FUNDING has been secured to help a vital day centre in Whitchurch realise its plans to offer respite care for people living with dementia.

The Bradbury Care Centre gained planning permission from Shropshire Council in November 2023 for a proposal for internal and external alterations to an existing physiotherapy unit to provide four health care suites, consultant rooms, a new day room, and ancillary facilities.

The centre, managed by Mandy Silvester, launched a fundraising drive to help pay for the work that was needed to carry out the alterations.

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But Mandy confirmed that the group responsible for the building’s past will also underwrite its future.

He said: “All the funding has been agreed for the alterations to the Bradbury Care Centre and will be funded by the Bradbury Foundation – based in Hong Kong.

“We’re extremely pleased about this.

“The Foundation is the original builder of the centre here and it’s brilliant.

“It all went through the Bradbury Care Trustees, who were the ones to actually get a call, and I’ve been working with them very closely.

“They got the call, as the Trustees of the building, and we were all pretty ecstatic about it.

“We’re now at the building regulations stage of the development which is all very exciting.”

Mandy admitted she was delighted when she heard the news that the funding was coming, though says the final amount cannot yet be released.

And she said the service is a commitment to Whitchurch’s future but also serving people in north Shropshire and south Cheshire.

She said: “When I got told, I was a little bit excited and we celebrated a little, put it like that.

“I was jumping for joy.

“I have a waiting list ready for the future which is all very exciting too and we’re very keen to work with Whitchurch Hospital.

“They’re aware of it and are really excited about it too.

“It’s a lot of money and it’s significant that someone is investing in the town.

“It’s future-proofing the building and it will mean that this facility will be here for many, many years as the Whitchurch population ages.

“Dementia in people will become more and more apparent and there is a continuation of care available for people which will hopefully reduce stresses for families.

“If their loved one uses the centre then they will be familiar with the surroundings and that means that for respite, they can come here.

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“They will be happy, we will be happy and their families will be happy too.

“It’s a win-win for us.”

Mandy added that the building could be ready to go by September this year – to donate still to the centre, head to www.bradburycarecentre.co.uk