Founded 1998 · Hampshire, England
Our Story
From the deck of a Royal Navy vessel to the heart of Hampshire's most trusted family of care homes — this is the story of Stephen Geach, and the belief that every person deserves to be cared for as if they were family.
Founded 1998 · Hampshire
Full Story
The English Oak Story
English Oak Care Homes grew from one clear belief: people should be cared for with the same warmth, dignity and respect we would want for our own family. That belief is closely tied to Stephen Geach, whose nine years in the Royal Navy shaped a strong sense of duty, consistency and personal responsibility for the people in his care.
In 1998, Stephen took that ethic of service into elderly care and opened his first home, Cornelia House in Portchester. It was the beginning of a journey built not around institutions, but around real homes: places where residents feel safe, known, comfortable and genuinely valued as individuals.
From those early foundations, the group grew steadily. Oak View on Hayling Island became a key part of that story, followed by other homes across Hampshire and West Sussex. As the group expanded, the values remained the same: kind leadership, high standards, stable teams and a determination to create homes where quality of life matters just as much as quality of care.
Today, English Oak Care Homes reflects both tradition and progress — a family-run group that continues to value personal relationships, thoughtful innovation and the belief that every resident deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect.
"My approach when creating English Oak Care Homes was clear: providing places I'd be happy for my own Mum to live in — places where people receive the respect and have the quality of life they deserve."
Service and standards
A founder shaped by duty, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility for others.
Homes, not institutions
The aim has always been to create places that feel warm, welcoming and genuinely lived in.
Innovation with purpose
New ideas are embraced when they genuinely enrich daily life, comfort and wellbeing for residents.
One family of homes
Four established homes across Hampshire and West Sussex, united by the same values and family ethos.
A word from the founder
Stephen Geach
Before Stephen Geach ever opened a care home, he served nine years in the Royal Navy. That experience — of discipline, of duty, of looking after the people beside you — never left him. When he opened Oak View on Hayling Island in August 1998, he brought those same values to a new kind of service.
"My approach when creating English Oak Care Homes was clear: providing places I'd be happy for my own Mum to live in — places where people receive the respect and have the quality of life they deserve."
Today, English Oak Care Homes operates four outstanding homes across Hampshire and West Sussex, holding a 9.8 out of 10 review score from nearly 200 independent reviews. But to Stephen, the measure of success has never changed: it is the look on a resident's face when they feel truly at home.
The Journey
From Roots to Canopy
Every oak begins as an acorn. The story of English Oak Care Homes is one of patient growth — each home a new branch, each resident a reason to reach higher.
A Hampshire Beginning
Stephen Richard Geach is born in Hampshire, England — the county that would one day become home to the care homes he would build. Educated at Crofton School in Stubbington, he grows up with a deep sense of community and service.
Service & Discipline: The Royal Navy Years
At eighteen, Stephen enlists in the Royal Navy, beginning nine years of service that would shape his character profoundly. The Navy instilled in him values that would later define his approach to care: discipline, duty, attention to detail, and an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of those in his charge.
The First Acorn: Cornelia House Opens
Leaving the Navy, Stephen turns his sense of service towards a new calling — caring for the elderly. In August 1998, he opens his first care home: Cornelia House in Portchester, Hampshire. From the very first day, his guiding principle is simple and personal: 'I will only provide the standard of care I would want for my own mother.'
Cornelia Care Homes: Growing Roots
As demand for his distinctive, person-centred approach grows, Stephen formalises his expanding group under the name Cornelia Care Homes. The name honours a spirit of nurturing and strength. Over the following years, Cornelia Care Homes grows to encompass multiple homes across Hampshire and the surrounding area, each one reflecting Stephen's uncompromising standards.
A New Identity: English Oak is Born
After two decades of growth, Stephen takes the bold decision to rebrand. The name English Oak captures everything he has built: the strength and longevity of the oak tree, its deep roots in English soil, and the shelter and community it provides. The oak is a symbol of endurance — and so is the care Stephen has delivered for over twenty years.
