HRH The Princess Royal Opens New Care Centre In Cirencester

One of the UK’s largest not-for-profit care home providers, The Orders of St John Care Trust, officially opened its newest care facility in Gloucestershire – The Lakes Care Centre – on 20 July in South Cerney, Cirencester.

To celebrate the home’s opening, HRH The Princess Royal met residents and employees as she toured the care centre.  During the visit, Her Royal Highness met residents and was shown baking and reminiscence activities.  Mrs Sybil Fleury, the first resident to move into The Lakes, invited the Princess to see the spacious bedroom and en-suite wet room facilities available to residents.  Her Royal Highness also spoke to the two Admiral Nurses who provide specialist dementia care support to residents and their families, and members of the development team responsible for the design and build of state-of-the-art care centre.  Following her tour, the Princess Royal joined gathered guests from the local community and organisations involved in the project, for the unveiling of the commemorative plaque to mark the official opening of the care centre.  Resident Mrs Joan Fowler presented Her Royal Highness with a posy on behalf of those living and working at The Lakes.

After the visit, Mrs Fleury said: “It was very exciting to meet Princess Anne and I was delighted to show her my lovely room.  This is such a comfortable place to live and I feel very safe here.”

The Lakes provides person-centred dementia care and is equipped with 64 beds.  The £6.74 million care facility is divided into separate household units, each self-contained with its own communal dining and lounge areas, as well as specialist assisted bathing facilities.

With several themed ‘destination zones’ situated around the home, including a garden room, hair salon and a cinema, The Lakes’ design creates a stimulating environment for its residents and assists them with orientation when moving about the building.

Outside, there is a safe and secure garden for residents to access which includes flower beds, seating areas and a water feature.

Dan Hayes, OSJCT’s Chief Executive, commented: “As a Trust, OSJCT is committed to creating new care schemes and facilities to meet the current and future requirements for the care of older people, and the opening of The Lakes Care Centre is the latest achievement towards furthering that mission.

“We’re confident that The Lakes, with the specialist care it offers, will be a great asset to the Cirencester area. We also encourage those within the local community to get involved with the home by becoming volunteers and spending time with our wonderful residents.”

John Chapman, Area Operations Manager for The Lakes Care Centre, said: “We couldn’t have been more excited about having the Princess Royal  visit us to officially open The Lakes.  Our residents and employees were thrilled to welcome Her Royal Highness and were very keen to show off their new home.”