Jo Whitehouse, the activities manager at The New Deanery and St Mary’s Court Care Home, has won a prestigious national award for her work providing a fun, creative and varied programme of activities to enhance the lives of care home residents.

Ms Whitehouse was awarded the ‘Care Home Activity Organiser’ award at the National Great British Care Awards.

She said: “It brings me great satisfaction and pleasure to be able to bring a smile to our residents’ faces and see them happy and fulfilled by participating in activities of their choice.

“A big thank you to my activities team – pulling together and delivering a stimulating activity programme for residents really is a team effort.”

Julia Clinton, CEO of Sonnet Care Homes which runs the two homes, said: “We are so, so proud of Jo, she does an amazing job in providing our residents with a quality experience in our home.

“She inspires the whole Sonnet team with her positivity and heart-felt desire to make a real difference to residents’ lives.”

The awards judges recognised Jo’s passion for providing meaningful activities for residents and commended her energy and enthusiasm.

They described her as a true team leader, innovative with fantastic drive and a credit to Sonnet Care Homes.