Residents cautiously hopeful homes will stay open

Residents of two sheltered housing homes have said they feel more positive after the owning company's CEO said they will now keep them open.

The Abbeyfield Society, which owns the Ivy House and Old Vicarage in Wellington, Somerset, had said the homes may have to close in 2023 and repeated the warning in 2024 after a prospective new owner pulled out.

But it has now announced that the homes will likely stay open after the company's finances improved and external funding became more available - leaving residents cautiously optimistic.

"We feel a lot more comfortable but there's still an uneasy undercurrent about what's going to happen" said Brian Standring, an Ivy House resident since 2017.

The message was given to residents by Abbeyfield's CEO Paul Tennant - who has promised to visit again in four weeks time with a further update.

"I apologised to the residents because nobody wants to close houses - but we needed to explain that at the time this was something the organisation needed to do," he said.

"We've explained the situation and will be in further communication with them and we'll keep them involved in the process as we move forward."

"I think the residents appreciate the openness, transparency and honesty."

The homes were two of 43 earmarked for closure by Abbeyfield after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising energy costs.

Since the announcement residents have said that urgent repairs needed in the buildings - such as to the lifts and plumbing - have not been completed.

"There have been a number of emotions around the situation – one of them being annoyance that they don't seem to care and there has been no planned maintenance," said Mr Standring.

"Communication was inconsistent and it's been an unsettling time for us.

"We can't quite believe the change is genuine and that they will deliver what they said this morning."

"We're in the mood for a celebration party but a slight niggle still exists – we're not going to hop from one emotional journey to another overnight."

The homes are sheltered housing facilities - meaning that residents look after themselves while living on site.

Abbeyfield could not legally evict the residents as they all have contracts that give them the right to stay put until they choose to leave or pass away and many of the residents have enjoyed putting roots down there.

"I've loved every minute of living here until last few months," said Olga, a resident of Ivy House for 18 years and its oldest resident at 98.

"It's affected me and stopped me sleeping at night, but I feel more positive today."

Abbeyfield say it hopes to work with both the town and county council to support the refurbishment of the homes.