Our team at
Bickerton House

I trained as a nurse in South Africa, where I qualified as a midwife, community, psychiatric and general nurse. I worked for 21 years as a Marketing Manager for a maker of neonatal ventilators and equipment and hospital consumables.

In 2021, I moved to the UK, and after settling I started working at Bickerton House in 2023. I started as a Nurse Manager and soon progressed to Clinical Lead.

I think a person in my role needs to be friendly, approachable, trusting and empathetic. Being a Clinical Lead is all about implementing positive changes at Bickerton House, and I love the team I work with and learning new tasks every day.

My favourite part of the day is spending time with residents and listening to their stories. They are deeply knowledgeable and wise.

I enjoy spending time with my family when I’m not working, going to different restaurants and having new experiences. I also like to find ways to challenge myself by reading different books, going on long walks and learning new things.

I’ve worked in residential care for the past 29 years, and for the last 19 years as a registered Home Manager. I decided to change up my career and join Care UK because I liked their values and was impressed with the quality of care.

My role is to ensure the process of moving into care is as stress-free as possible from start to finish. I love meeting families and spending time with residents, ensuring that their journey into the home is as seamless and enjoyable as it can be. In this role, it’s important to be empathetic, compassionate, sociable and kind.

Making a difference to an individual and their family at what can be a difficult time in their lives is what makes it all worth it.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, socialising and horse riding.

I had my own cleaning business before I started working for Care UK where I spent a lot of time with older people helping them in their own homes. I also have personal experience looking after my own grandparents when they were living with dementia. When I first visited Bickerton House, it looked a friendly and inviting place where the residents come first and maintain a fulfilling life doing the activities they enjoy.

I worked at Bickerton House as a Carer for 18 months before applying for the role of Lifestyle Lead. As Lifestyle Lead, I plan and carry out a varied activities programme for a wide variety of residents with different medical needs. To do my role, I think you need to be caring, energetic, fun, considerate, empathetic, creative and not afraid to be a little bit silly – it makes the residents happy!

I love spending time with the residents every day, helping them to achieve the things they thought they would never do again. Seeing a person living with dementia so happy from recreating a memory or helping a resident to go out and enjoy things again make me proud of what I do. I even passed my minibus driving test so I can now get the residents out and about more. I lost my nan and grandad to dementia, and they were very influential in my upbringing, so it makes me happy to know I am helping someone else’s loved one.

My background is working in the military. Before I joined the Bickerton House team I was Head Chef at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. 

I enjoy being organised and it’s vital if you’re wanting to run a happy and successful kitchen in a big care home. The morning team meetings enable us to get each day off to a great start, so each member of the team knows what’s expected of them, and how to plan their day. Of course, the military is all about organisation, and, previously, I’ve helped to organise the Royal Windsor Tattoo. I also had the privilege to cook for Queen Elizabeth. 

I’m enjoying getting to know my team at Bickerton Court and learning all I can about each resident and their individual tastes and dietary needs. I’m delighted to be bringing my passion for food and expertise in cooking to benefit the residents of our Bracknell care home. 

Before joining Care UK, I worked within social care for many years as a Registered Care Manager for adults with learning disabilities and associated mental health. Most recently, I was the Care Coordinator for the Integrated Care Team at a GP Primary Care Network. I also have several years of experience in administration from managing and coordinating within my previous roles.

I knew Care UK was a significant provider in the care sector, and this attracted me to the organisation and the role of Business Administrator at Bickerton House. It’s my job to provide support to the smooth running of the home. In this role, it’s important to be approachable, dedicated and committed to going the extra mile.

I’m proud to have the opportunity to help and support the home to make a positive difference in residents’ lives. It’s a great feeling knowing that I have contributed to the best of my ability and have completed my role for the day effectively.

When I’m not working, I love socialising with family and friends, eating out, keeping fit and indulging in a good drama to unwind.

I first joined Care UK, as I had care experience working in domiciliary care, and when a job became available at Bickerton, I felt I had the correct skill set and passion to make a difference in a care home setting.

Working in the home requires being hard-working, kind, caring and compassionate. As well as always being up for a challenge!

I love working as part of our team and getting to interact with the residents and families each day.

I also love seeing my team succeed and the impact our role has on the residents, ensuring that the cleanliness of the home is always paramount. We also get to know each resident and help ensure appearance and wellbeing are upheld.

As Head Housekeeper the most important part of my role is ensuring residents' clothes are perfectly laundered daily, the home is spotless and my team are focused and working well to support each other.

After spending 15 years working across electronics and plumbing, including working in general maintenance at Travelodge, I joined Care UK in 2022 for a more varied role. Bickerton House is local to my home, and the company has a good reputation.

I love that I get to work on a variety of jobs. The role changes every day, so you need to be able to think on your feet and keep your skills up to date.

I’m passionate about making a better home for the residents at Bickerton House. Meeting new residents and colleagues is my favourite part of working here.

Outside of work, I enjoy rebuilding motorhomes and caravans and I also love music.