"Even when it's busy, the staff always have time for all the guests"

I recently spent 11 days at Leuchie getting respite from my home environment. I have previously had 4 night breaks, however, I felt I needed more and because I enjoy going to Leuchie, I had no qualms about spending longer there. I have tried several respite homes, but I have found that 3 or 4 nights was my limit.

One of the reasons for Leuchie House being the best is their ethos. Guests come for holidays of 4, 7 or 11 nights. Everyone is an individual who just happens to need more help than others. An indication of the way that the staff think and their commitment to the "Leuchie Way" is shown in the fact that when the house was threatened with closure, due to losing funding, 70% of the staff stayed to work together to get it reopened again only a few months later.

The house itself was built in about 1799 and has extended over the years. Unusually for an old country house the corridors are easily wide enough for wheelchairs.

Although I just want to spend my time there in the beautiful grounds, which I feel are miles from anywhere, they organise trips for you to go on if you wish. They try to accommodate requests wherever possible. As well as trips there are other activities in the house ranging from quiz evenings to a visit from ZooLab.

Of course it's not just what you want to do that has options: the catering is always excellent with a varied menu. There are always two options, one of which is vegetarian, but if you don't like either, the cooks will offer something else. Whether you eat in the dining room, which always has a lively atmosphere, or in your room the food will taste delicious and you may well put on weight during your stay!

My recent holiday was very quiet and staff and guests were able to mingle more than usual and I spent a wonderful time getting to know new people and guests that I have met before.

Even when it's busy the staff always have time for all guests. The staff who speak to the guests are not just carers, but everyone from the boss down.

However, it is not just me that needs to benefit from my time at Leuchie. Although more used to it now, in the past my wife has found it difficult that she needs to take me to what she sees as an institution. I think the fact that Leuchie call staying there, “a holiday” is good too. The fact that I enjoy my stay there so much means that she is happier about leaving me there.