RESIDENTS at an independent living facility in Enham Alamein made the best of being saddled with bad weather as they welcomed a very special guest to their ‘celebration of independent living’.

Ajax the shire horse from the City of London stopped by Coopers Chase, a residential facility run by Enham Trust, on Thursday, June 13.

Ajax is the official mascot of the Worshipful Company of Coopers, a livery company of the City of London, which helped to fund the building of Coopers Chase in 2011.

The day was billed as a celebration of the facility and was marked with a barbecue – despite the rain – and a meet-and-greet opportunity with the star of the show, Ajax.

Enham Trust chief executive officer, Heath Gunn, said: “We were very grateful to the Worshipful Company of Coopers for helping fund the building of Coopers Chase and it’s a great occasion to welcome Ajax to see it in action.

“Coopers Chase provides the perfect balance for residents to gain independence whilst being supported, which is such a key part of what we do at Enham Trust.”

Coopers Chase is a residential facility that offers ten individual flats to help its residents live more independently and develop essential living skills to help them transition into independent living accommodation.

The facility is now at full capacity and having made improvements following a review of the service 18 months ago, now has a waiting list for prospective residents.

Mr Gunn added: “Rather than focus on what people can’t do we want to focus on what people can do. It’s about taking the time to understand what people want and then working out how we achieve that.”