CARE workers at the Belong care village in Crewe have been recognised for their dedication and professionalism at the not-for-profit organisation's annual Champion Awards.

Work colleagues and residents from Belong villages across the region watched the awards via a live stream for the first time ever as Crewe team members trophies for compassion, leadership and expertise in end-of-life care.

The winners were chosen by an external independent judging panel who conducted in-depth interviews with candidates.

Belong Crewe's Experience Coordinator Natalie Ravenscroft won the Leader Award in recognition of her influence on the village culture as well as her success in building relationships with the wider community.

The judges said that she was: "An impressive individual who utilises her leadership skills to influence quality practices across the Belong Village Crewe."

Donna Woolrich, Community Support Worker at Belong's home care service, Belong at Home, took home the Compassion Award. The judges gave examples of small acts of kindness by Donna that make a big difference to people's lives.

The Crewe team were also collectively recognised for their commitment to ensuring the best possible outcomes for residents receiving palliative and end-of-life care with the End-of-Life Care (team) award.

There was also a special award for Belong Dementia Trainer Belinda Jones. She received the Outstanding Contribution to Belong Award for her many years of service supporting people with dementia.

Belong deputy chief executive Tracy Paine said of Belinda: "Ever since she started her career as a care assistant, supporting people with dementia came naturally to her.

"She is a truly wonderful person and an inspirational influence on our lives and work. She has touched so many people's lives with her passionate and truly person-centred approach to caring for people."

Belong's People and Development Manager Tim Kirk said: "It's been a very challenging year and the outbreak of the pandemic part way through our awards process disrupted our plans to bring everyone together.

"We felt strongly that it was still important to celebrate the commitment and successes of our village teams over the last 12 months, albeit under slightly different circumstances. We were thrilled that so many of our customers and their relatives could join us for the online event."

The Champion Awards 2020 was made possible thanks to the support of Collective Purchasing, Marr Procurement, Person Centred Software, Search Consultancy, Pozzoni Architecture, Triangle PR and the Seddon Group.