Lord Best opens Knowsley extra care scheme
KNOWSLEY Housing Trust has opened its flagship extra care development Bluebell Park in a ceremony overseen by British social housing leader and member of the House of Lords, Lord Best OBE.
Residents and guests enjoyed the official ribbon cutting ceremony followed by an opening speech by Lord Best.
The scheme, built to provide flexibility for local residents’ changing independent living needs, have allowed KHT, part of the First Ark Group, to offer 21 shared ownership properties and 101 one-and-two bedroom apartments for affordable rent to people aged above 55 with or without a current care need.
Lord Best was joined by the First Ark Group’s chief executive Bob Taylor and its chair Professor Peter Roberts to cut the ribbon and declare the site, which welcomed its first residents in March, officially open.
Taylor said: “The official opening of Bluebell Park marks the culmination of a state-of-the-art project to invest in the borough by collaborating with likeminded partners to deliver homes and support services that will have a lasting and positive impact on health and wellbeing in the communities in which we all live and work.
“This type of supported living provided by Bluebell Park is very much the model for the future, helping to address some of the strain placed upon our hospitals and reduce public costs to the NHS and social care budgets.”
One of KHT’s partners at Bluebell Park is social care charity Community Integrated Care, which provides specialist care and support to residents living at the site as part of its ongoing partnership with Knowsley Borough Council.
Neil Matthewman, chief executive of Community Integrated Care, said: “We are proud to be working in partnership with Knowsley Borough Council and KHT to deliver care and support at Bluebell Park. This service will truly enhance the lives of people supported here, offering a fantastic living environment, specialist support and great social activities.”
KHT is currently working on its next Extra Care facility in Prescot – The Watch Factory – which is being built together with partners Iliad, Knowsley Council and Harbur Construction.
