Care home for Polish veterans could close in 2028
Ministry of Defence/Crown CopyrightA home for Polish veterans who served alongside British forces during World War Two could close in 2028, says a report by the Ministry of Defence.
The Ilford Park Polish Home at Stover, near Newton Abbot, Devon, was set up under the Polish Resettlement Act in 1947 as part of the Winston Churchill Promise that Britain would never forget its debt to Poland.
The MoD-owned property, known as Little Poland, opened in 1948. The MoD said numbers of residents with links to veterans had declined and a consultation had begun on its future.
"We are trying to increase residency. Sadly, with time, numbers inevitably fall," the MoD said. Consultation is due to end on 6 June.
Ilford Park, built on the site of a hospital for American casualties during the invasion of Normandy in 1944, hosted 600 Poles at its peak, but it currently houses 40 people.
The original care home fell into disrepair and a new one was opened in 1992, with Polish-speaking workers and a Polish priest.
Residents and served Polish food, and national holidays are celebrated.
A report by the MoD said the next step would be a review of occupancy next year, with closure expected by 2028 if there were not enough people living there to support a "viable community".
It said the MoD had plans to work with the charity sector and the local authority to source alternative accommodation for the remaining residents if required, funded by the MoD.
It added: "Where possible, there should be an attempt by the new provider to recreate the Poland-specific nature of the Ilford Park Polish Home."
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.
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