Alfred Stocks Court, our retirement living scheme in Liverpool, has been left looking “unrecognisable” to customers and colleagues following £730,000’s worth of refurbishment works.

The scheme, which offers accommodation for people over 55, is one of 45 services that have been transformed through our Retirement Living Investment Programme (RLIP).

Now in its eighth year, RLIP affirms our commitment to modernising and future proofing accommodation for our customers in our Care and Support services across the country.

The programme focuses on building improvements, refurbishments of communal areas, outdoor works and developing new areas such as communal kitchens and bathrooms, all incorporating contemporary dementia friendly designs, and which has seen us investing approximately £35 million in total across the eight years.

Alfred Stocks Court was the third service to be handed over in the 22/23 programme, with further handovers taking place in Manchester, Kettering, and London.

The scheme has benefited from major refurbishment, including replacing all flat entrance doors and communal works such as the replacement of suspended ceilings, installing LED lighting and upgrading radiators.

Extensive works were carried out to improve fire safety onsite, including installation of fire detection within flat entrance lobbies, the complete remodelling of the lounge fire exit and replacement of communal fire doors throughout the property.

It has undergone a full redecoration and fitting of new carpets and vinyl throughout, alongside installation of handrails, skirting and architraves, as well as provision of new communal furniture – all in accordance with a bespoke interior design.

External areas also saw upgrades, with metal railings being decorated, walls jet cleaned and a good tidy round of outdoor spaces for customers to enjoy a bit of nature in.

See for yourself from the images below just some of the major changes that have been made:

After completing the “impressive” refurbishment works, we were delighted to celebrate handing the scheme back to our customers who live there and who had played a big part in the design process.

Having hosted a closing event in the newly designed lounges, it was great to see customers enjoying their upgraded communal spaces, and receiving such positive feedback throughout the day.

Speaking about the improvements at Alfred Stocks Court scheme, Area Manager Leah Reynolds, said: “Out of all the finished RLIP schemes I’ve seen, this has to be the best. It’s amazing what’s been achieved. It looks fantastic and the customers are thrilled.”

Dot Kelly, Regional Operations Manager for Care & Support, said: “It was great to come together with our customers to celebrate and discover just how excellent the standards of works have been – honestly, the scheme is unrecognisable! But most importantly, it was wonderful learning how happy our customers are to be back in their newly modernised home.

“Throughout the day, customers shared just how much of a difference even all the little finishes make in freshening it up and increasing the scheme’s overall quality.

“We’re continuing to deliver the RLIP across a number of our schemes and are looking forward to further improving standards for our customers.

Andy Cave, Senior Business Development Officer, added: “I want to say a massive congratulations and thank you to all colleagues and teams involved in transforming the scheme – from staff at Alfred Stocks like Mark, Donna and Laura for helping to get it over the line to Chris and his Asset Management team for overseeing the delivery of the project, to the team from Storm Tempest and the contractors who have done an amazing job.

“When carrying out the works on Alfred Stocks Court, we had to overcome considerable challenges we’ve not had to contend with previously due to the impact of the pandemic, including global supply problems.

“So we’re all very proud of the results and we are pleased to see our customers are too. The whole site looks fresher and more modern, with increased safety features. Together it has made what is already an incredibly popular scheme even more attractive to people looking for their future home.”

We are currently planning the next 2-year programme of works which includes a further 15 Retirement Living Schemes which is due to begin this March and we look forward to delivering improvements like these to even more of our customers’ homes.

If you’d like to know more about RLIP, please contact Andy Cave at [email protected]