Royal Visitor recognises Long-Serving Home Carers
There was great excitement in Beaconsfield on 1 July, when His Royal Highness (HRH) The Duke of Gloucester attended a Summer Garden Party, hosted by Buckinghamshire-based home care agency Universal Care. He was there to present long service awards to seven carers who have worked for the company for up to 20 years.
The Garden Party, which is an annual event, is held to thank both carers and clients for their support, but this was the first time that a member of the royal family had attended. After presenting the awards, HRH The Duke of Gloucester spoke to the guests and said: “It has been a great pleasure to come and meet your carers who deserve awards and others who will no doubt receive awards in the future.
“Your organisation is clearly dedicated to looking after old people and as we are all getting old rather more quickly than we want to, there are going to be a lot more people like myself in the future who will probably need help. It’s reassuring to see a system that is working really well and wonderful there are resources and systems for looking after people. “I think every time the standards go up then people expect much more so that awards like this, which highlight the best, are a really good idea and I am delighted to be part of this afternoon on such a lovely warm day.”
The guests, which included carers, clients and their families enjoyed the afternoon in the beautiful garden of Bradbury House, a residential and day care home run by the Abbeyfield Society.
Also attending the event was HM Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, who presented some of the guests to HRH the Duke of Gloucester. Beaconsfield Town Crier, Mr Richard Smith, added a sense of occasion to the party.
After the presentations, HRH chatted informally to some of Universal Care’s clients and care workers and met members of the Beaconsfield School Jazz Band, who entertained the guests playing during the afternoon.
Peter Cullimore, Chairman of Universal Care said: “We were honoured and very grateful that HRH The Duke of Gloucester was able to spend time with us to celebrate the great contribution our carers have made over many years.
“Our carers are very special people who look after older people and people with disabilities in the comfort of their own homes, allowing them to remain amongst familiar surroundings rather than living in a nursing home or spending long periods of time in hospital.
“The reason we have been in the home care business for nearly 30 years is because of our carers and the commitment they give to us and to their clients, and we were delighted to publicly acknowledge at the event.”