Celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock Opens Wexham Care Home

Company news

Apr 22, 2009

Also present at the opening were Wexham Secondary School and Baylis Court School, giving dance drama and gym performances, Wexham Primary School choir and hand-bell group and local charities and community groups.

Oak House, a joint venture between Slough Borough Council and Care UK, is a newly built, contemporary care home located in the rural community of Wexham, providing residential and nursing care. The light and airy en-suite rooms are arranged in smaller suites grouped around communal lounges and dining rooms, giving a homely feel.

Residents will also be able to enjoy Oak House’s landscaped gardens, which have been specially designed to attract local wildlife, featuring hedgehog cabins, bird boxes and a 'bog garden', as well as small allotment areas so keen residents can continue to take pleasure in gardening.  A wide range of other facilities are available on site, including a hairdressing room, a library, and a café.

Care UK’s unique approach, Activity Based Care, enables residents to lead fulfilling lives and is designed to ensure residents can stay as independent as possible after moving into a Care UK home. Each resident is supported to succeed with extra help during a huge range of daily tasks, often reflecting their own life history or work experiences, from maintaining a garden to helping with jobs they would normally do in their own home.

Charlie Dimmock said: “I’m really pleased Care UK invited me to Oak House’s open day, I hope all the residents, staff and local wildlife enjoy the beautiful gardens. Allotments are in high demand all over the UK so it’s great that residents will be able to jump the queue and get gardening right here in the new home”

Wendy Marsh, the Manager of Oak House, said: “The fantastic turnout at the open day just goes to show that Oak House is already a real part of the community.  I know the whole team here will continue to build relationships with the community and work hard using Activity Based Care to promote an active and independent life for all our residents.”

Slough Borough Council’s Commissioner for health and wellbeing, Cllr Chrissy Small, said: “I am so over the moon that Slough has this wonderful new housing for older people of the town.  For many years, retirement homes were often places many people dreaded, but Oak House is so beautiful and feels like a real community. The facilities are second to none and I’m very proud to be part of the official opening.”

Tony Hosking, Managing Director of Residential Care Services at Care UK said: “All the staff at Oak House are dedicated to enabling residents to lead fulfilling lives.  We look forward to building a thriving community where residents can stay active and make their own decisions about what they do and how they spend their time. We are delighted that Charlie Dimmock and Fiona Mactaggart have joined us for the official opening of Oak House. This is a state of the art home, with magnificent residential facilities and gardens for residents, their families and our staff to enjoy.”