Care home celebrates first year in landmark Whitley Bay building

Bay View House – which started life in 1907 as The Waverley Hotel and later became the Rex Hotel – opened last year following a £12m renovation and refurbishment by the Prestwick Care Group. One of the first residents to move in was 86-year-old Valerie Brisbane – who was invited to help blow out the candles on the home’s first birthday cake. A keen fan of the late singer and actor Mario Lanza, Valerie – and the home’s 30 other residents also enjoyed a special live performance from Rat Pack-style singer, John Fletcher. The 86-bed home provides residential care, general nursing and residential dementia care and nursing - with four luxurious penthouse suites for residents who wish to be cared for while maintaining maximum independence. There is also a bar, cinema room, restaurant and hair salon -along with numerous lounges, family rooms for social events and entertainment or simply for quiet times. Many of the bedrooms and communal rooms have windows offering uninterrupted views of the sea front and St Mary’s Lighthouse to the north. Outdoor spaces and seating are also available where residents and visitors can enjoy sunny weather and clean sea air within the home’s courtyards, or at the secure fourth floor roof terrace. Prestwick Care is part of Malhotra Group. Chief executive Bunty Malhotra, said: “It has been one of my proudest achievements to bring this magnificent building back to life and to create a wonderful home for Valerie and all our other residents.”