New dawn for care home campaigners fought to save

A care home in Derbyshire which closed last October despite a campaign to save it is due to reopen later.

More than 1,000 people signed a petition calling for The Hawthorns in Buxton to remain open as campaigners argued there was a shortage of care places in the High Peak.

The Salvation Army decided to close the home along with others last year as it said it was providing less residential care and more care in the community.

The home, which specialises in dementia care and is being managed by the CS Care Group, is due to welcome its first 11 residents later on Monday.

The home on Burlington Road will be run by Wendy Critchlow who was manager there when it closed.

"This wasn't a place of work, this was my home. I dedicated 23 years to working here and I love the home.

"The Hawthorns was very well regarded and to lose this establishment was devastating for the people of Buxton," Critchlow said.

The home has now been refurbished and as it specialises in dementia care, corridors where the bedrooms are have been painted to look like a high street to help residents easily identify them.

"Families want it looking nice," said Critchlow.

"They've got to feel at ease when they put their loved ones with us, and we are so grateful that people are coming back to us."

Christine Almond said her mother Irene Shaw, 80, who has dementia, had been a resident at three other homes in Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Glossop since the closure.

Almond, 60, from Whaley Bridge, said she was happy that her mother could return to The Hawthorns.

"It is like a home from home. She was so happy there before," said Almond.

"You know, she'll probably not remember it when I take her back because the decor's changed that much.

"But she did recognise Wendy's face when we went the other week."

Previously the Salvation Army said closing a home was a "last resort and it is not a decision we have taken lightly" but added that it was changing the way it provided care from running residential homes to providing more help for people in the community.

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