A CARE company which is creating up to 100 jobs has officially launched its training academy.

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones cut the ribbon at the new centre which is based at the Great Harwood headquarters of Townfield Care in Church Street.

It comes as the company is expanding its home care service to provide individually tailored care packages to enable older people to live in their own homes for longer.

The family-run business, owned by brothers Michael Timmins, 32, and John, 27, serves the Ribble Valley and Rossendale, as well as Hyndburn.

Mr Jones said: "Improving standards in home care is really important and it's good to see a strong focus on training and skills to provide these vital services.

"I welcome the work that John and Michael and their team at Townfield Care are doing through setting up this academy.

"Investing in people is really important, especially in an industry that involves personal care."

Established in 1975 by the Timmins' mother Maria, Townfield operates a 24-bed specialist dementia care home in Great Harwood and a smaller six-place residential home for the elderly in Rishton.

John Timmins said: "With people living longer and keen to stay in their own homes we have experienced a growing demand for home care.

"Everyone is different so we can tailor a care package to suit their needs, ranging from daily help and medical care to regular companionship visits or help with thing like going to the shops.

"What's crucial for us is that the standard of care we provide remains uniformly high, which is why we've established our own in-house Townfield Academy."

The training will be led by Carol Moreton, an experienced registered nurse who is also a qualified NVQ assessor and has previously worked as a staff training and development manager within East Lancashire Primary Care Trust.