Rising star of home care company which helped her own family

When Ashleigh Daniels took on a new career as a carer, she chose to work at the same home care company which had made a difference to her own family’s life.

Her late great-nan used to praise the services provided by family-run Extra Hands when she used them around a decade ago.

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Ashleigh, 19, from Heacham, decided to take on a new role last year after becoming fed up being furloughed from her hospitality job during the pandemic and took the opportunity to join the award-winning Extra Hands.

Now she has been named as a ‘Rising Star’ by Extra Hands, which provides a variety of home care visit packages across Norfolk to suit all requirements and budgets.

Ashleigh previously worked as a waitress in a restaurant, but being on furlough during the pandemic made her reassess what she wanted to do.

She said: “I used to work in hospitality before, but with covid we were on furlough for about a year and I was fed up of it. 

“I thought this is the perfect time for a new job opportunity and to gain more skills and more understanding about the world.

“I wanted a bit of a change and my family had always been into care. 

“Around 10 years ago before my great-nan died, she used their services and she used to speak highly of them.

“I decided I would take the opportunity to join the company.”

Ashleigh said she had taken on the new job at Extra Hands with an open mind and no expectations of how it might differ from her previous waitressing role.

She is based at the firm’s Heacham office and said she had enjoyed getting to know her service users and building up a rapport with them. 

“You can see how conversation brightens up someone’s day, especially when they are on their own for the majority of the time," she said. 

“I mostly visit the same people and when we do have new service users, it is about learning what they want and their preferences.

“I ask them about their family, how their day has been. It brightens up their day as well when they know they will see me tomorrow.”

She added: “The highlight of the job has been getting to know service users, getting to know how their life works and how they want me involved in that, as much as I can be.

“I think that is the best part. I love getting to know them.”
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Extra Hands, which was set up in 1993, launched the Rising Stars award last year to acknowledge and celebrate the work of the newest employees, who have joined within the last year. One winner is picked from Extra Hands’ Broadland office and one from its office at Heacham.

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