AN historic private residential care home in Chiddingfold is to close at the end of August.

Sydenhurst, a large country house set in 30 acres, was purchased by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain in 1949 to provide a safe haven for veterans and invalids unable to work.

The scheme received enthusiastic backing from Ukrainians who had made England their home after the Second World War and who raised £17,000 – equivalent to £1.3m today – to make the purchase possible.

Originally used for youth camps and TB patients requiring respite care, it gradually developed into a hostel for elderly Ukrainians and was registered as a residential care home in 1985. Sydenhurst, which accommodates 32 residents and cares for the elderly as well as those with physical debilities or dementia, was opened to non-Ukrainians in the 1990s.

Alternative care arrangements have been made for its current residents, many of whom came from the village or the surrounding area.

For full story, see this week's Haslemere Herald.