Echo Community Newsletter May 2010
£1 MILLION EXTENSION GETS UNDER WAY
Photo: Carol de Rose
Work has begun on the first phase of the redevelopment of St Andrew’s House in Earlsdon. At the end of March contractors Ian Neale Ltd arrived on site, to begin the £1million+ extension, which has been in the pipeline for some time.
This stage of the project, which is expected to take about a year to complete, will wrap around two sides of the lounge to provide initially eight en suite bedrooms, a new dining room, a staff reception station and an assisted bathroom. The development is taking place on the south side of the existing home, facing on to Beechwood Avenue, with the contractor’s entrance at the bottom of Shaftesbury Road. Eventually, as more money becomes available there will be 32 en suite bedrooms, bringing St Andrew’s in line with national statutory requirements set in 2002 when new care standards were introduced.
The money for the initial stage of the project has come from generous donations as well as a large bank loan. In his spring newsletter Chairman of the Trustees Kenneth Holmes made an appeal for more donations. ‘We need just 750 good persons willing to make a gift to St Andrew’s of £1000 each.’ He felt there must be many people in Coventry and beyond who want to show solidarity and support to St Andrew’s with thankfulness for the care of the elderly both past and present. Some people had already made pledges. ‘This appeal and challenge is our way of eliminating the need for the loan,’ he said.
St Andrew’s House, at 19 St Andrew’s Road was first opened in 1956, after a five year search for a suitable property by Coventry and District Free Church Homes, the not-for-profit registered charity which provides continuing care in a Christian environment for up to twenty-eight older people. Initially there were ten residents and just one paid member of staff, the Matron who received a salary of £234 per year. Much of the day to day running of the home was in the hands of about twenty to thirty volunteers. The early residents would be in their sixties or seventies, generally able to look after themselves and be mobile. If they became too ill or dependent they could not stay.
This is very different from the St Andrew’s of today: there are currently 40 staff, mostly part-time, involved in care, catering and administration. The level of care has altered over the years: fewer residents are fully mobile and independent, resulting in an impressive programme of ‘in house’ activities organised by Sue Wright and ranging from creative mobility and massage to poetry and music appreciation. Some residents visit the Wellspring café at Earlsdon Methodist Church on Friday mornings, and there are plans to visit garden centres once the weather improves. The average age of residents has increased to an amazing 90 years old (the oldest resident, Rose Haddock, will be 101 in June.)
As a registered charity, St Andrew’s receives no direct government funding, and assisting the Trustees in their quest for financial support is newly appointed Charity Secretary Mike Newton. Mike, a recently retired teacher of Spencer Avenue, Earlsdon, took on the role at the beginning of this year, having previously had some connections with St Andrew’s through his involvement with Warwick Road United Reformed Church’s reading group and its monthly poetry sessions for residents. Mike explained ‘It is my job to steer St Andrew’s through the labyrinth of charitable giving and to create the best possible opportunities to raise money. It is amazing how over the years money has come into the home from the most unexpected sources at unexpected times and we’re confident that this will continue.’
Fund raising activities planned for May include a coffee morning on Tuesday 18th and a Hog Roast on the afternoon of Saturday 4th September. For more information on these and other ways in which you can support St Andrew’s, phone 7767 3745.
