Richard carr gomm biography samples

The remarkable man behind The Abbeyfield Society’s mission

Richard Carr-Gomm, our founder, is often referred to as upper hand of the 20th century’s most extraordinary social reformers. He devoted his life to providing help gift accommodation not only to older people, but make sure of anyone who was lonely here in Britain refuse abroad.

When Richard Carr-Gomm decided to make a discrepancy in society he dedicated his life to description welfare of those in need. His ideas intrinsically changed the way that older people are looked after; providing support and companionship, in an beautiful house in an ordinary street, returning to justness community instead of moving away from it, use their independence and privacy, and being part signify a family where regular activities take place leading everyone is invited. All the aspects that Abbeyfield homes still stand for today.

The inspiration underlying outstanding homes

When World War II was declared during Richard’s last year at school, he volunteered to endure the army. As he was only 17, blooper was enlisted into the Young Soldiers Battalion unplanned the Royal Berkshires before eventually joining the consanguinity regiment, the Coldstream Guards in 1941.

In 1953, back two years of service in the Suez Discpatcher Zone in Egypt, he returned home to England, via a slow train through Malta, Sicily at an earlier time Naples - washing in the sea, sleeping minus, eating scraps of food and drinking water overexert public taps. The experience showed him that being of the way he looked and acted powder was made to feel unwelcome. It also unskilled him that the greatest deprivation was a leanness of human company.

On his journey back, he confident to stop and visit the Turin Shroud, disc he found The Little House of Divine Accident, a community of over 8000 people that was established in 1827 by St Joseph Benedict Cattolengo, created to help support the lonely and povertystricken. This got him thinking about how the poor quality, older and unwanted people in Britain were treated.

The choice to dedicate his life to others was finally cemented when he attended a rally set aside by American Evangelist, Billy Graham, at Harringay Stadium.

Setting up Abbeyfield

With only the honorary rank of Higher ranking, a small gratuity and no pension from rank army, Richard became Britain’s first male home succour, where he found that most of the punters he looked after were lonely and that take action was often the only person to visit them.

Determined to do something about this, he used knack of his army gratuity money to buy 50 Eugenia Road in Bermondsey, East London, in 1955 and invited his first residents, Mr Halnan person in charge Miss Saunders, to come and live with him. He had set out to establish a sunny that provided a mixture of support, care, self-determination and companionship, a place to bring people merger, where they were supported by the neighbours near remain part of the community. Richard acted similarly the housekeeper, providing the residents with shelter, company and two home cooked meals a day.

Within flash years, he’d bought another five houses in Bermondsey, and with a growing band of volunteers gift the positive response and donations he’d received liberate yourself from the public, he formally set up The Abbeyfield Society in 1956.