Lady Gretton does the honours for £4 million new home and golden anniversary

15 August 2013

A charity’s £4 million investment into a brand new building for a 50-year-old Leicester care home has been recognised in an opening ceremony attended by Lady Gretton.

Leicester’s Lord Lieutenant did the honours when Aigburth unveiled its brand new building on its golden anniversary, cutting both its ribbon and celebratory cake at a thanksgiving service to mark the double occasion. Lady Gretton first visited the home at its former location in 2010, along with Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal.

Aigburth is part of MHA, the national charity providing accommodation, care and support for 16,000 older people. Formerly housed in a building that was over 100 years old, the opening marked its fresh beginning in an all-new, purpose-built creation as well as its 50^th anniversary as a care home.

Home Manager Dawn Hancox said, “The new building has expanded our capacity to 56 places and enabled us to welcome people with dementia for the first time.

“It has been a huge project but worth every minute and every penny. We have beautiful new landscaped gardens and residents love visiting them to have a place of quiet reflection, with a range of rockeries, raised flowerbeds and a greenhouse.

“Everywhere is fully accessible and all the bedrooms are private with en suite facilities. There’s also a coffee shop and hair salon. We’ve even got a mossy ‘green roof’ on the top of the building now. That’s quite unique and it really complements the surrounding area.”

Aigburth marked its new beginning with a thanksgiving service led by MHA Chaplain Margaret Goodall, with performances from its resident choir. Chair of MHA’s Board, Keith Salsbury, welcomed the gathering. He said, “I’m often asked ‘What makes MHA special?’  Words such as dignity, respect, professional, caring, compassionate come to mind as these are the values MHA believes in and tries to reflect in our work.”  Keith thanked the Friends of Delamere House Trust for their significant donation, and all the gifts of time and money, that have helped to make a difference to older people in Leicester.”

Dawn added, “The local Sainsbury’s and Rotarian Club in Oadby helped residents and staff to make the physical move to the new building and we are very grateful to them for that. Sainsbury’s sent over crates for us to use and the Rotarians actually came over to help with physically moving things all day.”

Aigburth runs a full activity schedule, including learning opportunities with the charity Learning for the Fourth Age.

MHA also offers dementia nursing care at Foxton Grange, to the north east of Leicester’s city centre, and senior living apartments for sale or rent with 24-hour on-site support at Welland Place, Market Harborough.