£5m care village ready after facelift project

The opening of Seacroft Grange care village in Leeds follows a five-and-a-half year project to transform a dilapidated historic building overlooking an ancient village green into a new care complex.

Seacroft Grange attracted £1.9m investment from the Business Growth Fund, which was established to help the UK’s fast growing smaller and medium sized businesses.

It is part of an overall £4.4m investment to Seacroft Grange owners Springfield Healthcare Group.

Based in Garforth and employing 1,200 people, Springfield was established in 1967 as a single family-run care home, which still operates as a specialist dementia facility known as Springfield Care.

It has since grown steadily, expanding into homecare, training and launching the care village model. Springfield currently provides care to 2,500 clients each day, of which around 900 are based in Leeds including 400 clients living in the East Leeds area.

The care village offers services including day care, residential and nursing care, as well as private independent living apartments for a wide range of age groups.

Chief executive Graeme Lee said: “Our model helps families make an informed choice earlier in the planning process and then moves with the needs of individuals or couples as their care needs progress, at the same time ensuring long-term consistency where the care team and quality of information are concerned.

“At the heart of our care village is a Grade II listed building which will be the basis for all our social and community activities and houses a cinema, therapy spa and gym, hair salon and coffee shop that wouldn’t look out of place on the high streets of York or Harrogate.

“As well as exceptional views over the village green, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book, people and families can be seen going about their daily business and, unusually, we have every single community amenity including medical centres, pharmacy, pub, library, church, post office, supermarket and bus station, all within 100 metres.”

The care village is based around the former home of the Lord of the Manor of Seacroft, which was built in 1627 and originally called Tottie Hall. It later became a school and adult education centre and had been derelict for over 20 years before it was purchased by Springfield Healthcare in 2010.

Two large, modern wings incorporating the technology and care expertise have been added on either side to maximise views.