About Us
Balkerne Gardens Trust is a Registered Social Landlord, an exempt charity and an Industrial & Provident Society. We are a non-profit making organisation governed by a Board of Trustees, comprised of volunteers from the Colchester area.
Balkerne Gardens owns and manages 69 sheltered housing flats, a 40 bedded Residential Care Home (Freda Gunton Lodge) and a 33 bedded Care Home with Nursing (Cheviot Nursing Home). Both care homes are registered and rated as excellent with the Care Quality Commission.
Our History
Balkerne Gardens Trust has provided affordable sheltered housing, residential and nursing care and accommodation in Colchester for many years. The organisation was originally set up in 1833 with the first houses built on site in the centre of Colchester in 1836.
Balkerne Gardens began life as the Colchester Provident Asylum Society; its aim was to support older or infirm men of good character who had insufficient means to maintain themselves towards the end of their lives, together with their wives or widows.
Our Mission
Today, Balkerne Gardens Trust aims to:
- provide a variety of excellent support, care and accommodation
- meet the different needs of older people of Colchester and the surrounding area
- provide affordable sheltered housing, residential and nursing care, and
- promote high standards of care by investing in a motivated, dedicated and well-trained workforce.
We support the My Home Life Essex initiative, promoting quality of life for older people living in care homes, and for those visiting and working with them.
For information about any aspect of our activities or a printed copy of our Sheltered Housing or Residential/Nursing Care Application forms, please contact us on +44 (0) 1206 543517 or mail your request to:
Attn: The DirectorBalkerne Gardens Trust
Parsley House, Balkerne Gardens
Colchester, Essex, CO1 1PR
"Balkerne Gardens has become our home and we have settled very happily into our comfortable flat. There is an unobtrusive but excellent programme of support provided by kind and experienced support staff on duty day and night inclusive of a 24 hour emergency call system." – Eric and Audrey Lambert, Tenants
