Duchess of Northumberland pays tribute to Abbeyfield Alnwick on its 40th anniversary

Mayor Geoff Watson and long-serving Abbeyfield trustee Jim Thompson were also in attendance.

The Duchess said: “I have visited Abbeyfield Alnwick on many occasions and each time have been touched by the wonderful, caring atmosphere created by the staff and the volunteers, many of whom also dedicate time to help at Alnwick Garden. They are the backbone of the community and the impact of the work they do is profound.”

Last year she presented certificates and gifts to Debbie Collins (37 years service), and Carol Phelan, Maureen Cook and Louise Douglas (30 years).

Heather Dixon, registered manager at the home for nine years said: “We were delighted to welcome the Duchess of Northumberland as our special guest as we celebrated our 40th anniversary with residents and staff from all our homes, volunteers and trustees.

“It was especially pleasing that former staff who worked at the home over the 40 years, many of whom are now retired, were able to join us and they recalled the early years and how the culture and ethos of delivering a home-from-home for residents was established right from the outset and still, to this day, guides everything that we do.”

Abbeyfield Alnwick, which currently has 22 residents and 30 staff, is one of three residential care homes run by Abbeyfield Northumbria, the other two being at Gosforth and South Gosforth. It also has two supported living homes in Bamburgh and Berwick.

The homes are run on the principles established by the founder of the Abbeyfield Society, Richard Carr-Gomm in 1956 and its mission for a world that ends loneliness in later life.

Carol Gibson, now retired, worked at the home, first as a carer then as a senior carer, when it first opened in 1985.

“From those very early days it was clear that Abbeyfield Alnwick was going to be a very special place for the residents and for their families,” she said. “The culture has been built around the respect that everyone has for one another. The residents and staff are all one big family that supports and encourages each other. I visit the home on a regular basis and I always leave feeling uplifted and positive.”