A £1.3m scheme providing homes for people with learning difficulties has been nominated for a national award, within a year of opening.
Oak Lodge in Attleborough, which opened last autumn after receiving backing from Norfolk County Council, has been shortlisted for a National Learning Disability and Autism Award.
The scheme provides housing for 12 people with learning disabilities in eight fully en-suite rooms and four self-contained one-bedroomed flats.
Within just two weeks of opening, Oak Lodge had already welcomed five people into their new homes.
Bosses said they had benefited from self-development by making friends, and learning to cook healthy, hearty food with support from technology and staff.
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Dave Shaw, operations director for Sanctuary Supported Living, said: "We’re tremendously proud of our colleagues for their dedication, kindness, and expertise, which together has made a significant improvement to the quality of life for people with learning disabilities.
"I’m hopeful that our award nominees - which includes both staff and customers - achieve the recognition they all deserve at the awards ceremony."
The judging of the Learning Disability and Autism Awards will take place in the second week of June, with the overall winners being announced at a celebratory gala event at the ICC in Birmingham on Friday, June 30.
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The success story comes at a time when the spotlight has been shone on the standards of care for people with autism and learning disabilities in Norfolk.
In January, three Norfolk residential homes for people with autism and learning disabilities - in Dereham and Felthorpe - were branded unsafe.
And in 2021, a major investigation into the deaths of three vulnerable people at the private Cawston Park hospital, which has now closed, revealed a string of failings.
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