A woman wrongly written off as a \u201cnaughty\u201d student at school because of her dyslexia but who went on to shine after getting a job in the care sector has been shortlisted for a major award.<\/p>\n
Laura Shone, 32, is now a highly respected staff trainer at the Pendine Park care organisation, which has homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon, where during the pandemic she used her initiative to come up with a hand-washing video to the tune of the Bee Gees\u2019 Staying Alive.<\/p>\n
It is this kind of dedication to her job that has landed Laura, who lives in New Broughton, Wrexham, a place in the final of major national competition the 2024 Wales Care Awards, known as the Oscars of social care.<\/p>\n
The glittering ceremony is being sponsored by Ontex Healthcare, and will take place at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff,\u00a0 hosted by\u00a0radio and TV presenter Jason Mohammad.<\/p>\n
Laura, who is shortlisted in the Commitment to Training and Workforce Development category sponsored by City and Guilds and WJEC Consortium, is originally from Wrexham and after leaving school the age of 16 went on to college but enjoyed neither experience very much due to her dyslexia.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cAt school they labelled me as a \u2018naughty student\u2019 because of it. The school environment definitely wasn\u2019t for me and I\u2019m afraid it was much the same when I went to college.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I enjoyed much more was when I got my first job. It was looking after the horses kept by a local farm shop. It was perfect for me because I am a horse lover and now have two of my own \u2013 Harrison who is 27 years old and Bailey. who is 22 and has only one eye after he lost the other when he had an accident with a tree branch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura has been married to her husband Keiron for nine years and the couple have one son, six-year-old Harri, who became a national TV star earlier this year when he appeared on BCC\u2019s The One Show because of his regular visits to Pendine Park\u2019s Highfield in Wrexham where his mum has worked for the past 13 years.<\/p>\n
And it has at been at Highfield, which cares for 112 residents, that Laura\u2019s career has really taken off due to the opportunities she is given to succeed that she never received while in the education system.<\/p>\n
She explained: \u201cThe root of person-centred care and the enrichment of residents stems from good training.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my job I feel that everyone deserves the best training and I enjoy developing the staff because I always want people to feel that they are capable and can better themselves no matter what.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ensure the residents are always well cared for and that the staff know about their residents and how they can help to make their lives better. I help the staff to register for Social Care Wales to implement the codes of practice, making sure everyone is given the chance to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the pandemic Laura worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both residents and staff, often coming in early in the morning and staying until late at night ensuring that staff followed safety protocols.<\/p>\n
She even produced her own video on correct hand washing techniques with background music of the Bee Gees\u2019 famous hit Stayin\u2019 Alive which was a huge hit with all who saw it.<\/p>\n
A senior staff member who nominated Laura for the Wales Care Awards said: \u201cStaff know that she worked hard and sacrificed a lot to ensure their safety and as a result Highfield general nursing unit didn\u2019t lose any residents to Covid and to this day it is still that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff see Laura as a credit to Highfield and feel that she makes everyone comfortable, well inducted and trained to the highest standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura says she\u2019s looking forward very much to attending the awards ceremony in Cardiff with her husband and fellow staff members from Highfield and recalled: \u201cWhen I heard I\u2019d been shortlisted I was overwhelmed but really touched by it. But at Highfield I feel that I\u2019m just part of a team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards, said: \u201cOur aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines on the front line of social across Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe care sector is full of wonderful people because it\u2019s not just a job it\u2019s a vocation \u2013 these are the people who really do have the X Factor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t recognise the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to do all we can to raise the profile of the care sector workforce – they deserve to be lauded and applauded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a pleasure to honour the contribution of all the finalists. Each and every one of them should be very proud of their achievement.”<\/p>\n