A COVENTRY mental health charity has opened a multi-million pound residential recovery centre in Coventry.
Coventry and Warwickshire Mind opened the St Clair Gardens unit in Livingstone Road, Foleshill, last week (Wednesday, April 25) to provide up to 14 residents with accommodation and specialist therapies to support their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Local dignitaries and health chiefs joined officials from the charity for a planting ceremony at the new centre on the site of the former Livingstone Road Baths.
The first clients move in next month following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection and the centre will be staffed 24 hours a day with a trained nursing therapy and support team, all focused on returning each individual to the community.
The new £3.5milion facility is named in honour of Kay St Clair, Coventry and Warwickshire Mind’s joint chief executive, who became the charity’s first chief executive in 1989.
Kay St Clair said: “After years of planning, we are proud to open the doors to St Clair Gardens.
“This recovery centre is a much-needed facility and we are confident it will be an asset to the area, putting mental health on the map for Coventry and Warwickshire.
“It has been our aim to fill the gap between hospital care and support in the community for people experiencing mental health problems, and I would particularly like to thank all at Coventry and Warwickshire Mind who have worked so hard on the project and whose dedication will continue as they support every client on a person-centred recovery journey.
“I also thank the builders Harrabin Construction and architects IDP for the cutting-edge design, along with every supporter who has helped turn our vision into reality. This includes commissioners and fundraisers who believe as we do that mental-ill health should not be a barrier to a fulfilling life.”
The building comprises of a simple palette of zinc, timber and renders to promote a natural and calming feel.
The 14 en-suite bedrooms are set across two floors around central communal living spaces which are bathed in natural light with views of the garden.
The garden features planting spaces and ample seating with a plan to introduce art spaces and a sensory garden in the near future.
Jenny Mack, of IDP, said: “It was very important for us to ensure all communal spaces had visual or physical links to the garden.
“Every aspect was considered in our designs, right down to the finer details such as floor names.
“The ground floor wing is called Earth, and the first floor called Sky, it’s all been about creating a positive nurturing environment, which we sustained with the exterior too.
“With Coventry and Warwickshire Mind’s new building we wanted to enhance the way mental health care is provided, to create an environment that will help change lives for the better.
Find out more about St Clair Gardens and Coventry and Warwickshire Mind by visiting www.cwmind.org.uk
