{"id":775300,"date":"2026-09-19T01:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T01:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/775300\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T01:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T01:48:22","slug":"applethwaite-green-residents-families-and-staff-call-for-refurb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/775300\/","title":{"rendered":"Applethwaite Green residents, families and staff call for refurb"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n The council-run Applethwaite Green Care Home in Windermere is at risk of closure<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed in April that Westmorland and Furness Council was considering closing the home, alongside Grisedale Croft in Alston, due to its building being \u2018functionally obsolete\u2019.\n<\/p>\n

\n The council later apologised for the way the information was revealed<\/a>, with staff, residents and families feeling \u2018blindsided\u2019.\n<\/p>\n

\n Now they have said they are happy with the home, with the majority feeling residents should be kept there.\n<\/p>\n

\n They, alongside locals, parish councils, healthcare stakeholders and district councillors, gave their thoughts in a consultation on its future, which ran from May to August.\n<\/p>\n

\n The options given were to: do nothing; refurbish; demolish and rebuild; or close the home altogether.\n<\/p>\n

\n Now, a month on from the consultation ending, the council has released its findings, with refurbishment being the most popular option.\n<\/p>\n

\n The report\u2019s author said the \u2018most consistent\u2019 concern was the impact of any future decision on residents.\n<\/p>\n

\n The report reads: \u201cRespondents highlighted continuity of care, familiarity, emotional wellbeing and the risks associated with relocation, particularly for residents living with dementia, frailty or anxiety.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Local access to residential care, proximity to family and friends and the quality of care being more important than modern building standards were also seen as key concerns.\n<\/p>\n

\n Of the 254 responses received, 164 people said they would like to see refurbishment, 66 per cent of respondents, with a further six per cent voicing favour for \u2018option 1.5\u2019.\n<\/p>\n

\n The latter option emerged as the \u2018main alternative\u2019, advocating for a \u2018more modest\u2019 refurbishment programme, retaining local provision whilst minimising disruption to residents.\n<\/p>\n

\n A ‘functionally obsolete’ care home could be shut (Image: Google Maps)\n<\/p>\n

\n The author wrote: \u201cWhilst only 15 respondents indicated support for \u201cOption 1.5\u201d, support for its underlying principles appeared substantially more widespread and was evident across many responses favouring refurbishment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n The next most popular option was to do nothing, which got 41 responses, 16 per cent of respondents.\n<\/p>\n

\u2018Leave my home alone please\u2019<\/p>\n

\n Quotes from the various consultees were included in the report, including one resident of Applethwaite Green who said the above.\n<\/p>\n

\n Another said: \u201cI live at Applethwaite Green<\/a>, this is my home. I have found a new family. I do not want to live anywhere else.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI am looked after very well and most importantly I am very happy here. It would be very distressing and extremely upsetting to lose my home. Something that should never happen to anyone.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n One resident added: \u201cI am quite happy living here. The staff are very caring. I am not bothered about having an ensuite bathroom and my room is large enough for my needs.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n She added she did not want to move to Kendal, Milnthorpe or Grange, which have been suggested as alternative provision.\n<\/p>\n

\n One relative said their mum, a resident, is 94 and settled, where the family are \u2018very happy\u2019 with the standard of care, room size and the number of bathrooms.\n<\/p>\n

\n A staff member added residents would \u2018not be strong enough\u2019 to move out and \u2018may not last long\u2019 in a new place.\n<\/p>\n

\n Concerns were also raised about a \u2018perceived pre-determination\u2019, as the report author put it.\n<\/p>\n

\n One family member said the \u2018preferred view\u2019 was for closure, adding: \u201cThe whole consultation paper is biased on the side of closure, the wording and the way it has been done is misleading.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n The results of the consultation will be discussed at the health and adults scrutiny committee next Wednesday, September 23, before a final decision is made at a later stage.\n<\/p>\n

\n Supporters of saving the home have organised a free coach from Windermere to Kendal town hall to attend the meeting.\n<\/p>\n

\n Those who want to book on should contact Andy Brinkman on 07931 945388 or at: andyrbrinkman@gmail.com<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n The coach leaves Windermere station at 12.30pm before returning at 4.15pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The council-run Applethwaite Green Care Home in Windermere is at risk of closure. The Local Democracy Reporting Service…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":775301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-775300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}