Care Ashore

What Care Ashore does

Care Ashore is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 207500) and company limited by guarantee that provides supported and independent housing for retired and former seafarers and their dependents on the 250-acre Springbok Estate in Alfold, Cranleigh, Surrey. The charity was founded in 1920 as the Henry Radcliffe Convalescent Home, relocated to its present Surrey site in 1946 after the South African gift of the estate as a living memorial to seafarers who served in World War II, and was renamed Care Ashore in 2013. It currently operates residential products including Springbok Radcliffe House (supported housing with 24/7 emergency call system), one-bedroom bungalows, and eleven flats across Cunard Mews and Anchor Flats, the latter refurbished in 2025.

Care Ashore runs a diversified revenue model spanning beneficiary accommodation, hospitality (eight B&B guest rooms, a ten-pitch campsite), an events business (weddings, corporate hire, festivals such as the Alfold Rock and Blues), recreation (a one-acre fishing lake with 22 swims, licensed social club, model boat club), and charitable giving (donations, legacies, in-memory tributes). Marketing combines the careashore.org website, active social channels, partnerships with maritime welfare bodies, and on-estate events. Its go-to-market is community-led, with eligibility-based resident applications supported by referrals through maritime charities such as the Merchant Navy Welfare Board.

The charity is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Ken Usher with CEO Joe Nicholson leading operations, supported by finance, welfare, housing, catering, gardening and maintenance functions. Strategic funding partners in 2025-2026 include the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, The Seafarers' Charity, and the National Lottery Community Fund, supporting infrastructure upgrades including window replacements, Anchor Flats refurbishment and Walled Garden restoration. Operating geographies remain single-country (United Kingdom), with no disclosed subsidiaries, M&A activity, or external investment.

Name

Care Ashore

Legal name

Merchant Seamen's War Memorial Society T/A Care Ashore

Website

https://careashore.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Care Ashore is a UK-registered charity providing supported and independent housing, hospitality, and welfare services for retired seafarers and their dependents on a 250-acre Surrey estate, supplemented by guest rooms, camping, venue hire, and recreation facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafarer Welfare and Supported Housing Services

NAICS

Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (623312)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable / Low-Income Assisted Living (Medicaid Waiver Focused) (HLADABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marina RV & Waterfront Campgrounds (THAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Seafarer accommodation services
• Supported housing charity
• Holiday park facilities
• Event venue hire
• Maritime welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Alfold

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Residential Accommodation: Permanent and temporary residential accommodation for eligible seafarers and their dependents, including supported living and independent living options across various property types.
2. Guest Rooms and Holiday Accommodation: B&B guest rooms in the historic manor house and camping pitches available to the general public, generating revenue while supporting the charity's mission.
3. Venue Hire: Event spaces including function rooms, gardens, and outdoor areas hired for weddings, celebrations, corporate events, and festivals.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Voluntary donations from supporters, fundraising activities, legacy gifts, and memorial donations sustaining the charity's community.
5. Fishing Lake: Day tickets and season memberships for the private 1-acre fishing lake, available to residents and visitors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Care Ashore is a registered seafarer welfare charity operating the 250-acre Springbok Estate in Surrey, providing permanent and temporary supported housing, independent living bungalows and flats for eligible seafarers and their dependents. The charity supplements residential services with revenue-generating hospitality offerings including B&B guest rooms in the historic manor house, an all-year campsite, a private fishing lake, venue hire for weddings and corporate events, a licensed social club, and welfare support services.

