An army of “Coronavirus warriors” who work for a care organisation in North Wales have been rewarded for their heroic dedication during the pandemic.

More than 800 staff at Pendine Park’s care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon have been presented with kind gifts, including scented diffusers, as a thank you gesture by regular supplier CareHomeLife.

The two organisations enjoy a close working relationship, with CareHomeLife having provided equipment and advice to Pendine Park for more than a decade.

The bond has been particularly strong throughout the pandemic, with Pendine Park having been supplied with essential items such as personal protective equipment.

CareHomeLife chairman Eddy Fishwick has been full of admiration for the work performed by the care home staff since the pandemic took hold early last year.

He visited Pendine Park’s Summerhill Road site in Wrexham to meet some of the team outside the Highfield care home and hand over gifts.

One of the grateful recipients was Laura Shone, a long-serving senior care practitioner at Highfield.

After being presented with her sea salt diffuser, Laura said: “This is an extremely nice gesture and it is very much appreciated by myself and all the team here.

“It has been a very hard 12 months or so for the staff, so we are always very grateful whenever anyone does something to show they are thinking of us.

“I am looking forward to using the gift. It looks very nice and relaxing.”

It is not the first time that Chorley-based CareHomeLife – which now also operates a subsidiary organisation, CareHomeLifestyle – has presented gifts to Pendine Park staff during the pandemic.

Previous appreciative gestures included handing over candles at Christmas.

Eddy, who was accompanied by CareHomeLife account manager Ryan Hutchins during his visit, said: “When you look at what the staff here have been through and the pressures they face it is clear to see they deserve some recognition for it.

“It is just a case of saying thank you for everything they have done. They have done a sterling job.

“This is such a good care home organisation and we are glad to work so closely with it.

“We enjoy such a positive working relationship with Pendine Park and we look forward to continuing it going forward.”

A thank you note was given to staff along with the gift.

It read: “From everyone at CareHomeLife we would like to thank you for your continued efforts and dedication to the residents in your care.

“Please accept this gift as a token of our appreciation for everything that you have done throughout the pandemic and continue to do each and every day.”

Julie Wood, Pendine Park’s facilities and safety manager, welcomed the visitors from CareHomeLife to the site and expressed her gratitude for the gesture.

She said: “We are absolutely delighted about the gifts that have been presented to our staff.

“It is nice that they have wanted every single member of our organisation to be presented with something.

“We enjoy a close working relationship with CareHomeLife and this has been particularly the case throughout the pandemic, with a real team effort in place.

“CareHomeLife provide vital equipment and advice for us. They have played a particularly important role in terms of helping to supply PPE during the pandemic.”

Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE was equally grateful and added: “This is an extremely kind gesture by Eddy and his colleagues at CareHomeLife and we are very grateful.

“It is well-deserved recognition for the ‘coronavirus warriors’ we employ across the Pendine Park organisation, who have performed a tremendous level of work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. They have been absolutely heroic.

“We have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with CareHomeLife for many years. They provide a high-quality service and it is pleasing to see that they in turn are so appreciative of the work performed by our staff.

“We look forward to continuing to work together for many years to come.”