HRH The Princess Royal officially opens supported living bungalow

HRH The Princess Royal officially opened a supported living bungalow as part of her visit to Shropshire.

She spent time with residents at Bradbury Bungalow, Eskdale Road, Shrewsbury, on Monday 29 October 2012, which was built in 2011 by Shropshire Council and the Development Trust, to support adults with learning disabilities to live independently in their community.

The trust and Shropshire Council have a strong record of working in partnership to develop specialist supported homes for adults and children with learning disabilities.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for disability, said:

“We were honoured that HRH The Princess Royal took time during her visit to Shropshire to officially open Bradbury Bungalow.  Her continued support means a lot to all of us.

“She talked to the three residents and was extremely interested to know more about how the accommodation enables them to live independently as tenants in their own home.

“Adults with learning disabilities tell us they highly value this type of accommodation, and we are committed to identifying more potential sites to use for such developments.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Development Trust, which in recent years has invested considerably in Shropshire to help provide a range of quality services for adults and children with a learning disability.”

The features of the bungalow include ‘rise and fall baths’, automatic door openers and door closers, low surface temperature radiators, and hoists, to make life comfortable for tenants.

In addition to a home providing respite (short-term) care for children with disabilities, the trust has previously awarded funding for, and worked with Shropshire Council, to create:

• Barleyfields in Shrewsbury – which provides respite care for adults with learning disabilities
• Bradbury Lodge in Whitchurch – which provides specialist residential accommodation for adults with learning disabilities, helping people who have moved out of the county to return
• Two supported living bungalows in Oswestry and Shifnal.

Another specialist bungalow for adults with disabilities is currently under construction, with funding provided by the Development Trust, in Mount Pleasant, Shrewsbury.  Work is currently on schedule, with the bungalow due to be occupied in mid-2013.

Further information

The Development Trust is a London-based charity founded in 1987 to support the development of accommodation for people with learning disabilities.

In Shropshire, the trust provides funding for each development, usually in the region of £325,000 for each bungalow, on sites provided by the council.

The council commissions and pays for a care provider to support the adults in their daily living needs.  This approach has been found to be more cost effective than other specialist residential accommodation, while bringing people back into the county to live closer to friends and family, improving the lives of residents.