Elderly residents at Dorma Lodge thanked the Guardian for coming to their rescue by finding them a new warden.

Readers responded to a story in the Guardian on August 23 highlighting their fears for safety in the absence of a warden at the home in Coulsdon Road, Old Coulsdon.

Residents had waited for more than a year for a house manager to be employed, as promised in their contracts. They were furious at having paid an average of £80,000 for their private flats and more than £200 each month to cover a warden's wages when no warden was in place.

Thanks to our readers' overwhelming response to an appeal for interested applicants to come forward, a house manager was appointed and began carrying out her duties last week.

Previous break-ins at the property had heightened residents fears and 78-year-old Joan Tyler, had been forced to phone her daughter one night to come rescue her when she fell out of bed at 3am.

She said: "I'm so grateful for the coverage from the Guardian. We've been waiting for a warden for so long and now we have one thanks to the paper. We were told about the new warden last week and were promised new carpets in the communal areas."

Keith Edgar, a spokesman for Peverel Group which manages the Lodge, said: "We had quite a good response and filled the vacancy as a result of your article.

"The new warden started work on Monday, last week. We also employed another person at another development which we manage thanks to your readers."

Although the residents take care of their own meals and live as independent a life as they can, the warden's presence has meant communal areas are kept clean, windows and doors are locked up at night and someone is close by in an emergency.

November 14, 2001 09:30