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21/05/2009 - NVQ awards for staff at our 20th Anniversary Party.
Over 40 Candlelight clients from across the west country helped us to celebrate our 20th anniversary yesterday at Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford.
We were delighted that so many of our clients, who have given us such loyal support over the years, wanted to share in our 20th Anniversary celebrations and at the same time help to congratulate and applaud seventeen of our wonderful care staff who have recently attained their NVQ qualifications.
The NVQ awards were presented by Graham Watson, Lib Dem MEP for South West England and Gibraltar after a speech in which he reinforced the value of training and NVQ's to the care industry as a whole.
Mr Watson, who spent time chatting to clients, paid tribute to Candlelight staff who he said were "a credit to the people they serve."
Candlelight has grown from its early days in Glastonbury and now employs 205 people, including 180 full and part-time carers, making it one of the largest family-owned independent care providers in the south of England. Candlelight care staff make approximately 6000 visits every week to over 500 clients.
Mrs Catley-Day, Candlelight proprietor, who ran the business with her husband until his untimely death in 2004, said she was very proud of what everyone had achieved.
She said: “It is Government policy that where possible, people should stay and be cared for at home and to cope with the ever more demanding tasks and legislation, Candlelight has a professional in-house training programme for all its staff. We believe it is one of the best in the industry, so much so that we offer it to outside companies including nursing and residential homes and the general public as a whole."
For the future of Candlelight, Mrs Catley-Day said: “Delivering quality home care will always be our priority, but alongside this we will be looking to specialise in key areas, such as supporting people with autism and other related conditions in their home environment and offering a more tailored service to people who have suffered strokes or who are feeling isolated with dementia.”
Earlier this year a new partnership between Candlelight Homecare Services and Weston-super-Mare based Homes Caring for Autism was set up to form Candlelight Caring for Autism to help look after people with autism in their own homes and so enable them to lead more independent lives. More details from www.candlelightautism.co.uk
