Residents, families, friends and the team at St Benedict's Nursing Home in Glastonbury have been coming together as part of April's nationwide Celebrating Social Care campaign to demonstrate their appreciation of the love and effort that staff there put into every working day.

Operations manager, Philip White, said: "We wanted to seize the opportunity to show how much we appreciate the amazing people who choose to follow a career with us in the difficult yet fulfilling field of social care.

"We know how vital it is to employ the right people across all areas of our home so we can deliver a service we are proud of.

"And we are certainly very proud of and grateful for every single member of our staff."

Staff, residents and their families were all invited to a special celebratory tea-party at St Benedict's, where residents and guests were able to post comments on a 'thank-you' noticeboard.

Feedback included: "All staff are amazing and great at looking after me, I am very grateful for them," from Nancy Gifford; "Get treated like a lord here," from Frank Clafton; and "I love that I can still get out having my hair and nails done weekly - the woman who does it all for me is great," from Helen Rossiter.

Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, the organisation behind the nationwide campaign, said: "For many care workers, the best part of their job is seeing the positive difference they make in people's lives.

"Social care is a skilled profession that needs care workers to be great communicators, problem-solvers and advocates for the people they support.

Download our Nub News App!

- It’s FREE and available now
- Breaking news notifications
- Your Town in Your Pocket

She added that the aim of the Celebrating Social Care campaign is to help people understand the role that social care plays in society, to make care workers feel valued, supported and proud of the work they do, and to build a future where social care is recognised as a vital part of our health and social care system, and is respected and well resourced.

Team members at St Benedict's Nursing Home were enthusiastic about the celebrations, with several commenting on how much they enjoyed the tea-party and the opportunity to share break time with colleagues from across the home.

St Benedict's Nursing Home, which is run by White Care Group, last year marked 40 years since its opening in 1984. The group also runs St Cecilia Care Home in Shepton Mallet and The Rectory Care Home in Taunton.