Southampton resident crowned winner as suite names announced at new care home

The winner of a competition to name the suites at a brand-new care home in Southampton has been announced.

 

Keen for names with a cultural or historical significance to the local area, the team at Care UK’s The Wickets, a new state-of-the art care home on Banister Road, reached out to the public for help naming the home’s four suites, knowing that those with connections to the town would be the best to help with the task.

The winning names were inspired by an entry from Sandra Shahid, who was influenced by iconic landmarks, ships and famous historical faces who lived in the Southampton area. The home’s suites will be named Saints, Mayflower, Bargate and Austen.

The Wickets will be divided into four suites, each comprising a number of bedrooms and a lounge for residents. This encourages the creation of tight-knit communities within the home and provides space for group activities. 

The purpose-built care home – which is expected to welcome the first residents in early spring 2026 – will provide full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care, for up to 80 older people. 

Commenting on her win, Sandra said: “I’m thrilled my suggestions have helped inspire the suite names – Southampton is steeped in history and these names reflect that.”

Justin Daley, Development Project Manager at Care UK, added: “Picking the suite names for a new home is one of the key milestones in preparation for opening our doors and welcoming residents. All of the suggestions we received were of a very high quality, making our decision a difficult one, but we felt using the names of iconic historical figures and landmarks to be a great way to reflect the local community spirit we hope to foster at The Wickets.

“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to submit an entry and to Sandra for inspiring the winning suite names!”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, The Wickets will incorporate plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies.  The home features secure and wheelchair-friendly landscaped outdoor space, which will include sensory gardens, water features and seating, to allow residents to spend quality time outdoors.

The layout of the building will be configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities. When complete, The Wickets will have its own cinema room, café and hair and beauty salon, among other luxury facilities.