Local Healthcare Company Celebrates 25th Birthday

A family-owned specialist healthcare and rehabilitation provider that has been in the region for a quarter of a century has marked its milestone anniversary by giving itself a brand new name.

Celebrating its 25^th year in business, Whickham Villa LLP based in Gateshead will now be known as Keiro.

It has been renamed to reflect its core values, the change of services carried out by its team at its award-winning existing facility and to encompass its planned expansion and service vision for the future.

Keiro’s innovative services will include both Chase Park Neuro Centre in Whickham and The Gateway in Middlesbrough, which is a £8m project currently underway that will create over 100 jobs. Both services will support people’s journey towards independence while recovering from serious brain and spinal injuries and living well in the community with long term neurological conditions and other complex needs.

Boda Gallon, Chief Executive at Keiro, said: “We are incredibly humbled to have reached such a significant milestone as it represents 25 years of our team consistently delivering support services to people in the community.

“As the business has grown and evolved over the years, it was the ideal time to give the name a new lease of life to reflect our current dynamic transition. Keiro is the Japanese word for ‘Journey/Pathway’, which is exactly what our integrated and collaborative services are all about today. We provide people and their families with a pathway of outstanding care, support and neuro-rehabilitation with the ultimate goal of providing as independent a life as possible.

“We are extremely proud of our heritage and achievements to date and are very much looking forward to what Keiro will stand for over the next 25 years and beyond,” added Boda.

The company, which employs around 100 people, is planning various initiatives to ensure all its clients, staff, friends, service partners and stakeholders are involved in the birthday celebrations.

Chase Park Neuro Centre is recognised as one of the UK’s leading neuro-rehabilitation facilities and an expert in ‘step forward rehabilitation’ that aims to get people back into the community and living with greater independence.

Keiro shares close ties with several charities including Headway - the brain injury association, Arthritis Care, the MS Society, the North East Motor Neurone Disease Trust and the Percy Hedley Foundation to name a few.

The company recently hosted the free Chase Park Music festival in Gateshead. Aimed at including people of all ages and abilities, breaking down barriers and cultural stereotypes associated with people with disabilities, the event attracted thousands of festival goers to see some of the region’s finest up and coming artists.