Milkwood Care celebrate silver anniversary

Reflections on an Incredible Journey by the Directors of Milkwood Care

Directors Robin Cheesman and Janet Leech reflect on the history and remarkable journey of Milkwood Care over the past 25 years.

Robin recalls that he was running a building company back in 1998, and the company was building a number of care homes, when he first met Janet.

“She was the manager of a care home in Wales, and we immediately struck it off and decided to start a new care company together. When it came down to the name for the company, we found that we both had a love of poetry, and it came to us to name the new business after Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’s famous poem “Under Milkwood” and thus Milkwood Care Ltd was founded.

“We established Milkwood Care to purchase and operate care homes, and at first it was the plan that Janet would run the first home, but I soon persuaded her that this might prevent us from growing the company. The search started for funding and suitable premises to start from. Despite the difficulties in location and travelling, for Janet lived near Abergavenny in Wales and I was in Fareham, Hampshire, it didn’t take too long for us to find a small and rather run-down home in Liss, Hampshire, which came with planning permission for a 20-bed extension. I recall that we struggled to get the money together and it was only with the invaluable help of family and friends that we could proceed.”

Janet remembers that the purchase was completed on the 1st of November 1999.

“There was a really bad accident on the motorway as I drove down and I arrived 6 hours late! Not a good start! I remember some rather difficult negotiations with Robin over construction costs, and his builders starting on site in the middle of 2000.”

Robin says that from the start our plan had always been to build a group of care homes.

“I remember Janet chasing the Milkwood dog down the garden and running back in shouting “I’ve found our next home!”

So Chatterwood House followed in 2003, with other homes being added over the coming years, taking the total number of beds from the 17 of 1999 to the 276 beds we run currently.

“It’s always been our aim to look after our residents as we would look after our own family” says Janet, “and indeed my mum and Robin’s parents and brother have all been cared for in our homes.”

Both Robin and Janet are aware that any successful company is only as good as the staff who work for you, and the teams of nurses, carers, cooks, cleaners have all, in one way or another, contributed to the continued success story of Milkwood Care. Janet says with pride that it’s just so pleasing to see so many people who have forged careers within the group, and indeed many of the directors, managers, and deputies have been promoted from within the company.

Both said that it's not always been plain sailing, and there have been times when the wind and tide have turned - times when things just didn’t go our way.

But they both agree that walking into any of the homes and hearing the sound of laughter from residents and staff makes it all worthwhile.

So, it’s a big, big, thank you to the hundreds of people that have contributed to Milkwood Care over the past 25 years.

Thank you all!!!!

For more information visit their website: https://milkwoodcare.co.uk/