THE spirit of compassion and devotion is well and truly thriving in Warrington as carers at dementia specialist, Belong, scooped accolades at its annual Champion Awards.
Colleagues Erin Duffy, Samantha Smith, Caroline Clifton and Lisa Armstrong were all recognised for their exceptional performance supporting older people to live an active and fulfilling later life.
Winners from the Latchford village and its corresponding home care service, Belong at Home, collected their trophies to rousing applause from colleagues from across the region at the iconic Hallé St Peter’s venue in Manchester. Later, they relished the chance to let their hair down and celebrate success with their peers.
Support worker, Erin Duffy, was named Newcomer of the Year, having been nominated after only two months at the organisation since joining as part of its ongoing recruitment drive. In addition to her employment, the student donates her time outside of classes to the village’s customers, catching up with them and even taking them out for lunch – a feat leading judges to describe her as a ‘truly inspiring person’.
From the community team, Belong at Home support worker, Samantha Smith, impressed with her dedication to her clients living locally to earn her the Compassion Award. For a gentleman without any family, she put on a surprise 80th birthday party for him, inviting all the village customers and colleagues to share the milestone with him. Judges summarised her as ‘a wonderfully caring and compassionate person.’
Samantha Smith (centre), with (L-R) Liz Jones, National Care Forum; Martin Rix, Belong Chief Executive; Rebecca Woodcock, Belong Head of Operations; Sue Goldsmith, Belong Chief Operating Officer
Meanwhile, recruitment manager, Lisa Armstrong won the Central Services Award for successfully implementing an enhanced recruitment platform, helping to engage the sector’s very best talent to the organisation. Judges described her communication skills as ‘incredibly impressive’, whilst her work coordinating T Level students sets the sector up for future prosperity whilst giving young people the opportunity to earn hands-on experience for their social care qualification.
Finally, admiral nurse, Caroline Clifton was named Mentor of the Year for her role in developing the skills and confidence of colleagues when supporting people with dementia. She also co-leads the village’s monthly dementia cafe, B’s Cafe, a complimentary service offering non-residents and their carers guidance and advice.
Winners were determined by a panel of independent judges who interviewed finalists chosen from nominations from customers, relatives and colleagues. All were presented with a handmade trophy, designed by Belong customer, Beryl Cadman, as part of a creative competition for the special occasion.
Summarising the event, Belong’s chief executive, Martin Rix, said: “It’s been another year of hard work and dedication from our teams and so we’re pleased to give them the recognition they deserve. To all our finalists and winners: thank you and congratulations for making Belong the best place for our customers to live and for our colleagues to work.”
The news follows a year of successes in 2023, with Belong picking up national accolades at the Great British Care Awards, LaingBuisson Awards, and The Dementia Care Awards, amongst others. Meanwhile, its community home care service, Belong at Home, was crowned first place for Homecare.co.uk’s Top 20 Large and Mid-size Home Care Groups and is the only not-for-profit operator to have placed every year since 2018.
