Littlehampton & Rustington Housing Society offered guided tours of the new Booker Hall and Rustington Hall Nursing and Care Home at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, May 24.
The hall, in Station Road, Rustington, has a spacious main room with fully-equipped kitchen, separate meeting / training room and office space for hire.
Sue Holland, society president, said: "Various members of the board, over the years, have been talking about redoing the Booker Hall, replacing it, and I congratulate the current board members because they have taken the courage to actually do it. I am sure you will all really enjoy your new premises. I hope it is going to be very well used."
Before cutting the ribbon, she spoke of the benefits of the new hall, as well as the new sheltered housing flats and laundry with clothes drying area, which have replaced the former laundry building.
Sally Morris, chief executive, invited guests in to view the hall, which is within the grounds of the Oakhurst Gardens retirement village of sheltered housing flats.
She said the official opening of the new community hall, office accommodation and three sheltered housing flats marked a significant milestone in the organisation’s history.
The name of the new hall pays tribute to Percy Booker, a key figure in the area’s social history. A founding member of Littlehampton Rotary Club in 1923, Percy purchased Rustington Hall in 1948 to serve as a ‘Home for Old People’. He used his own home and assets as collateral to secure the necessary funding, with support from fellow Rotarians, some of whom also bought shares in the venture.
Sally said: “We were lucky to have tracked down some of Percy Booker’s relatives who joined us on the opening.
"Rustington Hall came with substantial grounds, and Booker used the land to create sheltered housing – now known as Oakhurst Gardens. In 1966, a communal hall was built on the site and named Booker Hall in recognition of his service to the community.
"Decades later, with the original hall showing signs of age, the LRHS trustees approved plans for a purpose-built replacement. Construction began in November 2023 and was completed in April this year.
"The new development not only enhances the facilities available to residents but also continues Percy Booker’s enduring legacy of care and community support in Rustington.”
The society, a not-for-profit charitable organisation, has been providing quality care and housing since 1948, in both Rustington Hall and Oakhurst Gardens.
There was an urgent need for more sheltered housing units, the society said, as the current waiting list has an average wait time of five years.
5. Booker Hall
The official opening of Booker Hall by Littlehampton and Rustington Housing Society Photo: SR Staff SR2505261