Alison Harrison joins the team at Leamington retirement village Austin Heath

Alison Harrison has been appointed Village Manager at Austin Heath, a retirement community with a focus on supporting wellness, located on the outskirts of Leamington Spa and operated by Inspired Villages.

 
Alison joins Austin Heath from the hospitality industry where she worked for leading hotel management company Kew Green Hotels for six years, holding senior positions including General Manager for Residence Inn by Marriott (Kensington), General Manager for Holiday Inn (Walsall) and General and Regional Manager for Ibis Styles (Birmingham Airport NEC). Alison’s excellent leadership skills, keen focus on customer satisfaction, and business acumen make her an invaluable addition to Austin Heath and the wider Inspired Villages family.

 
Having joined Austin Heath in the early days of the outbreak of COVID-19 within the UK, Alison has already shown exceptional leadership in a fast-moving situation. Alison and her team are:

• Working with local providers to get hold of grocery essentials for residents, which are then delivered to residents’ doors
• Calling every resident every day to ensure they are well and help combat loneliness
• Organising activities with appropriate social distancing, such as walks and dance sessions in Austin Heath’s extensive grounds, so residents do not feel isolated. 

Alison’s team have also contributed engaging content to Inspired Villages’ Virtual Village Centre on Facebook. This resource, available to all Inspired Villages residents as well as the wider public, provides home exercise videos created by the villages’ wellness navigators, recipes provided by Austin Heath’s head chef, gardening tips from Inspired Villages’ Head of Horticulture and much more to help over 65s combat isolation during this period of lockdown.

 
Commenting on Alison’s appointment, Tom Lord, Chief Operating Officer at Inspired Villages, said: 

“I’m delighted to welcome Alison to the Inspired Villages family as Village Manager at Austin Heath. Inspired Villages is focused on the holistic wellbeing of residents, and Alison’s years of experience in the hospitality industry make her a great fit for the role of leading the Austin Heath village team. I have been particularly impressed with how she has adapted quickly to the unprecedented situation society finds itself in due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Alison, her team, and the teams in all our villages have gone above and beyond to help keep our residents safe.”

Alison Harrison, Village Manager at Austin Heath, added: 

“It is exciting to be working for leading retirement living operator Inspired Villages as their ethos of building communities focused on improving wellbeing resonates strongly with me. I am enjoying getting to know Austin Heath’s residents and am proud to be part of the support network helping them through these difficult times.” 

Austin Heath offers 106 stylish and age-appropriate one to two-bed apartments within a vibrant community located on the outskirts of Leamington Spa. In normal times, residents would have access to the state-of-the-art communal facilities including a bar, restaurant, spa, gym, library, cinema and event space. There is also the added option of flexible, on-site care provided by a third party, Bluebird Care.