People living at Templer Court, Lurgan were in a celebratory mood recently as they held a tea party to officially open their newly refurbished common room.  

Residents of the independent living scheme have been looking forward to spending time in the new-look common room which has been transformed with modern furniture and colourful soft furnishings along with a feature fireplace and wide-screen TV.   

The common room is just one of the shared spaces that have been refurbished, with the entrance hall, corridors, hobbies room and guest room all benefiting from a total investment of £73,5000.  

Residents were fully involved at all stages of the transformation and reviewed a mood board of design ideas that included a new colour palette, fabrics, furniture, lighting, flooring and proposals for the creation of a new activities room.  Framed artworks, including pictures of Brownlow House and Lurgan Park by local artist Harry Walker, complete the new modern look.  

The work was completed within 12 weeks by CTS along with J&S Decor and Gate Interiors.  

Jim Casey who has lived at the scheme for 18 years with his wife Mary said: 

“The refurbishments are brilliant, and the place looks really well. Anyone who comes in to visit comments on how nice it is. More people are using the common room now than before, and personally I enjoy spending time there in the mornings reading. It’s a very comfortable spot.” 

 

Another resident who is pleased with the refurbishments is Isobel Patterson who has lived at Templer Court for six years: 

“Everything is beautiful, it all matches and it’s so much brighter and better than what it was, as the colour scheme was mainly maroon and yellow. We had a say on the refurbishments, including the floor coverings. We chose to have grey flooring with carpet in some areas. Some of the ladies like to socialise in the common room on a Friday night and with the large TV and new sofas and chairs, it’s very comfortable to spend time in.” 

Clanmil’s Director of Assets and Building Safety Tony Giffen commented:  

“Providing homes for people to live well is our main purpose at Clanmil, and it’s also important that we maintain homes to a high standard, which is why we invested a total of £500,000 during 2022/23 in updating properties like Templer Court. The common room in particular is such an important shared space for residents to gather and socialise and it’s a great place to spend time with visiting friends and family. Our team, along with residents and highly skilled contractors, have created rooms that look modern, but are also welcoming and comfortable. The layout and design mean that the rooms are also multi-functional and versatile.” 

Find out more about the work and hear some comments from the residents in this video:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marian Begley, Scheme Co-ordinator at Templer Court said: 

“It’s great that the people living here can gather in the newly refurbished lounge and enjoy spending time together for their coffee mornings and get togethers. We look forward to having many more social events here in the summer and beyond.”  

Templer Court is one of 31 independent living schemes owned and managed by Clanmil.