The Reminiscence Express
In one of the most celebrated innovations in British care home history, Stephen and his son Liam build a full train carriage inside one of their dementia care homes. Inspired by residents who felt safer within the home environment, the 'Reminiscence Express' recreates the golden age of rail travel — complete with moving digital scenery — bringing joy, memory, and wonder to residents living with dementia. The story is featured in HuffPost and shared around the world.
Leading Through the Pandemic
When COVID-19 strikes, Stephen's military instincts come to the fore. He introduces round-the-clock surface sterilisation, creates his own PPE when national supplies fail, and — crucially — establishes a 24-hour mental health support line for every member of staff, funded entirely by the business. His homes emerge from the pandemic with their reputation for care and compassion intact.
Recognised as a Frontline Leader
Stephen's peers recognise what his residents and their families have always known: he is an exceptional leader. He receives the Frontline Leader of the Year award — an honour that reflects not just his business acumen, but his hands-on, human approach to running a care group.
Four Homes, One Family
Today, English Oak Care Homes comprises four outstanding homes: Oak View on Hayling Island, Hunters Lodge in Fareham, Willow Lodge near Emsworth and Shedfield Lodge near Southampton. The group holds a remarkable 9.8 out of 10 review score across 195 independent reviews. Stephen's son Liam now serves as Financial Director, making this a true family legacy.
What we stand for
The Values That Root Us
An oak tree's strength lies in its roots. These are the principles that have guided English Oak Care Homes since the very first day — and that will continue to guide every decision for generations to come.
A Mother's Standard
Every decision Stephen makes is tested against one question: 'Would I be happy for my own mother to live here?' This is not a marketing slogan — it is the daily measure by which every home is run.
The Individual Above All
It is wonderful to be part of a community — but every resident is first and foremost an individual with unique needs, interests, and a lifetime of stories. English Oak carers are trained to recognise and honour those distinctions from the very first day.
Innovation with Purpose
From the Reminiscence Express train carriage to resident iPads and renewable energy, innovation at English Oak is never technology for its own sake. Every new idea must answer one question: does it make life better for the people who live here?
Family, Not Institution
English Oak is a family business in the truest sense — Stephen's son Liam now serves as Financial Director. That family spirit extends to every home: staff are invested in, residents are known by name, and families are kept at the heart of every care decision.
Rooted in Sustainability
All English Oak homes run on 100% renewable energy, with solar panels, air source heat pumps, and electric vehicle charging at every site. Stephen believes that caring for the environment is inseparable from caring for the people who live in it.
Excellence, Always
With a group review score of 9.8 out of 10 across 195 independent reviews, English Oak's commitment to excellence is not self-declared — it is verified, every day, by the families who trust them with the people they love most.
The Reminiscence Express
When Stephen and his son Liam noticed that residents living with dementia felt safest within the familiar environment of their home, they asked a simple question: what if we could bring the world to them?
The answer was the Reminiscence Express — a full train carriage, built inside one of their dementia care homes, complete with moving digital scenery that shifts through the English countryside. Residents who once longed for a train journey can now sit in a first-class carriage, watch the world roll by, and feel the joy of travel — safely, warmly, and surrounded by people who care for them.
The project was featured in HuffPost in February 2020, shared around the world as an example of what truly person-centred dementia care looks like. A London bus experience with moving scenery soon followed.
"Despite dementia being a challenging condition, as a team we endeavour to bring fun and joy in a person-centred way to give residents their best life."
Our family of homes
Four Homes, One Standard
Across Hampshire and West Sussex, each English Oak home is unique in character but identical in its commitment to exceptional, individual care.
Oak View
Hayling Island, Hampshire
Hunters Lodge
Fareham, Hampshire
Willow Lodge
Emsworth, West Sussex
Shedfield Lodge
Southampton, Hampshire
The Next Chapter
Stephen's vision for the future is as ambitious as ever. He has designed a full care village — a community where residents can enjoy village life from the age of fifty, with care available at every stage of the journey. "I have designed one," he says, "and just seek the land with planning to commence the build."
With his son Liam now at his side as Financial Director, the oak continues to grow — its branches reaching further, its roots growing deeper, and its canopy offering shelter to people who deserve to be cared for as family.
"Life's worth living. Imagine how you'd like a care home to be — alive with conversation, good humour, and genuine companionship."