Retirement housing manager gives residents’ spirits a big lift By Karen Bate ‘An angel in disguise’ has come to the rescue of the older and frail residents living in Homecanton House in Wincanton after a faulty lift has left many ‘marooned’ or struggling with the flight of stairs. The lift broke down several days before Christmas and is not expected to be repaired until a circuit board arrives from Spain. Among the residents trapped, one is 100 years old and several struggle with health conditions which make navigating the staircase ‘extremely tricky’. However, while the broken lift is an annoyance, the manager of Homecanton, Fiona, has come to the rescue, helping residents with their laundry and shopping.
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Resident Carol Willment got in touch with the New Blackmore Vale to describe Fiona ‘as an angel in disguise’. Carol said: “Us old folk in Homecanton House in Wincanton are well and truly blessed. Fiona is going above beyond and back again to help us. “Our lift is out of order, possibly until after the new year. The circuit board comes from Spain, which means some folk are well and truly marooned! “Fiona is doing our laundry and shopping and delivered our Christmas goodies to us that we received from Wincanton Town Council, carrying them over three floors. Well done to an angel in disguise. “I have asthma and arthritis, so I worry about my knees on the way
down and my breathing on the way up. I am 76, so I am one of the youngest and can get on with it, but others are older and more frail. “We hope the lift is mended soon.” Chief operating officer for FirstPort, David Young, said: “We know that a broken lift at a retirement development can be particularly challenging, and whilst we await the spare part to be delivered, it’s great to hear that our onsite development manager, Fiona has been doing a fantastic job at helping residents. Our teams throughout the country strive to create a sense of community at our retirement developments and I commend Fiona for going the extra mile. We’re working with a contractor to have the lift repaired as soon as possible.”
New Blackmore Vale, 7th January 2022
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