Care-home plan boost for jobs in Yorkshire

Eric Dixon set up Willow Park Care Homes, in Pontefract, and its first site is due to open in the town next year.

He hopes to build five homes over the next seven or eight years in West Yorkshire and intends to buy more land next year.

The firm's homes are designed to offer a better lifestyle than some of their competitors, and the first, a former pub which is expected to open in July, will have a bar, cinema, internet cafe and beauty and hair salons.

It will also have a sensory garden as these have become increasingly popular in nursing care.

The firm spent about 3.5m on the Pontefract home, which will have 64 bedrooms and between 40 and 60 staff, depending on the type of resident. Its design was created by Newcastle-based architects Alston Murphy Associates.

Mr Dixon said the company will be recruiting throughout next year as it opens more homes.

Its expansion is being funded by NatWest Bank, who backed

the firm despite the credit drought.

"We were approaching banks at a bad time, after the recession hit but the banks bought into the experience I had," Mr Dixon said. "It was a well-presented business plan."

Mr Dixon has been in the industry for 25 years and spent 13 years at County Meath-based Silver Stream Health Care, which has more than 300 nursing and support staff, and where he was group manager.

During that time he was involved in every aspect of care home management, from setting up staff training to risk assessment and business growth.

He recently moved back to Britain for personal reasons.