Cottage and Rural Enterprises Limited Rowde  - Devizes  - Wiltshire care supports people with learning disabilities by providing a range of high quality services and opportunities

Then

The late Peter Forbes, pictured here in 1967, the year he founded CARE on a farm with 55 acres near Exmoor. His vision was to provide an environment where people with learning difficulties could "be given the chance to find out for themselves what type of work they liked and could do, or couldn't do..."

The Blackerton Project was seeking a 'niche in the sun' for young people with learning disabilities, without 'institutionalizing' them. It was important to avoid the rejection that sometimes could occur in other environments.

Now

CARE is a national charity concerned with giving support through provision of residential accommodation and work options to people with a learning disability. CARE offers each the opportunity to live a full and purposeful life.

Furlong Close, at Rowde,  is CARE’s eighth and newest community and has been operational since March 1994. The group of buildings resemble a small and high quality residential development. There is no 'institutional' design and the immediate impression is one of friendliness and social integration. In January 1998 we opened our first community house in Devizes where 6 residents now live to pursue a more independent lifestyle.

ACCOMMODATION  

The four residents bungalows (Myrtle, Alder, Hawthorn and Fern) are each home to seven residents in individual furnished bed-sitting rooms. A communal lounge and kitchen offer good opportunities for leisure and social activities as well as developing living skills. Myrtle and Hawthorn have extra facilities for people with a greater need and also an additional room used for self-assessment stays or respite care.

Temporary  Picture

The community hall, Marsh Hall, is used as a venue for meetings and social events including parties and discos. This facility is also available for the local community to use. Also available are satellite TV, snooker and pool tables and multi-gym facilities.

Residents involvement in community life is promoted through regular residents meetings and participation in schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch. Local amenities in the village of Rowde, within easy walking distance, include two pubs, a convenience shop, Post Office and St Matthews Church. There is also a public bus service to nearby Devizes.

Popular social activities in the locality include cinema and shopping trips, swimming and sporting events and visits to the many attractions Wiltshire has to offer.  

DAY SERVICES

Work activities are based in a separate building adjoining the administration department. There is the expectation that residents take advantage of these facilities which are also available to people who live locally. Further education opportunities are available through specially designed courses at Trowbridge and Devizes Branch College. 

HORTICULTURE / ESTATE  

This team is responsible for the upkeep of the grounds and maintaining the orchard and the greenhouse. All aspects of horticulture are practiced including the cultivation of soft fruit which is used by the kitchen and produce workshops and flowers used in the laundry/craft workshop. The team have also been contracted by Rowde Parish Council to keep areas of Rowde village in good order and the local primary school employs the team to maintain their grounds and playing fields. From time to time, the team have been approached to tackle one-off gardening jobs by various individuals and organisations. This workshop is keen to expand the services it offers to the local community.

MAIN KITCHEN

This is one of the two workshops that provide a service to the community. All weekday lunches are provided by the team and are prepared to a very high standard. This workshop is subject to all the rules and regulations of the Food Safety Act and operates on the basis of a commercial kitchen. Training is given in all areas of food preparation and cooking, knowledge that can be applied in furthering the independence of the individual. This workshop also finds time to develop its own line of luxury ice creams and sweets for sale to the public.

TEXTILES

A highly educational and creative workshop where the aim is to promote an understanding and appreciation of textiles. People are involved in the whole process of production from fleece to the finished item, whether it be spun into yarn, made into felt, woven into wall hangings or knitted into waistcoats. Batik is also a feature of the workshop with colourful silk scarves and ties proving to be popular. This team are members of the Wiltshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers.

PRODUCE  

LAUNDRY/CRAFT

This is the other workshop that provides a service to the residents of Furlong Close. The main bulk of the community’s laundry is done here. Teamwork is all important to ensure the laundry needs of the Close are met daily. However, it is not all washing and ironing. Time is set aside for people to practice their sewing skills and produce items of patchwork and embroidery. The team are also involved in the drying and arranging of flowers, an area of creativity that has developed over the past couple of years. This workshop is always evolving as people begin to do more and more of their own laundry in the bungalows thus allowing the craft element of the workshop to develop.

WOOD WORK

This is workshop opened in the Autumn of 1998 and is proving very popular. This well equipped facility is producing garden furniture. bird tables. carvings, planters etc. in fact, if it is made of wood the team can do it! The team have also repaired and refurbished furniture for local businesses, an area which they wish to expand.

(THE ORCHARD CAFE AND SHOP)

The Orchard Cafe and shop provides an outlet to sell items made at Furlong Close and other CARE Communities. The café is a seasonal venture (spring/summer) as the seating area is situated outside, served by the produce workshop. The café does operate on a reduced level in the shop during the winter months but space is limited. There is an additional cafe at a local canal visitor centre.

NATIONAL PROFICIENCY TESTS COUNCIL - VOCATIONAL FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE SCHEME

	This scheme offers people with a learning disability the opportunity to gain formal recognition for the skills they gain whilst using the day services here at Rowde. We are able to offer training and qualification in the following areas:­
	Independent living skills Employment  Information Technology Floristry  Horse Care Vehicle Maintenance	Workshop practice Numeracy, Literacy, and Communication.                           Horticulture Catering

At the Wiltshire Farmers Markets

Care sells the products mentioned above at the Wiltshire Farmers Market in Devizes. This provides a realistic commercial outlet for the products, and also generates some additional income.

Cakes, jams, chutneys, marmalades and all manner of preserves.

Wooden garden furniture, planters, window boxes, nesting boxes and many other popular garden and domestic items.

Fabrics with our own designs, hand painted directly onto the material, or using the wax-resist technique, Batik.

Felt products made from our own felt, produced by hand from local wool.

Plants, and horticultural products from our own nurseries.

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(This web-page is part of the Wiltshire Farmers Markets site - www.wiltshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk  and is being used here as an example of a webpage.)

Care Rowde, Furlong Close, Rowde, Devizes, SN10 2TQ
Tel 01380 725 455 Fax 01380 729 030

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