AN Oxfordshire care home has celebrated the launch of its newly refurbished facilities inspired by a local artist.

Henry Cornish Care Centre in Chipping Norton, operated by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), threw a party for its residents in their social bubbles with virtual guests joining via Zoom.

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The care home recently had a make over with residents now able to enjoy a refurbished café, salon, spa and reception area.

As well as being designed to be dementia-friendly and accessible, much of the interior’s colour palette and design features were inspired by local Chipping Norton artist Irene Tyack’s paintings from her Yellow Hat Tribe series.

Ms Tyack's paintings appear as two floor-to-ceiling murals in the home and nods to the cheerful yellow hats that feature in her paintings.

The painter said: “I have been designing and painting the Yellow Hat Tribe for over 20 years, and the paintings have changed my life, so I am very excited that these designs have been used for the refurb at Henry Cornish. I hope the designs give residents a smile.”

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She added: “I can’t wait to visit the home in person, when I can.”

The online festivities to celebrate the new designs were attended by relatives, colleagues, and contractors involved in the refurbishments, along with the interior designer of the project, and the deputy mayor of Chipping Norton, Sandra Coleman, who said a few words to mark the occasion.

Henry Cornish resident Doris Brice performed the ribbon cutting, after which she and her fellow residents enjoyed Prosecco, canapes, and cake while being entertained by a virtual performance from Oxford-based saxophonist, Alan Hook.

Online guests were sent cakes from Chipping Norton tea room, The Tea Set, so they could join in the celebrations from home.

Henry Cornish home manager, Renata Crisostomo said: “We are so grateful to everyone involved in our refurbishment to ensure it still went ahead safely during the pandemic.”

She added: “The space that’s been created is a beautiful, light and sociable area, and this event has been a lovely way to celebrate the positive impact it has made to our home.

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“Everyone at the home is very much looking forward to sharing the new space with visitors as soon as it is safe to do so.”

The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), which is a not-for-profit charitable trust operates 68 homes and 14 accommodation schemes across Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, West Sussex and Wiltshire.

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