A new retirement village has opened as part of a £56 million development programme between The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a retirement charity, and South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council.
The development also received a £2.4m contribution from Homes England through the Department of Health and Social Care’s ‘Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund.’
The Village was officially opened last month by residents Sheila and Brian Lomas, Councillor Ben Stokes, South Gloucestershire Council and Councillor Helen Holland, Bristol City Council.
More than 100 older people have moved into Stoke Gifford Village during the winter with apartments available for outright sale, shared ownership and rent.
The village has 261 one and two bed apartments, and is set across approximately 5.5 acres. Facilities include a bar and bistro, village hall, library and IT suite, gym and shop.
The village is also home to an innovation apartment which will showcase the use of assistive technologies and demonstrate how smart devices can support independent living for longer.
Mike Laverty, chief executive at ExtraCare Charitable Trust, said: “We’re pleased to be offering the new residents at Stoke Gifford Village a secure and comfortable home, with care if they need it.
“Our villages support older people with a diverse mix of interests, circumstances and health needs. Our new innovation apartment will help us to accelerate the pace at which we can introduce smart technology, it will allow us to trial and pilot new devices to see what works best for our residents and what we could introduce into our future developments.”
Cllr Ben Stokes, cabinet member responsible for Adult Care at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see this new ExtraCare village officially open. We want to make sure that our growing number of older residents continue to live well and carry on leading fulfilling lives well into their later years.
“These unique purpose-built facilities for the over 55s help residents stay living independently for longer, and having the privacy of your own apartment while knowing that care assistance is available 24/7 not only provides peace of mind for people living in the village, but for their families too.”