A BUSINESS run by two sisters for 30 years has been sold.

Queens Lodge Nursing Home, a purpose-built centre for 40 residents, was sold by Fleur and Elizabeth Wilkins to businessman Anthony Massouras for an undisclosed fee at the end of April.

The Haslingden Road, Blackburn, home was built in the early 1990s by Rod Wilkins and has been operated and managed by members of the family ever since.

Fleur and Elizabeth Wilkins confirmed their decision to sell the home was in order to pursue retirement plans.

Fleur said: “After 30 years of owning and managing Queens Lodge, it was a big decision to sell but we are confident that, in Anthony, we have found a buyer who shares our ethos of high quality care and who will maintain the excellent standards."

According to his Companies House profile, Mr Massouras, the majority owner of Constantia Healthcare, has operated and managed several businesses around the country.

He currently holds directorship roles with Yorkshire-based Fern Holdings Limited, Constantia Healthcare Group Limited, and Middlesbrough-based Constantia Healthcare Limited.

He is known to operated at least one other facility, Longlands Care Home, in Daventry.

He said: “I was immediately drawn to the home by the potential to build on a well-run, quality care driven operation where the owners and I shared the same vision of care.

“Queens Lodge has delivered consistent levels of care in a kind and professional manner for decades through a mixture of its motivated, empathetic, and talented work force and, of course, the overall stewardship of the Wilkins family.

“Christie and Co, alongside Knight Frank and Shawbrook Bank’s specialist healthcare team – who took an entrepreneurial approach to structuring the debt facility and provided excellent guidance throughout the negotiations – pulled out all the stops to ensure this deal was completed successfully and I am grateful to them all for their efforts.

“Moving forward, I am now both pleased and excited to take ownership of Queen’s Lodge Nursing Home and I wish both former owners health and happiness in their retirement.”

Many of Mr Massouras’ previous directorship appointments have been with drug and alcohol rehabilitation services.

The sale of the nursing home, which was rated ‘good’ in its last Care Quality Commission report, was orchestrated through specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co.