Famous locals provide inspiration for new Market Harborough care home

A local resident has won a competition to name the suites at a brand-new care home in Market Harborough.    

Richard Stacey chose the names of three iconic locals in his winning entry to name the suites at Care UK’s Oat Hill Mews care home, on Leicester Road, due to open in April 2023. 

The competition called for the people who know the town best, its residents, to share suggestions which had cultural or historical reference to the local area. 

Oat Hill Mews is divided into three suites, each comprising a number of bedrooms and a lounge for residents. This encourages the creation of tight-knit communities within the home and provides space for group activities and time spent socialising.

The suites have been named Cromwell, after Oliver Cromwell, a former MP who led the armies of the Parliament of England at the battle of Naseby; Smyth in honour of one of Market Harborough’s most famous residents and founder of the Market Harborough Grammar School, Robert Smyth; and Cook, as a nod to Thomas Cook, who was inspired by the town to create his excursion business in the late 19^th century. 

Joshua Jones, Construction Project Manager at Care UK, said: “The naming of the suites within a home is one of the key milestones ahead of opening, so it was important to involve the community in the decision. All of the names put forward were of a very high quality, but we felt using the names of illustrious Market Harborough residents was original and really rooted the home in the local area. 

“We’re so grateful to everyone that made suggestions and to Richard for coming up with the winning names.” 

Richard said: “Market Harborough is rich in history with many inspiring residents across the centuries – so it felt like a fitting tribute to put their names forward to name the suites at Oat Hill Mews. I was thrilled to find out I’d won the home naming competition, and I’m looking forward to visiting the home once complete next year.” 

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, the new care home, which is set to open in April 2023, will incorporate space for hobby and leisure activities. 

For general information about Oat Hill Mews, please visit careuk.com/oat-hill-mews.