A FAMILY company that runs four care homes in the region has been sold to Avery Healthcare.

Supreme Care Homes, which was founded in 1970 by the Pickersgill family, said there would be no job losses and the changeover would be as smooth as possible.

Supreme is now a subsidiary of Avery Healthcare, which has care homes in Northampton, Bradford and Chester.

Avery is backed by investment group Graphite Capital, which has pledged £23m of funding for the company to expand.

Its acquisition of Supreme gives it a foothold in the North-East market.

A statement from Supreme said its long history of care would continue under the new ownership.

The group operates four homes: Stanton Hall and Ventress Hall care homes, in Darlington; The Terrace, in Richmond, North Yorkshire; and Kings Court, in Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Its sister company, Supreme Home Services, also offers support to older people wanting to stay in their homes, from branches in Darlington, Loftus, east Cleveland, and Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

John Strowbridge, managing director of Avery Healthcare, said: "We are very excited to take over the mantle of such a well-known and respected company.

"I know it was a very difficult decision for the Pickersgills to hand over Supreme.

"As always, the wellbeing of the valued residents and staff was of paramount importance and a great deal of time, thought and consideration went into the changeover process to ensure it was seamless and successful for all.

"Avery was attracted to Supreme due to the natural synergy between the two companies.

"We share the principal value of high-quality and will continue to uphold the strong tradition of a caring and family environment, where residents and staff are recognised and valued equally.

"Supreme is the ideal complement to the existing Avery portfolio.

"During the next few months, we will be assessing Supreme and working closely with professionals and the team in place to ensure we consistently build on Supreme's strengths and that all concerned continue to be delighted with the changeover."

A statement from Supreme said that other than a change in shareholders, it would be business as usual.