Care For Older People
"For many years the Merchant Venturers have been closely involved in improving the life for the elderly and disadvantaged in the city by operating almshouses, providing shelter and care and more recently through the Cote charity." - Richard Morris, Treasurer
Through some of the trusts which it administers the Merchant Venturers has been closely involved in the care of the elderly in Bristol for more than 350 years, initially as Trustee of the Merchants' Almshouses in King Street and Colston's Almshouses on St. Michael's Hill. Both almshouses are currently undergoing various degrees of refurbishment and redevelopment to bring them fully up to the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.
Today its largest commitment to the elderly is the management of the very substantial endowment of the St Monica Trust. St Monica is a pioneer in the concept of providing independent living for the elderly and disabled.
The Trust runs two major developments in Westbury-on-Trym both providing a range of sheltered apartments with care and social amenities on site together with a modern care home. There is also a substantial development in the Bedminster area of Bristol which offers 121 ‘Extra care’ sheltered housing apartments. This service is, in part, run in partnership with the adult care department of Bristol City Council. Further, the Trust is presently developing a site at Sandford, North Somerset, which will provide a 108 unit retirement/care village and a separate specialist care home for 71 residents.
Between them they provide homes for over 800 people.
Through another trust, the Cote Charity, the Society administers Cote House, which provides 13 single and double sheltered apartments and a residential home accommodating 23 residents, adjacent to one another in Westbury-on-Trym. Plans are now well in hand to open in 2009 a new, dual purpose 40 bed residential home, to be known as Katherine House, to replace the current 23 bed home.