Residents move into new £6.2m care home

The Greyfriars development, built on the site of a former sheltered housing scheme in Lile Close, Richmond, to provide 39 self-contained two-bedroom apartments for rent and shared ownership, is now complete with residents moving in over the coming weeks.

It is part of a current £12.6mn investment by North Yorkshire County Council in 15 extra care schemes across the county from Scarborough to Stokesley, Ripon and Bainbridge down to Selby with four more in the process of development.

The innovative and successful response to the soaring average age of the population in North Yorkshire is now held up as an example across the country.

Coun Clare Wood, North Yorkshire’s executive member for health and adult services, said: “We are delighted that people are now moving into this wonderful accommodation at Greyfriars.

“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work on the part of staff and partners who are dedicated to extra care and all the benefits it provides for older people.

“The happiness and joy of extra care residents I meet around the county has wholly convinced me that this is a model that works in every way, enabling people to lead independent lives in homes of their own but with but with the availability of 24-hour support.

“What we are doing across North Yorkshire is cited by Government, care agencies, and the voluntary sector as the way we should all be progressing in the field of social care.

“When people need to be cared for, that care should be provided for them in their homes to enable them to lead independent lives as far as possible.”

Coun Peter Wood, housing spokesman for Richmondshire District Council, said: “We are very proud of this project which we have been working on for a long time.”