12 Carers of Christmas

There are few people who bring as much cheer into the world on a day to day basis as carers. They are the warmth by a lonely fireside, the stocking on a bare foot, and the hope behind a knocked door. So we asked for anyone who knows a carer who deserves recognition to share their stories with us, and we will be telling 12 of those stories over the next two weeks here on this page. You can also read the stories of our winners in 2019. So put the kettle on, cuddle up on the couch and enjoy some good old fashioned cheer courtesy of the wonderful work of some of our sector’s guiding lights.

Athena Louw

Athena Louw

Care is a demanding profession. As we all know, recruiting and retaining staff is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector. Care demands not only technical skill, but also meticulous organisation and an open, yet resilient, spirit. Over the past eleven days, we...

read more
Beverley Holloway

Beverley Holloway

Care is many things to many people. It takes many forms, and shapes people’s lives. Care can heal both a person’s physical and mental health. It can help them retain their dignity and restore their purpose. At its best, care can give someone their life back. Our...

read more
Marion Sneller

Marion Sneller

Delivering great care requires collaboration. From the registered manager to the service user’s family, everyone must be working together for the best outcomes to be achieved.  Over the past nine days, we’ve written about many carers who go the extra mile for the...

read more
Suzanne Lambert

Suzanne Lambert

 Care is a calling. It’s a phrase that we hear a lot in our sector. In speaks to the spirit at the heart of people who give their lives to helping others. It speaks to the resolve and commitment carers bring to their job everyday. Our ninth carer of Christmas is...

read more
Heidi Kinsman

Heidi Kinsman

Care, like so many things delicate things in life, requires patience - the ability to take one’s time even as the world moves ever faster around you. Honing this skill is a lengthy process, but one that proves its worth time and time again. Our eighth carer...

read more
Cynthia Adepoju

Cynthia Adepoju

Great care is about connection. And in order to provide that, careworkers must be able to connect with those entrusted to them. Alongside developing a personal relationship, carers often become their service users' connection to the wider world. Our seventh carer of...

read more
Emily Dixon

Emily Dixon

Carers frequently find themselves in the position of being the only consistent support their service users have. Almost just as frequently they find themselves to be the primary support for their colleagues as well. This is both time-consuming and emotionally...

read more
Michaela Cooper

Michaela Cooper

There is a duality that lies at the heart of care. Those who work in this sector are invariably shaped by it. In turn shaping the nature of the care they deliver through their character. Our fifth Carer of Christmas has exemplified this through her giving spirit...

read more
Ozioma Okpala

Ozioma Okpala

There are many different roads that lead people to care as a profession. However, the common denominator is the ability and desire to look after others. Our fourth carer learned these invaluable skills from watching her mother work as a nurse. She developed them...

read more
Anthony Odigie

Anthony Odigie

The purpose of care is to provide safety, comfort and reliability to those who need it most. In a sector that frequently finds itself let down by the world around it, finding a source of consistency is invaluable. Our third carer of Christmas is someone who...

read more
Cara Baker

Cara Baker

Care can be many things: quiet, gentle, energetic, but above all else, it must be attentive. The second carer we are celebrating this holiday season truly embodies this ideal.    Cara has been working with the Basildon Branch of J.C. Michael Groups as a Health...

read more
Kelly Kennedy-Smith

Kelly Kennedy-Smith

Christmas is a time for coming together, a time for reunions, a time indeed, for blessings. So we feel it is fitting to start off our 12 Carers of Christmas with someone who followed a falling star into care back in 2017.  Kelly Kennedy Smith started working for...

read more

enquiries@care-planner .co.uk

Unit 2.2, Regional Rural Business Centre,
Market Way, Bridgwater
TA6 6DF, United Kingdom