People from across Cornwall are being invited to an open day taking place at the newly refurbished Miners Court Extra Care scheme in Redruth.

The open day will take place on Thursday 13th May 2010 from 11am to 7pm, and guests will be welcome to drop in at any point.

During the day, visitors will have the chance to tour the scheme, which has undergone a complete refurbishment, and view the new community facilities available such as a hairdressing salon, community lounge, restaurant and respite care dwellings. Refreshments will be available all day and a number of organisations will be on hand to give advice and guidance, including Cornwall Council, Age Concern and Coastline Care.

Guests will also be able to enjoy entertainment from Redruth’s Bev Lynn dancers and Redruth School’s ‘Oliver’ singers. In addition, there will be a tombola, cake stall and afternoon tea dance to help the day go with a swing.

Coastline Housing staff will also be on hand to give advice to anyone considering a move into Extra Care or sheltered housing, either for themselves or a family member.

Sylvia Evans, Supported Housing Manager at Coastline, explains: “Sometimes a move into an Extra Care housing environment can be the perfect solution for someone who is struggling to live independently and wants to avoid moving in with family or into a residential home. This is an ideal opportunity for people to come and have a look around, with their families, to see if such a move would suit them. Even if they are not considering a move into sheltered housing, they can still explore all the community facilities the complex now offers.”

Miners Court was originally opened by Princess Diana 25 years ago. The scheme consists of 64 flats and is well known to many local people, being based in the centre of Redruth. Thanks to funding of just over £1 million from the Homes and Communities Agency and Cornwall Council, over the past year the scheme has undergone a complete refurbishment and has been re-launched as one of only three ‘Extra Care’ schemes in Cornwall under the support and partnership of Cornwall Council’s Adult Social Care and Supporting People departments. This means that it will not only provide improved facilities for residents, but that it will also be offering extra services to the local community. Care and support will be provided on site 24 hours a day.

Sylvia added: “Extra Care is a new provision in Cornwall that is developing in response to our ever-growing older population and the support that they will need in future to live in their own homes for longer.

“An Extra Care scheme is designed to allow residents to live independently in self-contained homes, and have a number of facilities on site which they can make full use of as they become less able to get out and about. It’s about providing a home for life for older people, and also opening up the scheme to the local community to ensure that everyone can take advantage of valuable services being offered – everything from hairdressing to podiatry to memory clinics and entertainment.”

Louise Beard, Director of Housing and Support at Coastline, said: “This is an incredibly rewarding project as is it the culmination of partnership working over two years and we are extremely proud to be launching the first refurbished Extra Care scheme for Cornwall.”

Guests can drop in on the day or call Coastline on 08082 027728 for more information.