






Belong Atherton is a vibrant community village on Mealhouse Lane bringing the very latest in care and facilities for older people into the heart of the town.
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.
My mum has been in Belong for approximately 6 months. During that time her care has been excellent, not only with mum but with family. The staff always update us with any information. There is always a nurse on hand when needed. Mum is very well looked after, clean and personal centred care comes first. We are all like family with staff. Can have a drink whenever and plans and information is always available.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. The staff teams work hard to ensure a friendly, homely and welcoming environment and so it will mean a great deal to them to know that this has been your experience. Thank you for choosing Belong Atherton.
From the first day, my mum arrived at Belong Atherton on Calebwright House until the last day of her life my Mum was treated with the utmost respect. Treated with dignity and supported by all staff members. My mum could not have been treated any better than the care provided. To have the staff on Calebwright and Belong is a credit to this care home. I can't praise them all enough. If all care homes were like Belong then a lot of families would have peace of mind knowing they are in good hands. Thank you once again.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review on the support provided at Belong Atherton. We do our best to understand every customer and it was a privilege to care for your mum. It will mean a great deal to the Calebwright team to read your comments and I will ensure they are shared with everyone. Thank you for choosing Belong Atherton.
I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending the very high level of care and compassion my sister has received during her eleven-month stay in Belong Atherton.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. We are touched by your kind words and will aim to keep our services to such high standards.
Belong Atherton provides fantastic facilities. The staff are extremely professional and treat residents with respect giving them a good quality of life whilst in the home. Highly recommend Belong Atherton and can't thank their staff enough.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. We are touched by your kind words and will aim to keep our services to such high standards.
My mum arrived at Belong on Friday 27th April 2018 after being discharged from Preston hospital. Mum suffered from dementia and sadly passed away suddenly on Monday 30th April.
I find it disappointing that no one from Belong sent a message of condolence after my mum's sudden passing. It was a difficult decision to decide for mum to go to Belong and although she seemed reasonably settled during her short stay there were a couple of issues, one being feeding. We took her lunch and fed her because the staff had tried to feed her but she had refused the food so if we hadn’t gone she wouldn’t have eaten. There was also a mix up with the medication she was meant to be taking, luckily a member of staff picked up on this checked it out and the tablets were withdrawn.
I just think a note to either my dad or myself after my mum's passing or even a quick call would have been nice as her sudden death was unexpected and a massive shock which we are still coming to terms with.
We very much regret that your experience in Belong has fallen short of our expected standards and what we believe to be the norm in Belong. We apologise for any delay in sending our condolences and we are investigating the issues you raise as a priority.
The best feature is that both staff and residents have a smile on their face, making the home a happy place to be.
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with this feedback. Our staff work really hard to ensure a friendly, homely and welcoming environment. It means a great deal to our staff team to know that this is appreciated.
Words cannot describe how pleased our family have been with the amazing level of support, care and compassion that she always received.
Mum was very happy and relaxed with her family and friends also feeling very welcomed into being part of her life in a new home and village environment. Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. We are so touched by your kind words, and will aim to keep our services to such high standards.
The care for my mother was excellent and beyond belief.
My only low observation was the lack of organisation with regard to personal clothing.
Most of the clothes I took for my mother were difficult to locate and when I did the condition wasn't very good. This would be the main area where the manager needs to be more involved.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. We are happy that your mother's experience of her care at Belong Atherton has been so positive, but of course we are concerned about the issue raised. We are investigating this as a priority to put improvements in place.
Excellent care provided at all times. The staff are extremely knowledgeable but most of all they do really care.
Thank you for taking the time to provide such lovely feedback. We are delighted to hear that you are happy with the care and support provided at Belong Atherton and I will ensure your kind words are shared with the staff team.
Thanks to everyone concerned.
Please accept our condolences; it was a privilege to care for your mum and we are pleased to know she was happy during her time here. Thank you for taking the time to submit your review, we will ensure your kind words are shared with the staff team at the village.
her physical state has improved and she has had a healthy weight gain.
The set out of the main room with the food preparation area within and all the bedrooms off it encourage an inclusive atmosphere for all but with privacy, if required in the spacious bedrooms provided.
