Kent-based care worker Ann Campbell is celebrating 42 years’ service at MHA Bradbury Grange in Whitstable and also holds the honour of being the longest serving employee with the national charity.
Ann (59) joined Methodist Homes (MHA) back in 1980 as a care worker and hasn’t looked back since. Initially based at Cliff Deane in Tankerton, she moved to Bradbury Grange when residents transferred there in 2010 and is now a senior carer.
She was presented with a certificate to mark the occasion by Rosie Duffield, MP for Canterbury, during a visit to the home. Ann also received flowers, champagne and a celebratory chocolate cake to mark the occasion.
Ann said: “I feel very honoured to be MHA’s longest serving employee. One of the best things over the years has been getting to know the people you care for, having a laugh with them and solving their problems as well as getting to know their families.
“Being a care worker is an interesting job. It is not without its challenges but it is very rewarding. You have to have patience and be interested in the people you care for. I always say to those joining to look at it like caring for your grandparents and how you would want to treat them.
“The role has changed over the years. When I was first at Cliff Deane there was an age limit for people coming to live with us and they had to be a Methodist. That has changed now. People are also coming into care later. We often have people aged 100 coming to live with us. There are also more regulations and paperwork for us.
“The pandemic was challenging for us. Sadly we lost some residents and it was hard. But we still remember them today and talk about the characters they were.”
But despite all of this, Ann would do it all again. And the team at MHA Bradbury Grange often joke about which room Ann will have in the home when she finally retires.
Karen Slater, MHA’s Acting Director of Operations, said: “Ann’s dedication and service to the people she cares for is an inspiration to all of us.”
