THE foundation stone for a 120- bedroom care home at Old Sarum has been laid.

County Cabinet member for adult care Keith Humphries unveiled the stone in front of members of the construction team, the development team and The Order of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) on Thursday.

The care home, which is being built for OSJCT, is just one of 18 currently managed by the trust in Wiltshire.

In his speech before the unveiling, Cllr Humphries said it was “a day of celebration”, not just for the laying of the foundation stone, but for the strong partnership between the council and the OSJCT.

Don Wood, chairman of the trustees for OSJCT, said: “None of this would have happened without the help of the council.

“We are delighted that years with the council have resulted in the prospect of a 21st century home for old people.”

The care home, due to be completed in February 2016, is part of a larger scheme to rebuild older care homes in the area that are in decline and relocate residents to these new builds.

Two existing homes, Bemerton Lodge and Stratford Court, are to be closed and residents moved.

There are similar projects managed by the trust currently being built in Warminster and Devizes.

Newly-appointed assistant operations director for the trust Robin Khokhar said: “We are very pleased with the progress so far. The care home will enhance the quality of life of our residents with more rooms and increased staffing numbers.”

Mr Khokhar also added that special nursing for dementia was to be introduced and the improvements would enable residents to do more, stay active and be more independent.

Cllr Humphries concluded by highlighting how important the project has become due to the increasing pressure on social care, the rise in the number of over-65s and the growing number of cases of dementia.