A former motivational coach who switched careers after being made redundant on the same day as his wife has taken bronze at a top care industry awards gala.<\/p>\n
Shawn Sullivan spent the best part of 30 years working in the electricity and energy industry in a variety of clerical roles before being appointed as a motivational coach and trainer until the firm he worked for closed during the pandemic \u2013 leaving himself and wife Andrea out of work.<\/p>\n
The 52-year-old decided to put his positive attitude and encouragement skills to good use by applying for a job as an activities assistant at Mill View Care Home in Williamstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, part of the SilverCrest Care Group.<\/p>\n
The former disability athletics coach hasn\u2019t looked back since and is now toasting two years of service with a coveted industry award.<\/p>\n
Dad-of-three Shawn, from Llantwit Fardre, was presented with a bronze award in the Promoting Fulfilled Lives category, sponsored by Boots Care Services, at this year\u2019s Wales Care Awards.<\/p>\n
The annual event is organised by social care champions Care Forum Wales which supports more than 450 care homes, nursing homes and other independent health and social care providers across Wales.<\/p>\n
Shawn accepted his award from Carol Shillabeer, chief executive of Powys Teaching Health Board, at a glittering ceremony at City Hall in Cardiff, hosted by popular tenor, Wynne Evans, best known as Gio Compario from the Go Compare TV ads.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter thirty years working in one industry to being nominated for something like this in such a short space of time is massive,\u201d said Shawn.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m really proud of and while it\u2019s not going to go to my head, it\u2019s lovely to be recognised by the company and my fellow workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love engaging with the residents, it\u2019s all about the connection and warmth for me. I like making the residents smile and I like seeing them come alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis job gives me a purpose, there\u2019s no clock-watching – I\u2019m all in. I just love giving them the time to become themselves again and drawing out the old character and finding those moments where you unlock the potential of who they used to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody has been reminding me of how amazing it is to be nominated for this award but I\u2019m taking it in my stride and feeling very humble about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always try to give 100 per cent \u2013 in every job I\u2019ve ever had – and the support I\u2019ve had at SilverCrest has been brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shawn, who has two grown up children and a son aged 13, joined SilverCrest\u2019s Mill View Care Home in Pentre two years ago after redundancy.<\/p>\n
He quickly found himself promoted to the Activities Coordinator\u2019s role at the home when it became vacant through maternity leave and moved on to become the Activities Coordinator at the Ty Nant specialist dementia home a year ago this November.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be working for the same energy company and told the business was shutting down really affected us. It was a big challenge that we had to come to terms with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked myself what I could do based on the skills I had. I\u2019d been a motivational coach and mentor in work and also a disability athletics coach for ten years with Barry and Vale Harriers Athletics Club as my daughter was born without a left forearm. I also coach the under 14s at our local football team, Llantwit Fardre FC. With the energy I still had, and the type of character I am, I thought I could use that in an activities role.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite suffering a rare health emergency in his first week when he developed a blood clot in his lung which has left him on constant medication, nothing was going to stand in the way of his new career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the best thing I\u2019ve ever done \u2013 to move into an activities role and care for people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more to a person than just bingo. If you know they were a lorry or train driver, then you design your activity towards something they will be interested in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a couple of guys who are ex-Army and I march up to them and salute them every morning. They\u2019ll say \u2018stand easy\u2019 and I\u2019ll say \u2018thank you sir!\u2019. It\u2019s about finding that initial connection and then the next thing you know, you\u2019re talking about the services and Army life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shawn was put forward for the award by Rama Mannari, SilverCrest\u2019s regional activities manager.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cShawn had no previous care experience when he joined us but made a massive difference pretty much immediately. He\u2019s wonderful with the residents, he takes time to get to know them and they all warm to him immediately. He gets on with the job and never grumbles and doesn\u2019t even realise how good he is \u2013 we\u2019re immensely proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mario Kreft MBE, Chair of\u00a0Care\u00a0Forum\u00a0Wales, said the ceremony was all the more poignant because of the Covid pandemic and what front line staff had endured.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI would like to pay a heartfelt tribute to all the wonderful people who work in social care after the rose magnificently and courageously to meet the unprecedented challenges they have faced over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have always recognised their true value and hopefully now the rest of Wales is also aware of how lucky we are as a nation to\u00a0have them providing care and safeguarding our most vulnerable people.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur finalists are the best of the best and are here representing the whole social care workforce who all deserve a big pat on the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are only winners here tonight so it is only fitting that the finalists will receive a gold, silver or bronze Wales Care Award.<\/p>\n
\u201cI trust that they will continue to inspire those around them as role models and encourage others to aspire to even greater heights and in the months and years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the words of the powerful song, Heroes of our Heart, written by the acclaimed poet Mererid Hopwood and sung by Sir Bryn Terfel, let the Diolch last forever.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe take our hats off to them.\u201d<\/p>\n