Homecare agency Universal Care, serving Beaconsfield, the Chilterns and the South East, has been gifted to a charitable trust, thanks to the company's founder, Peter Cullimore.

The business was set up by Peter Cullimore and his late wife Gillian in 1986, with the main objective of providing care for people in their own homes rather than in retirement or nursing homes or hospital.

Peter Cullimore commented: “It has always been my concern that Universal Care continues to provide its own special brand of personal care and companionship long after I am gone. So many past and present members of staff, along with Gillian and I, put in a lot of effort to ensure how the agency developed, and I don't want this to be lost.”

On 1 May 2015, Peter gifted his shares in Universal Care to the King/Cullimore Charitable Trust with an associated contract to ensure that the business continues to operate with the same ethos and values in the future.

The Trust was set up and has been chaired by Peter since 1998, during which time it has made donations to local, national and international charities exceeding £4 million. An additional and very important advantage of the gift is that the Charitable Trust will be able to distribute more money to charities than it has in the past.

Universal Care will continue to run unchanged under the Chairmanship of Peter Cullimore and in the trusted hands of managing director Trudi Scrivener, who joined three years ago with over 25 years' experience in the care business.

Trudi Scrivener said: “Peter's hard work and dedication over the years has enabled the people in our care to live an independent and dignified life in their own homes. His generosity now ensures we can continue to provide this level of care long into the future.”