A South Cumbrian care company is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Heydays Care & Support Services was founded by friends and colleagues, Dawn Darby and Kelly Shaw in autumn 2011.
The duo had worked together in the care sector for a number of years, and each had held various roles in the care industry previously.
They both felt passionate about care provision standards and were driven by a desire to make a difference within their local communities.
Dawn said: “When we set up the company, we knew we wanted to create something different to what was already out there in the marketplace, using our combined knowledge and experience.
“We decided to name the company Heydays because it reminds people of good times and happy memories and that the future is still bright as you get older.”
Kelly said the defining moment that motivated her to set up the company came after visiting one particular client in a previous role.
She said: “Margaret had Parkinson’s Disease and dementia which meant she had a lot of needs.
“She was experiencing 17 different carers coming to visit each week and because there was no continuity, they would keep having to ask her things like where the cereal bowls and washing tablets were kept. Margaret was distraught yet I knew that all the stress she’d experienced could have been avoided.”
After getting registered with the Care Quality Commission, the duo started by taking on one client then another, until they built up a small client base and took on their first employee.
Now, Heydays has a team of 51 staff operating from their head office and dedicated training facility on Warwick Street in Barrow.
Dawn said: “Caring is a vocation, it’s not just a job and it takes someone special to be a carer. It’s key for us that our carers know the standard of care that we want to deliver but we’d never expect them to do anything that we wouldn’t do ourselves.
“We’re still very hands-on and because we still go out and deliver that care ourselves, we know the job inside out and our team get the understanding and support that they need.”
Despite growing the business successfully, the duo added they had no plans to grow the business into a large company.
Kelly added: “It’s about quality over quantity and it’s important that we retain that personal element and that we know each and every client. It’s nice when family members ring us about their loved one; we don’t have to go to the filing cupboard to read about them, we know that information already.”
To mark the anniversary, they have given the company a new look and feel with a refreshed brand identity.
They have also launched a special film which tells the story of the company and how it was founded.
The duo will also open their second office in Grange-over-Sands, set to open its doors in January.
