All mod cons as Abbeyfield gets set to open new flats (From Ilkley Gazette)

All mod cons as Abbeyfield gets set to open new flats

8:00am Thursday 4th June 2009

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They play table tennis, surf the net and are currently preparing for a Wii demonstration from Nintendo on how to keep fit using the computer games console.

No, they are not a group of teenagers milling around their local youth club. They are the elderly residents of the town’s flagship charity Abbeyfield Ilkley Society – an award-winning organisation that relies on more than 80 volunteers to help cater for the independent living needs of the town’s older citizens.

And now this incredible project, which has grown from strength to strength in the town over the past four-and-a-half years, has joined forces with a complex in Menston to bring both the building and its facilities on Cleasby Road into line with the 21st century.

The Beeches is the new Abbeyfield sheltered accommodation in Menston which will replace Cleasby Road. It is hoped it will be up and running by November, when the current residents will transfer to their new accommodation.

Volunteers from the Menston complex and Abbeyfield Ilkley Society joined forces to manage the change.

Abbeyfield Ilkley Society is an independent charity run by local people for local people and has been at the forefront of caring for older members of society for 30 years.

It is part of the Abbeyfield movement, an organisation made up of 800 local societies which provide care for over 9,000 older people in the UK.

Residents of the Grove House complex – which is made up of 42 flats and 16 residential care rooms – enjoy independent living in custom-built flats where care, entertainment and friendship is close at hand.

Among the facilities at Grove House are a library, table tennis, television and day rooms, a computer suite, laundry, kitchens, coffee lounge and conservatory where residents can enjoy a variety of events on offer.

The flats are light and airy, complete with shower rooms, kitchens and mini gardens, and residents are encouraged to have their own furniture to help them to feel at home.

Such is its success that has recently received its second three-star Care Commission inspection – the highest possible report of its kind.

It is testament to the expertise of the Ilkley organisation that they are helping residents from Cleasby Road to make the transition to their new surroundings.

Currently, the Cleasby Road complex caters for eight elderly people in a building which has been used for over 40 years.

The Beeches will provide 24 apartments, 16 of which will be for couples (husband and wife or siblings). Four will be intended for single people with the remaining four going up for sale.

The cost of the project is £6 million, much of which has already been raised – £850,000 donated from The Grove House project, £170,000 from the current Menston project, £1,145,000 from a social housing grant, £800,000 from the sale of four units from Menston, and an estimated £425,000 from the sale of Cleasby Road.

A grant has also been given from the National Abbeyfield Society for £1m which, coupled with a bank loan for £1,350,000, leaves organisers needing to find £250,000 by November.

Now they are looking to the local community to help with fundraising to ensure that specialist equipment – such as hoists, mobility equipment, personal alarm – furniture and decoration and landscaping of gardens are in place.

So just what goes on at Abbeyfield and why is it so important to support such a charity?

Vice-chairman of the Ilkley executive committee, volunteer Shannon Houliston, 74, said: “Abbey-field is one of Ilkley’s best kept secrets. Although independent, Grove House runs under the Abbeyfield ethos which enables older people to live independently in a sheltered housing complex.The average age of people using the service is around 83. These people are of an age group that requires some degree of care but are not at the level of care that a nursing home would perhaps provide.

“We help them to live independently and to have their needs met in terms of medical care and social interaction and provide them with a link to the outside world, which could be lost.

“People can live in their own flats and do what they like. We provide two meals a day – they get their own breakfast, and they can join us or eat on their own.

“They can get involved with the community here at Grove House as much or as little as they want to but we have all sorts of volunteers who offer a whole host of services.

“We have a regular knitting circle which is going very well, art works, family history group, library, table tennis, all sorts of facilities.

“We rely totally on volunteers who man the reception, look after the coffee shop, mow the lawns, and provide interesting things for people to do.

“Some volunteers take elderly people out on day trips. All of them help to befriend people and they can offer as much or as little time as suits them.”

Various organisations also help out. The Red Cross offers nail manicure and hand massage, the police bring in their dogs for a demonstration, donkeys have been known to enter the building at times from a nearby sanctuary and Nintendo are due to visit later this month to demonstrate their Wii games console.

Volunteers also organise social events, celebrating St George’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Burns Night, etc, and are currently gearing up for their annual strawberry fair.

A computer suite enables ‘silver surfers’ to contact friends and family via email and the internet connection has proved popular with people working on their family history.

Kitchen staff employed at Grove House, provide over 1,000 meals a week for residents and there is also a day centre for those visiting the complex.

Volunteers at the centre range from youngsters completing Duke of Edinburgh awards to retired people looking for something to do.

Mr Houliston said: “The skills that have been brought out in some of our residents are quite incredible. We had one man who had a lathe in his room who made all of our wooden picture frames, and another who has his own office in his apartment, complete with computer.

“Some of the crafts have been incredible with residents creating beautiful hand-stiched pictures depicting the history of the complex, while others supply knitted baby clothes to the maternity ward at Airedale Hospital.”

It is hoped that similar facilities can be on offer at The Beeches. The new development is adjacent to the railway station in Menston, providing easy access for residents, staff and visitors.

The Beeches will have broadband access in all units, Sky TV, fibre optic telephones, solar panels, underground heating, walk-in showers, hairdressing and laundry facilities, a chef and a coffee area as well as communal spaces.

Organisers say that the current residents of Menston’s Abbeyfield, having been well informed about the move, are now looking forward to the changes but the organisation will need help with fundraising and practical work in order to make the project as successful as Ilkley.

Volunteer manager for Ilkley, Liz Binns, said: “We are going to need more volunteers for Menston. We are looking for people who are able to give their time (as much or as little as suits them) to do various tasks like take care of the reception, coffee bar, gardening and run the library.

“What we look for is people who get involved not only with their tasks but with the residents, who will have a chat with them.

“Our volunteers do some incredible work and we are really grateful for everything that they do which enables us to offer an even better range of services.”

If you would like to volunteer or would like more information call Sally Marney on 01943 886000 or email sally.marney@abbeyfieldilkley.co.uk.

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