Collapsed Lanarkshire care home given future thanks to £2.5 million deal

Willie, Sam and Caroline McDonald, owners of Bellerose Care, have bought the 49-bedroom Bankhouse Care Home in Lesmahagow after it went into administration.

The family, who also own Shandon Loch, have a decades-long history of transforming the fortunes of care homes across Scotland, saving hundreds of jobs and vital care places.

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Willie, a former nurse, said: “We bought our first care home 27 years ago because it was failing and we had a genuine desire to save the home and jobs. We turned it around and that led to us buying a second and so on.

“Care homes fail for a reason so first we must identify if we think it’s saveable. We tend to get a feeling very quickly if it will be a right fit. Bankhouse has a great platform already. We have come in and just given it the support and guidance it needs to push forward.

“We will improve all aspects of Bankhouse by investing in the environment itself and improving the already very good service it provides,” he added.

Michelle Wilson, relationship manager at Unity Trust Bank, which provided the refinance package, added “The McDonald family and their team are doing a fantastic job and we’re delighted to provide the funding for Bankhouse. As a social impact bank we support a range of frontline organisations that strengthen communities.”