All in all a great home environment with a good atmosphere.
Thank you for your positive feedback on the support provided at Belong Atherton. We are delighted to hear that your mum is settled and happy and trust that your experience will continue to be so positive.
I came into Belong for respite care after breaking my ankle, having an operation and being fitted with a cast. I live on my own and knew wouldn't feel safe during the night when getting up to use the toilet.
I Have had wonderful care, I press my buzzer when needing help and the response is immediate. Nothing is too much trouble. Always greeted with a smile! The food is good and I enjoy going into the bistro when friends visit. A plus is a hairdresser on site.
My father was admitted to Belong Atherton (I had researched and viewed many care homes but only felt comfortable here). He had been suffering from dementia for some time and had become unable to care for himself and was not an easy resident presenting a number of challenges.
All the staff have dealt with my father with dignity, compassion and a great sense of fun. I have only ever felt complete relief that his care is faultless and my dad is now happy relaxed and safe. A huge thank you to you all. (I don't tick excellent often).
Thank you for your positive feedback on the support provided at Belong Atherton. We do our best to understand every customer and it is a pleasure to have your father living with us. It will mean a great deal to the team to know that your father feels happy and safe; I will ensure your comments are passed on to them.
Belong Atherton has provided care for my mother above and beyond their duties. They have also been a help to me when I needed advice about my mother.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this lovely feedback. We are delighted to hear that the dedication of our village staff team is making a difference and that we have been able to provide support to both you and your mother.
As a visitor, I have experienced very helpful staff, always ready to answer any questions.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. We are delighted that your relative has enjoyed her time at the village so much so that she wishes to stay. Our staff teams work hard to ensure a friendly, homely and welcoming environment. It will mean a great deal to them to know that this is appreciated.
Staff have been absolutely brilliant, funny and most of all caring. The level of service provided is awesome.
The staff treat all service users with the same amount of equality, inclusion and go to great lengths with their duty of care and safety for all residents.
Keep up the hard, brilliant teamwork!
We were immensely moved to read your touching review. We're so proud of our staff team and their dedication and they will be really delighted to read this. Thanks so much for taking the time to post.
Belong Village at Atherton is a modern care home with light, airy single bedrooms with en-suite facilities. My sister-in-law has settled into the home straight away, where she was treated with care and dignity by all the staff.
I would not hesitate to recommend this home to anyone looking for care for a friend or family member.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review of Belong Atherton. We are pleased to hear that your sister-in-law is settle and happy here and we will aim to maintain the high standards to ensure her stay continues to be enjoyable. Thank you again for your feedback which we will ensure is shared with members of the staff teams.
My dad stayed at Belong for a week whilst my mum came to stay with me for some respite. From the first contact until the last day, I found the staff to be very caring. My dad struggles to communicate having had a stroke 13 years ago. Although I did not visit him, I contacted the home twice and was happy with the information given. When we went to collect him to take him home, he looked very well. Both my mum and myself would be happy for him to stay again. His case was packed and ready for us. My dad seemed to be very happy which is very reassuring for us. Cannot fault the staff. We have arranged another date for him in 2017.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with this feedback. We aim to maintain high standards at Belong Atherton; we are delighted this has been your experience. Kind regards.
We first came to Belong Atherton when my mum had to move from a residential home to a care home. We originally had mum at the other care home but were not happy with mums treatment. After looking at several care homes we came to view Belong Atherton and were impressed straight away. The care and help my mum and my family have received from all the staff has been second to none, kind, friendly, caring staff of all ages. I would have no hesitation in recommending Belong Atherton to anyone. We have no hesitation in recommending Belong Atherton to anyone. We are thinking of getting our names down now :) Thanks for all your help and support.
Since my Aunt moved into Pretoria she has received first class care. All staff have shown her care and respect and have gone out of their way to meet her individual needs. All staff have been approachable and have kept me up to date with her care. I placed my Aunt here as my mother has been a resident on the Astley wing for over 5 years and I have been happy with her care. All visitors my family have received have given me positive comments about the home.
Thank you so much for this lovely review! We are overjoyed to hear your Aunt is happy with us and enjoying our services. I will make sure your kind words are passed to the village team.
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.
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.