Retirement Villages Group (RVG) has offered its vacant facilities to NHS staff to support them during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The offer seeks to help house NHS staff who require temporary accommodation to free up critical beds and support medical staff to self-isolate during the crisis.

The facilities that are vacant include RVG’s 81 apartments and cottages at Debden Grange, its newest village near Saffron Walden, Essex, and a further ten recently completed cottages at Lime Tree Village in Warwickshire. 

RVG has also created Community Connect – a virtual community group for its residents and the community to remain connected, keeping in line with the government’s social distancing ruling.

Will Bax (pictured), chief executive at RVG, said: “These are unprecedented times. We are focused on doing what we can to support our communities and enable the NHS and its amazing people to save lives.”

He added: “Retirement villages exist to help older people to live better lives. We have been forced to pivot our services in the past few weeks to ensure we can keep our residents as safe and supported as possible. Never has this work been more important than it is now. However, we’re also looking for the silver lining and how we can ensure that communities come through the crisis stronger and more united than ever.”