Bosses at the well established residential facility Trinity House, on Carlisle Road, have revealed more about the plans for their new venture at the other end of the the town.
Trinity House is expanding to create Trinity Lodge, a side step for some of their residents who would benefit from more peaceful surroundings but still want to be part of the Trinity family.
In addition, the expansion is set to create up to 20 new jobs – such as support workers, chefs, domestics and others.
The development at the former Townhead Hotel is, so far, on track to open in the autumn and will accommodate four existing residents and two new service users.
Manager Kirsty Dale said: “This has been something that we were planning and looking to do years ago, but then the pandemic hit and everything was shelved.
“It is for people who want the familiarity they are used to, but need somewhere quieter, so we decided to look for somewhere bespoke for them.
“It needed to be somewhere that could be made future-proof for the age of the residents, but still feels like Trinity for them.
“This is their home, their house, some of our residents don’t have any other family.
“We always say ‘you don’t live in our work, we work where you live’.”
The Townhead, which served Lockerbie as a popular bar, restaurant and hotel, will be ‘taken back to a shell’ for contractors to create two self-contained flats downstairs, each with their own garden.
There will also be four rooms upstairs with a variety of living room areas, a kitchen for residents to make their own meals if they wish, as well as quiet areas and break out rooms.
Meanwhile, the social enterprise cafe will be established downstairs as an opportunity for residents to interact with the community and also gain relevant skills and qualifications.
Kirsty explained that the people working in the cafe will complete appropriate food hygiene courses, as well as first aid and how to work ‘front of house’.
She said: “It will all be achievable for them, so they get that sense of achievement and pride.”
Trinity House has been in the Lockerbie community for 22 years and is a specialist residentital service with a dedicated nursing team.
Thirteen adults live at Trinity, in a mixture of en-suite rooms and a two bedroom bungalow, and some have been there since it opened.
Four will move to the new premises and the remaining spaces will be filled by referrals.
With their own in-house nurses, as well as various allied health professionals, Trinity is not expected to place additional pressure on the local GP service.
