A CARE home group jointly owned by former Worcester solicitor Linton Connell has been sold in a deal worth more than £30 million.

St Cloud Care, which has its headquarters at Upton upon Severn, has been sold to a joint venture partnership between Golden House Ltd and Ravad Ltd, managed by financier Arnon Rubinstein.

The group comprises five establishments – The Boynes Care Centre at Upton upon Severn, Holmwood at Kidderminster with its adjoining Sandalwood independent living apartments, Chestnut View at Haslemere and Priory Court at Epsom, both in Surrey , and Stowford House at Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

The family-owned group was put up for sale due to the retirement of Mr Connell, who owned and operated the group jointly with his brother Philip. During the 1980s and 90s, Mr Connell ran his own law firm in the St John's area of Worcester before concentrating on the care home sector. He said: "St Cloud Care is an excellent business with a good reputation and a strong management team based at our head office at Upton on Severn. It was important for us to find a buyer who wanted to retain this function."

Acting on behalf of the Connell brothers, Sheffield-based Bespoke Care managed the “off market” sales process.

Philip Connell added: “The last thing we wanted was disruption to the day to day care operations and uncertainty for both staff and residents. Bespoke Care operated by Anita Allen was able to offer a discreet off market sales process that was ideal for our needs.”

Linton Connell said: “We would like to give special thanks to our advisors at Harrison Clark Rickerbys and Crowe Clark Whitehill, who steered the transaction to completion with exceptional professionalism.”

Richard Knight, partner and Nigel Horn, senior counsel of Worcester-based Harrison Clark Rickerbys, advised along with Andy Kay, Midlands corporate finance director at national audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill.

Mr Kay said: “The Connells have always taken great pride in creating a caring and friendly environment, with dedicated staff focused on delivering the highest standards, within a comfortable and safe environment for the elderly. Hopefully, following this transaction, staff and residents can rest assured as to their continued welfare.”