Welcome to the Allington House Page.

The Location

Allington House is a detached building at the end of a cul-de-sac, and is therefore very quiet. It was originally built in around 1880 with a large extension added to the back in the 1960's. It is a 5 minute walk from the train station, coach station, local parks and college, and a 10 minute walk from Bournemouth town centre with its many shops and stores and the well known, blue flag, white sand beach

The Accomodation

Each client will have a bedroom, although initially you may be asked to share a room with one other person, although privacy screen are provided. This is often done in the early part of treatment to help with the settling in process, it means there is someone close at hand to help a new client to find their way around in this new environment. For clients who have been in treatment a few weeks, it gives them the opportunity to help a newcomer to feel at home.

Allington House has three double rooms and ten single rooms. Each room has its own sink, and there are also two bathrooms and a shower room each with a toilet, and a further toilet available for use.

There is a laundry room situated on the ground floor, with a washing machine, tumble dryer and an iron and ironing board. These are used on a rota system. Your time in the rota will be explained to you shortly after you arrive.

There is also a kitchen and dining room, clients prepare meals on a rota basis and clear away on a rota basis. Meal times are: breakfast 8am to 8.30am, lunch 1pm to 1.30pm and dinner 6pm to 6.30pm. Tea, coffee and soft drinks are always available and snacks and fruit are available in the evening after dinner.

All household chores are done by the clients on a weekly-rota basis. This includes washing up, cooking, cleaning and hovering and other jobs relating to maintaining a home. This is part of the rehabilitation program and has to do with the fact that when a client re-enters the community at the end of treatment, they will most likely need to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their own living environment. It is helpful to get into the habit of keeping the place you live in clean and tidy early on in the rehabilitation process.

There is a lounge situated at the front of the building. This is used for various group activities as well as relaxation in the evenings and at weekends.

There are two rooms used for one-to-ones, one on the first floor and one on the second floor accessed by the part glazed fire door at the top of the main stairs, and a meeting or conference room on the ground floor. There are various offices, the counsellors, keyworkers and managers offices are all in various locations on the ground floor.

Allington House has gardens all round the building, with areas set aside for different activities. There is a meditation area at the back and a quiet area at the side as well as a more communal smoking area at the front.