Belong Celebrates Care Champions At Annual Award Ceremony

Dedicated staff of the not-for-profit care operator, Belong, have been recognised for their achievement of professional qualifications, successes in national award schemes and nominations in the organisation’s fiercely contested Champion Awards. The prestigious ceremony took place at the historic Vale Royal Abbey in Northwich, Cheshire.

Over 100 diplomas were awarded in fields such as Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Catering and Business Administration, testament to staff’s commitment to making an outstanding contribution to customers and ensuring a high standard of care throughout the organisation’s villages across the North West.

Winners were also announced for this year’s Champion Awards, including categories such as The Innovation Award, the End of Life Care Award and the Dementia Champion of the Year.

An external independent judging panel of social care experts assessed the candidates and their commitment to creating a vibrant community by maintaining a person-centred approach.

Tracey Stakes, Chief Executive of Belong, said: “The event was a fabulous celebration, recognising the contribution that everyone has made to the lives of our customers and colleagues in Belong.”

The keynote speaker was the inspirational ‘Big’ Ian Donaghy, a dedicated dementia campaigner, who has been described by Angela Rippon as someone who “makes you laugh, makes you cry but he always makes you think.”

Tracey Stakes further commented on the awards ceremony: “Ian really reinforced the value of the work we do in the care sector and, together, we celebrated more than a decade of bringing to life our vision of supporting older people to live their own lives through the creation of vibrant village communities. It is a model that has developed with us and, each year, the number of successes and achievements seems to grow and grow.”