Future plans for Holehird unveiled

7:58am Friday 26th March 2004

The fund-raising mission to try to keep open Windermere's well-loved Holehird home got off to a flying start this week.

There was standing room only at the Windermere Hydro hotel when around 250 people turned out to hear about New Holehird's plans for the home.

As previously reported, the national charity, Leonard Cheshire, which has run Holehird for more than 40 years, has announced it is to pull out of Windermere.

The charity has said that Holehird is not a suitable building to continue its work with disabled people, but that it intends to build a new home instead in the Lancaster or Morecambe Bay area. This would also accommodate residents from the Oaklands home in Garstang, Lancashire, which Leonard Cheshire is also to leave.

However, residents, their families, and volunteers at Holehird were devastated at the news and a group came forward to try to raise the money to keep open the home.

The New Holehird group, which has now become a registered charity, officially launched its mission this week, and received enthusiastic support.

See Education and Health for the full story...and News - Lakes Towns for more Lake District news.