An Andover care home has praised a joinery firm which helped provide their residents with a booth to see their families.

SB Joinery, based in Middle Wallop, constructed a visiting booth for Clifford House, located on Alexandra Road, to allow the family of residents to sit behind a screen and see their families while remaining Covid-safe.

The residents have found the new booth “overwhelming” as they get to see their loved ones in person once more.

Emma Lettin, Activities Co-Ordinator at Clifford House, said that the booth was “a masterpiece.”

She told the Advertiser: “The team from SB Joinery were a true credit to the company and showed great support. They have truly made our residents and their families extremely happy.”

The idea initially came about following a meeting between staff at the home. Like many care homes, Clifford House has had to impose restrictions on visiting to protect their residents from Covid-19. In the summer, this meant using an outdoor gazebo, but as colder conditions have come in, a new solution was needed.

They settled on the idea of a visiting booth, and asked SB Joinery if they could work on it. The firm said it had “no hesitation” in agreeing to the plans, with three members of staff giving up their time to build it over the course of a week.

Simone Begg, from SB Joinery, said that they were “so proud to do something to make people smile.”

“My family live in Manchester,” she said, “and I haven’t seen my mum in nine months. The opportunity to let someone else see theirs, and make people smile, is worth it.”

Since being delivered yesterday (November 17), the booth has already had its first use, with Clifford House looking forward to welcoming many more.

The home is not the first in Andover to have a visiting booth, with Rothsay Grange Care Home installing a ‘pod’ at the start of this month.