Garden pub opens at Haughgate House

The ribbon was cut to officially open The Haughgate Inn at Haughgate House nursing home by the Mayor of Woodbridge Eamon O’Nolan today.

The Mayor joined residents, relatives, the care team and invited guests at the home in Haugh Lane, Woodbridge, for a garden party to celebrate the opening.

The Haughgate Inn is the result of a much-loved project for the staff team and the residents who have built a bar and gathered some generous donations from pubs in the local area to really create the atmosphere of a friendly watering hole.

Haughgate House was once family home to the well-known local Cobbold family and the Inn has been decorated with pictures of the family as well as some historical background about the Cobbolds.

The family has prominent links to the brewing industry and were landowners in the Ipswich area since the 18^th century as well as providing several MPs for the area and five chairmen of Ipswich Town Football Club.

Home Manager Agnieska McDonald said, “We are delighted to be able to officially open The Haughgate Inn. Our residents love to have a trip out for a drink and we have also spent a lot of time making our gardens a wonderful place to spend time in – so what could be better than a pub in the garden?

“I want to thank everyone who has helped to bring the inn from just an idea into a reality and look forward to everyone enjoying spending time here over the summer and beyond.”

The Inn makes good use of the visiting pod which was put into the garden at the start of the pandemic and is fully equipped with heating and electricity. It will be used as a venue for lots of pub activities, meetings with friends and relatives or just for residents who may want to get out of the main house for a trip to the pub every so often.

Mr O’Nolan, who cut the ribbon to officially open The Haughgate Inn said he was delighted to visit the home and spend some time with the team, the residents and relatives.

He said, “ I work as a first responder so have been to Haughgate House a number of times over the years. It has been an honour and a privilege to come here as Woodbridge Mayor today and open The Haughgate Inn. It’s a pleasure to see the great efforts which have been made by the team here.”

Haughgate House is a warm and friendly home providing residential, nursing and specialist care in 42 rooms. It’s a beautiful home with a passionate team of carers where the residents are always the top priority and is rated Good by the CQC.

The home is part of the Healthcare Homes family of 48 care homes. The company is celebrating its eighth year as one of the UK’s leading care home providers as it has received a Top 20 Award from independent review site carehome.co.uk Haughgate House has a 9.4 out of 10 score with carehome.co.uk

Pip Rich