Meet our tenants

Norah Cooper

Getting an apartment in Cordale’s Extra Care Housing development has transformed Mrs Cooper’s life.

The 78-year-old is a fairly new arrival at the building and still can’t get over how fortunate she is.

After living in Renton for the past 17 years she has friends and family close by and was reluctant to leave her old home in McGregor Lane where Cordale had installed various aids and adaptations including a chairlift to allow her to stay in her own home for as long as possible.

But as her mobility deteriorated Mrs Cooper realised that even with the chairlift she couldn’t manage in her old house which had 16 stairs and put her name down on the housing list for an apartment in the extra care facility.

She now wishes she had decided to move sooner as she loves her new home and is delighted with all the safety features which allow her to continue living an independent life in hotel-standard accommodation.

She said: “There is 24-hour support in the building and pull cords in every room plus they have given me a pendant to wear around my neck if I fall I can just shout for help and someone will be here straight away.

“I have my own front door in here so I can out and speak to the other ladies who stay in here or if the family come to visit they can come in here and it is my own home. It’s a great size – I can’t get over how big it is – and it has everything I need.

“My two sons are both health and safety officers and they have both said they have never seen a place like this in their lives. They couldn’t get over it and said I have landed lucky – and they’re right. Cordale has been good to this village and good to me.”

Mrs Cooper added: “At the moment I am still cooking for myself but if the day comes where I have an accident in my kitchen I’ll be straight over there to the dining area for my meals. I go over for the fish supper evening and you get your meal and pudding for £3.25 plus a big pot of tea and bread and butter.

“You would never have seen me opening my window before but now I can and go to my bed because I know I am safe with the CCTV on in here all night and I feel secure in my own home which is important when you get to my age. I’ve never been so happy in all my life.”

Mary Davis

Mrs Davis was one of the first tenants to move into the Extra Care Housing in Renton 18 months ago.  The 83-year-old moved from McGregor Lane to an apartment within the Extra Care development with a bird’s eye view of Main Street.

She is delighted with the size of her new home and how safe she feels in it. She also enjoys the social aspect that the partially independent yet partially communal living offers.

Mrs Davis said: “The safety aspects are absolutely fantastic, I don’t think I could ask for much more. I go out a lot during the day and the bus stops right outside and I have also been using the dining area downstairs for the past six months.

“Everyone who has seen this place is surprised at the size of it – my daughter was amazed. The gardens are beautiful as well. I would recommend these apartments to anyone, everything is here for you and the staff are absolutely fantastic.”

Like many of the tenants Mrs Davis likes to get involved with some of the social activities organised by the Tenant’s Committee. These range from home baking classes in the dining area to day trips to Saltcoats and Callendar to celebrations to mark birthdays and Golden Wedding anniversaries.

The events and activities are planned by the Extra Care Housing Tenants Committee who also organise fundraisers to help cover costs.

Another stream of income the Tenants Committee can use is the revenue generated by the two guest rooms within the development.

The rooms, which have similar fixtures and fittings to a large hotel room, can be booked by tenants for visiting friends and family at the cost of just £10 per night. The money is then used by Committee to help fund various activities and outings.

Mrs Davis has been a Cordale tenant for the past 8 years after leaving West Dunbartonshire Council as part of a stock transfer process.

She said: “I am happy I made the decision to transfer, I can’t see how anyone who transferred wouldn’t be happy. The houses are so nice and the staff care about what is happening to you.

“Before I was living in Macgregor Lane I was in Back Street and Grant Crescent and both places were dismal.

“Once the Council agreed to transfer the houses everything went through quickly and it made such a difference to Renton.”