Abbeyfield Braintree & Bocking Society Ltd

The Abbeyfield movement is a charitable organisation. It was set up to counteract loneliness and isolation in older people. There are numerous houses in the UK run by Abbeyfield Societies and Abbeyfield UK

History of our Society

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The Braintree and Bocking Abbeyfield Society began in 1969 with the acquisition and conversion of Georgian House, Bradford Street, in Braintree as their first very sheltered home and since than a number of different projects have been completed. In 1993 Wickham House in Coggeshall Road, Braintree was acquired providing accommodation for fourteen residents in ideal surroundings.

The Society was fortunate in having the Duke of Westminster the then President of the National Abbeyfield Society to perform the opening ceremony.

By 2000 the Society owned three houses, Georgian House (plus a manager's cottage) in Bradford Street, Braintree, Wickham House in Coggeshall Road Braintree and Gubbions Hall at Great Leighs. Since then Wickham House was further adapted with four extra rooms being made available from April 2002.

In early 2001 the Society was approached by Peter and Jean Davey the owners of 158 and 159 Coggeshall Road Braintree with a view to making a donation to the Society of the site which was a former dairy and adjacent farmhouse.

The site, which is just less than one acre in size, is positioned on a traffic light controlled junction on the main road to Colchester, approximately one mile from the town centre of Braintree.

Braintree District Council had identified a need for extra care sheltered housing and had shown the scheme as priority in the district's Housing Strategy - Development Programme.

The district did not have any extra care sheltered schemes. This coupled with Government policy to encourage older people to remain in their own homes with support in place to make this a possibility, persuaded the Society to focus on the provision of "Extra Care Housing" for frail older people with higher levels of care needs.

01376 326196 (24hr answer phone)

The development of the Abbeyfield Great Bradfords House at 159 Coggeshall Road, Braintree was made possible through a close and positive partnership between the Society, Braintree District Council, The Witham, Braintree and Halstead Care Trust and Supporting People at Essex County Council (the original partners).

The Society is administered by an Executive Committee consisting of volunteers drawn from the local community.

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