Commuting across London wasn’t leaving secondary school teacher Harriet Fagan much time for marking at the end of the day – or for a social life. She was desperate to move closer to work but couldn’t find anywhere she could afford near to the school in Lewisham where she teaches French.

But then she saw a poster for the Key Worker Living scheme. “I became interested, so started asking questions,” she says. “I was delighted when I was accepted onto the scheme.”

She began looking for a property and found one in nearby Crystal Palace. With a key worker loan of £42,000, she was able to buy a brand new flat with a market value of £161,000 through Tower Homes.

“I love every minute of having my new flat,” she says. “From the short walk to work, to the building and area… it’s all mine.”

Without the help, she would still be stuck in a rented flat miles away, she says. “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to buy without the scheme – at least not in the area that I would have liked and that was near my school.”

The move has changed her life. “Having bought my own place near to work, I feel much more relaxed at the end of the day,” she says.