Chichester’s newest care home welcomes married couple as first residents

The team at a brand-new local care home has welcomed its first residents after opening its doors earlier this month.

The first two residents to call Care UK’s Chichester Grange, on Grosvenor Road, their new home is married couple Charlie and Mary Rowe.

The couple have been married for 65 years and after time spent settling into their new home are now getting to know the team. 

The new purpose-built care home Chichester Grange will eventually provide home to up to 75 residents. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to encourage the creation of tight-knit communities within the home and provide space for group activities. In addition to offering spacious, personalised bedrooms with an en-suite bathroom, Chichester Grange features its own pub, cinema room and hair and beauty salon. 

The team at Chichester Grange has also installed a ‘Wishing Tree’, an initiative launched by Care UK which allows residents to suggest ideas for new hobbies they’d like to try, places they’d like to visit or even activities linked to past careers. This encourages residents to live fulfilling lives – from skiing for the first time to a fish and chip supper by the seaside, no wish is too big or small.

91-year-old Charlie said: “My wife and I have been married 65 years so we would never want to live apart. We are very happy that we have been able to live together here at Chichester Grange.

“The team have been so supportive in helping us settle in.”

90-year-old Mary added: “We are very much looking forward to socialising with other residents and joining in with activities that the team have planned for us.

“Charlie and I both enjoy gardening, so we can’t wait for spring to start getting out into the garden.

“We love the wishing tree initiative, and we are going to get our heads together and see what wish we would like to put on the tree.” 

Naomi Butcher, Home Manager at Chichester Grange said: “We are delighted to have welcomed our first residents here at Chichester Grange. We have had the honour of meeting Charlie and Mary and spending time getting to know the couple and their life stories. We are all hoping they will tell us their secrets of a happy marriage.

“It's wonderful to see residents begin to settle into Chichester Grange. We are very pleased with the home's design, and every last detail has been taken into account to create a high-quality, luxurious environment in which residents can live active and fulfilling lives. The home has been elegantly designed to provide a welcoming setting for older loved ones.

“The team and I are really excited to meet all of the new residents and their families and to welcome them into our lovely new home over the coming months.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, the new care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

For more information, please call Customer Relations Manager, Caroline Thomas on 0330 058 3250 or email caroline.thomas@careuk.com.

For general information about Chichester Grange, please visit careuk.com/chichester-grange.