Local residents and community representatives gathered to celebrate the official opening our new home and live-in care branch on Peverell Avenue West Poundbury, Dorchester. Guests had the opportunity to tour the new premises, meet our Dorchester care team and learn more about the range of support services available to families across the town and surrounding areas.
The new location builds on Agincare’s proud history of serving the local community from a variety of locations in the county town over the past 38 years. Mayor of Dorchester Cllr Andy Canning officially opened the branch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside Mayoress Mel Lane, Agincare Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst, Chief Executive Raina Summerson and Managing Director Sam Mayes (pictured below).
From left: Agincare Chief Executive Officer Raina Summerson, Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst, Mayor of Dorchester, Cllr Andy Canning, Mayoress Mel Lane and Managing Director of Agincare Home Care and Live-in Care Sam Mayes.
Speaking at the event, Mayoress Mel Lane said:
It’s a huge pleasure to be here today, and an absolute delight to learn about an organisation that has existed in Dorchester for so long and been hugely successful. We are delighted to be here representing the town to say a huge congratulations on opening the offices, and we wish you all the very best for the next 40 years.
Founded from a single care home in Weymouth, the organisation has grown to become one of the UK’s leading independent care providers while remaining deeply rooted in the communities it serves. Agincare Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst said:
Agincare has been providing care to the Dorchester area for nearly 40 years, and today we are very proud to have relocated our office to the heart of Poundbury.
Agincare won just about the first local authority block contract in the country, covering Weymouth and Dorchester. We have a long history of good relationships with Dorset Council. They, like Agincare, were pioneers of care in the community as we recognise it today.
Following the opening ceremony, the branch hosted an Open Afternoon for people interested in a career in care or more about the high-quality personalised services our Dorchester team offers. Visitors were able to learn more about career opportunities in care and take part in on-the-day interviews with the team. We highlighted our commitment to attracting and retaining high-quality care professionals through competitive pay rates for those joining the Agincare Dorchester team.
Branch Registered Manager Sam Jolliff said:
We were delighted to welcome the local community to celebrate the opening of our newly located Dorchester home care service. Our new office is an exciting milestone for the team, and it was wonderful to meet residents, local businesses and people interested in starting a career in care.
We are proud to support people across Dorchester, Poundbury and the surrounding areas, and we look forward to delivering exceptional care in the community for many years to come
The Agincare Dorchester office team: (from left) Field Care Supervisor Wendy Harrison, Registered Manager Samantha Jolliff, Care Coordinator Vijay Nair.
Agincare Dorchester is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and has a strong track record of supporting individuals and families across the local area, again securing a ‘Good’ rating following inspection by the CQC in a recent report, published 12 March 2026. Our service provides tailored care designed around each person’s needs and preferences, ranging from companionship and help with daily living to full-time live-in care.
With a workforce of more than 5,500 people, Dorset-based Agincare delivers a comprehensive range of high-quality, person-centred care and support services across more than 170 locations nationwide. These include over 40 care and nursing homes, home care services, extra care schemes, live-in care, supported living and not-for-profit children’s services.