“Heroes With Huge Hearts” – Five Care Home Managers Clock Up 100 Years
Five care home managers have been hailed as “heroes with huge hearts” after clocking up a century of service between them.
The remarkable milestone was celebrated at the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation who say the team’s loyalty and dedication have helped drive high standards of care.
Owner Mario Kreft MBE said the quintet were a “credit” not just to Pendine – which has nine care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon – but also to the wider social care sector across Wales.
Among the longest-servicing managers are Ann Chapman, Tracey Smith and Cindy Clutton, each with 26 years’ service.
They are joined by Tracey Cuthill, who’s been with Pendine for 15 years, and Sandra Evans, who joined 10 years ago.
All five believe the landmark, which comes amid Pendine’s 40th anniversary celebrations, reflects the organisation’s ethos of person-centred care
Ann Chapman said: “It’s about loyalty, to the company, our fellow staff and most of all to the residents and their families who are at the heart of everything we do here at Pendine Park.
“It’s been a combined journey for all five of us, as professionals and specialists in our fields. We know we can draw on each other’s strengths and even pass on lessons learned from our own life experiences.
“We have become a big extended family and as the years go by residents and their loved ones have come to know that we offer a solid support network for them in what can be hugely difficult and challenging times.
“I think the longevity of our service is testament to the way Pendine Park has worked over the years to set the benchmark for high standards of care.
We have all been behind its pioneering ethos and are proud to have been a part of that journey, to have contributed to pushing the boundaries in care provision.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Tracey Cuthill who said: “There are few other places which offer the standard of enrichment activities and engagement programmes which we run daily at Pendine Park. For us as care providers it is heartening to see the positive impact that these have on residents.
“As with any care role, there can be emotional times, sad times, but I think one reason we’ve all stayed here so long is that the overriding in all our decision-making is, consistently, to improve the well-being of residents. For us to be able to play a part in that is hugely rewarding.”
Tracey Smith said one of the first things which drew her to Pendine when she started in 2000 was the family feel it offers.
She said: “It’s a given that this is their home and the place where residents they should feel most comfortable, so it’s important for them to have familiar, friendly faces on hand, people who know their individual needs, likes and dislikes.
They should be confident that we are always here to support them. Pendine has managed to get that right, which is why such a large percentage of staff have worked here so many years.”
Cindy Clutton is among them, having first started at Hillbury when she was a teenager on a work placement, following in the footsteps of her mother who already worked there.
“Person-centred is at the crux of everything we do, recognising and appreciating people’s different personalities, accommodating their various requirements, helping them adjust to new circumstances and supporting them as they go forward.”
Sandra Evans said she was also attracted by Pendine’s focus on people when she took on the manager’s role at Bryn Seiont Newydd in Caernarfon in 2015
“From the newest resident to the oldest, the most junior member of staff to the most senior, everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and everyone gets a chance to have their voice heard. I think that’s why we’re such a successful team and why 100 years has just flown by.”
Mario presented the long-serving managers with vouchers to recognise the century of care.
He said: “A centenary of combined service is remarkable. It’s a credit to an amazingly loyal team of care home managers and to everyone within the Pendine family who works so hard, notwithstanding all the challenges which face the social care sector today.
“When we totted up the numbers earlier this year we definitely believed this is a landmark well worth celebrating. We wanted to publicly recognise the contribution these five wonderful professionals have made and are still making.
“It’s also pleasing because over the last 40 years we have worked consistently to provide a supportive environment for our residents, to invest in employees’ career progression, and to instil high training values. This is testament to the fact that what we are doing is working.
“All five have championed our commitment to the arts in general and music in particular as a way of enhancing the lives of our residents and staff alike, so that it is the golden thread that runs through daily life at Pendine.
“The contribution they have made to Pendine Park’s success is immeasurable and will continue to be appreciated by generations to come. They truly are heroes with huge hearts.”
