Richard Carr-Gomm

Rotherhithe

In the early 1950s Richard Carr-Gomm wanted to help the older residents of Bermondsey and convinced the council to accept his offer to work as an unpaid home help, cleaning council tenancies.

Carr-Gomm soon discovered he was often the older residents’ only visitor and found they were always eager for conversation and to sit and share a cup of tea. He came to the conclusion that their greater need was not help but simple companionship.

He resigned his commission as a Major in the Army and used his gratuity of £250 as a deposit on a house which he invited four lonely older people to share with him.

The work of "the cleaning major" became well known and local authorities and church groups invited him to promote his housing solution to a wide area. As public funds grew it became necessary to set up a charity and as Carr-Gomm and his associates met in Abbeyfield Road, they named their charity the Abbeyfield Society.

Fifty years on there are 560 Abbeyfield societies in the United Kingdom managing 900 Abbeyfield houses, providing accommodation for more than 8,500 people with support from thousands of volunteers.

What our voters think

I have worked at Carr-Gomm for three years and would fully support a blue plaque for Richard. The Carr-Gomm Society was set up in 1965 by Richard Carr-Gomm to offer housing and support to people of any age. Having set up Abbeyfields in the 1950s for older people he began to realise that it was not just older people who could be lonely or who needed a home but people of any age. The first Carr-Gomm house opened in Bermondsey in 1965 and was quickly followed by several more. Carr-Gomm is now a national charity, which helps over 3,000 people every year.

In 2005 we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Carr-Gomm and a special event is being held at Southwark Cathedral in November. Richard Carr-Gomm will attend this event and will celebrate all we have achieved over the last 40 years and will acknowledge the special links the charity has with Southwark.

It is a free event and open to the public and we would love to hear from anyone in Southwark who remembers Richard Carr-Gomm and the work he did. Anyone interested in coming to this event should email birthday@carr-gomm.org.uk.

Virginia Lawrence

I think the work of the Carr Gomm society is tremendous and much needed - it is always good to know about the people who start organisations like this.

Catherine Grace