Norfolk carer adds a second award to her collection

Carer Kerry has certainly found her niche as she adds another trophy to her Rising Star Award she received from a Norfolk home care company.

Kerry was nominated by a service user who said she was a lovely carer: “She has a lovely warm heart and always goes the extra mile. Nothing is too much trouble and she always has time to talk to me, I would love to see her win the GEM Award,” she said.

Kerry works out of the Extra Hands Broadland office in Horsham St Faith, and joined the company in 2021 having previously worked as a school cook for many years.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw her running a hub, but most children were not at school and a lot of the workforce had also been furloughed so it was a lonely experience. She was making packed lunches and delivering them to key workers’ children.

“I was quite busy, but quite lonely. I especially liked the idea of meeting lots of lovely people, as I like being around people, that really appealed to me.

“I fancied a change, and saw the job advertised online. I thought it would be a really rewarding job to do, and a complete career change.

“I absolutely love it - it’s 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 am glad I did it,” she said.

Kerry, who lives in North Walsham, said she finds her role rewarding and enjoys being part of Extra Hands and the flexibility the company offers. She won a Rising Star Award in 2022 and now has a GEM to go with it.

Extra Hands also has an office in Heacham and the award winner there was Yasmin Lovelock.