STAFF and residents at Warrington’s Westvale House care home are celebrating because their superstar colleague, brave Amy Melia, has won the National Foundation Champion award in this year’s Barchester Care Awards.
The Barchester Charitable Foundation supports older people and other adults living with a disability or mental health condition by helping them to connect or re-connect with others in their local communities.
Staff who go the extra mile for the benefit of the 13,500 residents living in Barchester’s 268 care homes and private hospitals across the country are nominated for awards and more than 5,250 nominations were received from homes and hospitals across the UK. All entries were of a very high standard and divisional sales and marketing manager Amy was over the moon to have been named the overall national winner in recognition of her hard work fundraising for the Foundation.
This year marks the foundation’s 25th year supporting individuals, community groups and small charities all across the country.
Over the past 12 months, brave Amy competed in not one but two gruelling challenges to raise funds for the foundation. In September last year she completed the punishing Great North Run – her first ever competitive race. Then in June this year she took part in the mammoth Tour de Barchester four day team cycling event which this year covered more than 225 miles via 17 different Barchester homes. Collectively through these two daunting events, Amy raised a whopping £3,880 for the foundation.
She said: “It is a dream come true to have been named the national winner, I couldn’t believe it when my name was called out at the award ceremony! I am so proud and so thankful to everyone who nominated and voted for me. It means the world to be recognised for doing something I am so passionate about. The foundation does such vital work, I’m so happy I was able to challenge myself to take part and in doing so help to support so many people.”
General manager of Westvale House Sarah Jones added: “This is such a fantastic achievement, the whole home is so proud of Amy. She is so dedicated and always goes the extra mile, literally. She took part in not one but two fantastic challenges to raise money for the Foundation. We all think she is superhuman!”
