Former school cook Kerry celebrates her career change

A school cook who hung up her apron to become a carer is celebrating two years in her role – and says she is enjoying every moment of it.

Kerry Williams, who lives in North Walsham, joined the Broadland office of award-winning home care company Extra Hands in February 2021, when the pandemic saw her previous job become increasingly stressful and isolated.

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“I was a school cook for many years,” she said, “and during the pandemic, when many children weren’t in school, I was running a hub, which was busy but quite lonely, as a lot of the workforce were not in.

“I fancied a change, and saw the Extra Hands job advertised online. I thought it would be a really rewarding job to do and a complete career change. I especially liked the idea of meeting lots of lovely people, as I like being around people – that really appealed to me.”

Two years in and the job with the family-run company has more than met her expectations.

“I absolutely love it,” she said. “It’s even better than I’d hoped it would be, and I’m really glad I made the move. It’s quite a scary thing to change when you’ve done the same job for a long time, but I’m so glad I did it.”

As she’d anticipated, her favourite thing about the work is the people.

“I’ve got some really lovely service users, and it’s very rewarding to go home at the end of the day knowing that you’ve brightened someone’s day or made their life easier,” she continued. “Lots of little things happen on a daily basis, such as birthdays or other special events, and it’s lovely to feel part of that in some small way. You get very fond of people, and they get fond of you.”

She also enjoys being part of Extra Hands, set up almost 30 years ago to offer a variety of home care packages to suit all budgets,  and values the flexibility offered by her new career.

“I work mainly on my own,” she added, “but the other carers that I’ve met are all lovely people, and the staff in the office are really supportive and make sure work fits in with family life. It’s so important to have that balance.”

Mrs Williams, 50, recently won a Rising Star Award at Extra Hands, and feels she has found her calling.

“I was so proud when I found out I’d won the award – when they told me, I cried! I would say to anyone considering doing what I did, definitely give it a go. It fits in well with family life and is very rewarding. I do love it. I really can’t imagine doing anything else now!”

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