Octogenarian Lorry Driver Spearheads Rural Care Home Project

Rosemary Stevenson, 88, dedicates her time to loading a lorry with furniture for sale in a small South Ayrshire village. This activity is part of a broader fundraising effort by her team, which has accumulated over £1.5 million in the past 25 years to assist older individuals in Ballantrae. To date, they have established a care agency and a day centre for the elderly in the coastal community. However, her primary ambition is to construct a care home featuring a dementia unit, a project estimated to exceed £500,000 due to increasing construction expenses. The initiative arose after Ms. Stevenson observed that elderly residents in the village were compelled to relocate from their families and friends to access overnight care. “They’re going away from their families and their grandchildren, it’s not right,” she informed BBC Scotland News. “It doesn’t happen anywhere else. If you live in Girvan and you need a care home, you’re still in the same area. But this place is different.” Ms. Stevenson explained that the council would not fund overnight care, necessitating older individuals to move into care homes, some located as far as Girvan, Maybole, or Ayr. She added, “But there were several people in the village who would not go.” Following the council’s rejection of proposals to build a care home, the group opted to establish a charity, Ballantrae Rural Initiative Care in the Community (BRICC), to construct their own facility. Rosemary further stated, “These people have been in the village all their lives and they do not want to move,” and “It means their families and friends have to travel miles and miles away to visit them, which could mean sitting on a bus for hours.” Recently, a founding member of the committee had to enter a care home situated a considerable distance from her relatives and acquaintances. “It’s upset a lot of us because we’re not there yet,” Rosemary commented. “After 25 years, we can’t look after the people here because there’s nowhere for them to stay and the council won’t pay for overnight care.” Since the committee’s formation, Ms. Stevenson has been operating the lorry across South Ayrshire, gathering furniture for sale at the BRICC Shop. She remarked, “I quite enjoy driving the lorry, you feel a lot safer way up there,” adding, “Since we got the charity shop, I’ve been going about South Ayrshire and beyond.” Prior to the pandemic, the committee secured planning permission for a 16-bed care home on land adjacent to the BRICC House. Rosemary recounted, “We were ready to go but Covid stopped us and we didn’t do anything for three years.” She continued, “When we went back to the architect, he said he needed another 15%.” She expressed concern, “But by the time we raise that, he’ll tell us the same thing again. We’ve got to get help to do this, but who’s going to give us help?” Audrey Houston, 67, manages the BRICC shop. She joined the charity 12 years ago during her recovery from breast cancer. She shared, “I’m now in and out in the van emptying houses and bringing furniture back to the shop,” and “It’s been really good for me to have something to get up for in the morning, and we get customers coming from all over.” Ms. Houston informed BBC Scotland News that obtaining additional funds was crucial for the charity to achieve its objective. BRICC initially had over 40 volunteers, but many older members have since fallen ill or passed away. Currently, only about eight individuals remain to sustain the charity. Audrey stated, “We just need the funds to get the ball rolling for the care home,” and “We want Rosemary to see something happen – this has been her life’s work. We’re all hoping to go into this care home facility when we’re older. We don’t want to have to leave the village.” A spokesperson for the South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership commented: “South Ayrshire has one of the oldest populations in Scotland and our population is expected to continue to age quickly until 2040. This means that we have more people requiring care and fewer people available to work in care. This is especially challenging in our more remote and rural areas such as Girvan and Ballantrae. We will continue to work with all of our providers and partners, including BRICC to adapt our care delivery models and meet people’s needs as best we can.” The spokeswoman also mentioned that the council has scheduled a meeting with BRICC this month to discuss the charity’s proposals for the village.