Calderdale care workers continue awards success with two new trophies

Published 18 December 2023

Our team at Carers Wellbeing Service Calderdale are celebrating after winning two more prestigious awards for its work with unpaid carers. The entire team of support workers was named Home Care Team of the Year at the Great British Care Awards Yorkshire and Humberside.

And student Abigayle Robson, who works with the team as part of her studies at Calderdale College, has just been named joint winner of the Young Community Champion Award at the Calderdale Community Spirit Awards.

Deputy service manager Aisha Ali and carer support workers Beth Sykes and Danielle Lewis discovered they’d won a Great British Care Award at a gala dinner at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. They accepted their trophy from actor and comedian Steve Ward on behalf of the team.

This team demonstrated an admirable and truly acceptable approach to person-centred care. Working well together, they ensure the best outcomes for those they support.

Award judges

The team has been no stranger to awards this year. In July, it received the Community Integration award at our Making Space Colleague Awards.

Service manager Lydia Woodall, herself an individual finalist in the national Social Care Leadership Awards, said: “We’ve had so many awards events to attend recently I have a new section in my wardrobe for all the dresses!

“I think there are two main reasons why we’ve been recognised for our work so often. First of all, there are no gaps in the support we offer to carers. If someone has a need, then we will meet it. We never just hand over a phone number or a leaflet for a different service. Our support workers will work out what’s required there and then so no carer is ever left waiting for help.

“If the team recognise it’s something that’s happening a lot, they’ll get together to find a way to overcome whatever it is that’s causing the problem. During the pandemic, we had to find innovative ways of meeting needs and preventing isolation. It’s a way of working that never left us.

“The second main reason I think we work so well as a service is that most of our team are, or have been, unpaid carers themselves. They have first-hand experience of the issues people face and know exactly how it feels, so they’re able to offer support from a place of knowledge.”

Cath Magee, regional head of operations, Making Space, said the whole Calderdale support team deserves the success its experienced this year.

The successful outcomes we achieve are always a team effort, and our colleagues in Calderdale demonstrate that so effectively. Together, we build relationships, connect communities and provide quality care that’s as unique as the people we support.

Cath Magee

The team will now go on to the national finals taking place at the ICC in Birmingham in March hoping to win the UK-wide award.

Well done team!