Two Leicestershire care homes celebrate prestigious ‘Veteran Friendly’ accreditation

To mark the reception of their ‘Veteran Friendly’ status, Care UK’s Oat Hill Mews, in Market Harborough, and Lonsdale Mews, in Quorn, have officially received ‘Veteran Friendly’ status and were joined by three members of the Royal British Legion for a special celebration.

The event, held at Oat Hill Mews, welcomed 99-year-old veteran Bob Loughran, a regular visitor to the home. Bob began his career in 1939 as an apprentice engineer with the RAF, aspiring to fly Spitfires. However, after being diagnosed as colour blind, he was unable to pursue his dream of flying. Instead, he served as a leading aircraftman until 1947, including two and a half years in India. During the celebration, Bob had the honour of cutting the cake and delivered a heartfelt speech about his time in the forces.

Bob said: “It was lovely to return to Oat Hill Mews and to be amongst friends again. I felt very privileged to be asked to cut the cake and to celebrate with everyone for this proud occasion.”

Additional speeches were made by Stewart Harrison, Chairman of the Market Harborough Royal British Legion branch, who shared inspiring words about the importance of supporting veterans within local communities. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn more about veteran-friendly groups and clubs in the local area, as well as discovering how the teams at Oat Hill Mews and Lonsdale Mews support those who have served in the Armed Forces.

The Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) is a collaboration between Armed Forces charities Royal Star & Garter and Royal British Legion, and NHS Veterans’ Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.

To achieve their Veteran Friendly status, both care homes were required to meet eight standards. These included noting Armed Forces status within care plans, addressing social isolation, and signposting to support services, such as the local Royal British Legion branch and other charities that provide support for veterans or partners of veterans.

Steve Galloway, Deputy Manager at Oat Hill Mews, said: “It was a fantastic afternoon and so wonderful to see residents, team members, and our guests from Royal British Legion coming together and connecting.

“We pride ourselves on being warm and inclusive to all and with so many veterans in our home, it is important for us to ensure we can provide the right environment for them to lead fulfilling lives.”

Toby Sturgess, Home Manager at Lonsdale Mews added: “The Oat Hill Mews and Lonsdale Mews teams have worked tirelessly to achieve the accreditation, and I’d like to say a big thank you to them all. We’d also thank everyone who came to the event to celebrate with us – we look forward to welcoming more veterans from the community into our home.”

To find out more about Oat Hill Mews and Lonsdale Mews, please call Customer Relations Manager Jenny Cartwright on 01509 801 587, or email [email protected]

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while also promoting independence, Oat Hill Mews and Lonsdale Mews incorporate plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, and each have their own cinema, hair and beauty salon and bar. The highly skilled teams provide full time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The layout of the buildings are configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

For more general information about Oat Hill Mews, please visit careuk.com/oat-hill-mews or for further details on Lonsdale Mews, please visit careuk.com/lonsdale-mews