West Norfolk carer hasn't looked back since joining local company

West Norfolk carer Tina Saunders has found her vocation and is marking five years of working with a home care company.

Tina, of Terrington St Clement, moved to Norfolk from Croydon with her twin sister Emma when their parents fulfilled a dream of opening a village store in a rural area. They moved in 1987 to Clockhouse Stores where the family worked and lived. Sadly her father died aged 60 in 2002 and the shop was closed.

She joined the Heacham office of family-run Extra Hands home care in 2020 and hasn’t looked back since her first day.

“I really enjoy my work. I did work in a care home for a while, but it wasn’t for me and it put me off a bit. But my friends and family said I should work in care and persuaded me to have another go,” she said.

After hearing about open interviews being held in King’s Lynn by Extra Hands, Tina took the decision to attend and was offered a position on the same day.

“I think you need a cheery, uplifting disposition. It’s important as a lot of people might be feeling down or lonely. You have to be able to read the room and try to cheer-up people if you can.

“You get to know some of the families quite well and some see you as a friend, which is really nice,” she said.

Tina, who is married with a daughter, said she would have no hesitation in recommending Extra Hands, which also has an office in Horsham St Faith, as a good company to work for.

She works mostly around the Terrington St Clement and Clenchwarton area, but is occasionally asked to go further afield when needed.