Clwyd West MS Darren Millar and North Wales regional MS Sam Rowlands visited Leonard Cheshire’s Eithinog Care Home in Colwyn Bay on Friday to recognise the dedication and hard work of staff throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Darren presented awards to: Caren Parry – Outstanding Team Member; Julie Hanson – Outstanding Member of the Care Team, Alysha Miller – Outstanding Member of the Clinical Team, and John Finch and Eric Thomas – Outstanding Members of the Ancillary Team.

Sam Rowlands MS also presented a hamper for staff and a coffee machine for the new wellbeing room.

Darren said:

“It was a pleasure to visit Eithinog to present these awards to acknowledge the commitment and hard work which the staff here have shown throughout the pandemic. I was pleased to hear from the residents who were so happy that staff members were being recognised in this way.”

Sam said:

“I am delighted to have visited Eithinog, to be taken on a tour of the home and to open the newly refurbished kitchen and activities room. The residents were involved in all aspects of planning for the new, accessible kitchen, demonstrating how residents play a full part in what goes on here.”

A special long service award was also presented by Darren to Sarah Simpson who has been a support worker at Eithinog for 20 years.

Sarah said “I’m so proud to work at Eithinog, it’s a great place to work and we have a fantastic team. Working here is fun and rewarding and I would encourage anyone who is thinking about entering the social care workforce to think about joining our team”

Nia Golding, Operations Manager for Leonard Cheshire in Wales, said:

“It’s been a privilege to celebrate the hard work of our staff in supporting residents throughout the pandemic. We are recruiting for a wide of roles across our services in Wales. Anyone who wants to help us make a difference should go to Care to Change Lives to find out more.”