Ashley Care Group

Ashley George has successfully owned and operated Ashley Care Group since 2003. “We are a proud family-run company,” he explained. “The business, our staff and our residents are an important part of their local Norfolk communities.”

Ania George, co-owner of Ashley Care group and its finance director, said, “We are very hands on in the day-to-day running of the business. It means, as owners, we are committed to always improving and maintaining a ‘person-focused’ quality of life for all our residents.”

Thanks to their success, the business has seen sustainable growth, adding new wings to its Ailwyn Hall and Old Vicarage properties in the last few years, and expanding to its fourth care home, Hill Barn, in 2022.

Then, in 2023, the opportunity arose to purchase their fifth property, bringing their total number of beds to 179. The new care home, Church Farm, is situated in the charming seaside village and resort of Hemsby.

Having been Allica Bank customers since 2022, Ania and Ashley reached out to their Allica Bank relationship manager, Eugene Vichare, to see if he would be able to help them finance the new acquisition.

“A relationship manager, particularly in the care sector, can be so important when working with a bank on project like this,” Eugene said. “The amount of regulation and intricacies in the business can make it very challenging. That human interaction and understanding between me, Ashley and Ania – and my own care home sector expertise – can make a real difference.”

Talking about what the experience of getting a commercial mortgage with Allica was like, Ashley said, “funding the fifth care home with Allica was easy. It didn’t take much time for them to make a decision at all. I was especially pleased with the process – it only took six weeks, which is fantastic compared to my experience with other banks.”

As financial director, Ania was especially grateful for Eugene’s support: “I can honestly say I have never worked with a nicer, more understanding or more effective bank manager. Part of Ashley Care Group’s success is genuinely down to him.”