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The village hub is open to the public and includes a popular licensed bistro, hair salon, therapy room and exercise studio.
Belong Atherton offers 26 self-contained apartments for independent living and six supported ‘households’ with modern en-suite bedrooms and open plan lounge and kitchen areas.
Belong...
Care Provided by Belong Atherton
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Mental Health Condition
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Nursing Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- Dementia Nursing Care
- For a maximum of 73 Service Users
Dementia Care TypesMild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
- Mild Dementia
- Moderate Dementia
- Advanced/Complex Dementia
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- Bariatric Care/Obesity
- Convalescent Care
- Day Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Smoking not permitted
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Bar/Café
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
See key facts and pricing information on our website.
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Belong Atherton for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Belong Atherton to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:
Funding Types Accepted
- Self-Funding (Private)
- Local Authority with Top-up
- Local Authority
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Support you may be entitled to
- If you chose a care home based in England, you may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC), which helps cover the cost of nursing. This is worth £267.68 per week and is usually paid directly to the care home.
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Belong Ltd
- Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
Person in charge
- Nicola Johnstone(General Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Year Purpose Built: 2011
- Last Refurbishment: 2011
- Number of floors: 3
Room Information
- Single Rooms (73)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (73)
Visiting
- Belong Atherton is situated in the heart of the town, one mile away from Atherton railway station and on local bus routes. It is five miles from Bolton attractions including Bolton Steam Museum, the Octagon Theatre and Smithills Farm. Nearby parks include Blackleach Country Park in Walkden, Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan and Pennington Flash Country Park in Leigh. Belong Atherton also has close links with Salford University and the Salford Museum, which includes the recreated Lark Hill Place and has extensive reminiscence resources.
Parking
- On-site parking available.
Belong Atherton Reviews (90)
Belong Atherton has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.725) out of 10, based on 16 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Belong Atherton has 90 reviews.
The food, facilities and environment are superb contributing to a welcoming stay.
All the staff; manager, nurses, carers, administrators, gym, cleaners and kitchen are quite exceptional, working well together to create a happy, friendly atmosphere which helps residents feel settled and valued.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us. Our team work hard to create a warm, friendly and welcoming environment, so it is wonderful to know that this has been reflected in your experience. Your kind comments will mean a great deal to our village team and I will ensure they are shared with everyone involved.
When choosing a care home the only one we visited was belong as it had everything we needed and had a good feel about it, Small households, various seating areas in the households and the open kitchen made for an enviroment that residents and staff could interact together or for privacy residents could stay in their room.
Mums initially needed care due to mobility issues and used most of the homes facilities from the hair dresser to the gym and PT sessions.
The staff were always very caring, however in the last few weeks of Mums life we realised just how caring they were, many of the staff treated Mum like she could have been their mother, which was very comforting.
Thank You Belong for all of the care given to Mum over the years she lived with you
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this incredibly moving feedback. It was a privilege to support your Mother and it is crucial to us that we make people's time with us as special and positive as possible. It will mean a great deal to our village team to read your comments and I will ensure they are shared with everyone. Thanks again.
Mum recently had her 80th birthday. She had a lovely day. The staff decorated the household with balloons and banners and went out of their way to make her feel special. After a period of ill health they have boosted her morale. The sports specialist has worked hard with mum to strengthen her and with the result she is back to her normal self. We are so lucky to have such a dedicated staff looking after her.
Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to post this lovely feedback. Our team take great pleasure in making sure that special events are celebrated and we are delighted to hear that your mum's experience at Belong Atherton has been so positive.
My mum had to have nursing care after a stroke at age 99. She had previously lived in her own home and was very worried that she would have to go to a home as her sister had a bad experience of a home.We cannot thank Belong enough for finding her a place she is settled and so well looked after. It would be wrong to mention anyone specifically on Chanters household as all the staff there are wonderful and do their best for her.I cannot recommend Belong at Atherton highly enough, we now all have peace of mind.
Thank you so much for this lovely review! It is a privilege to have your mum staying with us at Belong Atherton and the team will be thrilled with this feedback. We are so pleased that you have peace of mind and that she is so well cared for.
Since the households no longer provide cooking locally and it comes up from the main kitchen, there has been a considerable drop in the quality of the food that dad has stated many times and I would be much happier if the food was prepared, cooked and served locally by the households. The food is sometimes cool to eat as it has been standing around under heater trolly and not served hot from the oven/hob.
