It’s all in a name: Banbury pupils lend a helping hand to Care UK

Home news

May 26, 2017

A local after-school club has helped name the suites at Highmarket House.

Children from Dashwood Out of School Club took part in a competition to name the five suites at our new care home, Highmarket House on North Bar Place.

The after-school club put their heads together to come up with a list of names that have cultural or historical reference to them and the local area, and these were then whittled down to the top five by the home manager, Julia Hedley.  

When the home opens on North Bar Place in September, the suites will be known as the ‘Cromwell Suite’, after the Cromwell Lodge Hotel; the ‘Ermont Suite’, because Banbury is twinned with Ermont in France; the ‘Bradley Suite’, after the heroic PC James Roy Bradley who was tragically killed in the line of duty; the ‘Franklin Suite’ after Thomas Franklin, who is the grandson of Benjamin Franklin and buried in Banbury; and the ‘Dashwood Suite’, after the Dashwood Out of School Club.

As a thank you to all who took part, Care UK presented Dashwood Out of School Club with £250 of vouchers to buy new books for the children to enjoy.

Julia Hedley, home manager at Highmarket House, said: “As we gear up to welcome our first residents to Highmarket House later this year, the all-important naming of the suites within the care home is a priority, and we thought this presented an excellent opportunity to work with Dashwood Out of School Club, and to get to know our neighbours a little better.

“The ideas the pupils put forward were all of a very high quality, and we’re really pleased with the chosen five names.”

Club manager at Dashwood Out of School Club, Dawn Cothier commented: “The suite naming activity not only gave the children an excellent opportunity to learn all about the new care home here in Banbury, but it also encouraged them to think about the history and geography of their local area when seeking out inspiration for their entries. The activity was enjoyed by all the children here, and we hope to do more with Julia and the team at Highmarket House in the future.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives while promoting independence, Highmarket House will incorporate space for hobby and leisure activities.

The layout of the building will also facilitate the creation of close knit communities and will be configured into a series of individual suites with a dedicated lounge/dining room.  Each bedroom will have an en-suite bathroom, together with a flat-screen television, adjustable profile bed, and a 24-hour nurse call system. There is also a cinema and café where residents can relax and spend time with family and friends.