Dr Sarah Furness, Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, bravely climbed three storeys of scaffolding dressed in high vis and a hard hat, to celebrate a significant milestone in the creation of the new Oakham Grange nursing home.
A topping out ceremony is a modern twist on the ancient Scandinavian religious rite of placing a tree atop a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in its construction. As the Oakham Grange building site has been very respectful of the ancient tree line within its grounds, this ceremony celebrated the moment the home became watertight.
Lesa McAnulty, chief operation officer for Ardale, the family firm behind Oakham Grange, says: "Today’s event signifies our intent to embed our new Ardale home into the local economy. Whenever possible we will use local suppliers, employ up to 200 local people and train them to support Rutland’s older local population, to maintain the highest quality of life."
Simon Blackburn, managing director, Clegg Construction, adds: "We are delighted to have reached the highest structural point at Oakham Grange nursing home and we are on track to complete the building in early 2020. We are looking forward to handing it over to Ardale and we hope that the residents who move in will be extremely happy with their new accommodation.”
Pictured (left to right): Rachel Johns, head of business development for Clegg Construction; Dr Sarah Furness, The Lord Lieutenant of Rutland; Lesa McAnulty, chief operating officer of Ardale; Tim Richmond, non executive group chairman of Clegg Construction
