History

In 1951 a new development was taking place on the corner of City Road and Corton Road where St Marks Vicarage had stood prior to being bombed during the 2nd World War. It was being built following a public appeal from the Free Church Council to provide the first purpose built voluntary run home for older people in England.

The idea for Corton House came after an Eventide Home in Chester Place had been so successful that it was decided to raise funds to build on the bombed site.

A Management Committee which included The Reverend and Mrs Sydney Myers was appointed and Youngs of Norwich Builders who were based opposite the site were given the contract to build the home.

In 1952 the Lord Mayor, Mr Eric Hinde, turned the key in the main front door and opened Corton House. The staff consisted of a Matron, Deputy Matron, day and night attendants and trained domestic help. As time has moved on we have continued to build on to Corton House and increased our rooms to 42 with a staff of 60.

We then built and opened our Warden controlled sheltered housing complex, Brakendon Close in 1970 which consists of flats and bungalows.

As a not-for-profit home with charitable status and a Christian ethos we pride ourselves on the quality of care and respect given to those who live with us. This is enhanced by our loyal and dedicated staff of which seventeen have over ten years service.

In August 2017 we were delighted to open 16 new independent living flats, finished to very high standards. This saw Brakedon Close grow to its current capacity of 51 residences, in this quiet location adjacent to Corton House.

Our history2

Our history4

Our Team

Members of Staff

Our home is run by a team of 60 staff covering all aspects of care; we also have a voluntary Chaplain.

Our staff receive regular training which we believe is vital to enhance the knowledge and skills of our team. All our care supervisors are NVQ level 3 qualified and most of our care staff have an NVQ level 2 or 3 qualification. Other staff training includes fire, first aid, safeguarding vulnerable adults, end of life care and funeral awareness, infection control and any further training which can help in personal and professional development.

Our Board of Trustees

Our Board of Trustees consists of qualified professional people who willingly give their services on a voluntary basis. They are responsible for the governance of Corton House Ltd in accordance with its Rules and Strategic Goals. Our Board has a wide- ranging and diverse background. If you feel you have skills which could enhance our team we would love to hear from you.

Find out more and to join us click here

General Manager - Tom Greenhill

Tom’s career started in Finance, at PKF Gt Yarmouth, working for two years in Accounts Preparation whilst completing his AAT qualification. He moved directly onto his ACCA qualification, as he moved across into Financial Audit; over the next six years Tom progressed through the audit ranks, completing his ACCA in two and a half years with first time passes throughout.

In this time, he continued to develop his skills, lead audits across a huge variety of clients, markets and industries, as well as project managing Audit Teams. Tom worked with clients of all sizes and functions, and some highly recognisable names within Norwich.

In early 2019 a change of career loomed, as Tom decided to make the popular move from Practice accountancy to Industry. Tom started his role at Corton House in June 2019, as Head of Finance, and in January 2022 took on the role of General Manager.

Registered Manager - Richard Tomlinson

Richard joined Corton House in January 2022 following 33 years working in the NHS as a nurse, most recently as a Matron in a large hospital in Norwich.

Three decades of experience in the NHS and other care settings has shown him that the key to providing the highest quality services lies in effective staff development and support, regular reflective practice, and above all fully engaging with residents and relatives for the best outcomes.

Before starting on his journey in care, Richard worked in various jobs including a year working as a stagehand in the West End of London. He has been playing the drums since his late teens, and other than music, outside work, his time is mostly devoted to family - luckily, he loves cooking, and keeping everyone fed has become a hobby.

Activities Coordinator - Maria Widdrington

Maria has been a qualified yoga teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga for 10 years. She specialises in yoga for the over 60's and for people with Parkinson's Disease. She also has a qualification in Psychology. She has completed several courses since joining Corton House in 2010 including Dementia and Care of the Dying. Maria has recently completed her NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care.

Chaplain - Rev. Rhonwen Washford

Rhonwen began her nursing career at St Bartholomew Hospital in London in 1969. In 1990, she became a lay minister in the Church of England and continued to combine both nursing and preaching.

She was ordained in June 2008 in Norwich Cathedral and subsequently became honorary Chaplain to her patients in the dialysis unit at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.

Rhonwen retired from nursing in 2017 in order to care for her husband Andrew at home. Now widowed, she continues to take services in churches around the county as requested.

Taking up the role of Chaplain at Corton House in January 2022, she offers worship services on a weekly basis as well as pastoral care and a listening ear for residents, tenants and staff alike.

Deborah Goulding - Deputy Manager

One of our longest-serving members of staff, Deborah originally joined Corton House as our Activities Coordinator and part time Senior Carer, later becoming a full time Senior Team member.
She has been the In-house manual handling trainer since 2001.

Deborah became the In-house trainer in November 2011 after being Joint Head of Care for over five years.

She is NVQ 5 qualified, an NVQ Assessor and has completed Leadership and Management training. She also supervises Health and Safety.

Deborah became a dementia coach in November 2013 with ongoing training through 2014.

Head of Catering - Sean Knox

"Getting that thank you from a resident, however big or small, just makes my day and that's the whole reason I work in care."

