Meet the key workers looking after others on Christmas day
Meet some of the incredible frontline workers who will be giving up their Christmas day this year to look after those who need support and friendship.
At Beechwood in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, an extra care scheme for over 55s operated by the Wrekin Housing Group, a team of key workers, including carers will be putting their own plans aside to ensure others have all the support they need this Christmas day.
Justine Oakley, 48, is a Support Worker at She will be working on Christmas Day and Boxing Day with a sleep-in shift in between.
She said: “I’ve worked in care for over 20 years so I’ve always known to work on Christmas or boxing day. I like spending time with residents. It’s nice here on Christmas day and we do make it special. “
Christmas day as a Support Worker starts with getting residents up and ready for the day, managing medications, responding to any emergencies and, in many cases, being the only friend, some people will see that day.
Justine will be leaving her 17-year-old son and mother at home on Christmas Day.
She added: “I’ve told my son he has to stay at home with my mum! My brother and nephews will come over in the morning and we’ll have dinner before I go to work. I leave my mum at home to go and look after everyone else’s mum!”
Shade Edun, 59, and Maxine Clay-Burley, 61, are both Support Workers at Chasewood Extra Care in Cannock.
Shade said: “I moved up here from London a few years ago.
“It’s like a family here. The people we work with, the tenants, they’re brilliant and the kitchen staff make it superb. It’s like one big party. The team here are brilliant. The tree, the presents for everyone – I don’t know how they do it because it takes so much time and effort!”
“The thank you we get at the end from tenants makes it worth it. They really appreciate it. It’s more rewarding to me than whatever gift you want to give me. Instead of sitting at home I can be jolly with them.”
Maxine loves the buzz of seeing people on Christmas morning.
She said: “You knock that door, you walk in and everybody is happy. For people who haven’t got family you go the extra mile to make sure they have the best Christmas for them.”
“One Christmas we had a lady who was in hospital and her husband was left here on his own. We went and had a cooked breakfast with him, just to make his morning.”
“There’s still normal day-to-day stuff to do, medication to be delivered but you do it with a spring in your step for those people who are on their own. You can make a difference to someone just by being there. If we can help make their day better, we will”.
When you sit down for your festive dinner, spare a thought for workers like Sam Ellis, 28, who will be helping to look after elderly residents at The Coppice, an extra care scheme for the over 55s in Shrewsbury which is operated by the Wrekin Housing Group.
Sam is a Customer Service Assistant. He would normally be spending Christmas with his family in Wolverhampton, but will this year be working the morning shift on Christmas Day.
Sam said: “Christmas is a very different day here. It’s a very nice place to be because everyone is happy, everyone comes down with a smile on their face. There’s a good atmosphere in the café.
“There are some people here with dementia who struggle to remember faces - but no one forgets Christmas.
“It’s an opportunity to get everyone together, pull some crackers and sing some songs. Our main role that day is to give people that little nudge to get them to join in. When they do their eyes light up and they walk out of here with a beaming smile and that’s rewarding.”
Judith Hughes, 61, is also a Customer Service Assistant at The Coppice and is looking forward to getting everyone together.
She said: “This is going to be quite a nice Christmas Day for me because I’m usually on my own.
“It’s everyone’s Christmas. It’s a perfect situation to get people together so that no one is sitting on their own. There are some who are new or don’t usually get involved and those are the ones you encourage to join in.
“You go home feeling like you’ve done something. Someone might be feeling unwell, or a bit sad or missing family and you can just sit with them, chat and have a cup of tea. You do feel like you’ve achieved something.”
Several Wrekin staff will also be on hand to help in the event of emergencies – including Advanced Craft Plumber David Moore, 51. This will be the fifth year in a row David will have worked on Christmas Day – having been called out on several occasions to carry out emergency repairs.
David said: “I’ve been called out on a few occasions to help people over Christmas and people are genuinely grateful to see us. In the past I’ve been out because of burst pipes and blocked drains. People are very apologetic for calling you out and they will offer you a brew and a mince pie. Once my shift is finished, I will spend the day with my wife, the grandkids and the mother-in-law.
“It also gets me out of cooking duty as well so it’s not all that bad!”
23rd December 2023