Excited Essex residents say goodbye to their old home and hello to the new

Company news

May 14, 2012

Residents at Care UK's Halstead Lodge have just bid farewell to their old home and said hello to the new one they helped to design.

Care UK made it a special priority to ensure that residents and their relatives were not only consulted thoroughly and sensitively, but also took an active part in helping to design the new home – which has been named Colne View.

The new home, which is close to the centre of Halstead in Essex, has been specifically designed to ensure residents can enjoy the highest standards of comfort and facilities.  It boasts a retro-themed room, library, coffee shop, hair and beauty salon and cinema, all based around its own indoor ‘village centre ’ which evokes a typical Essex village. This innovative central area will help residents to catch up with family and friends, whatever the weather.

The residents, who also chose individual décor for their new rooms, were very excited about the move. Bill Bolitho, the resident who has lived for the longest period of time at Halstead Lodge, was given the honour of locking up the old home for the very last time before travelling to his new home at Colne View.

Bill said: “I was overwhelmed. Everything is better, including the food, and everything seems very favourable.”

Heather Choat, who manages the new home in Colchester Road, said: “Everyone was very excited about the move and it went without a hitch. We did it over a period of three days to ensure no one was stressed and residents were also reassured by the fact that the Halstead Lodge team members moved to Colne View with them.”

“My team members are very excited about the move as the home has been purpose-built to ensure they can help residents lead an active life, keeping up their hobbies and interests. We know from Halstead Lodge that many of our residents enjoy gardening, while others just enjoy spending time in the garden, so we have constructed special gardens. Residents will enjoy patios with raised flowerbeds, lawned areas and a vegetable/herb garden that we hope will also provide some produce for our kitchen.”

Colne View will offer specialist residential and nursing care for up to 70 people .
 

Caption, Resident Bill Bolitho and staff nurse Ruth Whymark lock up the old Halstead Lodge home for the very last time and Bill Bolitho relaxes in his new room at Colne View.