Who We Are
The Royal Alfred Seafarers' Society is a registered charity, established in 1865. It is incorporated under a Royal Charter, with HRH the Princess Royal as its patron.
Today, our goal is the same as it was over 130 years ago: to help seafarers and to provide them with a safe haven in old age, illness, or adversity.
We provide housing, residential and nursing care to all former seafarers, particularly those who are elderly, infirm or disabled, their widows, and dependants from across the UK, as well as non-seafarers. Our flagship residential and nursing care home, Belvedere House, together with sheltered flats, is situated within the idyllic grounds of the Weston Acres Estate, near the rural village of Banstead, Surrey. The surroundings also make the site ideal for respite care.
We are able to offer help to a broad cross-section of seafarers including those with backgrounds in the Royal and Merchant Navies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary or fishing fleets. We also currently welcome non-seafarers.
The high-quality care we provide would not be possible without our team of 70 loyal, dedicated and hardworking staff, who create a caring, comfortable and enjoyable environment for all our residents, including those staying with us for shorter respite care periods.
Please read our Statement of Purpose and Philosophy of Care document (click to download) , which explains more about our values and how we operate.
The Chief Executive
of the Society is Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE MNI Royal Navy, who took up the role in 2006. Before that, he served for 35 years in the Royal Navy. He is also a Freeman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, a member of the Nautical Institute and a keen yachtsman, being RYA Yachtmaster qualified, and a member of the Britannia Yacht Club, Royal Naval Sailing Association and Starcross Sailing Club.
Many of the charity’s board of trustees also have seafaring backgrounds.
Patron
HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of the Royal Alfred Seafarers' Society
A Brief History of the Royal Alfred Seafarers' Society
Prince Alfred (pictured)
New Year’s Day 1867 - “The Belvedere Institution” at Erith, Kent, opens and 11 officers and nine ratings, all ex-Merchant seamen, become its first residents
1867-1978 - The Society continues to use the Erith site until it closes due to a change of circumstances
1965 - Weston Acres House and its estate is purchased and sheltered flats established
1978 – Society operations transfer to the Zachary Merton Convalescent Home in Holly Lane, Banstead
Mid-1990s – Search for a site for a more modern, purpose-built care home begins
1999 - Planning consent is granted for a new Royal Alfred premises within the grounds of the nearby Weston Acres estate
March 2001 – Belvedere House opens in March 2001, offering a much higher standard of accommodation than its predecessors and facilities making it easier for staff to deliver the excellent care of which we are so proud today
2004 - Agreement made with Methodist Homes for the Aged (MHA), allowing the Royal Alfred to outsource several management functions (although remaining under our executive control). This relationship is highly beneficial as it enables the Society to draw on MHA’s considerable and widespread expertise and experience
2010 – Build starts on new, specialized dementia nursing care annexe (completion expected spring 2011). Find out more about this new facility