Tolent completes work on £8 million North Yorkshire extra care scheme

Gateshead-based contractor Tolent has completed an £8 million extra care development this week for people over the age of 55 in Great Ayton.

Thanks to a partnership between Housing 21, North Yorkshire County Council, Hambleton District Council and Tolent, work was able to safely continue over recent weeks to ensure the development completed on time for the community.

Tolent adhered to strict health and safety protocol, including re-programming works to minimise the number of people on site, staggering shifts and break times, providing full cleaning services, implementing one-way access to work areas and carrying out regularly risk assessments on social distancing.

Near to country house Cleveland Lodge, the development is known as Fry Court, after chocolate manufacturing firms J.S Fry & Sons – the creator of Fry’s Turkish Delight.

A member of the Fry family, Sir Wilfrid Fry, once lived in Cleveland Lodge, with wife Lady Anne of the Cadbury family.

Fry Court provides 57 one and two bedroom apartments available for affordable rent and shared ownership.

It is Housing 21’s first extra care development designed for people over the age of 55 to promote independent living in a community setting, with access to 24/7 on-site care if required.

Residents will benefit from on-site facilities such as a café/bistro, hair salon, activity room, treatment room and communal gardens.

Holly Hunton, housing and care manager at Fry Court said: “I am excited to be able to now start moving residents into our beautiful new extra care scheme set in the heart of North Yorkshire at Great Ayton.

“We have faced challenges along the way, but no one could have predicted a global pandemic. I am so proud of our teams for ensuring building work could continue safely for those in need of a new home with good quality care and support.

“There’s no denying this scheme was needed in Great Ayton as we are opening with very few apartments left for rent. We can’t wait to start getting everybody settled into their new homes.”

Commercial director for Tolent, Paul Walker, added: “We are extremely proud of our teams who have persevered through challenging times to ensure this project could be delivered for Housing 21.

“From the start of this global pandemic, the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and supply chain partners has continued to be our number one priority.

“There were some fundamental changes made to our ways of working which sometimes isn’t easy to do, but our teams rose to the challenge and can all be proud of what they have achieved.”