The Lodge at Burcot Grange

I am passionate about providing outstanding care for all our residents and creating a luxurious atmosphere in which the team can give their best. I believe Burcot provides a home from home to enable residents to feel comfortable with their surroundings. I love the fact that every day is different, with a new challenge to be met in the most open and professional manner.

I believe that the team and I go the extra mile for the residents and relatives to make them feel part of the ‘Burcot’ family.

I take time to get to know all our residents and for us to share our life experiences with each other. I took time out on my wedding day to pop in, so that the residents could see my dress and share part of my special day.

My experience

I have 17 years’ experience here at Burcot Grange, working through all the different departments from Administration, to Housekeeping, to Kitchen and then to Care. I am a qualified adult nurse, I have gained my Registered Manager’s award and I have completed the Leadership in Management programme.

About me

I live in the village only a minute’s drive from Burcot Grange with my husband and our one-year-old son Charlie. It’s a beautiful place to live with a very close community. In my spare time, I enjoy dining out with friends, pampering myself at spas and going on countryside walks with my family.

My grandfather, George, worked at Burcot Grange as a gardener in 1935 when it was a private home owned by Mr and Mrs Rushbrooke. In 1937 the Rushbrookes made the magnanimous gesture of giving Burcot Grange to Birmingham Eye Hospital, where my grandmother worked as a nurse. Burcot Grange was where my grandparents first met in 1938 and went on to marry, so Burcot Grange has played a huge part in my families lives and will continue to play a big part in my life too.

What I do:
I am the Deputy Manager at Burcot Lodge. My main focus is to ensure an extremely high standard of care is provided at all times. I oversee and support the care team.
I am very passionate about Burcot Lodge and have enjoyed seeing it grow over the last few years into the successful home it is today.

My experience:
I have worked in the Care Sector for many years and have a real passion for Dementia Care.
I have previously worked as a Senior Carer, Team Leader, Deputy Manager, and Care Manager for a Homecare Company.
These roles have all taught me invaluable lessons and given me a great depth of knowledge.

About me:
I grew up in Co Donegal Ireland and moved to England in 2009.
I live locally to Burcot with my Husband Steve, My two children, Oisin & Abigail, and Ozzy the dog.
In my spare time, you will find me at various clubs with the children, walking the dog, and enjoying meals with my friends and family.

What I do:
I provide a high-quality reception service to all visitors to the Lodge. I also help the Home Administrator with a variety of tasks, including HR, Payroll and Finances.
I have been at the Lodge from the opening in December 2017 and look forward to being part of its growth and success.

My experience:
I have a diverse administrative background across a range of work sectors. I speak 3 languages and have been a Freelance Interpreter providing a face to face consecutive interpreting services for HMRC, DWP, HM Prisons, NHS, National Probation Services, Police and other government agencies.

About me:
I am a busy working mum of 2 children and treasure my spare time with my family. I like keeping active and going outdoors. Being married to a keen walker, I quickly fell in love with the English countryside.

What I Do:
The main part of my role within the homes is to meet families who are making enquiries for loved ones. A very sensitive time for most families and friends when choosing the right care home. I take time to understand why we are looking for a care home and to find out about the person, what they are like and their history, where they came from. It’s so interesting to hear about people and what they have gone through in their lives. I also go through managing the assessments with our teams and the paperwork before I hand them over to our amazing care team and your new family.
I also look after the marketing for the home, arrange events and network within the local community.

My Experience:
I came into care by accident back in 2015, however, it’s the best thing that has happened. I love being in care. Although I’m not directly supporting our residents with their care needs, I can do other things like having a coffee and a chat supporting a resident with a bit of shopping or going for a walk within our beautiful grounds.

About Me:
I love life and am always meeting family and friends when I can. They are my everything, I am very grateful for the family I was born into. I love to travel as much as I can and aim for at least 5 holidays a year. My husband and I have Bella, who I call a puppy but she is a rather large husky!

