About Abbeyfield

Mission and Values

Mission 

It's Abbeyfield's mission to enhance the quality of life for older people. We aim to provide a service which offers a home for life integrated in a local community with high quality accommodation and a stimulating environment to maintain a socially active community that will directly benefit the mind, body and soul.

Values 

Abbeyfield delivers excellent care to its residents and intrinsic to this, are our values. These values underpin our care. Our residents and regulators expect our Trustees, Executive Committee, staff and volunteers to be:

• Caring – as an organisation we encourage and support new ideas from our residents, volunteers and staff, and by learning through discussion we appreciate each others’ differences and will adopt suggestions which improve the service that we provide.
• Open – we encourage and support new ideas from residents, volunteers and staff and will adapt to suggestions which improves the service that Abbeyfield provides.
• Honest – as individuals, we will each lead by example so that residents, volunteers and staff will have confidence in the integrity of Abbeyfield.
• Respectful – respect is something we understand we have to earn. We earn it not only by valuing each other as individuals, and valuing each others views, beliefs and background, but also by working hard to develop relationships with our residents, volunteers, staff and the communities in which we operate.

What makes us different 

Abbeyfield believes in making time for older people. For us, that means engagement with our residents, whether making the time to have a chat or to listen without worry of time pressure.

We offer this to our residents due to the charitable nature of our organisation meaning we have thousands of volunteers, like Shoyaine who volunteered as part of a digital inclusion project, across our homes that work in conjunction with our staff to allow us to provide that little bit extra.

Our homes also interact with their local community to enhance the lives of our residents through activities and interactions aimed to be enjoyed by residents and offer mutual benefit to people local to Abbeyfield.

Our People

Abbeyfield's well-earned reputation for providing excellent care services and facilities is mainly thanks to the exceptional people - management, staff and volunteers - who have joined our cause. Here is the team leading Abbeyfield

Our History 

The first Abbeyfield house was established in 1956 by Richard Carr-Gomm. He recognised that a lot of older people were living alone and felt isolated in their communities. He wanted to provide them with a safe and secure home where they could find friendship and support.

Soon after purchasing a house in Bermondsey and inviting two residents to move in, he had purchased five more properties and formally set up The Abbeyfield Society. Before long, volunteers around the county had formed their own societies and the dream of a nationwide charity providing high-quality housing, support and companionship in later life had become a reality.

From those humble beginnings, we have developed facilities that include over 500 homes with committed staff and over 4,000 volunteers in the UK.

How We are Structured 

Abbeyfield is a membership organisation, with The Abbeyfield Society being its largest society and the one managing the direction of the charity. 

The combination of the properties managed by The Abbeyfield Society, its other UK societies and the International Member Societies are collectively known as the Abbeyfield movement.

The movement has homes across the UK and in six other countries worldwide, (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Jersey, South Africa and New Zealand) giving us the ability to operate genuinely local services but with a national and international reach of over 800 homes.

Abbeyfield's, wherever they are, aim to put something back into their communities. Our staff and volunteers nurture localism and this coupled with wide-ranging skills and expertise from a range of industries and professions allows us to provide the best service to our residents and makes our houses community hubs.

Find an Abbeyfield in the UK

Abbeyfield has a mix of housing types from Independent Living through to Dementia care, across the UK.

Find an Abbeyfield near you   

How you can get involved with Abbeyfield

Abbeyfield's charitable aims live on today, and you can help support us. You can join us as a volunteer or support through donating. See how you can get involved with Abbeyfield and help us enrich the lives of older people. 

Annual Reports

Our Annual Review	Value For Money Statement	Abbeyfield Accounts 2017