Military family accommodation to change name from Orchard House to Norton House, Stanford Hall
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity has announced that a brand-new home from home, to be opened in September 2018, will be re-named Norton House, Stanford Hall. The accommodation in Stanford on Soar, formerly known as Orchard House, will allow families visiting injured and recovering military personnel to stay comfortably and conveniently whilst supporting their relatives during the rehabilitation process.
Norton House, Stanford Hall will offer a welcoming, non-clinical place to stay for families supporting injured military relatives at the newly-built Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC), which will also open in September.
The name of this new family accommodation reflects the Norton House legacy set up by SSAFA in 2008 in response to a campaign lead by Sue Norton, after her husband Captain Peter Norton was injured while serving in Iraq. Realising the logistical strain that supporting an injured relative through the rehabilitation process can bring, Norton House, Headley Court in Surrey was created as the first comfortable home away from home focusing on emotional welfare. The centre went on to be a winner in the Disability Section at the Charity Awards in 2009.
Mark Ormrod, whose family relied on Norton House, Headley Court when he was undergoing treatment following a triple-amputation from the Afghanistan conflict, says of the latest addition to the Norton House portfolio: “During such a life-changing and testing time, it takes every ounce of strength for a family to get through the rehabilitation process. Knowing that my family were able to stay nearby took a weight off our minds and allowed us to concentrate on the bigger task at hand. I now look back on that time with gratitude for all who supported me on my journey and I am glad that the same opportunity can be given to other families in a similar position at Norton House, Stanford Hall.”
Amanda Deakin, Head of Housing at SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, says: “We are proud to be continuing on from a successful decade with a new Norton House. Ensuring that military personnel, veterans and their families are given the help that they deserve as they undergo the challenging rehabilitation process is a key part of SSAFA’s remit. Norton House, Stanford Hall represents a new era of vital support, with emotional welfare remaining at the heart of the service”.
The latest information on Norton House, Stanford Hall can be found on the SSAFA website: www.ssafa.org.uk
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Notes to editors
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. Every year our staff and team of volunteers help more than 67,000 people, from Second World War veterans to young men and women who have served in more recent conflicts.
For more information visit www.ssafa.org.uk and follow us on Twitter: @SSAFA.
