Aveley Lodge Care Home

From the age of 16, Michael knew Aveley Lodge was the place he could see a bright future. As he explains “The home has always offered a good standard of care, along with a living environment which for the time being was suitable. However, times do change”. After leaving full time education where he had been studying Medicine, Michael opted for a change in direction with his chosen career path which would take him back to where his interest in Health Care originally started; Aveley Lodge Care Home. In 2006, at the age of just 28, Michael had the opportunity to purchase the Care Home from his father and take it to the next level in the way of the standards of care offered, the living environment and the professionalism of the staff team. As Michael explains “It was a very long road, along which I had much help from some amazing individuals and teams without whom I could not have achieved my dream of making Aveley Lodge Care Home a truly unique place to both live and work. I like to feel that Aveley Lodge is in some way a reflection of me, who I am, and all that I stand for. I am very passionate about my work. I strongly believe that all those in care should and must be treated fairly and compassionately. Therefore, I have created a home whereby all care is offered by our five-key principles which are Dignity, Respect, Independence, Information and Choice. Furthermore, the core staffing principles being effective communication, total professionalism, and absolute attention to detail”.

In 2023, Michael stepped down from his role as Registered Care Home Manager, retaining his Business Co-owner status. When asked about what he loves most about being a Co-Owner of the family business, Michael says “To me, keeping Aveley Lodge a small and informal family run care home has always been central to my ethos. In short, I am very passionate about care, passionate about Aveley Lodge, and passionate about individuals receiving the care, dignity and respect they deserve. I understand the need for constructive and positive change and development within the care sector, however, as I always say, “Care Comes First” and it will always do so whilst I am involved in this fantastic company”.

Previously, Michael was shortlisted in the regional finals of the East of England Care Awards 2018 for the "Registered Care Home Manager" Award and was also a national finalist in the CaringUK Awards 2018 as part of the Care Employer of the Year award and Commitment to Training & Development. He was a runner up in the Business Award category at the Who Will Care? Awards 2018 and a runner up in three categories at the Family Business of the Year Awards 2018. His proudest moment however was being announced as a winner in both the regional and national categories for Customer Service at the National Family Business Awards 2018.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending time with his two young sons, undertaking charity work in memory of his daughter Isobel, and is a very keen motorbike enthusiast.

Deborah’s employment background is one in finance having spent all her working life in various related roles. For a period of time she was a self-employed book keeper while she studied for her Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification. She joined Aveley Lodge in 2006 as Co-Owner and Finance Manager after taking over the family business from her father, Robin Parmenter. Deborah says “I love my job role here especially meeting new residents and their families. I enjoy the opportunity that I am able to give to those in their twilight years a chance to spend their final days in a safe, pleasurable and relaxing environment that we at Aveley have created for them. I also relish developing ideas to make the business better than we already are”. Outside of work, Deborah enjoys spending time with her friends and family and helping with fundraising projects for her niece’s memorial fund.
Debbie was one of the national finalists in the Caring UK Awards 2018 as part of the Care Employer of the Year award and Commitment to Training & Development. She was also a runner up in the Business Award category at the Who Will Care? Awards 2018 and a runner up in three categories at the Family Business of the Year Awards 2018. Her proudest moment too was being announced as a winner in both the regional and national categories for Customer Service at the National Family Business Awards 2018.

Stephanie has worked in the Social Care industry for many years having started her career at the age of 15, working in various roles across Essex. Eventually, after working her way up through the ranks, she worked for Essex County Council’s Social Services, as an Area Manager where she stayed for 16 years. After taking redundancy, Stephanie initially joined Aveley Lodge as our Team Leader bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. On why she chose to work at Aveley Lodge, Stephanie says “It’s because of the high standards and the quality of the home itself. It’s so pleasant to work here as a member of the staff. It’s a stunning care home, with staff delivering exceptional care and support, which meets my expectations of what care should be. I look forward to taking the home forward and implementing new systems to develop the home even more”. Stephanie was promoted to the position of Registered Manager in the Winter of 2022.

Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys knitting, craft work, travelling and holidaying in warm climates and spending time with her family. Stephanie was shortlisted in the regional finals of the East of England Care Awards 2018 for the "Frontline Leader" Award.

Tina, ironically, was born and raised in a village called Aveley in South Essex. After leaving school, she worked in London at the Co-op Bullion Centre counting money all day. After 18 years, she moved on to work in the Finance, Payroll and HR departments with a franchise of the Bodyshop and was responsible for 18 of their stores. After 22 years, however, Tina was made redundant when the franchise was sold off.

