The Countess is the patron of Winchester-based Brendoncare Foundation, the registered charity behind the project, which operates a series of care homes throughout the south of England.
The royal visit marked a fitting finale for the development, as it was the Countess who officially started the construction project back in November 2016.
During her visit, the Countess met some of the residents who had already moved in, together with their families and members of staff, and was entertained by both the Otterbourne Hill Choir and children from the neighbouring Yellow Dot Nursery.
Charity chief executive Carole Sawyers said: “The Countess has been a great support, she has helped us raise a lot of money and we feel very lucky to have her as our patron. She takes a real interest, is keen to know about the services we offer and how they impact on the lives of the people who live here.
“And, given she was here at the beginning when she put the first spade in the ground, she was very excited to return and told us she really enjoyed seeing it all coming together.”
Welcoming her on the day were Her Majesty’s lord lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, and Joseph MacHale, chairman of Brendoncare Foundation, together with other local dignitaries and many of the donors and supporters who had helped the project come to fruition.
Built at a cost of more than £14 million, Brendoncare Otterbourne Hill, near Winchester, combines a specialist 64-bed nursing and dementia care home with a series of one and two-bedroom apartments for couples and individuals; plus a community hub for activities, information and resources, which is open to both residents and the local community.
Work was completed in summer 2018 and the first residents moved in last August, as part of a phased programme of arrivals which completes this June. Providing financial support was Barclays, which already worked with the charity, and provided a £10.4m development loan.
Sawyers continued: “This has been a really important step for Brendoncare. It’s our first new service in 10 years and it has been very special and also very innovative in the way that we have designed our apartments.
“Very often, if one half of a couple develops dementia they will have to live separately but our apartments allow them to stay together. We are already seeing what a difference this has made to peoples’ lives; they have really settled in and are almost regaining a little of their independence because of the environment.
“From day one we had fabulous feedback, residents soon started to put their own stamp on things and every time you visit, it feels more like home. It’s great to see the different spaces being used, the community hub has a real buzz and a vibrant feel, the upstairs café has become a real meeting place and people have been looking forward to using the terrace as the weather warms up.
“Barclays has been a great support to us. They have been very much part of the team, have visited us regularly throughout the build programme, talking to us and making sure everything has been on track, and they have been excited as we were, which has been very nice.”
Tai chi and Zumba classes, plus the choir and quizzes are among the activities on hand; a regular dementia advisory service is run by a visiting charity, and hair and beauty services are also available.
Building close links with the nearby community is important to Brendoncare and local people are invited to join in activities at Otterbourne Hill. Among the most popular visitors are youngsters from the nursery school who now visit regularly to sing and read alongside the residents who, says Sawyers, benefit from “intergenerational mixing”.
Carole Sawyers
01962 852133
Ian Corben
07775 553100
The views expressed in this article are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Barclays Bank PLC Group nor should they be taken as statements of policy or intent of the Barclays Bank PLC Group. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no responsibility for the veracity of information contained in the third party guides or articles and no warranties or undertakings of any kind, whether express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information given. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no liability for the impact of any decisions made based on information contained and views expressed.
Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England (Company No. 1026167) with its registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register No. 122702) and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Barclays is a trading name and trade mark of Barclays PLC and its subsidiaries.
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