Soft light, calm sight, Spring Meadow feels right
There are buildings that hold people, and then there are buildings that hold space for people. Spring Meadow is the latter, and its gentle light tells you that the moment you step inside.
The first thing you notice when you walk into Spring Meadow is the light. It pours in through the large skylights, settles softly across the open-plan living area and flows through to the garden outside. Even before the service officially opens, the space already feels lived in. It feels ready.
Spring Meadow is Progress’ newest short breaks service, designed for young people and adults who need stability, meaningful support and a place to recharge. It is the next chapter for the extensively impactful Stourbridge House, which has long been the heart of Progress’ respite provision. But after years of growth, the demand for short breaks has outgrown the current building. Progress now supports upwards of 50 families each month and provides between 150 and 180 nights of support. The move to a larger, purpose-built home was no longer a future plan. It became a necessity.
For Phil McDonald, Head of Adult Services, Spring Meadow is the natural next step in a journey shaped almost entirely by the people who use the service.
“Our short breaks are a lifeline for families,” he said. “They give carers room to breathe. They give young people a safe and supportive environment to build confidence and explore independence. Spring Meadow gives us the space to continue doing that with the level of quality we believe in.”
Designed by the people who will stay there
Progress has long understood that the success of a service is built in the details. The shape of a room. The colour of a wall. The presence of a chair that allows someone to sit alone when they want quiet. These small choices can make a space feel welcoming or overwhelming.
Because of that, the young people and families who currently use Progress short breaks have helped shape Spring Meadow from the start. They chose colour schemes, looked at furniture options and guided decisions about how communal areas should be laid out. Many of those choices are visible the moment you walk in.
“Not everybody wants to sit close to others,” Phil said, looking around the main living space. “So we created zones. People can gather in the centre or find a corner that feels calmer. These are insights we learned over many years at Stourbridge House, and we brought all those lessons here.”
The space is intentionally warm, not clinical. Every part of it has been planned with genuine use in mind. Even visiting managers from across Progress have reacted with a mix of admiration and playful jealousy. The natural light, the generous rooms and the sense of openness have created something that feels refreshing in a sector where many buildings struggle to offer that atmosphere.
A favourite room and a heart of the home
Phil’s favourite part of Spring Meadow is the main communal room. It is the first room you see when you step inside and will become the hub of daily life once the service opens. It has enough space for activity, creativity and quiet moments, and it opens straight onto the garden.
“It feels like the heart of the home,” he said. “I can already picture people cooking, relaxing, playing games and spending time outdoors. It is a space that will evolve with the people who use it.”
Spring Meadow is built for eight people at a time, with large communal areas and a wide outdoor space that will grow into something even more meaningful. Plans include a kitchen garden and workshop-style activities that support sensory engagement, wellbeing and hands-on learning. It is not just a larger service. It is a service with room to evolve.
“It is a base for more than overnight breaks,” Phil explained. “In the long run, this space will allow different types of support to run from here, inside and outside. It will give people room to explore skills that help them build independence.”
That focus on independence is central to adult services at Progress. Short breaks are often the first step in a young person’s journey toward adulthood. For some, it marks the beginning of decisions about living arrangements, daily routines or future goals. For others, it provides the stability needed to remain at home. Many families describe short breaks as the reason they can continue caring safely and sustainably.
“It can be a launch pad,” Phil said. “Everyone’s journey looks different, but what is consistent is that short breaks give people space to make informed choices about their life.”
A new area, new opportunities
Spring Meadow sits just five minutes from Stourbridge House, but it crosses into a new local authority area. That small shift matters. It opens the door for more families to access Progress support and introduces a modern, bespoke service in a community that has not had this type of provision before.
Staff are now completing the final round of checks and finishing touches. Progress will not open the doors until everything is exactly as it should be. The snagging lists are still active, the final pieces of furniture are being positioned and the team is making sure the environment feels perfect before any young person stays overnight.
“We want it to feel right from the very first moment,” Phil said. “People deserve that.”
Spring Meadow is nearly ready. When the doors open, families, carers and professionals will walk into a space that has been shaped by their voices, informed by their experiences and designed with the future in mind.
It is more than a new building. It is the next chapter in a service built on warmth, creativity and the belief that everyone deserves a place where they feel safe, supported and able to grow.