During this time, Tina bought a lovely holiday home on nearby Mersea Island and on one particular visit to Colchester, she passed our lovely-looking care home. As Tina was looking for a job at the time, she decided to go for it. She sent her CV to Aveley Lodge, and the rest is history! Tina started in May 2018 as a carer assistant working her way through a whole new world of health and social care and understanding the older generation and their needs. In 2020, Tina achieved her Level Three in Health and Social Care and was promoted to a senior role. In July 2023 Tina became the Senior Lead before being appointed Assistant Manager in July 2024. Tina admits there have been numerous challenges along the way but, as she says, “I love working at Aveley Lodge and am very proud of myself for all that I have achieved from coming from a background of finance to helping our residents live the best life possible. Aveley has become my extended family, and I am looking forward to my next challenge as I join the management team”.

Katy began her career in care in 2016 when she joined Aveley Lodge as a care assistant. Having had no previous care experience, Katy very quickly took to her job role and showed potential to go far. By 2018, Katy was promoted to Senior Care Assistant and by early 2020, she took on the role of Assistant Team Manager before being promoted in Autumn 2020 to Team Manager.

Katy is currently responsible for all matters relating to our staff and generally assists our Registered Care Home Manager. Katy was part of the team that helped Aveley Lodge to win the “Putting People First” Award in 2017 at the East of England Care Awards and part of the team that was runners up in the “Care Team of the Year” Award 2017. She represented the whole care team along with two other members of staff in the finals of the “Putting People First” award category at the National Great British Care Awards 2018. Katy was also part of the team that represented Aveley Lodge in the East of England Care Awards 2018 “Putting People First” Award category where we were runners up. Katy says “I love working at Aveley Lodge Care Home. Everyone here is so friendly, and we have an excellent staff team. One of the main attractions of the home is there are no nasty smells at all, a rarity in this industry! The home is always fresh and tidy, and the residents are so well looked after. I don’t see my job as a job, we are one big, happy family and my role is just part of a normal day to me, it’s never just a job” When Katy is not working, she enjoys spending time in the gym and is a fitness fanatic as well as going for walks.

Suzanne graduated from University in 2004 with a 2:1 (upper second) degree in Law. She went on to work for several years at a local law firm as a Paralegal where she specialised in Mental Health Law, providing her with a good insight and understanding into working with those with mental health issues including those with dementia. She joined Aveley Lodge in January 2010 for a complete career change and to work alongside and support her husband RCHM and business owner, Michael Parmenter. She has worked within all the job roles at Aveley and so fully understands the demands and expectations that go with each, working her way up to the position of HR manager which she undertook for six years. She completed her Level 5 in Business and Administration in 2012. Following her return from maternity leave in the Summer of 2017, Suzanne side stepped into the role as our PR manager which she thoroughly enjoys. Suzanne says “I am able to get out of the office now and spend time interacting more with the residents and the staff which I have missed. I love having the opportunity to put my creative hat on and work alongside the activities team, coming up with new ideas for events and things for the residents and their families to enjoy and do. Seeing Aveley packed with lots of people at our events and the smiles on everyone’s faces, knowing I have helped with that, is so rewarding”. Suzanne was a regional finalist in the “Care Innovator” Award at the East of England Care Awards 2017 and a national finalist at the CaringUK Awards 2017 in the category for the "Commitment to Training and Development" Award. She has also been shortlisted in the regional finals of the East of England Care Awards 2018 again for the “Care Innovator Award” and she came up with the concept and lead the team, who won the national 2018 N.A.P.A. Challenge (National Activity Providers Association) with the idea of Aveley’s Commonwealth Games. She was also a runner up in the Business Award at the Who Will Care? Awards 2018 and a runner up in three categories at the Family Business of the Year Awards 2018. One of her proudest moments was being announced as a winner in both the regional and national categories for Customer Service at the National Family Business Awards 2018. In December 2018, Suzanne was crowned the winner at the Essex County Council PROSPER Awards for the “Best Innovation In Care” Award for her Pop Up Beach project. When she is not working, Suzanne enjoys spending time with her sons Oliver and Charlie, undertaking her charity work for her daughter Isobel’s memorial fund, gardening and travelling.

Emily joined Aveley Lodge in the Spring of 2023. She has previously worked in London whilst studying Jazz Vocals at University. Emily was a children’s Nanny for 10 years before moving back home to Colchester. She enjoys the Arts especially singing and composing and has also previously studied Art History and Photography. Emily says “I am really enjoying it here at Aveley Lodge. I love doing creative things with the residents”. Outside of work, she regularly participates in plays and enjoys acting songwriting, and rock climbing and just likes being outdoors.

Charlie was born and brought up in London surrounded by people who were in show biz. Her Father was, and still is, in the music industry, while her Mother was a model and actress. From a young age, Charlie was involved in theatre schools which she absolutely loved. She went to college for 2 years undertaking Media Studies before changing her career path completely and moving to another college to study animal care.

Charlie then worked in a zoo for a year, before starting her own successful dog-walking business. In 2016, Charlie moved to West Mersea here in Colchester, and opened her own doggy daycare company which was very successful and lots of fun! In 2020, Charlie welcomed her daughter to the world and chose to close the business to become a full-time mother. After 4 years though, she decided she needed to get back out to work and says “I am so happy to now be a part of the Aveley Lodge Team!”