There seems to be a lot of staff changeover, especially within the households which is not ideal and does impact on the quality of care provided.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. We're delighted to hear that you feel confident and reassured leaving your dad in our care. Regarding your comments on pricing, please be assured that we work hard to keep any increases to a minimum, in line with our...
The staff are generally very welcoming, full of smiles and helpful in providing a cup of tea, despite all sorts of demands on their time!
My sister is taken out on interesting trips, which mean a great deal to her ... today, for example, she had just returned from the Museum when I rang asnd was clearly delighted with the experience.
The result of this caring an creative environment is that she is calmewre and happier these last few years than she had been for decades before she came.
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide this feedback, which is valued by all the team. We are delighted to hear that your Sister's experience at Belong Atherton is so positive, and that you can see such a difference in her. It is a pleasure to have her here with us.
The carers are great can't fault them. Laundry not brilliant some clothes come back shrunk.
Carpets need cleaning.
Think the host back on the house would be beneficial
.
At the same time, we are sorry to hear of other concerns. We do understand how important consistency is for our residents and...
My Dad has been at Belong since February 2022 and without doubt it was the best, albeit difficult, decision I have ever had to make with respect to my Dad's care. The staff on his household have been fantastic in everyway and they genuine care about him. My Dad is well known across the village and all staff including managers take time to check in with him and make sure he is ok. Dad is now receiving nursing care and the nursing team are very professional and have upskilled to help administer his ongoing medical needs. Dad is encouraged to attend many social activities and his regular attendance at on-site gym sessions does wonders for his physical and mental wellbeing. I am kept advised of all aspects of his care which is both reassuring and takes away a lot of pressure for me and my family.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this lovely feedback. We are delighted to know that your Dad is so happy at Belong Atherton and that he is receiving such dedicated care and attention from our village teams. I will ensure that I share your kind feedback with them all.
Amazing place with Amazing staff who really care & go above and beyond to look after their residents. Communication is great, being able to log in when you are at work or away to check on relatives is really helpful
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this wonderful feedback. We aim to maintain high standards at Belong Atherton; we are so delighted to hear this has been your experience.
Over the 11 months that mum was there, the care, love and support shown to her, and us as a family, was unconditional.
At the time of her passing they went above and beyond for both her and us
It is a truly remarkable place and there are no words to cover how grateful we are.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this incredibly moving feedback. It was a privilege to support your mum and it is crucial to us that we make people's time with us as special and positive as possible. It will mean a great deal to our Tyldesley House team to read your comments and I will ensure they are shared with everyone. Thanks again.
My mum came to Belong from another care home in April 2025. From the moment she arrived, she was made to feel welcome, as were her family. The staff are all fantastic and there are too many to mention here. Nothing is too much trouble for Mum and she is treated with care, dignity and respect. Her frequent visitors are also made very welcome. They encourage her to interact with social activities in the home. The recent D-Day celebrations were absolutely brilliant, although my mum found the transition from living independently to going into a home a challenge. She now feels completely at home in Belong. Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to submit such wonderful feedback. Our team work really hard to ensure a friendly, homely and welcoming environment. It means a great deal to our village team to know that this your Mum has settled in so well and is receiving such great care and attention.
She only spent 6 weeks there until she sadly passed away but the care and compassion given to her in those weeks from all the staff but especially those on Chanters was amazing.
Belong Atherton really do care about their residents and their families.
Thank you to everyone who looked after Mum, I really cannot thank you enough.
Please accept our condolences; it was a privilege to care for your mum and we are pleased to know she was well looked after during her time here. Thank you for taking the time to submit your review and we will ensure your kind words are shared with the entire team at the village.
My wife has only been in Belong 12 weeks, but the love, dignity and respect she has been shown has been nothing short of fabulous.
This time is difficult for our family. But the Belong team have made a difficult time easier.
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide such kind feedback, which is valued by all the team. We are delighted to hear that your wife's experience at Belong Atherton has been so positive, and that we are able to support you as a family.
My husband died recently after spending twenty two months as a resident. Until three months before his death, he took part in the many social activities offered including going on trips. His end of life care was excellent. There was always someone to sit with him and reassure him when he became anxious as more and more time was spent in bed. The nursing care was excellent and towards the end, they were able to manage pain and agitation so that he was comfortable. All the staff also looked after my family and me finding time to listen and keep us in the picture. My husband was always treated with dignity and respect throughout his stay.
