OSJCT Employees Receive Order of Malta Awards for Exceptional Service

More than 20 employees have been awarded Medals of Merit and Crosses of Merit by the British Association of the Order of Malta for exceptional services in the field of social care. Several recipients attended a prestigious ceremony during a Mass held at The Brompton Oratory, London this October.

The ceremony was conducted by Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe, C.O. and honoured award recipients from 2020 and 2021 after last year’s event was postponed.

In total, 27 awards have been made to OSJCT employees for service covering the last two years, covering a time when care home teams persevered despite the most challenging of circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The British Association of the Order of Malta awards are open to employees in any role, with at least 10 years long service. Recipients in this year’s ceremony included activities coordinators, carers, chefs, and nurses. Three rare Crosses of Merit were awarded to Kerry Dearden, Deputy Chief Executive, Tracey Wardle, Finance and IT Director, and Caroline Alford, Head of Central Operations.

Sarah Staples, Chef at Digby Court in Bourne, Lincolnshire, has worked for the Trust since 2005, having joined as a part-time carer. She was awarded a Bronze Medal of Merit at the ceremony. She said:“It was an honour to selected to receive the Medal. The ceremony was wonderful, everybody was full of admiration and appreciation for all the recipients. I feel very privileged to work at Digby Court with a great bunch of people and caring for our residents is a very fulfilling role for me.”