News

Seashell Trust has opened the doors to a state-of-the-art residential home for its college students with profound disabilities.

Trustees from the ACT Foundation officially opened Gostling House, a twin two-bedroom large bungalow named after one of its former chairs.

The grant-making charity, which generates investment income from a property portfolio, donated £500,000 towards the appeal for the new houses.

They are part of the £10million strategic housing development of 17 four-bedroom residential homes and a campus-wide redevelopment of the Seashell Trust, its special school, college, sports facilities and residential houses.

Jim Kerr, chief operating officer of the ACT Foundation, said: “The ACT Foundation is delighted to be able to support this transformational project redeveloping the Seashell Trust student campus facilities. We have followed the work of the SeashelI Trust for a number of years as the site masterplan was completed.

“It is particularly fitting that we are able to name the transition house Gostling House in honour of Edward Gostling, president emeritus of The ACT Foundation, who has advocated support of the project as the masterplan developed.

“Gostling House will facilitate Seashell Trust college graduates to transition into independent living. This matches with our own focus on the transition that young disabled people make from education to adult life.”

Mark Geraghty, chief executive of Seashell Trust, said: “Gostling House will have a momentous impact on the life journeys of the Trust’s students; furnishing them with unparalleled skills in a home-from-home environment, to facilitate their effective transition to future adult communities and ultimately live independently.”