An anonymous donation of £500,000 has kick-started Alexandra House of Joy’s appeal to raise £3m to build a state-of-the-art care centre for adults with disabilities.

The donor, who doesn’t want to be named, has simply said they “believe” in what the charity is doing and understand the desperate need for this project to succeed.

The charity has planning permission to build the new facility on land off Wretchwick Way in Bicester. It will include bedrooms for respite and end of life care, day care facilities including art, music, craft and sensory rooms, a kitchen garden and café, offices, quiet area, and hydrotherapy pool. But they must raise the money by October 2023 to ensure the first bricks can be laid.

Alexandra House of Joy founder Rachael Scott-Hunter said: “We were over the moon to receive this very generous donation. It has given us such a boost, both in terms of reaching our target and also motivating us to push this project forward. The anonymous donor said they hoped their donation would help overcome the issue of grant requirements and hopefully inspire another donor to match what they have given.”

So far the charity has raised £808,000, and now they are urging Oxfordshire residents and businesses to help them raise more and reach their target. Mrs Scott-Hunter added: “We are desperate to see this dream become a reality and we really need the Oxfordshire community to get behind us.”

Alexandra House of Joy was set up in 2018 after Rachael and Ian Scott-Hunter witnessed first-hand the reduction in care provision for their daughter Alexandra. Although Alexandra sadly died in 2019, her parents have vowed to build the centre as her legacy.

Source: Cherwell Valley Today News, May 10th 2022