Member Article

Influential care home celebrates gold anniversary

A North Lincolnshire care home which helped change the approach to local learning disability care has celebrated its 50th year.

The Birches, based in Brigg, celebrated its gold anniversary by hosting a special party for residents, staff and the local community, with special guest and resident Queenie Codd also celebrating her 50th year living at The Birches and recent 91st birthday.

Queenie, who has hearing and speech impairment, was the first resident to move to The Birches when it opened. During her time at The Birches, Queenie has enjoyed her favourite hobbies including knitting and shopping, as well as assisting in the kitchens on a regular basis.

Penni Brown, chief executive Hica Group, which operates the home said: “The Birches made a great impact in the community and paved the way for a new era of care when it first opened.

“The Hica Group is proud to now be a part of such a successful and influential home, and we look forward to continuing to provide our residents with consistently good care whilst also going the extra mile in providing enriching activities which maintain a high quality of life.

“Everyone had a great time celebrating Queenie’s birthday and her 50th year at The Birches. She is a key part of the family here and we wanted to make the day special for her.”

Since its opening as a care home, The Birches has undergone a number of significant refurbishments to meet the needs of its residents and to ensure a homely environment. The home was transformed in 1998 with a £1.2m investment to include four accessible bungalows and two flats providing accommodation for up to 31 people.

The site originally opened as a care home in 1966 during a time of change for mental health care in the UK. The home was one of the first facilities in the area which introduced better care services for those with learning difficulties following calls for the dissolution of mental hospitals.

Staff at The Birches deliver personalised support programmes to provide residents with a high standard of care whilst enhancing their quality of life. The design of the bungalows and flats enable the support team to build a homely environment for those who live within The Birches.

The Hica Group is a not for profit organisation, which operates a portfolio of 20 residential care homes, five of which are for people with a learning disability, along with two retirement villages. The company also runs a home care service providing approximately 11,500 hours of support and care from four regional offices in the North of England.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by The Hica Group .