A staff member at a Long Sutton care home has been named Apprentice of the Year at a national care awards ceremomy.
Carly Walden (17) beat 400 nominees to the coveted award.
She said: “I didn’t expect to win and I don’t think it has really sunk in yet. The other contestants were lovely and the whole event is still a bit of a blur from the moment they called my name on stage.”
Carly was shortlisted in The National Care Awards 2016 as an outstanding support staff member within the care sector. Along with three other national candidates, Carly was invited to London for an interview to decide who the winner would be.
Carly works as an apprentice at Kimberley Care Village, which specialises in elderly care, dementia care and respite. She has a strong focus on nutritional care, helping in the kitchen with dietary plans and assisting those patients at mealtime.
Care home manager Nadine Vail nominated the teenager for the award, which was presented at a ceremony at the Hilton London Metropole.
Nadine said: “I was so happy that I lost my voice from cheering!
“This is the only recognised awards ceremony in the care sector so is a really big deal. We were up against some big-name contenders in the care world, such as Barchester Healthcare and Four Seasons, and Carly outshone them all.
“It’s absolutely brilliant and we are all so proud of her. She’s a credit to us!”
Carly is a College of West Anglia apprentice and her training and assessment coordinator, Clare Field, is delighted.
“Carly’s success really reflects her work ethic,” she said. “She has only been at Kimberley Care Village for a year and is quite a quiet person and not competitive at all, so to win an award like this is so inspirational for other apprentices at CWA.”
