A family-run home care company based in Harrogate and rated Outstanding by the CQC has opened a new Thirsk office to meet demand in the area.
Continued Care held an official launch and open day earlier this month at its new office in Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, based in the former village school building that has stood empty for three years.
Visitors and invited guests joined Continued Care staff to watch the ribbon being cut by Dr Gill Wight, committee chair of Sutton Village Hall, a registered charity which owns the building. In her speech, she welcomed Continued Care to The Old School and talked about the committee’s delight at seeing it put back into community use after lying empty for three years.
Built in the Victorian period, the building served as the village school until 2007, when it was closed due to falling pupil numbers. A year later, it was purchased by the Village Hall Committee, partly thanks to a legacy from Evelyn Peake, who lived at Sutton Hall and whose family owned large parts of the village. An original bequest of about £2,000 made by Mrs Peake for charitable, religious and educational purposes was found to have remained untouched for more than half a century, and had increased in value to £75,000.
In her speech at the opening of Continued Care’s new office, Dr Wight said: “When the committee purchased The Old School, we decided we wanted to use it for something which had an ethos of which Mrs Peake would have approved. First, we welcomed the local Alzheimer’s group, who stayed here for six years, and now we feel that Continued Care also reflects this ethos.”
Invited guests at the open day included the Mayor of Thirsk, Coun David Duffey. He said: “We are always delighted to welcome new businesses to Thirsk, and anything that supports the community is absolutely fantastic.
“There’s a definite need for home care services in the area following the closure of the Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk and the reduction in services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. We look forward to working with Continued Care in the future.”
Continued Care’s director Samantha Harrison said: “More people than ever before are choosing to be cared for at home as it’s the best place to be, so it’s nice to be able to make our service available to people in the Thirsk area. We’re starting from scratch here and really appreciate how supportive everyone has been.”
Continued Care offers flexible care services ranging from 15-minute pop-in visits to 24-hour live-in support for older adults, people living with dementia, younger disabled adults, adults with a learning disability, and children. The company also provides respite care and support for people discharged from hospital.
For more information, call the Thirsk office manager Andrea Gadd on 01845 440 891.
