£1.5m care home plan to create 35 jobs

Up to 35 new jobs are set to be created by the £1.5 million conversion of Albrighton's former Elysium health club into a care home.

Rectory Care is renovating the former St Cuthbert's rectory into a 31-bedroom home and work is due to be completed in April.

Owners Mike and Phillippa Turner say the first residents are expected to move into The Old Rectory Care Home the following month. The 19th century building had been home to Elysium Health and Fitness Club before it went into administration in March last year, with the loss of around 35 jobs.

The Turner's family-owned business, backed by funding from Yorkshire Bank's Birmingham Financial Solutions Centre, bought the 15,000 sq ft building just a month later and started work on the conversion. They previously converted a Barnado's boys home into a 52-bedroom care home in Much Wenlock in 1994 before selling the business and moving to Canada in 2006.

Mike and Philippa Turner said they were eager to get back into the care sector after moving back to the Midlands last year, and were delighted to have secured backing from Yorkshire Bank to help make their latest venture possible.

Philippa, who will also manage the care home, said: "Yorkshire Bank has been extremely supportive, from the funding and professional advice they have afforded us, to also inviting us to a number of really useful business events related to the care sector.

"We really missed the care industry while we were living in Canada and have been on the look out for a new project to get into, and it is really satisfying to be converting a redundant building.

"The project is moving along really well and we'll soon be advertising around 35 jobs, which includes care, administration and maintanence positions and also an activities coordinator role."