Heatherbank says a Fond Farewell to its residents After 28 years Heatherbank, a long-standing family run Care Home, has sadly had to find new homes for its residents, the longest of whom has lived there since 1995.

It is with a sad and heavy heart that the Matron, Hazel Hawkins, has had to visit all the homes in the area trying to find the right place for these residents who have become part of her extended family. It has not been a decision that was taken lightly, nor indeed quickly. Mrs. Hawkins has been desperately trying to keep the home that her elderly residents have grown to love.

Unfortunately, the emphasis of Care in the Community means that the funds that used to be available for this type of care have been diverted to keeping people in their homes, despite their lack of self-confidence, their slower thinking skills and decreased stamina for running their own homes, not to mention the real fear many elder people have of being and living alone.

Mrs Hawkins said that the increasing costs, the lack of resources for upgrading the building and equipment, new legislation requiring extra training and facilities, together with the council’s continual refusal to pay the spiralling costs that such legislation necessitates have forced her to close her doors.

The whole family has been involved in the home and closing the doors for the last time on June 30th will leave a hole in their lives. Adrian has managed the catering side of the home making sure the residents were given a wide choice of menus fitting their generation’s dietary habits. He has cooked every Christmas for residents, staff on duty and for visiting family wishing to spend time with their relatives. His own mother and in-laws used to attend too. Four of his six children started their lives living in the tiny attic flat above the business and all in their turn have worked there. When Adrian wasn’t cooking, invariable one of his sons was. Paul, Barry and Matthew, helped out in the early years and James is still always in and out, no longer cooking, but mending and fixing things! Both girls also helped out on the caring side.

Sadly, everything in the home must be gone by 30th June: furniture, pots and pans, bedding, linen, mobility aids, Christmas decorations and lights, paintings and ornaments. To that effect, Heatherbank is holding a closing down sale every day from 10- 4pm. Why not stop by and see if you can pick up a bargain?

Cavendish Road won’t be the same without the familiar sight of one or two of the residents sitting on the bench outside watching the world and the buses go by.

Based on information supplied by Elizabeth Allford.