Rising Star Kerry switched from catering to caring

Extra Hands' Rising Star awards acknowledge and celebrate the work of their newest employees, who have joined within the last year.

The latest recipient from their Broadland office is Kerry Williams, who hasn’t looked back since making the leap from catering to caring.

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​After working as a school cook for more than a decade, she decided she wanted a change of career after reassessing working life during the pandemic.

She has been named as on of their ‘Rising Stars’, around a year after taking up her new job, along with Ashleigh Daniels who is the recipient of the award from their Heacham office.

Kerry, 49, said: “I was working as a school cook for the first half of the pandemic. A lot of the staff in catering were furloughed, but I was still working the whole way through running a hub from my kitchen.

“I was making lots of packed lunches and driving them round to different schools, feeding key workers' children.

“I just wanted a change, I had been doing the job for 11 or 12 years.

“It is quite scary after being in a job for that long thinking about doing job interviews and all that sort of thing, but I am so glad I made the move.”

Kerry said while she occasionally still provides meals, her role as a carer is completely different to her old job.

“Before I was in a kitchen by myself a lot of the time,” she said. 

“I think that is what made me think I needed to make a move.

“With this job you are with people all day long, visiting service users all day long. I like that connection with people.”

Kerry took the leap after spotting a job advert for Extra Hands.

She had already been thinking about making the switch to care and found the family-run company is “brilliant” to work for.

She added: “I just love it. I go home every day and I know I have made somebody’s day a little bit easier for them.

“Or when there are a lot of people who live on their own and maybe feeling a bit lonely you brighten up their day. It’s a rewarding job.
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“I could have so easily talked myself out of making a change, but I really feel lucky I have found this job.”