Please accept our condolences; it was a privilege to care for your husband and we are pleased to know he was happy during his time here and received the best end of life care. Thank you for taking the time to submit your review and we will ensure your kind and touching words are shared with the team at the village.
We consider his care to be exemplary.
As well as his physical needs, his spiritual needs were attended to, resulting in him receiving the last sacrament from our priest and thereby, assuring us of his place in heaven.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this incredibly moving feedback. It was a privilege to support your husband and it is crucial to us that we make people's time with us as special and positive as possible and to meet every need that we can. It will mean a great deal to our village teams to read your comments and I will ensure they are shared with everyone. Thanks again.
The atmosphere at Belong Atherton was welcoming and everywhere was clean. There was a distinct lack of uniforms, which made the home seem more like a real home and less like an institution. We particularly liked the fact that we could have a meal with our friend in the bistro and that she had a card to pay for food, which again mirrored how she would pay in a cafe. Her room had a balcony and the bed was a good size. So often in care homes, the beds are single size, which, when one has been in a situation of having a partner, and a double or larger bed, is difficult to adjust to. Our friend had been helped with her walking and was using a frame. Our dog was also welcomed and this was important to our friend. All together an uplifting experience.
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with this valuable feedback. Our team work really hard to ensure a friendly, homely and welcoming environment and maintain high standards at all times. It means a great deal to our Belong Atherton team to know that this is appreciated and that you enjoy spending time in the village with your friend.
The Lead Support Manager has always been exceptionally kind. In the early days, still during Covid restrictions, she listened and provided gentle reassurance. Her dedication to looking after the whole family, not just their resident, has ensured the whole team is a credit to her and themselves. All the staff show tender encouragement, and gentle care and ensure dignity to all residents all the time. Nothing seems to be too much trouble and it is as though they are caring for one of their relatives. I have nothing but praise for all the staff who look after Dad. They know his likes and dislikes and act accordingly with kindness and understanding. The whole atmosphere of Chanters is warm and friendly. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Thank you for taking the time to submit such wonderful feedback. We aim to maintain high standards at Belong Atherton; we are so delighted to hear this has been your experience and I will make sure your kind words are passed to the entire Chanters House team.
This is the only place we would have wanted our relative to be placed. The staff go above and beyond to make her feel comfortable and more importantly happy. Could not be more trusting of the staff.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this feedback. We aim to maintain high standards at Belong Atherton, we are so delighted to hear this has been your experience.
Really pleased that my wife is so well looked after.
Thank you for submitting such a kind review. We are delighted to hear your experience with Belong has been a good one. Thanks again for choosing Belong Atherton, it’s a pleasure to have your wife with us.
Belong Atherton is always a pleasant experience. The Bistro downstairs is an excellent asset and my mother enjoys a trip there for coffee and cake or lunch when we visit. The staff are all very kind, caring and welcoming. My wife and I are very happy with the care my mother gets, the staff understand her and know her likes and dislikes. They always ring if there is an issue and get the doctor if required. She is happy and settled.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this lovely feedback. We are delighted to know that your mum is happy and settled at Belong Atherton and that the dedication of our village teams is making a difference.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 24 May 2018Outstanding
- CaringOutstanding
- EffectiveOutstanding
- ResponsiveOutstanding
- SafeGood
- Well-ledOutstanding
Inspection ratings
We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:
- Outstanding - The service is performing exceptionally well.
- Good - The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.
- Requires Improvement - The service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.
- Inadequate - The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
- Not rated - we have not yet rated this area of the service, this is normally because the assessments we have carried out have been focused on other key questions.
Bed Vacancies
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (25) & Events (0)
- 29 Jul 2026
Belong at Home, the dementia specialist home care service from Belong Villages, has retained its crown as the UK’s only not-for-profit operator to be named in the top 20 home...
- 21 Jul 2026
Belong Care Villages has been named as one of the UK’s top 10 small provider care homes by leading care comparison website Lottie. Our Wigan, Atherton and Macclesfield villages were...
- 20 Jul 2026
Colleagues across Belong villages are celebrating recognition at the prestigious Palliative and End of Life Care Awards 2026. Organised by Care Talk magazine, the awards recognise the individuals and teams...
There are no upcoming events for Belong Atherton.
