SMILE hope to repurpose the vacant former Canderavon nursing home – and have been boosted with the award of new funding to install a Changing Places toilet
The Lanarkshire charity working to transform a derelict former Stonehouse nursing home into a respite retreat centre for children with disabilities has shared a first look at design images of their plans.
SMILE has applied to take on the vacant Canderavon building under a community asset transfer from South Lanarkshire Council – and their proposals include creating inclusive outdoor play and indoor sensory areas, along with meeting and support spaces catering for a wide range of community uses.
The children’s charity has also just been awarded Changing Places toilets funding from the Scottish Government to install fully accessible facilities at the centre, which representatives say will be “hugely significant” in helping to meet the needs of visiting families.
Artists’ impressions show how a redeveloped building could look following the charity’s planned £1.5 million transformation – showcasing potential layouts and accessibility improvements, play spaces and equipment, plus meeting spaces and family support areas “designed to be calm, welcoming and adaptable”.
The designs have been developed following consultation with professionals and the families helped by the Lanarkshire charity, which supports young people aged under 25 who have disabilities or serious illnesses.
Charity founder Wendy Meek told the Hamilton Advertiser: “Our plans for the centre are really coming together now. We’ve spent a long time listening to families and designing a space that genuinely meets their needs, and Canderavon has the potential to become a vital hub for families of children with disabilities and serious illness across South Lanarkshire.”
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Pictures of the proposed play zones show inclusive indoor and outdoor spaces, with the charity saying: “The final sensory play zone space will be designed to support children with a wide range of physical, sensory and neurodiverse needs, offering calm, engaging and adaptable play experiences; the design reflects SMILE’s commitment to inclusive play where children of all abilities can play together safely and confidently.
“The finished centre will include a fully inclusive outdoor play zone with step-free access, wheelchair-friendly surfaces and equipment designed to support children with complex needs – intended to be a safe, stimulating space for play, fresh air and family time.”
Exterior images show “an early visual impression of how the former Canderavon building could be transformed into a welcoming, inclusive community hub [providing] fully accessible facilities designed to support children with disabilities, serious illness and their families, alongside wider community use.
“Proposed communal meeting and support hubs will be flexible, accessible spaces designed for family support sessions, peer groups, wellbeing activities and a wide variety of community uses; the final layout will allow the building to adapt to changing needs and maximise its value to the wider South Lanarkshire community.”
SMILE has been working since last year to take over the former nursing home, with the official community asset transfer application being submitted to South Lanarkshire Council in October and a decision on their plans due to be made in spring – and the charity saying they are “extremely hopeful of a positive decision”.
The charity’s work was boosted by this week’s Changing Places funding from the Scottish Government – becoming the only South Lanarkshire recipient in the latest funding round – with SMILE saying it “represents a significant step forward in [our] vision to transform Canderavon into a fully inclusive respite and family support hub serving hundreds of families each year”.
Changing Places toilets are described as going “far beyond standard accessible toilets”, providing specialist equipment including a height-adjustable changing bench and celling hoist plus vital additional space.
Wendy said: “This funding is hugely significant for SMILE and for the families we support. If we are successful in securing Canderavon, the Changing Places toilet will be a transformational addition to the centre and will ensure that children, young people and adults with complex care needs, and their families, can access the building with dignity, comfort and confidence, knowing their most basic needs are fully met.
“For many families, the absence of facilities like this is the single biggest barrier to getting out into the community, so this funding represents real, practical inclusion.”
Wendy and husband Stephen established SMILE in 2024 in memory of their son Justin, who had a life-limiting genetic condition and who died aged just 10 on a family holiday to Florida in September 2014.
Their youngest daughter, 14-year-old Charlotte, has a similar rare and undiagnosed condition which causes underlying health issues. She has joined with her parents in working to support the charity, helping to open its fundraising shops in Larkhall and Hamilton and attending November’s glittering ball at Crossbasket Castle which raised £16,000 towards the retreat plans.
SMILE – which provides a range of support to children with disabilities and their families, including a programme of holistic therapies for carers – has gained community backing for their project in Stonehouse, last year launching a community survey to gather support for their asset transfer application.
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