Recently the Society of St James held an opening ceremony to celebrate the amazing transformation that has taken place at Avondale, our Residential Care Home in Southampton. All year, building work has been going on at Avondale, and now the renovations are finally complete.
Win, one of Avondale's residents, cuts the ribbon to officially open the new facilties
Avondale provides a home to a real mixture of people. Some have general elderly care needs, while others need more specialist care due to mental health problems and alcohol dependency. Without Avondale, many would find it hard to find a care home which could meet their complex needs.
The completed renovations will ensure that Avondale can be the best home possible for these people.
The old kitchen has been turned into a comfortable new bedroom with en-suite bathroom. An extension now houses a large, beautifully designed and fully equipped commercial kitchen. The day room, which was dark and cramped before, has been extended and fitted with skylights, creating a light, airy space.
What a difference: the old day room and kitchen (left hand side) and the new (right hand side)
At the opening ceremony, it was clear that all of Avondale’s residents and staff were thrilled by the new-look building.
‘The new facilities have made such a difference’, said Karen, a member of staff at Avondale. ‘The whole place feels brighter and more cheerful.’
‘We have a resident who is completely blind, and we’ve been able to move her into the new bedroom with the en-suite which makes things so much easier for her. Now that she has her own en-suite, and a bedroom just off the main day room, she is able to get around more easily and independently.’
We have been able to complete the project thanks to investment from The Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) and The Dunhill Medical Trust. The SEIF is a Department of Health Fund managed by The Social Investment Business in partnership with Local Partnerships, which last year invested £40 million in social enterprises providing health and social care services. The Dunhill Medical Trust is a UK-based charitable company which makes grants to improve the health and well-being of older people. The completion of the building work would also not have been possible without our supporters, as their donations really helped to get the project off the ground.
On behalf of all the residents and staff at Avondale, we’d like to say a big thank you to you all for your support!
