How brand new Bury housing and care scheme is helping older people beat isolation

Residents of Bury Council’s flagship housing and extra care scheme have spoken of their delight with their new homes, and how living close to other likeminded people is helping them beat isolation and loneliness.

Offering 14 one-bed and 46 two-bed extra care affordable apartments, Peachment Place in Redvales has just welcomed its first residents. All are already benefitting from the large communal areas, which are designed to encourage social interaction.

This week Bury Council leader Cllr Rishi Shori and the council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing Cllr Andrea Simpson dropped into the £9.6m scheme, and heard first-hand how much the new tenants like their new places.

The councillors had a cuppa with former bus driver Peter Foran, aged 72, who moved to Peachment Place from a flat in Radcliffe. He suffered crippling loneliness following the death of his partner last year, and felt isolated in the community he’d lived and worked in for many years.

He said: “I would shut my door on a Friday night and wouldn’t speak to a single soul until Monday morning. I’m really a people person so it was tough for me, there was just no one around to talk to.

“It’s different here at Peachment Place, people can come to communal areas and spend time together, or if they want their own space they have a nice apartment to go back to. It’s a good set-up and even in these early days there’s always someone about to have a natter to.”

To further reduce isolation an easily accessible bistro and a hairdressing salon will soon open on-site, both of which will also be available for the public to use. An official events calendar is also planned for residents, with activities including bingo, quizzes and cinema nights.

The councillors also dropped in on 88-year-old widow Madge Farr, who has moved from a house in Bury into a new ground-floor apartment. She has already made it home, adding new soft furnishings and lamps to her favourite old possessions.

Madge said: “It was sad to leave my old house, I had years of memories there. But honestly, I couldn’t wait to be in a place with no stairs because I was really finding it a struggle.

“I was so happy when my daughter helped me apply to Peachment Place and I got accepted. It’s really starting to feel like home, and I’m enjoying meeting and spending time with all of the other people who’re already here, and the ones who will be coming.”

Peachment Place is being operated by Six Town Housing on behalf of Bury Council, while care on site is provided by the Bury Council-owned Persona.

John Merrick, Neighbourhoods Director at Six Town Housing, said: “Peachment Place is a similar format to Redbank, a popular scheme in Radcliffe that we also manage on behalf of Bury Council. A key aim of both places is to not only provide people with a place to live, but to help foster a buzzing, vibrant community. It makes us happy to see residents already connecting with each other and we look forward to welcoming more at the scheme as they arrive over the coming months.”

Cllr Rishi Shori said: “At £9.6million, Peachment Place is the biggest investment of this kind that we’ve ever made in Bury and we’re really, really proud of it. It’s a fantastic, modern building that offers comfortable accommodation and top-level care for our older people.

“Social isolation is hugely detrimental to the health and wellbeing of people, particularly the elderly, so it was particularly pleasing to see how the new facilities have been designed to bring people together.

“Cllr Simpson and I would like to thank Mrs Farr, Mr Foran and the Six Town Housing team for taking the time to show us around, and we were delighted to see the beginnings of such a fantastic new community. We can’t wait to welcome even more residents to Peachment Place.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 21 March 2019.

Picture: Peachment Place resident Madge Farr welcomes Cllrs Andrea Simpson and Rishi Shori.