First birthday celebration for Whittlesey assisted living scheme

Willow Court is owned by Longhurst Group which owns and manages more than 23,000 homes across the Midlands and East of England and has an office in Peterborough.

It opened its doors to its first resident in February last year and, despite lockdown restrictions, marked its first anniversary in a Covid-safe way.

While residents have sought sanctuary in their individual flats – Willow Court is made up of 60 flats for the over-65s with a care need – socially-distanced catch-ups and other activities have been put on to keep everyone entertained.

To mark the first birthday, colleagues from Willow Court marked the occasion with branded cakes and keyrings which they took to residents’ flats.

Sally Lock, Longhurst Group’s scheme manager at Willow Court, said she was delighted to be able to mark the scheme’s first birthday in some way despite the pandemic.

She added: “Our first resident moved in on February 17 last year. Little did we – or they – know how much of a challenging first 12 months we were going to face.

“It’s been difficult at times, but all my colleagues and the residents have remained positive throughout and supported each other to make sure everyone has got through it.

“We’ve maintained a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for everyone within Willow Court and it was wonderful to be able to celebrate our first birthday with the cakes and keyrings.

“Residents loved the surprise and socially-distanced visit with their gifts on a trolley – they were all so happy and it created a lovely atmosphere.

“We’ve already got new residents joining us at Willow Court in 2021 and everyone is looking forward to continuing this year on a more positive note.”

Willow Court comprises 47 one-bedroom and 13 two-bedroom flats for the over-65s with a care need.