Thorngate Living

15/10/2026

Our thanks to Elaine, Marion, Hazel and Thelma from St Mary's Church who kindly presented residents with beautiful flowers. Pictured here are residents Roy, Pam, Joy and Dennis with Activities Assistant Zoe and receptionist Matilda. The church said they often put together flower arrangements and when they no longer need them or make too many they donate them to the local community to allow others to enjoy them. What a lovely sentiment, thank you!

09/10/2026

A lovely Harvest Festival service at Russell Churcher Court, led by Sarah, was very well attended by residents, a few relatives and staff. Our new Catering Manager, Adam, provided the beautiful bread (see the amazing photos) – there was also a display of fresh fruit and vegetables. The home was filled with everyone singing along with the happy harvest festival hymns.

Tracy, who works in the Thorngate office said: "It brought back so many memories of being back in primary school sat on the cold school hall floor, legs crossed and singing along merrily at the top of my lungs. Everyone had a lovely afternoon."

07/10/2026

Do you have an interest in housing? And repairs? We're seeking applications for an important new role: Housing Repairs Administrator, working 25 hours pw. The postholder will provide administrative, scheduling and operational maintenance support for our housing residents. Please take a look at the job description and person specification on our website.

Each job role requires different attributes. Download our person specification sheet to find essential and desirable qualities for each role.

29/09/2026

On Wednesday 23rd September, we were delighted to hold our very first Thorngate in Bloom Awards in the Communal Lounge at Elizabeth Court.

Guests were welcomed with a glass of fizz and a buffet to enjoy before the awards ceremony began.

The evening was hosted by our CEO, Anne Taylor, with our Chairman of the Board, Mark Hook, also joining us for the celebrations. The awards were presented by Trustee and Head Judge Julie Palmer, assisted by Housing Manager Jill Francis.

We received so many fantastic, high-quality entries that choosing the winners was certainly not easy! The judging was carried out blind by a panel of Trustees, who were incredibly impressed by the time, care, creativity and dedication shown by everyone who took part.

Huge congratulations to all of our winners, and to everyone who received a 2nd Place certificate.

Most importantly, thank you to every resident who entered and helped make our first Thorngate in Bloom such a wonderful success. Your gardens, containers, displays and ideas brought so much colour and enjoyment to our schemes, and the standard was something to be very proud of.

Thanks to Tracy and Mark for organising the event. We are already looking forward to seeing what next year brings!

22/09/2026

Within our Russell Churcher Court care home, some of our residents are living with dementia and we're always keen to support them, and their loved ones, in many different ways.

To mark World Alzheimer's Day, residents and staff put their crafting skills to good use and helped to create a forget me not collage which is proudly displayed in the home.

02/09/2026

On Sunday one of our favourite entertainers, From Sinatra to Buble AKA Bradley, visited Russell Churcher Court to entertain us all - the lounge was the fullest it's been for a long time with families and residents all singing along. A wonderful afternoon was had by all.

27/08/2026

We're seeking applications for an important new role: Housing Repairs Administrator, working 25 hours pw. The postholder will provide administrative, scheduling and operational maintenance support for our housing residents. Please take a look at the job description and person specification on our website.

Each job role requires different attributes. Download our person specification sheet to find essential and desirable qualities for each role.

24/08/2026

We're looking for an experienced Catering Manager for our Russell Churcher Court care home. Tasty, nutritious and well-presented meals are a key element of quality care, so this is a very important role. If you feel this might suit you, or someone you know, please get in touch via our website here.

Vacancy for Catering Manager at Russell Churcher Court care home

15/08/2026

Residents from Melrose Gardens sheltered housing development have been busy fundraising, and have presented Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville with a donation of £2,860.

Over the last year the residents have had great fun while raising money through a soup and sweet meal, bring & buy table, a bingo event, Tony’s car cleaning (he cleaned over 40 cars), and regular coffee and cake mornings. They chose Rowans Hospice because of the excellent work it does in the local community.

Rowans Hospice is a charity providing free end of life care and support to adults in the local community who have a life-limiting illness and their families. There’s a wide range of services which support people to live as well as they can with their illness, from the moment of diagnosis. This includes an inpatient unit, a hospice at home service, living well services and support for carers and bereaved families.

Accepting the cheque from the Melrose Gardens residents, Senior Community & Events Fundraiser Lilly Griffiths said: “A huge thank you to the residents for this amazing donation which will make a real difference to our important work. It was a pleasure to meet you all and learn about your fundraising.” Lilly gave a presentation on the work of the charity and showed a very moving video, then chatted with residents.

Warden Lance Campling added: "I was so impressed with the way so many residents embraced the cause and got involved. Our target was £1,000 but we exceeded that target very quickly and very nearly trebled it, which is fantastic. My thanks to every single person who contributed and a special thank you to Rowans who have been so supportive and appreciative of our efforts throughout the year."

06/08/2026

Celebrating Margaret and Dennis' 75th wedding anniversary!!🥰🥰🥰

We were so thrilled to help residents Dennis and Margaret celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary. It’s the oldest anniversary we’ve ever known at Thorngate Churcher Trust, such a splendid achievement.

Dennis and Margaret began their relationship in the cycling club where they had known each other from nearly daily interactions at Margaret's job as a cashier in the butchers shop and Dennis would come in for change.

They were engaged and married within six months of meeting. The wedding was in Elson Church in 1951; at that time Dennis was a manager of a shoe shop and Margaret the manager of a newsagents.

They moved to Taunton soon after they got married but moved back to Gosport not long after, and Margaret worked for Portsmouth City Council until her retirement.

After they retired, they loved going on holidays and visited Austria at least three times a year - the people they met there became family and had most of their celebrations in Austria, Dennis even had a second garden over there. They did not have any children but all their friends that they made become family and have remained present to this day.

Warmest congratulations to Dennis and Margaret. Sending our love x