An apartment used as a ‘home from home’ by the parents of children undergoing treatment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has been given a facelift by the developer which built the property.

Staff from Countryside Homes have carried out a full redecoration of the one-bedroom home at its Aura development in Trumpington as part of the company’s ongoing support of the Rhys Daniels Trust.

The charity, which provides free accommodation for families close to specialist children’s hospitals across the UK, bought the apartment at Aura – just a five-minute drive from Addenbrooke’s – four years ago

Countryside, which is now part of the Vistry Group, agreed to help maintain the property for 10 years, including carrying out regular redecorations and other essential works.

The latest redecoration took place earlier this year after Nicky Brody, manager at the Trust, reached out to Vistry to see if they could help.

Chris Overton, customer service director at Vistry Central Home Counties, said: “Nicky called the customer service team in the year and asked if we could do a few bits of touching up, but we said it would make more sense for us to carry out a full redecoration as it would look better for new guests for the year.

“We’ve kept to the original colour of white as it does not age and we hope this will create a more welcoming and relaxing environment for parents at what must be an incredibly stressful and difficult time of their lives.

“Nicky and the team don’t like to ask, but we are here to help should they need us. The Rhys Daniels Trust is such an incredible charity and one we’re extremely proud to support. Painting a few rooms may seem like a small thing to us but it can make a huge difference to the families who stay here while their child is undergoing treatment.”

Nicky Brody, Manager at the Rhys Daniels Trust, said: “For the past four years, since the Trust purchased the flat at the Aura development in Trumpington, the team at Countryside Homes has been very supportive of what we do here at the charity. Right from the start they signalled their support by furnishing the apartment free of charge, which was a huge help.

“The team has been providing maintenance services at the flat since we have been here, ensuring that the families that stay here are at their most comfortable, to help make it as stress-free as possible for them.

“We are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year and would not be able to be here without the support of some truly wonderful companies. On that note, we would like to say a big thank you to Countryside Homes for its continued support which helps us to carry on providing our free ‘Home from Home’ service for families.”

The Trust, which is based in Essex, also provides a free ‘home from home’ property for families whose children are being treated at King’s College Hospital in London, Bristol Royal Infirmary and the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton.

Countryside Homes is part of Vistry Group, which also includes Bovis Homes and Linden Homes.

Vistry is building under its Countryside Homes brand at the St Michael’s Hurst and St James’ Park developments in Bishop’s Stortford.

For more information, visit countrysidehomes.com. Further details about the Rhys Daniels Trust can be seen at www.rhysdanielstrust.org

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