What I do
I am the Hospitality Services Manager. My main role is to lead the Catering and Housekeeping teams. I am passionate about high quality food and service and, with the support of the Head Chefs along with feedback from our residents, we strive to create a five-star dining experience that exceeds our residents’ expectations. Using only the freshest ingredients we create menus which are both homemade and nutritious. I work closely with the Head of Housekeeping to ensure a high standard of cleanliness. We work hard together to uphold high infection control measures.
My experience
I started my journey at Westminster Catering College in London, and then spent the next 28 years working for various 4 and 5 star Hotels in London, Manchester, and Worcestershire working both front and back of house. Through these opportunities, I gained a wealth of experience in cooking, food service, and housekeeping. This is my first care home position and have been part of the Burcot family since 2018; I love the interaction with the residents and the challenge of providing a service that can really make a difference to their wellbeing and happiness of all at Burcot.
About me
Family is important to me; I love spending as much time as I can with them. I also love my horses and being outside. With the time I have left in my day, I am currently learning Spanish (with a glass of Rioja on the side to get the full experience, of course).

What l do:
As a head Chef at Burcot Lodge l is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of the Kitchen and delivering the highest possible service to our Residents and their Relatives.

I visit our Residents regularly to make sure they are getting everything they need, and we are providing them with any special needs they may have, discuss any likes and dislikes and create a menu around them to meet their needs.

I am also responsible for the team who work with me and their learning and development.

My experience:
I started working in care homes as a chef in 2002 and have gained an enormous amount of knowledge and experience. l love my job because l love my residents l understand the importance of food to our residents to live well today and thrive tomorrow.

About me:
I love cooking outside of work too.
In my spare time, I love building, repairing and upgrading high-end gaming computers. l love going on holidays with my family, meeting new people and making new friends. I also love animals. We have 2 cats a rabbit and a fish tank at home.

What I do:
I am the Maintenance Manager at Burcot Lodge, I am responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for all of our residents, team members and visitors.
I feel privileged to be part of a team that has very high standards and a team that is incredibly passionate, friendly, fun and welcoming. I joined the team in 2021.

My experience:
For the last 14 years I’ve worked in a family-run business fitting kitchens and bathrooms, this taught me my carpentry and joinery as well as plumbing, tiling and many other skills. These will be valuable attributes in the smooth running of the home. Prior to this, I worked as a manager in a catering role where I was responsible for the staffing, standards and health and safety of the kitchen.
I’ve always been a caring person and love working with like-minded carers & managers. I also love being with the residents and find this a rewarding part of my role.

About me:
Recently I started up my old hobby of running to keep fit. When I was 18 I ran both Birmingham and London Marathons in under 3 hours each. I’ve enjoyed playing pool for many years, playing for a local team, league and county.
My family is very important to me and I enjoy spending quality time with my wife two children and dog Bella. We enjoy weekends away in our caravan.

What I Do:
I am the Activities Lead at Burcot Lodge, I am privileged to lead our activities team. The team and I plan all the activities across the home. We make sure that there is a wide variety of activities to suit all resident's needs by making sure we know all our residents and their families well. Throughout the week we ensure there are activities that stimulate the mind, body and soul including poetry classes, Knit and Natter groups, Zing Exercise Classes, Film Nights, Themed days, Parties, Religious Services, Pet Therapy, Outings and trips to numerous places, Crafts, Cooking and relaxation/mindfulness sessions to name a few.
I, and the team, believe in a ‘can do’ approach so if we can make something happen, we will. Along with all the other wonderful teams at the Lodge, we all work together to provide a loving, exciting and homely place that our residents enjoy calling home.

My Experience:
I started out many moons ago as a Nursery Nurse, after this I then became a Special Support Assistant in a local school for a child with Down Syndrome and Autism. During this time, I learnt the importance of individuality and knowing the holistic needs of children. This has really helped me in my current role of developing a varied and person-centred activities programme.
After my years as a Support Assistant, I then trained as a Primary School Teacher through University. Once qualified, I worked at a school in Solihull for 6 years. During this time my Mum was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s. This was a turning point in my life. I then gave up my full-time teaching job to spend more time with her as a daughter and carer.
The challenges that my Mum and I faced throughout her illness are what has led me to my career in Elderly Dementia Care. Having had my Mum living with Dementia this has given me an empathetic approach whilst having a great insight into how this can affect residents and their loved ones.
I only accept the best and always think ‘Would this be good enough for my Mum?’

About Me:
I live locally in Burcot and have done so for many years. I have a wonderful family down south in (hopefully) Sunny Devon and Cornwall, which means I have some lovely breaks by the seaside. One of my favourite things to do is walk on the beach and coastal paths.
When I’m at home I enjoy reading, gardening, and entertaining friends as well as visiting National Trust houses & gardens.