His Majesty King Charles III retains role as Abbeyfield Patron

The Abbeyfield Society is delighted to announce that His Majesty King Charles III will continue his Patronage of the charity.

The decision follows a comprehensive review of more than 1,000 Royal Patronages conducted by the Royal Household after the King’s Accession in September 2022.

The King initially took up his role as Patron of Abbeyfield in 1979 when he was the Prince of Wales. Abbeyfield has grown considerably over this time and now provides support and care to over 6,000 older people worldwide, delivered by a large network of supported housing schemes, care homes and independent living complexes. More recently, Abbeyfield in the UK has been represented on the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Housing and Care for Older People and has sponsored the APPG’s latest enquiry into the regeneration of outdated sheltered housing.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty visited many Abbeyfield services, always taking the time to speak to residents and to thank staff and volunteers for their incredible efforts. He also lent his insignia to our Royal Patron’s Awards, presented annually to a select few staff and volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to Abbeyfield’s work.

Abbeyfield England Chair, Liz Potter, said: “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and our Member Societies across the UK and around the world, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to His Majesty the King for retaining his Patronage of Abbeyfield. His Majesty was our Patron for nearly 45 years and has a deep appreciation of our work and the mission of our founder, Richard Carr-Gomm. I know that he understands the importance of Abbeyfield’s provision of safe, secure and stimulating environments for older people, where they can retain a sense of independence, forge new friendships and remain a part of their community, and we are all immensely grateful for his ongoing support.”

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The Abbeyfield Difference

Learn more about the history of Abbeyfield. Small, homely and friendly houses that have established great links within their community, making time for our residents, and enhancing their lives by bringing everyone together are at the core of what we stand for.

Learn more about The Abbeyfield Difference

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The benefits of becoming a Trustee

Research suggests that there are hundreds of thousands of people serving as Trustees in the UK, all of whom play a vital role in the day-to-day running of charitable organisations. Volunteering to become a Trustee can be a truly rewarding thing to do no matter what stage of life you are in.

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Volunteering with Abbeyfield

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Abbeyfield. Our founder Richard Carr-Gomm, our first ever volunteer, gave his time to help lonely and isolated older people. Today, over sixty years later, hundreds of volunteers continue his legacy, bringing their skills and personality to our houses and homes to ‘make time for older people’.

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