THE Abbeyfield Woodlands Scheme in Skipton has been officially recognised by North Yorkshire County Council as meeting the strict criteria of an extra care facility.

As a result, Craven District Council will recommend the scheme to those on the housing list who require accommodation with supplementary care and support.

The scheme consists of 23 homes at affordable rent and eight shared ownership properties.

Debbie McCarthy, senior house manager for the Woodlands Scheme, said: “We are very proud Abbeyfield Woodlands has been added to the list of approved extra care providers, of which there is high demand for in Skipton.

“This is a real recognition that the facility provides the absolute highest quality of care, and we are really looking forward to working with North Yorkshire County Council and Craven District Council to help both our existing and future residents.”

The £4.5 million scheme, which has been in operation for two years now, was extended and refurbished in 2013 following an investment of £755,000 from The Abbeyfield Society and a £950,000 grant from North Yorkshire County Council’s Second Homes Programme. The scheme also utilised £322,000 of recycled capital funds and new funding of £432,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency.

Abbeyfield Woodlands provides residents with the privacy of their own accommodation, combined with the companionship of others and the security and support of the dedicated house staff.

Interest in Woodlands was further generated last Tuesday when two senior representatives from the Department of Communities and Local Government visited the scheme, as part of a fact-finding tour around extra care schemes in North Yorkshire.

Abdul A Ravat, head of development in Abbeyfield’s North Division, said: “We are delighted DCLG are looking at the service offer Abbeyfield Society is providing at Woodlands. It was an extremely useful insight for our guests to see what happens in a scheme and the range of issues the scheme addresses for residents.

“Our thanks go to Keepmoat (Abbeyfield’s contractor at Woodlands) for facilitating this visit and to our resident, Sheila Cowell, for showing our guests her wonderful home and talking openly and honestly about her experiences of living in an Abbeyfield Home.

“We welcome the Government’s focus on older people’s housing and care, and look forward to working in partnership to deliver more places like Abbeyfield Woodlands."

lWhat do you think? We welcome letters on this or any other subject. E-mail richard.parker@nqyne.co.uk or write to the Content Editor, Craven Herald, 38 High Street, Skipton BD23 1JU. Please include your full name, address and daytime telephone number.