Frome pensioner, Lillian Cullen-Crossman, has helped to launch the new £5.9million development which will become her home next year.
Lillian (86), not only cut the first turf at the Randolph Road scheme, but also provided its name.
Lillian suggested Keyford Heights as the title of the extra care development being built by Westbury Partnerships for local housing association Flourish Homes. The new scheme will provide 36 two-bedroom apartments for local people, who want the independence of their own home, but with a safety net of 24 hour care and support on hand when they need it.
“I was delighted that my suggestion was chosen as the name for the new scheme and I’m pleased to be asked to help to launch it,” said Lilian. “I’ve lived in Frome since 1937 so I know the town well and I thought everyone would know where it is if we called it Keyford Heights.” Lillian will move from her current accommodation in an extra care scheme in Bennett Gardens in Frome.
Westbury Partnerships is exp-ected to complete the 36 homes early next year and facilities will include on-site staff 24 hours a day, specially-adapted bathrooms and rooms for onsite therapy and hairdressing for tenants.
Andy McDermott, managing director of Westbury Partnerships welcomed Lillian onto the site. “This is a very exciting new scheme for Frome and we’re very pleased to be working with Aster Group and Flourish Homes on this development,” he said. “It’s great that Lillian has helped to mark the start of work on site.”
Flourish’s head of care and support services, Liz Bezzant said, “We’re also very excited to see this new extra care scheme being started. It will offer much better facilities to everyone who moves in.”
Keyford Heights forms part of a £15million re-development which will also see a further 97 affordable properties built by Westbury Partnerships, for Flourish Homes. Flourish Homes is part of Aster Group which organises the building of new homes for the housing association. The project represents a massive investment in Frome, with the Homes and Communities Agency providing an £8million grant towards the multi-million pound scheme.
A total of 54 homes in Randolph Road and Singers Knoll are being knocked down and replaced with:
• 73 new homes to rent, with 26 tenants who have lived there before moving back into some of the homes
• The 36-unit extra care scheme
• 24 homes for shared ownership
• Two ‘new for old’ homes for the owner occupiers who want to stay on this estate
• One home will stay as it is after the owner decided to stay in their present property
Pictured: Westbury Partnership MD Andy McDermott, Aster Group development director Steve Blake, Lillian Cullen-Crossman and Flourish Homes head of care and support services Liz Bezzant gather as the new extra care scheme starts at Singers Knoll.
