This year, residents and staff are excited to celebrate 40 years of Country Court through a range of themed activities.
In June, each home marked this exciting milestone with a ‘Back to the 80s’ themed party, the decade in which it all began. Residents have also enjoyed spending time outdoors gardening to impress the judges in our annual gardening competition, Country Court in Bloom, which this year was dedicated to celebrating our 40th anniversary.
To mark this very special occasion, we wanted to reminisce on where our journey first began back in 1983.
Country Court is a family-run business and was founded by Roshan Bogha and our current Chairman Abdul Kachra in 1983. Roshan was a nurse working for the NHS, while her sister Naila and husband Abdul Kachra ran a grocer in Wolverhampton, Birmingham.
One morning, while Abdul was wrapping meat for a customer using Dalton’s Weekly newspaper, he noticed an advert for an old farmhouse in a village he had never heard of. Looking closer, the old farmhouse was a care home which had been struggling financially. When Roshan returned from her shift at the hospital, Abdul and Naila sat with her to discuss this new opportunity. All in agreement, they viewed the care home in Holbech, Lincolnshire. It was a significant change from their current life, but with Roshan’s background in care, they fell in love with the idea of looking after elderly people in such a peaceful setting.
They uprooted their lives to pursue a new passion in a new location and in 1983 Beech Lodge became Country Court’s first care home. Led by kindness, compassion and dignity, Beech Lodge’s fortunes changed, and its reputation soon grew, along with the residents and families who chose Country Court to care for their loved ones.
In 2009, Country Court was excited to take the next step and acquired a portfolio of care homes in the East of England, which was a significant milestone. The new acquisition allowed Country Court to expand its services, helping more communities access quality care services.
Celebrations at Beech Lodge Care Home
Throughout the past four decades, Country Court has consistently developed and adapted its services to ensure every individual in their communities receives the best care and support they deserve. Country Court’s evolution reflects a deep understanding of their residents' physical, emotional and social needs. Over the years the Kachra family have, and continue to work hard to push the boundaries in the care industry to deliver the highest standard of care in luxurious environments, evident in the recent addition to Country Court, Hermitage House in Thrapston.
The new 67-bed care home has been the talk of the town with its state-of-the-art facilities which include a Bamboo Bar, Private Dining, Cinema, and Market Place all led by the compassionate and caring staff who worked hard to deliver the kind of care we’d all want our loved ones to receive.
Country Court’s ‘Caring with Food’ initiative run by Country Court’s Hospitality team is another example of the standards set by the Kachra family who have challenged the perceptions of food within the care industry by bringing fine dining to their residents through their award-winning chefs. Chef Steven Ireland won Chef of the Year at the Great British Care Award in 2020, whilst others even have a background in top Michelin star restaurants.
The high-quality food offering is also evident at Country Courts' annual cooking competitions, Country Court Bake Off and Chef of the Year, which provides staff with the opportunity to showcase their talents and passion for food to a panel of judges. In 2022 Country Court Bake Off was thrilled to be joined by Chef Claire Clark, who had appeared as a judge in the first series of BBC’s Bake Off.
40 years later, Country Court is known for its award-winning care services and has received several accolades over the years. The group, now consisting of 36 homes, has won awards for its innovative approach to care and its commitment to providing high-quality services to its residents.
“As a family, we are so proud of what we have achieved. Over the years we have been there to support many families and have built up close relationships with those we care for. Our staff members are at the heart of everything we do, and they work hard to deliver the highest standards of care for our residents and their loved ones. We are grateful for all the communities who have welcomed us over the years and are proud to have retained our family-led approach to ensure our care homes are just that, a home.”
Party celebrations at Beech Lodge
As a leading care home group, Country Court is proud to have been awarded the TOP 20 ‘Large Group’ Award for the eighth consecutive year by Carehome.co.uk. Looking ahead to the future, County Court strives to continue to provide exceptional care services to its residents and local communities and continues to lead with a family-first approach with Abdul’s sons, Alykhan Kachra and Al-Karim Kachra, now leading the future pathway in the care industry as CO-CEO’S for Country Court.
As we celebrate this milestone, we join in honouring the dedication and passion of the entire Country Court team, whose commitment has touched the lives of so many.
