The boss of a fast-growing family-owned care group has expressed delight after it snapped up its eighth home in East Anglia.

Roger Catchpole of Stow Healthcare says he now has his sights set on turning Horkesley Manor, near Colchester, into one of the best care homes in the area.

The home - previously owned by care group Larchwood Care - was acquired for an undisclosed sum.

The residential and dementia care home is registered for 73 residents and is set in "stunning" gardens, said its new owners.

East Anglian Daily Times:

The award-winning company - which only recently took over Manson House, a flagship care home previously owned by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) - is owned and run by brother-and-sister team Roger Catchpole and Ruth French.

Others in the group include Brandon Park and Ford Place in Thetford and Stowlangtoft Hall, near Bury St Edmunds - all three of which are rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The Catchpole family has a record of upgrading the homes it owns across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. All are rated either outstanding or good by the CQC.

Mr Catchpole expressed delight at the latest acquisition, and said they were "excited" to welcome it to the group.

“Stow Healthcare strives to be the premier residential, nursing, and memory care provider in the East of England," he said.

"As we move through the next phase, we look forward to getting to know residents, staff, and families.

"With the support of Essex County Council, the Care Quality Commission, and the local community, I am confident that we can turn Great Horkesley Manor into one of the best care homes in the area.”

Stow Healthcare, which was founded in Stowlangtoft in 2010 by the Catchpole family, delivers care to more than 400 residents.