Respite site opened in Milton, Cambridgeshire, by Edmund Trust
The Edmund Trust, a long-standing charity that supports people with learning disabilities across Cambridgeshire, has built a new state-of-the-art respite accommodation in Milton to provide a ‘home away from home’ for the people it supports.
Founded in 1947, the Edmund Trust supports 220 people with learning disabilities and their families, helping them to manage conditions such as learning disabilities or autism.
The parent-led charity, with its board of trustees, including parents of people being supported, provides a range of help, including residential services, respite services, supported living and wider community integration for people with learning disabilities.
The facility was made possible thanks to £800,000 Clean Growth Financing Initiative (CGFI) support from Lloyds, offering discounted lending that is available for organisations investing in sustainability.
The Edmund Trust has achieved this by fitting 50 solar panels to the roof of its new building, meaning the accommodation will be powered by renewable energy.
At the same time, air source heat pumps have been installed throughout, making the building more energy efficient.
The new facility was officially opened last Friday (22 November), by Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire.
She told the Cambridge Independent: “The Edmund Trust do a lot of work in the constituency, providing care and respite care for people with various needs.
“They told me about the project they had here and I thought it sounded very exciting, to build a purpose-built place with such high energy efficiency, so that for most of the year, because they’ve also got solar panels, they’re not going to have to have any bought-in energy at all.
“It’s a fantastic place, with lots of space, lots of light, and it’s going to be a really nice place for people to come for a few days of care while their family are doing whatever else they’re doing.”
Charlotte believes these “vital” charities “provide an amazing service to our community, to make sure that everybody gets the care that they need”.
She was also impressed by the “thought that’s gone into it, to make sure that it’s future-proofed so that they can adapt the rooms to different needs”.
John Ellis, chief executive at the Edmund Trust, said: “We’re thrilled that it’s up and running. It’s three and a half years that we’ve been working on this project, and for the families that will use this service it really is the best possible accommodation that we could offer.
“It’s super energy-efficient and there’ll be about 72 families using this on an annual basis, so for those people it really is a high-quality offer.”
He added: “We’ve been working hard to provide support to our local community for a long time now. Some of the people we support have been with us for nearly 50 years.
“In recent years, I’ve found I’ve been having more and more conversations around a need for respite services, with Cambridgeshire affected by issues such as a lack of available housing stock and staff.
“With our new accommodation, we want to play our part in helping to address this and make sure the appropriate support is out there for those with learning disabilities and their families.
“Lloyds’ support has been essential in making sure that we’re there for families in the region that need our support.”
As well as providing valuable respite for parents and carers, the accommodation will give its residents the chance to take part in a range of activities to encourage their independence and develop key life skills.
This includes trips outs into Milton, social events and cooking sessions.
Meanwhile, the charity is planning to repurpose its previous respite centre into a permanent accommodation for people it works with, as part of its supported living service that it currently provides to over 50 adults to help them to live independently in their own home.
For more information on the Edmund Trust, visit edmundtrust.org.uk.
