New Cambridge care home says thank you to its community heroes

A new care home in Cambridge has been rewarding local members of the community.

Care UK’s Heathlands House, on Bullen Close, has donated £750 to local people and organisations who have a positive impact on the Cherry Hinton and Queen Edith areas.

The home launched its ‘local heroes’ competition during the summer, calling for locals to nominate people or organisations going above and beyond for friends, family or their communities to be in with the chance of a monetary reward. 

Receiving a whole host of worthy nominations, the Heathlands House team finally named Sam Davies, founder of the Queen Edith Food Hub as the winner of £350, and Rachel Pogar, volunteer at the charity, as runner up, winning £150. 

Sam was praised in multiple nominations from her peers for working tirelessly to establish and maintain a strong sense of community in Cambridge, form the establishment of the food bank, to launching the ‘Happy to Help’ scheme, which saw volunteers support those shielding with errands during several national lockdowns. 

Rachel was commended for her efforts in helping the food hub by collecting and distributing clothes, food parcels and household goods to those in need, described by locals as ‘an amazing positive force for good’. 

Heathlands House also donated £250 to the Cherry Hinton Friday Friends group – a weekly retirement group providing older people in the area with friendships, support and importantly, fun and games. 

During the pandemic, restrictions meant the group was unable to facilitate its meetups as normal and so activity packs were delivered to each member throughout lockdown. Once the rule of six was implemented, members were able to meet outdoors in founder Jo Boyns’ garden. With many feeling more comfortable, and enjoying the outdoors, the funding has been used to purchase a gazebo. 

Sharlene Van Tonder, Home Manager at Heathlands House, said: “We know how challenging the last year has been, and we were keen to find those people and organisations who have gone above and beyond to support their communities. 

“It was truly heart-warming to read all about the kindness shown by local people, and we were keen to show our gratitude on behalf of everyone here at Heathlands House. 

“We were also keen to support groups that have helped older people through the pandemic, as we understand better than anyone how important that has been. Groups like the Friday Friends have been a lifeline for some, and we wanted to show just how much we appreciate them.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you on behalf of everyone at Heathlands House – our community is all the better for having Sam, Rachel, and Jo as part of it, and we are so lucky to have you.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Heathlands House incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities both indoors and out. The layout of the building has been configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge and dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities

For further details about Heathlands House, please call Customer Relations Manager, Tanya Jackson-Turner, on 01223 631945 or email tanya.jackson-turner@careuk.com.

For general information about Heathlands House, please visit careuk.com/heathlands-house.