History

Standing on the site of the former St Marks Vicarage, Corton House was established over 70 years ago, following a public appeal from the Free Church Council.

As the first purpose-built voluntary run care home for older people in England, Corton House was hailed as a pioneer in social care, with experts in older people's welfare at the time writing, "It is places such as (Corton House) which rob old age of its terrors... I have talked about Corton House as a model of its kind." We continue to operate as a not-for-profit today, with our Christian ethos of kindness and caring for one another underpinning all that we do.

Newspapers proclaimed Corton House "Britain's newest venture in the care of the aged... warmth, comfort and companionship in the evening of their lives," and we still stand for innovation today, with our progressive approach to residents’ wellbeing.

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.

In 1970 we built and opened our independent living complex, Brakendon Close, which consists of flats and bungalows.

In August 2017 we were delighted to open 16 new independent living flats, finished to very high standards. This saw Brakendon 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 - Jason Parker

Jason has worked in the care sector since he left school 35 years ago. He has been lucky enough to hold every position in a care home and has managed a number of residential homes and housing with care schemes.

Jason has been nominated for a number of awards in the care sector:

Finalist - Great British Care Awards Winner - Care Nutrition & Hydration Award, regional Great British Care Awards Winner - Commitment Award, Norse Care

Since starting in April 2023 Jason's focus has been fostering an environment in which people love to live and love to work; where dignity is at the heart of everything we do.
Listening to residents to truly understand their needs and make improvements is really important to Jason and he can be regularly found catching up with residents over a cup of tea or in an activity session!

When he is not at work he enjoys spending time with his family - also care workers themselves - his dog Pip, and playing racket sports like squash.

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

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 independent living accommodation that recognizes and safeguards the individual rights, privacy, dignity and independence needs of Residents and Tenants.
To provide an excellent quality of life for Residents and Tenants which is one of the best provided by residential care homes and independent living accommodation in Norwich and the surrounding area.
To support all Residents,Tenants and other service users to fully achieve their physical, spiritual, emotional and social potential.
To manage the organisation in a sustainable manner so as to ensure its longevity.
To be an employer of choice that promotes best practices and develops staff to their full potential.
To engage effectively with all stakeholders on the operation and development of the organisation.
To provide benefit to the wider community through proactive interaction and outreach.

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Brakendon Close Brochure - file size 11 MB

"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."