Rustington Convalescent Home hosts celebration lunch and welcomes members of The Carpenters' Company to mark its success

The Home, in Sea Road, is managed by the modern livery company, which stems from a medieval guild in the City of London and a charitable trust. The doors were opened for the annual Court visit, the first since 2017, and staff were delighted to welcome as guests those involved in the Home's success. Julia Haynes, home manager, said: "It's lovely to welcome people back to Rustington Convalescent Home after a long break, following the refurbishment when the lovely new en-suite bedrooms were completed and the corridors modernised."

The Home was closed in 2019 for works including adding new bedrooms on the northern side which are accessible for people in wheelchairs, with bigger bathrooms. Michael Neal, chairman of the Committee of Management of the Home, explained the back area of the Home had been redesigned to improve access and the entrance, as well as improving the kitchens.

The Home was reopened again in February 2020 but just a month later, it had to be closed due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Michael said: "We were planning on doing a campaign to relaunch it again when Covid struck. The pandemic forced us to close our doors once more but we kept all the staff on."

As Covid restrictions began to ease, beds were made available again in June 2021 but with a maximum of 50 per cent capacity to continue to protect the service users. The remainder of the beds were opened around Easter last year and number of people booking in has been steadily growing ever since. Julia said: "We are happy the numbers are now starting to increase and we love seeing the progress convalescent and respite guests make at the Home, with increased confidence for going back to their own surroundings."

Further improvement works have been carried out over the past year, which have required scaffolding to the front of the Home. Michael explained: "We were starting to notice an issue in some of the more popular sea view rooms, because the prevailing wind was causing sea water to penetrate through the brickwork.

"Michael Fountain, a specialist from Savills, carried out a survey and Valley Builders from East Grinstead put together a most brilliant team, which dealt with the water coming in. If you walk along the seafront, you see nearly every building is suffering from the ingress of salt but because we are set back, we don't suffer so much from the salt. We also needed to repair the clock tower and the clock and bell, which are part of the spirit of the building, in the same way as they are part of the spirit of a church."

The celebration lunch on July 11 was partly seen as a way to mark the removal of the scaffolding to reveal the new look. Michael said: "It was a very happy afternoon and the weather was kind. The service users were part of it and they were chirpy, and the Master spoke very nicely. It is attractive and colourful, and the garden is very interesting. It is pretty amazing, just from the sheer scale of it, and some of the trees in it just smack of the seaside."

The motto is Peace and Rest, and Rustington Convalescent Home is a truly magical place that can help you recover after an operation, as well as being the ideal place for respite care. Find out more about at rustingtonconvalescenthome.co.uk

Rustington Convalescent Home: The story behind a 'hidden' gem in West Sussex, a unique place for all for 'Peace and Rest'