The charity bought the property last year and has this week received permission to turn it into a residential home, providing support to people with down’s syndrome and other learning disabilities – as well as those who have nursing or special care needs such as early onset dementia.

The project, which will be known as Maison des Amis, presented a major challenge for the charity in terms of fundraising – with £7.5m raised to-date.

A further £5m is still needed, although Les Amis recently received a grant of £40,000 from the Jersey Community Foundation.

les amis Hampshire Hotel

Pictured: Les Amis bought the Hampshire Hotel last year for £3.3m.

Stewart Mourant MBE, Chair of the charity’s board of trustees, said: “We have been at the planning stage for this development for more than a year and now that we have received permission to go ahead, work can start on providing a facility that the island desperately needs.

“This is a new chapter in the Les Amis story, and we hope that more people will understand the importance of the work that we do.”

He added: “People with learning disabilities are entitled to the very best health care and specialist elderly care but to support our ambitions to provide it, we need to raise significant external financial support. The grant from the Jersey Community Foundation will go directly to making this project a success and our attention will now focus on further opportunities to secure grant or sponsorship support.”

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Pictured top: An illustration of what the new facility will look like. (Morris Architects)