The premises of the former Westmount care home in West Hampstead have been donated to Jewish Care, which intends to transfer residents from its Mapesbury Road home in Willesden.
Established in 1976 by Sidney and Elizabeth Corob, Westmount was a kosher facility offering beds on the basis of need, rather than ability to pay. It closed in April 2008 as a result of declining numbers.
Explaining the donation, Mrs Corob said that she and her late husband “wanted to make sure the home could continue to care for members of the Jewish community with the same ethos and quality as before.”
A one-year renovation project is under way at the Fortune Green Road site. On completion, the plan is to take in the 23 occupants of the Willesden home, catering for those with mental health problems. It is also hoped to accommodate additional people, possibly including former Westmount residents. The Mapesbury Road building will be sold in support of the project.
Jewish Care chairman Stephen Zimmerman is “very excited at the prospect of being able to offer our clients, and others for whom this home is appropriate, the opportunity to live in a modern environment. None of this would be possible without the unstinting generosity of Elizabeth Corob and her family.”
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.