£1.3m cash boost for care home
A CARE home run by a brother-and-sister team in Lancashire has expanded thanks to a £1.3m finance package.
Mark Brierley and Hannah Townson have grown their High Brake House facility in Clitheroe to accommodate eight extra bedrooms to take its total bed count to 34, supported by 34 staff.
Plans are afoot to increase capacity further in 2017, after the funding deal with the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The duo were young entrepreneurs at the time they entered into the care industry in their late 20s. They gained experience from their parents after they managed a successful care home in Bath before the family relocated to the North West.
Brierley and Townson say they have striven to bring something different to the industry after embarking on renovating High Brake House on takeover to bring this 100-year-old property back to life, keeping features like high ceilings and sash windows.
Royal Bank of Scotland provided £820,000 to refinance an existing loan, plus a further £480,000 to allow for the further eight bedrooms to be developed, which completed at the end of 2016.
Barrow Construction, a local family business, are the construction team responsible for overseeing the build.
Brierley, director of Brierley Care, said: “Hannah and I are so proud of what we have achieved. We had a clear vison from the outset of what we wanted to accomplish and we are delighted with the results so far. We have been fortunate to be supported by a fantastic and loyal team of employees over the years.”
The secret of this success is that we wouldn’t ask them to do anything we are not prepared to do ourselves. We have found that by creating staff into dedicated teams, this is really helping our standards of care improve and is providing individuals with the opportunity to take on extra responsibility.
Rachel Constantinou, senior relationship manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Both Mark and Hannah are passionate and dedicated in providing outstanding care in this challenging sector.
“Their appetite to keep extending the high level of care at High Brake House is a fantastic achievement. We welcome them both to the bank and wish them all the very best as they enjoy their brand new development.”
