Charity opens multi-million-pound retirement village in Gloucestershire for elderly residents with assistive tech showcase
A new retirement village has officially opened in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, helping residents in the area stay independent, mobile and social.
The village opened as part of a £56 million development programme between retirement charity The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council, with a contribution of £2.4 million from Homes England through the Department of Health and Social Care’s ‘Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund’.
The village officially opened on the 14th of March by residents Sheila and Brian Lomas, Councillor Ben Stokes, South Gloucestershire Council and Councillor Helen Holland, Bristol City Council.
More than one hundred older people have moved into Stoke Gifford Village during the winter, with apartments available for outright sale, shared ownership and rent.
The village has 261 one- and two-bed apartments and features a bar and bistro, village hall, library and IT suite, hair and beauty salon, gym and shop. It is also boasts an innovation apartment which will showcase the use of assistive technologies and demonstrate how smart devices can support independent living for longer.
ExtraCare Charitable Trust Chief Executive Mick Laverty said: “We’re pleased to be offering the new residents at Stoke Gifford Village a secure and comfortable home, with care if they need it. Our villages support older people with a diverse mix of interests, circumstances and health needs.
“Our new innovation apartment will help us to accelerate the pace at which we can introduce smart technology, it will allow us to trial and pilot new devices to see what works best for our residents and what we could introduce into our future developments.”
A registered charity since 1988, the ExtraCare Charitable Trust operates 19 other retirement villages and schemes across England, located in central, south and north midlands and the North West and is developing new villages in Bedford and Solihull.
Cllr Ben Stokes, Cabinet Member responsible for Adult Care at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see this new ExtraCare village officially open. We want to make sure that our growing number of older residents continue to live well and carry on leading fulfilling lives well into their later years.
“These unique purpose-built facilities for the over 55s help residents stay living independently for longer, and having the privacy of your own apartment whilst knowing that care assistance is available 24/7 not only provides peace of mind for people living in the village, but for their families too.”