A LOCAL care expert is celebrating after being recognised for their ‘hard work, compassion and dedication’ in an important care award.
Sarah May, who works for Bluebird Care Cornwall North, based in Camelford, was chosen out of hundreds of nominees as the winner of the ‘Team Member of the Year Award’ at this year’s Bluebird Care Awards.
The awards saw more than 600 people bid for the top spot in each category.
Sarah is part of the team who supports people across North and South East Cornwall to stay safe and well in the comfort of their own homes, including with specialist dementia and live-in care.
The award celebrates somebody who empowers their team to provide excellent care. Judges praised Sarah for her ability to ‘really make things happen’ and for having made a real difference to the organisation.
Sarah was crowned the winner of this award thanks to her ability to navigate a demanding job amidst ongoing changes, embracing challenges, keeping calm and allaying the fears of care assistants, office staff and customers.
Having been a member of the Bluebird Care Cornwall North team for ten years, Sarah starting as an apprentice shortly after leaving school and worked her way up to lead coordinator.
She celebrated the award with her teammates at a celebratory lunch in Bath.
Sarah will now progress to the grand finals of the Bluebird Care awards, in which the four regional winners will have the chance to win the overall annual award – being named the most outstanding individual from Bluebird Care’s 10,000 strong workforce right across the UK.
Jonathan Gardner, CEO at Bluebird Care, said: “Sarah really impressed us with her stand out dedication, compassion, and drive for continuous learning and development. She is a credit to the care sector, and to Bluebird Care.
“These awards are incredibly special for shining a light on the often ‘unsung heroes’ of our communities across the UK – who work day in, day out, to make the lives of others better.”
Reflecting on her award win, Sarah added: “It was such an honour to be nominated, let alone become a finalist for Team Member of the Year award for the South West Region - a very humbling experience and I did not expect to get as far as I did. I have such a great team around me who are so supportive and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them!
“It was amazing to see how much Bluebird Care UK really value each member of their team and to realise that everyone plays such an important role in providing excellent care for their customers – I am so grateful to be counted as a small part of that!”