The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Disabled residents have started to be moved out of Hovenden House ahead of its closure in August.
As reported in The Voice in April, the service run by Leonard Cheshire Disability is shutting due to “considerable” repair and renovation costs for the Victorian Grade II listed property at Fleet.
At the time of the announcement in April, the service run by Leonard Cheshire Disability was giving a range of nursing and residential care to 23 adults and there were 42 staff.
A spokesperson said: “We always aim to offer the best quality service in modern accessible properties.
“Unfortunately the current building at Hovenden House needs major repairs and does not meet the standards of today.”
This week the charity confirmed that the home is still scheduled to close on Thursday, August 10.
A spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with all of our residents and their families about their wishes and to help people choose their new homes – and indeed residents have started moving to these. All remaining residents are in process of finalising funding for chosen placements.
“We are indebted to the commitment and dedication of our staff and work continues with them on their future options.
“If redundancy is the only option, we are providing them with external and in-house support to find other employment. Staff are being helped to make decisions about their future employment, including redeployment opportunities within Leonard Cheshire Disability.”
Tony Worth – grandson of the man who had Hovenden House built for a family home in 1910 at a cost of £10,000 – is hopeful that a “reasonable use” will be found for the building.
Mr Worth was formerly on the University of Lincoln’s board of governors. One idea he has put forward for future use of Hovenden House is as accommodation for students at the university’s Holbeach campus.
He said: “I can understand with the economy as it is and the money that comes from the authorities that Hovenden House is not viable for Leonard Cheshire.
“It’s going to need somebody with a lot of money to take it on.
“What I would really like to see is some other organisation use it for a reasonable purpose. If the university wanted somewhere to have their students, they could perhaps go into Hovenden.”
Mr Worth said if that were to be a potential use, a covenant on the building that states it must be used for incurable patients would need to be addressed.
His grandfather – Arthur Hovenden Worth, who founded the family farming business AH Worth and Sons, which is based next to Hovenden – gave the Grade II listed building its name. Tony lived there in his early teenage years.
When Tony’s parents decided to move to Rutland, the building was first offered to Lincolnshire County Council, which didn’t want it. Tony’s father, who knew Leonard Cheshire from their RAF days, then did a deal with what was then the Leonard Cheshire Foundation.
Tony said: “To make it tax efficient, my father gave money to the foundation to buy it. So effectively he gave them the property.”
South Holland and The Deepings MP John Hayes has sought assurances from Leonard Cheshire Disability about how it is handling the closure process.
He said: “I regret the closure of Hovenden House which has provided care for so many people for so long. Having met the Leonard Cheshire charity, I have insisted that all those cared for there are moved to new homes that suit their needs and meets their expectation. Their future must be the thing that guides us as we move forward.
“I’m also very certain that staff must be treated as well as they possibly can be in the circumstances.”
