Sidmouth Abbeyfield seeks house chairmen

Volunteer house chairmen needed for two of Sidmouth’s three Abbeyfield homes

TWO volunteer house chairmen for Sidmouth Abbeyfield homes are needed before March.

Both Marie Bond, chairman of Culver House, and Jill Costin, chairman at Cotmaton House, Sidmouth, are retiring at the charity’s annual meeting in March.

“These are voluntary positions with no fixed term in office, but if people decide they want to do two years and no more we would accommodate that,” said Philip Churchill, executive chairman of Abbeyfield Sidmouth Society Ltd.

Mr Churchill, pictured, who became involved with Abbeyfield in 2006 after reading an appeal for help in the Sidmouth Herald, said Abbeyfield chairmen would represent each house and hold monthly house committee meetings with the house manager giving reports as head of the professional staff.

“Their job is to make sure the house is properly run and legally run in the manner of the Abbeyfield ethos to make it a homely place so people feel they are at home and not in a home, and to maintain standards,” said Mr Churchill.

There are no skills criteria for the task although it would be advantageous to have an interest in personnel and human resources as well as dealing with older people.

“I think you have to want to do the job and people should be able to give up a little time, about half a day a week,” he said.

There is no age restriction for those able to volunteer for the roles, although Mr Churchill would prefer people with computer skills; able to word process and send e-mails, to apply.

He would like anyone interested in taking on the house chairman roles to contact him by telephone: (01395) 514071 or email: philipchurchill@hotmail.com.