Awards / Recognitions (25)
- 30 Jan 2026Recipient: Belong Ltd
- 30 Jun 2022Recipient: Belong Atherton
- 30 Jun 2022Recipient: Belong Ltd
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for Belong Atherton.
Meet the Team (4)

Award-winning former lead nurse, and support manager, Nicola Johnstone, was promoted to the role of general manager in November 2023.
Starting her career in the care sector in 2003, working for the former CLS group as a domestic assistant, Nicola completed qualifications in health and social care to enable progression to care assistant, senior carer and care team leader roles. Following completion of her BSc in adult nursing at Salford University in 2008, she joined Belong’s newly-opened Atherton village as one of its first nurses; gaining promotion to lead nurse just a year later. In 2014 she also attained a degree in leadership and management with West Cheshire College, which led eventually to her taking on her new role as support manager.
As a leading example of frontline nurses in social care, in 2018, Nicola was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Prince Charles. She has subsequently helped to guide the Belong Atherton team to achieve platinum status in the Gold Standard Framework, to go with the village’s ‘outstanding’ rating awarded by the CQC.
She is a former ‘Nurse of the Year’ winner at the Wigan and Leigh Hospice Awards, and also a recipient of the ‘End of Life Care Award’ in the Great North West Care Awards.

Gill has worked in the care industry for the over 23 years, starting her career with CLS Care Services, as a Domestic Assistant at Golborne House. Whilst there, Gill progressed to the role of Care Assistant, and then made the move to another CLS Home, Sherwood House, as a Care Team Leader.
Gill then supported the Management Team at Belong Macclesfield for 12 months when it opened in 2007, before moving back to Sherwood House, when her career took a change of direction and she took on the role of Administrator at Belong Wigan when the village opened. Gill enjoyed this role for two years before being promoted to the Front of House Manager role at Belong Atherton, and is now a valuable member of the village management team.

Paul Woodcock is a highly skilled Village Nurse Manager and has won multiple nursing awards, including Social Care Nurse of the Year at the Great North West Care Awards 2025 and at the Wigan Borough Palliative and End of Life Care Awards 2025. In the same year, he also became an RCNI workforce development champion. With a focus on upskilling and continuous improvement, he leads by example and supports his team to deliver the highest standard of clinical care to Belong’s customers. He has a particular passion for end-of-life care and for developing the next generation of the workforce by supporting student nurses and newly qualified colleagues to grow into their full potential.
Paul’s passion for nursing was sparked during his early career as a support worker with Belong, when he was supported to complete an Access to Higher Education course, followed by a nursing degree at the University of Chester.
After qualifying, he took up a position on the Acute Medical Unit at Warrington Hospital, where he developed a broad range of clinical skills and gained valuable experience caring for acutely unwell people. He remained on Belong’s bank, working night shifts alongside his hospital role and after ten months, returned to Belong full-time as a Night Nurse, helping to strengthen the integration between night and day teams and providing care throughout the Covid 19 pandemic.He continues to positively influence the support teams in Belong Atherton and was part of the team which won the prestigious Chief Nurse Adult Social Care team Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Care in 2025.

Lesley has an extensive career history in social care which began in a residential home in Salford, and later as a care assistant for social services for 9 years, before leaving to live in Holland and later Portugal.
On returning to England in 2004, Lesley returned to social care, working at Cornwall Care as a community carer, before progressing within the company and becoming an area manager for two areas of domiciliary care in the area of St Ives and in Falmouth.
Lesley returned back to Manchester, to be nearer to her parents in 2008, and managed a small residential home for people with mental illness before joining Belong, as the Registered Manager for the Belong at Home service in Atherton, in April 2019.
Frequently Asked Questions about Belong Atherton
What types of Care is Belong Atherton registered for?
Older Person Care, Dementia, Mental Health Condition, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment are the registered (by the Care Quality Commission) categories of Care.
How many Rooms does Belong Atherton have?
There are 73 Single Rooms.
What are the Facilities & Services at Belong Atherton?
Own Furniture if required, Pet Friendly (or by arrangement), Smoking not permitted, Close to Local shops, Near Public Transport, Lift, Wheelchair Access, Gardens, Bar/Café, Residents Kitchenette, Phone Point in own room, Television point in own room, Residents Internet Access are some of the Facilities & Services.
How far is Belong Atherton to the centre of Manchester?
10.9 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.
Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Belong Atherton to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Belong Atherton has an Enhanced Service -more info.