South Yorkshire care worker wins award for dementia initiative

Heather Sherratt, a support worker with national adult health and social care charity Making Space, has been named care innovator of the year in the Great Yorkshire and Humber Care Awards.

She was given the accolade for the work she does for people living with dementia.

Heather set up a group, called Random Acts of Kindness, which has seen local Scout and Beaver groups visit elderly people living in residential care.

Residents discuss their life stories with the children and the youngsters then make personalised cards and small gifts for them which they deliver during a second visit.

The group has been piloted with the 9th Rotherham Rawmarsh group and the Abbeys Care Centre nursing home, but Heather hopes to roll it out across the region.

Heather, of Rawmarsh, Rotherham said: "I wanted to do something that would benefit both children and older people, particularly those living with dementia.

"There are 25 scout groups in Rotherham and 34 residential settings.

"The idea is to pair each scout group with a residential home.”

The Great Yorkshire and Humber Care Awards are part of the Great British Care Awards, a series of nine regional awards celebrating excellence across the care sector.

The awards promote best practice within both home care and care homes sectors, and pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.

Making Space chief executive, Rachel Peacock, said: “We are extremely proud of Heather.

"She’s shown repeatedly that she is committed to improving the lives of the people she works with, and she works tirelessly to come up with new and innovative ways to ensure people with dementia live full and happy lives.

“All the team here at Making Space go above and beyond what is expected of them, and I couldn’t be happier that they are being recognised with national accolades.”

Heather also runs the HANDS dementia cafe at Pops Outdoor Adventure Centre, Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh on the last Monday of every month, from 10am-12noon, during term time.

Heather received her award at a ceremony at the Queens Hotel in Leeds and will now go on to the national finals, which will be held in March 2018 at Birmingham’s ICC.