By Mal Butler
A new summer house in the grounds of Abbeyfield, Yarmouth, was officially opened by West Wight MP, Richard Quigley, on Friday. While he was there, Richard also had lunch and was given a tour of the premises by Carole Rodwell, chairman of the residential home.
The summer house has been named ‘Appley’ after the former Abbeyfield care home in Ryde which closed around 20 years ago.
Carole explained: “When Appley closed, the society bought some land with the plan of building a new home there. For various reasons, this never materialised. In the end, two years ago, it was decided that the land would be sold to a developer with the money raised staying on the Island.
“The funds were redistributed to the homes around the Island for the betterment of the residents. Our previous summer house was blown down in gales so we thought it would be an ideal replacement. We are also having new stairlifts installed inside, as well as a stair lift in the garden and new air conditioning in the kitchen.
“It is for the enjoyment of everybody with the residents having extra space and a place for their families to chat with them. We’re grateful to the trust for hanging in there for us.”
Isle of Wight Observer