A Stirlingshire charity has reached a major milestone in its redevelopment plans with the opening of its first double house.
Camphill Blair Drummond provides a community lifeline for young people with learning disabilities and has embarked on an ambitious expansion plan that will see it improve and enhance its facilities.
The opening of the new, purpose-built accommodation marks the end of the first phase of the redevelopment, which also included the arrival of four state-of-the-art workshops. The house was officially opened with the cutting of the ribbon during a community celebration.
Jason Glass, operations director at Camphill Blair Drummond, said: “It’s an exciting day at Camphill as we open the doors to The Garden House. The new accommodation is a vital part of the first phase of work as we can now offer residents a safer and more accessible environment to live in.
“Throughout the design process, we have been very aware of the house reflecting important aspects of our community, while at the same time incorporating many positive changes.
“There are improvements in terms of quality of life as there will be better privacy, comfort and safety with all areas of the houses fully accessible.”
Within the house, there is space for six residents as well as volunteers. All the central living areas are bright, spacious and welcoming and there are views of the surrounding gardens. The kitchen and dining areas have been designed to allow people to gather, while each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom. Unlike the flats in the mansion house, the new building has a front door, with easy access to the courtyard and gardens.
Jason added: “It was really important to mark this occasion with a community celebration; everyone at Camphill has watched the different stages of construction and it’s a great moment to see the Garden House finally open.
“Our attention will now turn to the next phase of our plans, which will begin in September with the start of construction of the second house. Other plans in this phase include an activity centre, a cafe and a new reception area so that we can welcome visitors to our community.”
Camphill launched its public appeal with the help of the Princess Royal, who visited in April. Located in the grounds of Blair Drummond Safari Park, Princess Anne was given a tour of the facility and spent time speaking to students, staff and families.
Details about Camphill Blair Drummond are available on Facebook and people can follow the charity on Twitter @CamphillBlairD.