay · 09/10/2009 21:28

Hi (am all newbie and dim, apologies)

DH just got papers for move to Portsmouth posting in March. Tantalisingly close timing for being able to get DD into her first Primary school via "normal" application dates.

We'd really like to live in Alverstoke if possible and apply for her to go to Alverstoke County Infants School. But am hearing that Type IVs there are like gold dust. So, is this true? I need a spy to take a look at empty-house-numbers but I don't know anyone there.

Or here! Hoping this isn't bad forces sweetheart etiquette but would really like a few tips. Never moved before and DH newly promoted too so over excited at thoughts of extra bedroom and porches or whatever!

Cheers all.

OP posts:
scaryteacher · 13/10/2009 08:21

I don't know about Alverstoke, but lots of people I know have been given MQs on the newish estate at what used to be Daedalus at Lee On Solent. It is a mixed estate, so all ranks and rates live there.

The houses are OK, at least the ones I've seen, but friends who have just left say that there is a big problem with anti social behaviour from some of the kids on the estate, and that some of the neighbours can be intrusive to say the least. The best MQs used to be on the old estate at Hillhead - big houses and decent sized rooms.

Where are you moving from? Congrats on your dh's promotion as well.

Saltire · 13/10/2009 08:31

What's a type IV?

scaryteacher · 13/10/2009 09:35

A married quarter grading I think.

jcscot · 13/10/2009 10:20

IIRC, a Type IV is a Major's (or equivalent) quarter, isn't it? Some have three bedrooms, some four, depends on the patch, I think.

scaryteacher · 13/10/2009 14:53

Think there's a different between type and grade?

Saltire · 13/10/2009 14:56

Ah well DH is just a good for nothing Sgt, and our MQs are graded 1-5. 1 supposedly being the best and 5 the worst, but TBH they should all be a 5

jcscot · 13/10/2009 16:20

Officers' quarters are given by type (I-V) and allocated according to rank (Type I for the most senior and Type V for the most junior). The Grade (1-5) tells you what kind of condition it's in!

Saltire · 13/10/2009 16:56

What makes me laugh about the allocation of mQs is that Officers get 3/4 bedroom houses depending on their rank, regardless of if they have children or not. Yet Junior ranks get allocated MQs on family size. I have a friend whose DH is a Group captain. They live in a huge house and have one child. Another friend has 3 children, and lives in a 3 bedroom house, the third bedroom of which holds a single bed and nothing else. She can't get a 4 bed house becasue "her children aren't old enough to have their own bedroom"

jcscot · 13/10/2009 18:24

I know - totally random, isn't it?

When my husband was an Adjt in London, there was a shortage of Capt/Maj's quarters so we were allocated a Maj's/Lt Col's quarter (at Capt's rates!).

We had this mahoosive four bedroom quarter loads of downstairs space. Fab house if you had kids but we had no children at all and it was just more space to clean and dust.

Just prior to our first child being born, we were at PJHQ and we had one of the big quarters at the back of Northwood. Our utility room was bigger than our current kitchen! Again, there was a shortage of Maj's quarters so we were allocated one rank up. We weren't in that one long as we decided to buy our own but I still sigh over the lovely big kitchen, the real fires and the oodles and oodles of cupboard space and large garden. You could fit our modern shoebox into the house twice over!

Allocations are a funny beast, really - I've never quite understood the rules.

getmethechocolate · 13/10/2009 19:35

hello there, i currently live in a type 4 MQ in alverstoke. There are currently a couple of empty ones on the street! They are however three storey and have very small gardens.On the upside its on the same road as alverstoke infants which in my opinion is a fantastic school.

alloveryet · 14/10/2009 14:21

I too live in Alverstoke in a MQ type IV on the same road as the infant school (what a small world mumsnet is!) Houses are odd, but like all patches, they are what you make them.... The gardens are small but there is a large confined area in the middle for the children to play.
Love it here, yards from the sea, and the pub!
Are you army, navy, RAF? We're a mixed bunch here, but friendly

getmethechocolate · 14/10/2009 18:27

hello alloveryet tis very small world i am wondering if you have been passing the time making halloween masks?! I am thinking i have just spent the day with you.

daisydotandgertie · 14/10/2009 18:44

I'm another Alverstoke girl, although I don't live there now.

It's a lovely place - and the MQ are in a really good position. Close to the sailing club and beach, on the same road as the infants school (which I went to about a hundred years ago - it was lovely then and is fabulous now), not far from the tennis club or the junior sailing club. The church s active and fab for little ones, and the village pub isn't bad at all. And there's a Waitrose in the town!

And on and on I could go. There's also a lovely active community there.

