About Cholmondeley Children's Home

Cholmondeley Children's Home is a registered Child and Family Support Service which provides a safe, short-term haven for children between the ages of 3 and 12 whose parents are unable to care for them. Its mission is to provide quality short-term residential care for children in need and support for their families.

Cholmondeley is a non-denominational home and forms an important niche in the social services available to troubled families and those with temporary support needs such as emergency and respite care. Each night, the home cares for up to 30 children from Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury districts. There is major emphasis on transitioning children between the home and the next stage in a child's journey, eg foster care.

Cholmondeley is a Registered Charitable Trust administered by a board of management who act on a voluntary basis. In order to survive, the home relies on voluntary donations, membership subscriptions, parent donations, fundraising and grants from the Canterbury community.

Cholmondeley Children's Home is situated at the head of Lyttelton Harbour in Governor's Bay, and was gifted to the people of Canterbury by Hugh Heber Cholmondeley in 1925 to ensure that our children and future generations of children would always have a place to go in times of crisis.

Named after a charitable man of extraordinary vision, the home has stood the test of time in a remarkable way. We are proud of our unbroken history of achievement spanning more than three quarters of a century.

Cholmondeley's people

Cholmondeley is run by a dedicated team of staff, volunteers and trustees who ensure the home provides the very best level of care to the children in need who stay there.