A veranda at a historically listed care home has been restored to its former glory much to the joy of its residents.

A special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held yesterday morning to celebrate the completion of the yearlong restoration project at Westmeath Residential and Nursing Care Home in Pembroke.

Lunette Castillo, executive director at Westmeath, said the residents, who use the "Gingerbread“ veranda on a daily basis for recreational purposes, were overjoyed.

She said: “The residents sit out on the porch, talk, listen to music and get fresh air. We also have activities on the porch — sometimes we have dancers come or musicians so it is very much ingrained in the culture of Westmeath.

“I saw a photo from decades ago, and there were seniors out on the porch enjoying it. It’s nice that we are able to keep that up to standard and continue that as a way of life for the seniors.”

Westmeath experienced financial difficulties post-Covid and had to launch an aggressive fundraising campaign in order to carry out the project.

Ms Castillo added: “This building is over 100 years old. The veranda was made out of wood that was rotting, and the standards have changed, so some of the heights needed to be raised for safety reasons.

“We felt it was becoming a safety concern, so we wanted to get it up to code and restore it to how it looked 100 years ago.

“The residents love it. Now we have even more people wanting to sit outside. It’s increased their quality of life and uplifted their spirits.”

Susan Jackson, the Shadow Minister of Transport, was in attendance and highlighted other positive developments at Westmeath.

She said: “The present board of trustees at Westmeath are constantly seeking to improve quality of life for its residents.

“The increasingly ageing population, rising cost of living and maintenance costs, make it difficult to sustain operating expenses while being sensitive to the price of care, and supporting those on financial assistance.

“Happily, and with much help from the community and families of residents, Westmeath is re-emerging as a robust home for seniors.

“Activities have now resumed after Covid lockdown with much entertainment ranging from local musician performances, art and music therapy, gardening, pets and recitals.

“With help from a government grant, the Community Day Care programme is reopening and we are actively seeking new participants.”

Westmeath is soon to launch a capital campaign to raise funds to continue restoration of the property.