our community
Vincent House is a community residence and everyone who resides or works at the House becomes a member of our community. Vincent House has an established reputation and has successfully accommodated many people from a range of backgrounds and different cultures and countries. Some reside here for a few months and others for a number of years, whilst others come and go choosing to return to the House on a regular basis.

Vincent House is constantly developing in response to our community and the changing world, which is demonstrated in the ongoing investment in the building, particularly the communal areas, the continual technological advances and the improvements to residents' facilities and services.

our team
Every one who works at Vincent House is a member of a team whose primary aim is to serve the needs of our residents. The majority of employees also live at the House and as such are also members of our community. Some have worked at Vincent House for many years, whilst others choose to work at the House for a shorter period. Many originate from abroad and several of our younger employees are in London to study or improve their English, with quite a few combining their work with study, varying from business qualifications to language courses.

Heading up the team is the General Manager, Richard Tomkins, who oversees the House with a particular interest in resident relations, employee development and environmental improvements. The management team also includes Debra Loynton, Administration Manager, Head Chef, Robin Thornton and Carla Soares, Front of House Supervisor. Other key figures at Vincent House are Werner Neuhold, deputy chef and Dorothy Pickering, housekeeping supervisor.

Richard and his team are committed to providing support and training to everyone working at Vincent House. Working and living at Vincent House provides an attractive opportunity to experience life in one of the world's leading cities and there is a regular flow of young people who see it as a friendly and fun place to work. Everyone who works at Vincent House is important to the smooth running of the House and as an organisation we aim to ensure that we are a fair employer which supports and develops all of its employees. We encourage a friendly yet professional approach and we are confident that residents can expect a respectful and courteous manner from all staff at all times. Accordingly we ask residents and visitors to treat everyone who works at the House in a similarly respectful and polite way.

The people who work at Vincent House are essential to its continued success and we have been lucky that there has been a continual source of new employees attracted to working at the House as a result of recommendation by friends.

key people at vincent house!
Richard Tomkins originates from Nottingham and first joined Vincent House in 1994. He spent a few years gaining experience elsewhere before returning in 1999 as Deputy General Manager to Robert Wiles who was General Manager of the House for 17 years from 1987. Richard met his Brazilian wife Estela when she was working at the House in the 1990's and in 2002 their son Shawn was born.

Robin Thornton recently celebrated twenty years as Head Chef at Vincent House. Robin was Robert Wiles' first major appointment and, as he says himself, did not anticipate being at the House for so long! However, he has enjoyed his time working at the House and the challenge of cooking for as many as 100 residents each day plus, of course, the staff lunches and dinners too!

Debra Loynton, who joined Vincent House as Administration Manager in June 2009, previously worked for Sodexo, a contract catering company and lives in Harrow .  Even though increasing amounts of paperwork and administration in the 21st Century mean her role, which was newly created and is both vital to the business and, of course, busy, she settled in quickly and she is enjoying working at Vincent House. 

Robin, who has been ably supported for several years by deputy chef Werner Neuhold, has a lengthy commute from Purley in Surrey. These days Robin shares his home with his beloved dogs Buster and Bonnie and to celebrate his 20 year anniversary, Richard and the Committee commissioned a portrait of them, which Robin says he will treasure as a special keepsake.

Carla Soares is Front of House Supervisor and has worked at Vincent House since August 2002. In 2006 the Committee decided to help Carla with the financial costs of a four year business course which she is currently undertaking in her own time. Originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil, Carla is now settled in London having married long term boyfriend Neil who works for the BBC in February 2009. She is very appreciative of the support and guidance that has been given to her since coming to work at Vincent House where she is now an integral member of the management team.

Many of the employees make new friends whilst working at the House, some of which become life long associations and, as we have seen, in some cases marriages. The social life of the staff is an important part of their lives and at least once a year the General Manager treats them to a special social event. In Robert Wiles' day it was generally a cultural outing and the staff enjoyed several trips to the Holland Park opera and in his last couple of years at the helm there was a trip to see The Nutcracker ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden as well as a matinee performance of Les Miserables. In 2005 the staff opted for a barbecue and party in the garden; however, in 2006 they suggested an outing to see Guys & Dolls, apparently on the basis that Patrick Swayze (of Dirty Dancing fame!) was one of the lead roles. However, sadly, he did not perform at the matinee they attended - but fortunately they all enjoyed his understudy!