I'd move back like a shot!

alloveryet · 14/10/2009 19:56

getmethechocolate, the masks are coming along nicely!........ Alverstoke also has some lovely toddler grps (hence the mask making!)

largeginandtonic · 15/10/2009 13:07

I know some of you too...

Original poster
LovelyKay · 19/10/2009 10:05

Hi all,

Thanks for the info. Have been Mumsnet absent as trying to get stuck into an OU course (can't seem to get started, you know how it is) and an application for a job in Portsmouth. Apologies for not replying before.

Ta getmethechocolate & alloveryet. Nice to know there are a few empty houses, err ... ever. Housing information people sounded v gloomy about the prospect of ever getting us anywhere at all! 3-storeys not a huge problem as both mine now walking well. Are they 'upside-down' houses with the living room on 1st floor? I grew up in a house like that.

Were you just allocated them after putting Alverstoke as 1st choice or was it tricky? Be great to be near the school, beach & ferry so Lt Cmdr J can cycle to work (me too if job works out). Oooh it sounds exciting, almost worth the horror of a march out...

OP posts:
Original poster
LovelyKay · 19/10/2009 10:21

The whole allocation thing is v complicated. J's mate in the army is senior NCO, 2 kids, and they spent ages in v poky 2-bed flat. Most unfair.

I think attitudes to the size of houses also vary depending on where people grew up. I'm a Londoner and when we got this Type V 3-bed house we had no kids at all. Seems HUGE to me and all my home town friends. But J from countryshire and some people were quite sniffy about the 3rd bedroom being tiny. But, you know, there were only TWO of us, we had 3 bedrooms and an airing cupboard and the big weird storeroom thingy - woohoo! That's what I thought (storeroom alone practically a studio flat where I come from).

Three beds still more than fine for us though as my 2 share. Extra space be nice just so I don't need to chuck out all our useless stuff...

Oh dear I am supposed to be working on this course (Mumsnet more interesting tho)

OP posts:
uwish · 19/10/2009 16:31

Friendly?

Original poster
LovelyKay · 19/10/2009 17:40

Sorry not sure I understand?

OP posts:
alloveryet · 19/10/2009 19:45

We were allocated our quarter after putting down everywhere but Alverstoke! Usual we didn't know the area at all, so were reluctantly given a list of empty houses. Checked them out (luckily were within a 'travellable' (is that a word?) distance), put them in order of preference and all were ignored and we were allocated Alverstoke.

Worked out for the best in the end, moved in with an 8 wk old baby and love it. Walks by the beach every day and a tea room that does particularly fab cakes!

Original poster
LovelyKay · 19/10/2009 20:17

Wow alloveryet, that sounds promising. I had been given to understand that asking for one was like requesting pixie dust or ... or ... no, can't think of anything more special than pixie dust.

Am interested that you were given a list of empty houses though. Was that far in advance of your moving date or just weeks way? List would be great, how on earth did you manage it?

Definitely Alverstoke choice no.1 - cake shop and beaches, excellent. Then I suppose Old Portsmouth and, maybe Southsea? This is tricky as it seems to be v v important which you choose - except that it makes no difference to what you're allocated. Oh dear, perhaps have already had too much pixie dust?

OP posts:
uwish · 20/10/2009 13:10

I grew up in a forces family and am now a forces wife. I have to say that I find it difficult to believe that this patch is different to any others, especially as it is mainly for officer's and their wives. From experience I wouldn't say that any of the patches I have lived on have been any thing less than out and out backstabbing and bitching. If this one is not like this then how have you managed it? I'm intrigued!!

getmethechocolate · 20/10/2009 14:26

Hi there glad your back as I wanted to let you know that the closing date for school applications in hampshire is midday 20th november. It may be worth getting your quarter allocated asap so you can apply.

We requested alverstoke as our 1st choice and got it.We moved in last Decemberand there has been at least one house empty since then.

We all love it here the kids have lots of friends on the patch and I have made some brilliant and I believe life long friends- so yes i think it is friendly.

ShowOfHands · 20/10/2009 14:29

My favouritest MNer lives there. Oh look there she is...

If you need a wee, Tesco is the place.

alloveryet · 20/10/2009 19:54

I'm not sure which patches you've lived on uwish, but the few I've been on have all been great.

Some not the most 'active' but if ever you need a hand/beer/favour I've never had any trouble.

Ref getting the list of empty houses, it took my husband pointing out (very nicely) that we couldn't put a pref down unless we had even the slimest of ideas of where the patches were! (We're army, so know those areas, navy areas v little idea!)

There are 2 empty houses on our row at the mo and there should be at least one other becoming available soon.