A care home for Greater Manchester’s military veterans has welcomed its residents back after a £12.5 million redevelopment.
Broughton House in Salford has cared for more than 8,000 veterans since it opened to the ex-service community over 100 years ago back in 1916, but the original home was demolished in 2020 to make way for the site to be transformed into the UK’s first-ever veteran care village.
And that impressive £12.5 million project has now officially been completed.
Following the demolition of the original home, the Broughton House site has now been transformed into a modern complex that features a 64-bed care home and six retirement apartments, with photos of the impressive revamp shared online.
Not only that, but the Stoller Wing of the newly-built care home – which has been named in honour of north west businessman and philanthropist Sir Norman Stoller, who donated £4 million to the project – also has a wide array of new facilities, including a gym, a hairdressing and barber’s salon, and a restaurant and bar for the residents.
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The new wing is said to pay homage to Broughton House’s rich history.
Broughton House has cared for more than 8,000 veterans since opening back in 1916 / Credit: Broughton HouseThe Stoller Wing also has a museum that’s filled with memorabilia / Credit: Broughton House (via Lee Boswell Photography)
Within the new Stoller Wing, there is also a dedicated museum that’s filled with fascinating stories of former residents, rare war medals, and historic memorabilia, which is all designed to “keep the memories of the fallen well and truly alive”.
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Refurbishments have also happened in the Jellicoe Wing – which is named after WWI hero Viscount Sir John Jellicoe, who opened the original Broughton House building – and it now has two 16-bedroom households.
The wing also houses our Armed Forces Support Hub, and the six retirement apartments.
Broughton House says the Armed Forces Support Hub focuses on providing welfare support and counselling for ex-service people of all ages living in the local community, as many veterans see their mental health deteriorate during their transition back to civilian life.
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The care village has now welcomed its residents back after the £12.5 million redevelopment / Credit: Broughton HouseThe site has now been transformed into the UK’s first-ever veteran care village / Credit: Broughton House (via Lee Boswell Photography)
Derrick Corfield – a WWII veteran and Broughton House resident – said: “The new care village is ideal for people like myself who have been living alone, as it puts us back into that bigger family again [and] it’s a place that celebrates our history, and understands the things we have done in our lives and been a part of.
“I’m really enjoying the activities, especially the history club, so it will be nice to welcome more veterans to the new care village.”
Broughton House says the new complex has been designed with the purpose of “offering trailblazing provision” for the north west’s ageing armed forces community.
Chief executive Karen Miller said the new amenities provide residents with greater opportunities to be more active and sociable than what many other traditional care homes offer, and helps them to “reignite the camaraderie” they became accustomed to during their time in the armed forces.
“It is immensely pleasing to reach the milestone of seeing our new Veteran Care Village completed,” Karen concluded.
More Greater Manchester football matches called off as Storm Goretti sets in
Danny Jones
Yet more scheduled football matches in Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions have been postponed and/or cancelled due to Storm Goretti.
The increasingly cold, blustery and icy conditions moving over from France and across more parts of the UK have already caused schools to close, flights to be grounded, and plenty more disruption.
Another such inconvenience has come in the form of live sports, large swathes of which now look like they simply won’t be taking place.
One of the latest to be called off is Salford City‘s upcoming game against Swindon Town in the FA Cup this weekend, with various other games involving teams up and down the footballing pyramid now facing uncertainty over whether their third-round fixtures will go ahead as planned.
Ironically, this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the very obvious pun.
Another game that was called off late last week, between Chadderton and FC Isle of Man, is yet to be rescheduled; the same is true of Rochdale AFC’s meeting with Brackley Town, Radcliffe v Oxford City, as well as games involving Bury, Stockport Town, Irlam, Cheadle Town, Prestwich Heys and more.
Other nearby outfits, such as Chorley, Warrington Rylands and Ramsbottom United, just to name a few, are also still unsure of when their next game will be.
In many cases, it is simply a matter of the grounds being largely or completely frozen and deemed unfit for use following pitch inspections.
Oldham Athletic – which has already been hit with plenty of snow and frost – yesterday confirmed that their Notts County clash wouldn’t be going ahead due to that very reason.
With winds of up to 90 miles per hour also being reported, yellow and even red weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country, with people being urged to check their routes home from work by local authorities.
Storm Goretti should start calming down this evening (Fri, 9 January) and into Saturday morning, but the after-effects could still play havoc over the next few days.
For instance, over in Cheshire, Macclesfield FC are going so far as to call on nearby residents to help clear their playing surface from heavy snowfall.
So, if you’re in the area and fancy helping out, they could sure do with your help.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
Macclesfield FC are once again requesting the help of the fanbase and the local community to help clear the remainder of the compacted snow from the surrounding areas of the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium.
Featured Images — Wikimedia Commons/The Manc Group
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Glitzy Spinningfields bar famed for its bottomless deals shuts down
Daisy Jackson
Popular cocktail bar group Banyan has suddenly closed its glitzy bar in the heart of Spinningfields.
The restaurant and bar, which is part of the Arc Inspirations group that also operates Manahatta and Box, has shut down with immediate effect.
A sign has been posted in the window of the Spinningfields site of Banyan confirming its closure.
Banyan opened in 2018 and was the second site for the brand, which has been operating out of the Corn Exchange since 2015.
Inside, the huge 7,000sq ft space was split into spaces for drinking, dining and dancing, including a large mezzanine and a huge white marble bar.
Banyan is famed for its bottomless deals, whether that’s a classic bottomless brunch or their bottomless Sunday roast (endless Yorkshire puddings, gravy, wine, and roast potatoes).
It also offered two-for-one cocktails, all day every day.
The bar stands on the side of Spinningfields, directly opposite The Ivy and alongside The Alchemist.
Banyan in Spinningfields has shut downThe note in the window of Banyan
But now it has permanently closed its doors, thanking people for their custom over its almost-decade in Manchester.
The sign on the door says: “Banyan Spinningfields is now permanently closed.
“Thank you so much for your custom over the years, we’ve loved being part of this wonderful city and have made so many friends.
“Don’t be a stranger, we’d love to continue to welcome you to our Banyan bar in the Corn Exchange. Team Banyan.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th May 2022 
