8th December 2017

Guild Care has received £48,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for an exciting project, The Lancing Bell – A Care Home and its Community.

Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on The Bell and the important part it played in the life of Lancing, from when it was opened in 1928 until its closure in 2016.

During its 88 years, The Bell, catered for the needs of children and the elderly. It was a purpose-built care home funded by a bequest from Eliza Bell, and was one of the largest in Lancing originally run by Southern Convalescent Homes, latterly by Guild Care. The Bell was part of a charitable endeavour by William Chorley that sought to provide care for the elderly, sick and those with chronic sickness such as TB.

The project will research the extensive Bell archive and will interview people who worked there, some for all of their adult life, and talk with those whose relatives benefited from the care they received there.

Commenting on the Award Bill Demel, Guild Care Community Development Director, said: “We are thrilled to have received support thanks to National Lottery players for this important local history project. As the last owners of The Bell we were very keen that the wonderful legacy of care in the community that The Bell and its sister care homes was not forgotten. We also wish to see that its unique archive and valuable content is translated into written form so that it is accessible to everyone.”

In the last year of operations, The Bell was owned and run by Guild Care, who reluctantly closed it due to many issues with the building which were no longer conducive to providing high quality residential care.

Bill concluded: “The love and dedication of the staff at The Bell remained consistent right up until its closure in 2016 and this project will look to research and celebrate the lives of those unsung heroes.

“Guild Care wishes to remember and celebrate the good people and the good work carried on at The Bell over so many years and hopes very much that this community heritage project will meet that intention.”

The project will run for two years starting in December 2017 and will involve many people from the local Lancing community.

If you remember The Bell or anyone who used to work there then please contact Chris Hare, Project Officer, at [email protected] or call him on 07794 600639.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk.  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.