Product overview

Care Ashore is a seafarer accommodation charity operating the Springbok Estate in Surrey, offering a comprehensive portfolio of residential, hospitality, and leisure services. Core residential products include supported housing (Springbok Radcliffe House), independent living bungalows, and independent flats (Cunard Mews and Anchor Flats). The charity provides holiday accommodation through guest rooms in the historic manor house and an all-year campsite with hardstanding pitches. Leisure offerings encompass a licensed social club, private one-acre fishing lake with 22 swims, model boat club, and historic Walled and Japanese gardens. The estate serves as an event venue for weddings, corporate events, and festivals. Additional services include welfare support, legacy giving, fundraising events, and corporate and individual volunteering programmes. The portfolio operates as a unified charity offering rather than a modular product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Springbok Radcliffe House Supported housing accommodation offering private bedrooms with living area and shower room, fully furnished with a 24/7 emergency call system and accessibility features, designed for eligible seafarers needing supported living on the Springbok Estate.
• Bungalows One-bedroom unfurnished bungalows with specialist accessibility adaptations, offering independent living within the estate community for eligible seafarers.
• Cunard Mews and Anchor Flats Eleven one-bedroom flats offering independent living on the Springbok Estate; five located on the first floor (suitable for those comfortable using stairs). Refurbished in 2025 with interiors designed for older residents.
• Guest Rooms B&B accommodation in the historic manor house with eight ensuite guest rooms featuring double beds, complimentary Wi-Fi, tea and coffee facilities, free parking, and countryside views, available to the general public.
• Campsite All-year campsite with 10 hardstanding pitches offering electric hook-up suitable for tents, campervans, caravans, and motorhomes, plus seasonal grass pitches available from March to October.
• Fishing Lake One-acre private fishing lake with 22 swims, stocked with common, leather, and ghost carp (up to 25lb), crucians, roach, rudd, and tench. Available to residents and visitors through day tickets and season memberships.
• Social Club Licensed social club with fully stocked bar, large flat-screen TV, table tennis, bar billiards, darts, conservatory, and outdoor terrace seating for residents and guests.
• Venue Hire Event venue offering indoor and outdoor spaces including function rooms, library, walled garden, Japanese garden, and 5-acre events field for weddings, corporate meetings, family celebrations, reunions, and festivals.
• Legacy Giving Programme Gift in will programme allowing supporters to leave lasting legacies to Care Ashore via residuary gifts, specific bequests, and other legacy arrangements.
• Fundraising Events Organised fundraising activities including quiz nights, sailing gatherings, music evenings, sponsored challenges, and at-sea fundraising for shipmates to support the charity's mission.
• Volunteering Programme Volunteer opportunities in social activities, grounds maintenance, administrative support, gardening, and corporate team-building events supporting Care Ashore's mission.
• Welfare Support Services Welfare team providing ongoing assistance to residents including transport to medical appointments and shopping trips, and a 24/7 emergency call service linked to Mole Valley Life.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Much LovedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing tribute platform allowing supporters to create memorials with words, pictures and videos for loved ones, and option to fundraise for Care Ashore in their memory.
• Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported the rebranding project and new website launch, helping promote Care Ashore's services to seafarers nationwide.
• Sky Volunteer TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer team from Sky built an arbour in the Japanese Garden, contributing to garden improvements.
• Linden FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby specialist home supporting adults with severe autism, contributing to allotment care in the Walled Garden alongside Care Ashore residents.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• National Trust: Operates a portfolio of heritage estates with holiday cottages, venue hire, gardens, and campsites — overlapping only with Care Ashore's hospitality, venue hire, and heritage-garden revenue streams, not its residential care mission.

Direct peers

• Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris): Catholic maritime charity providing welfare, chaplaincy and pastoral support to seafarers across UK ports. Comparable seafarer-only beneficiary base and charity-funded welfare services.
• Erskine (Erskine Veterans Charity): Scottish charity providing supported housing and residential care for UK veterans on a single multi-acre estate with its own facilities, very similar operating model to Care Ashore's Springbok Estate concept.
• The Seafarers' Charity (formerly Sailors' Society): International seafarer welfare charity funding accommodation, health and family support services. Directly comparable seafarer-only beneficiary focus and is an active grant partner of Care Ashore.
• The Mission to Seafarers: International Anglican charity dedicated to the welfare of merchant seafarers, providing port-based support and welfare services. Shares Care Ashore's seafarer-focused beneficiary base and charitable funding model.
• Blind Veterans UK: Charity providing supported residential accommodation, training and rehabilitation for vision-impaired ex-service men and women. Comparable demographic-specific supported housing charity model with single-site estates.
• Seafarers UK: Grant-making charity supporting the welfare of seafarers and their families, including funding for housing, residential and respite care. Comparable beneficiary focus and is also a core grant partner of Care Ashore's ecosystem.
• Royal Naval Benevolent Trust (Brinsworth House): Provides supported housing and residential care for retired Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel — the same demographic Care Ashore serves. Operates Brinsworth House as a residential community with welfare support, making it the closest functional peer.

Broad incumbents

• SSAFA: Much larger UK military welfare charity providing housing, welfare and grants across the armed forces community. Overlaps with Care Ashore's service-personnel beneficiary base but operates at significantly greater scale across multiple services.
• Royal British Legion: UK's largest Armed Forces charity, providing supported housing (including list of care homes), welfare grants and community support. A broader incumbent with overlapping mission around service-personnel welfare and residential care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CareAshore
• Facebookfacebook.com/careashore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/care-ashore
• Instagraminstagram.com/careashore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Care Ashore