Head of Care - Annette Aldridge

Scheme Manager, Brakendon Close - Lorraine Chandler

Fundraising Coordinator - Imogen Bowers

Imogen began her career as a copywriter, moving into marketing and content creation for fashion, music and arts brands. Having spent several years freelancing alongside caring for her young children, Imogen decided in 2021 the time had come to move back into an in-house role, looking for something in the third sector that would allow her to bring her creative skills to an area where she could make a real difference. She found the perfect match for this in Corton House – a not for profit organisation in care for the right reasons.

Joining Corton House in October 2021, Imogen’s role is twofold. Firstly, she helps drive innovation and expansion within the organisation’s community outreach, strengthening links with local churches, charities and businesses as well as raising additional funds that help to deliver projects within the care home and independent living scheme. Secondly – she tells the world about all this (the easy part!)

When she is not at work Imogen enjoys working her way through the small library of books accumulated on her bedside table, listening to music, visiting galleries and letting off steam somewhere green and leafy with her children.

Find out about joining our team

Join Our Team

Find out more about working at Corton House on our vacancies page.

Find out more

Our Mission

To provide excellent, loving care and support for older people.

To provide in line with Christian values, residential care and sheltered housing that recognises the individual rights, privacy, dignity and independence of residents and tenants.
To provide a quality of life for residents and tenants at a price which is comparable with the best Residential Care Homes and Sheltered Accommodation in the Norwich area.
To enable all residents and tenants to exploit fully their chosen physical, spiritual and emotional potential.
To maintain our charitable status.
To achieve annual surpluses to maintain sufficient reserves.
To be a fair and trustworthy employer that maintains good employment practices and seeks to train and develop staff to their full potential.
To meet the standards set by Regulators.
To meet the appropriate Standards of Governance.
To communicate effectively with all interested parties.

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"I admire the dedication of the staff to care without condescension or impatience but with good humour and competence. The companionship is conclusive to help in raising the spirit and the ethos is enabled by the attitude and atmosphere provided by the staff – lucky us!"

"Can only say I could not be in a more comfortable and pleasant place. Can find nothing to criticise or grumble about. I am so very comfortable and contented."

"To all the staff at Corton House, being good natured is second nature to you, so you may not realise how your small gestures and many kindnesses touch so many people . You’re generous without even thinking about it, and that’s an uncommon gift. When my mother found her home with you she was truly blessed. The care she received and the peace of mind given were reflected in Mum’s smile as she arrived back in her room after her final day in hospital. A beautiful memory for the family to hold onto. Sincerest thanks to each and every one of you."

"I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the fantastic staff for caring for my mother over the last, nearly two years. A hugely independent lady, who found it difficult to give up her own home but she realised she could no longer cope on her own. All the staff from every department have been so influential in her being happy at Corton House. She so enjoyed all the lovely meals and all the music events she could sing alone to. All the loving care given, with a huge amount of patience, is so very much appreciated. I don’t know what we would have done without you all. She died calmly and peacefully at home where she wanted to be."

"Thank you so much for the care and devotion you gave to my mother. It is a great comfort to know that she was so well looked after at the end of her life."

"Thank you to everyone who cared for my mum and my family during the last weeks of her life: you were truly amazing. I really enjoyed the cheese and biscuits and the porridge for breakfast."

"We just want to thank you so much for the love and care you provided our Grandma, she was happy living there and we felt so reassured that she was being so well looked after. She thought so highly of you all as do we, and it was so wonderful to see living so happily there. You all provide such a special, caring ‘family’ home, you really are one in a million. We are so thankful we stumbled across you for our Grandma to live in. We will greatly miss coming to Corton House and chatting with you all."

"I want to thank you for the care of my husband and myself in the past four years. Many times I’ve told you “this is a lovely place” and that’s what it has been for us both."

"May I express my sincere gratitude to all your staff for taking care of my Aunt so diligently over the past ten years. Whether it was laundry, room cleaning, entertainment, catering or caring I feel that she has been well looked after and has been able to enjoy a safe, secure and welcoming home. I know there is sadness on all sides that she been unable to last out her days withy you but I appreciate the efforts you made to look after her as her mental state deteriorated and the support given whilst I was looking for alternative accommodation."

"Myself and my wife want to thank you and your team for all of the care and understanding that was given to our late friend and loved one. Without people such as yourselves she would not have enjoyed her twilight years. Your organisation is a jewel in the crown for care of the elderly especially those going from independent living into an unknown perhaps challenging life. We thank you all."

"'Thank you for everything'
There are far too many people to thank for making the last nine and a half years of my mother's life at Brakendon Close and then Corton House so contented - every single one of you. My mother could not have been appreciated more - and nor can we - the care and companionship that you always gave her, right up to the very end of her long life.
You all helped her to continue to be as independent as possible while sensitively giving her the support she needed, enabling her to carry on her life-long love of music, history, poetry, playing Scrabble and enjoying excellent home cooking."

100% Tested
Correct PPE
Social Distancing
Minimise Transmission
Hand Hygiene
Regimented Cleaning
Controlled Visits
Safe Reunions
Safe Admissions

Supporting and protecting our residents during the pandemic - our promise to you:

In this new era of Covid-19 we are working hard to continue delivering our usual excellent standards of care, maintaining our treasured residents’ wellbeing and quality of life while simultaneously adhering to the stringent safety and infection control practices that the pandemic demands. Protecting your loved one is as important to us as it is to you, so we are adopting a cautious approach and continually reviewing and updating our protocols above and beyond national guidance.