I tried a Velo and was a bit disappointed - the power delivery was very clonky and the bike didn't feel as well-made as I thought it should.
There have been a few changes to the Velo for the latest model year, so a new one may ride better.
A good, possibly very good, thing about the Velo is it is sold via Raleigh dealers, so there is someone local, face-to-face to look after it for you and deal with any problems.
The likes of Woosh and Kudos offer more for your money, but there are very few dealers/places to buy them, so you would probably have to buy online.
Giant do a £1,000 ebike which you could get to see in a dealer.
Not the most exciting machine, but superior quality to the Raleigh I tried.
I've also seen quite a few older Giant ebikes soldiering on, which I reckon is a good indication they are reliable and sturdy.
Your proposed use is entirely realistic, any ebike could handle it, so if you like the Raleigh and the dealer seems sensible, it could still be a good bet.