22 July 2025
A New Home for the Much-Loved Thornhill House
The John Thornhill Memorial Trust has secured the purchase of The Grange, Station Road in Great Longstone to be a new home for Thornhill House. It will be designed to provide the best level of care in a first-class facility that will take all the dedication, care and memories from the current Thornhill House to a modern and welcoming home fit for the future.
“Thornhill House is such a special place and has served as a wonderful home for so many local people over the past 30 years,” says Lucy Wright, Chair of Trustees. “But, with demand for care increasing and changing, we are creating a new home that will ensure we are supporting those who need us for the next 30 years and more.”
The plans are to convert the site into a new nursing and residential home which has the capacity to meet changing future demands, whilst of course respecting the heritage and surroundings of the building.
“When the possibility to purchase The Grange arose, we just couldn’t turn it down,” says Richard Thornhill, Vice-Chair. “The location is perfect and will enable us to continue to deliver vital services for local people in an expanded and future-proofed home.”
The purchase process is underway, and the charity will begin its planning application process this summer.
The current residents will be unaffected by the project. It is still very early days, but it is anticipated that our residents will be welcomed into the new Thornhill House in late 2027, when it is completed. We also plan to increase capacity from 19 to 24-26 beds which will mean that more local people will feel the benefit and be able to receive care in a ‘home from home’.
Thornhill House was founded by Molly Thornhill who had been greatly affected by the loss of a dear friend’s mother who died soon after she had to go into a care home far away from loved ones and everything familiar. She set up the trust in memory of her late husband John to find a better way. And thanks to the hard work and generosity of local people, Thornhill House was opened in 1994. Since then, it has welcomed more than 200 residents who have made it their home.
As the first dual registered Nursing and Residential Home in the country, Thornhill House has long been recognised as an exceptional home, always gaining top ratings for its quality of care. It has remained at the centre of the Great Longstone community in Derbyshire, delivering specialised care for the elderly in a warm and welcoming environment, and has remained an asset to the people of Great Longstone and the surrounding area. After 30 years on the existing site, change is now needed to ensure it can serve future generations. In the spirit of its founder Molly, the John Thornhill Memorial Trust are looking to move to this new location so it can deliver the best and most modern levels of care for those in need.
As an integral part of the Great Longstone community, the charity welcomes your opinion on the project to ensure it is best shaped to meet demands and with the support of local people. As such, the public is invited to attend a drop-in consultation session at the Village Hall in Great Longstone on 11 August between 10am and 12pm where you can ask questions and leave written feedback. Alternatively, you can fill in a short consultation survey online here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V3L6SG
For more information about the project, please contact administrator@thornhillhouse.org.uk
