A hat-trick of awards success for proud Marcia

Marcia Hughes, activities lead at Thorp House Care Home, in Griston, near Watton, is celebrating an awards success hat-trick!

Back in the summer, she was runner-up in the prestigious Caring Times’ Care Home Hero Awards at the NEC in Birmingham - now she has been nominated for two further awards.

Mrs Hughes is a finalist in the activities coordinator category of the Great British Care Awards (East of England region) taking place in Milton Keynes on November 3.

She has also been shortlisted in the Caring UK Awards’ community involvement category, representing Thorp House, and will be travelling to the finals in Leicester on December 7.

Mrs Hughes, who has recently been promoted to a community liaison role across a number of Kingsley Healthcare homes, said: “It’s fantastic to receive such award recognition but we are a real team at Thorp so this is for all my colleagues as well.”

She is proud of the way she has supported residents to achieve their ambitions and carry on doing the things they love.

For example, one resident was inspired to raise money for Ukrainian refugees and Mrs Hughes helped him organise a boxing challenge and a wheelchair marathon in the garden, which was covered on the television news as well as in local papers.

She encouraged another resident, who was the founder of a local bowls club, to rekindle his love of the sport. Now bowls club members visit Thorp House for monthly sessions with the residents.

Mrs Hughes said: “It is all about adapting the activity for the person we have now. I am struggling with a wing walk for a 90-year-old at the moment. That’s a bit of a challenge if anyone can help me!”

She has also forged productive links with the local community by hosting a variety of events, from coffee mornings and lunches to afternoon teas and memory walks; she organised a Covid memorial event and the establishment of a permanent memorial in Watton.

Mrs Hughes said the achievement of which she was most proud was the community appeal for Christmas cards for 101-year-old D-Day veteran John Lister who had lost his wife of over 70 years during the Covid pandemic.

“I wanted him to feel that although he was alone we could collectively come together to support him. The story was picked up by the BBC and ITV and he received over 18,400 cards and gifts from around the world,” she said.

“He was so touched and his smile again was priceless; before he passed away he said he felt so loved.”