For Angela Stewart, success has never been about titles, awards or recognition. Instead, the founder of NurtureCare has spent her life guided by one simple belief:
“It is not what you do for yourself that matters most, but what you do for others.”
It is a philosophy rooted in compassion and resilience — and one that ultimately led her to create an organisation supporting children, young people and adults with complex healthcare needs across the East Midlands. But the inspiration behind NurtureCare came from one heartbreaking experience Angela could never forget.
As a paediatric nurse with more than 35 years’ experience, Angela had cared for countless children and families facing unimaginable challenges. Yet one young girl would change the course of her life forever.
The child had a life-limiting condition and one final wish: to spend her remaining days at home surrounded by her family. Her parents desperately wanted to make that happen, but the specialist care package needed to support her safely at home was simply not available quickly enough.
Angela witnessed first-hand the heartbreak this caused. Despite every effort to find a solution, the young girl died before arrangements could be put in place.
For Angela, it became a defining moment. She could not accept that a child’s final wish could go unmet simply because the right support did not exist at the right time.
“That little girl stayed with me,” Angela reflects. “I knew something had to change.”
In 2013, she founded NurtureCare with a clear purpose: to ensure children, young people and adults with complex needs could receive high-quality, compassionate care in the place they call home. More importantly, she wanted families to have dignity, choice and support during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
More than a decade later, that vision continues to shape the organisation. Today, NurtureCare supports individuals with complex healthcare, behavioural and social care needs throughout the East Midlands and has become recognised for its compassionate, person-centred approach.
Yet for Angela, the greatest achievement has never been business growth. It has been seeing families able to stay together, remain at home and feel supported when they need it most.
Angela’s own journey is one of determination. Born in England, she spent part of her childhood in Jamaica before returning to the UK in 1977. One of thirteen siblings, she learned early the values of hard work, perseverance and caring for others — qualities that would later define both her nursing career and leadership style.
As a Black female entrepreneur, she has also faced occasions where assumptions were made before people recognised her expertise and leadership. Rather than allowing those experiences to hold her back, Angela used them as motivation to prove what could be achieved through professionalism, resilience and compassion.
She credits much of her success to the support of her husband Norris and their three children, who have stood beside her throughout the challenges of building and growing the organisation.
Looking ahead, Angela remains passionate about expanding services that help people live independently and with dignity, including supported living and respite provision for families needing additional support.
But no matter how much NurtureCare grows, its mission remains deeply personal.
At the heart of the organisation is still the memory of one little girl whose final wish inspired something far bigger than anyone could have imagined — a legacy built on compassion, courage and the belief that care should always put people first.
