Life at Morden College
The original site of Morden College can be found in a quiet corner of Blackheath common, a village within a village where you, or someone you love, can live out the balance of life to the fullest possible extent. Growing from the original Quadrangle (built in 1695) to more purpose-built modern independent living accommodation on the grounds and at our second site, Ralph Perring Court in Beckenham, Morden College is a serene, peaceful and active community.
A Wealth of Opportunities
It is the extensive range of activities, social gatherings, opportunities and events that sets Morden College apart. In addition to providing a catering and housekeeping service for those who reside in The Quadrangle and Cullum Welch Court, Morden College also provides a wide range of options from which all beneficiaries may choose to benefit. These additional services are chargeable; however, they are generously subsidised by the Charity to allow everyone to make the most of them.
Health and Wellbeing
The on-site Resident Services team supports our beneficiaries to live well independently. The team can assist beneficiaries with their day-to-day needs whether that be advice and guidance with benefits, supporting them to organise social functions or arranging hospital appointments.
Support from our staff is, we expect, always exemplary and delivered in a kind way; whether it be from our in-house Security Team, a House Keeper, the Catering Team, Carer, Gardener or indeed any other member of our staff.
In the most recent CQC inspection of the Domiciliary Care service in December 2022 it was rated overall as ‘Requires Improvement’.
Catering
Lunch is served in the main dining room twice a week and this is available to all beneficiaries and their guests, with bookings being taken at reception. The College Café is open from Monday to Saturday each week and serves a range of meals and snacks from morning until late afternoon.
We also offer a cook/chill service – our main kitchen produces a range of freshly cooked meals which are easy to re-heat for beneficiaries who may not wish to cook for themselves.
Annual and Regular Events
Events are held throughout the year, some by way of commemoration and others as purely social occasions. The key activities are Founder’s Day, Trustees’ Christmas Lunch and Friends’ Day to which all beneficiaries are invited, but others typically include: dinners to mark events such as Burns Night or Trafalgar; talks by beneficiaries or invited guests; quiz nights; musical recitals; film screenings; the annual Morden College Revue; BBQs and many more.
Sports Activities, and Gentler Pastimes
Beneficiaries enjoy healthy sports competition on both an individual and a team basis, competing against each other, against external challengers and indeed against the staff through a range of gentle activities including snooker, hammers, putting, darts and scrabble. For those looking to get ‘off-site’, we organise frequent outings to the likes of Faversham, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, The Imperial War Museums, The National Gallery, Lingfield Park, and assorted shopping and ‘Open Garden’ trips. Both the main sites have active social clubs steered by resident committees who, with the staff, agree on monthly social occasions and day trips. Both clubs have licensed bars and at the main Blackheath site the Kelsall Library is available for all to relax and read.
Life can be Social at Morden College
Morden College accepts beneficiaries of all faiths or none; for those who are practising Christians we have a beautiful chapel within the original Quadrangle and our own resident Chaplain offers regular services, along with pastoral care and support. Additionally, there are many resident-led clubs covering everything from painting to photography, poetry to French, knitting to boules. There is also a Morden College magazine, 1695, edited and produced by the beneficiaries. Sometimes, of course, you might want solitude (and within Morden College there is plenty of space for that), but when you want to be social, bars and social clubs cater for the gathering of friends.
Friendship is a key component of life here at Morden College, so there will always be friendly faces and plenty of companionship – a vital element for many. Care from staff is, of course, exemplary, from our security team who keep a watchful eye across the estates, to the housekeepers, catering team and carers. The space in which you live has a vital bearing on well-being, so our grounds are meticulously tended, an ethos that pervades the entire organisation.
The Annual Revue, and Other Activities…
Every year at Christmas time comes the Morden College Annual Revue, a performance put on by the beneficiaries, for the beneficiaries. The College has residing within it an abundance of talent – from writers to costumiers, musicians to stage hands, not to mention of course a whole raft of performers who love to continue their am-dram days of yore.
