A cheerful care home\u00a0worker has won an award for going the \u201cextra smile\u201d in everything she does.<\/p>\n
Dedicated Divya Baskota, described by colleagues and residents as a \u201cray of sunshine\u201d, says she treats the people she cares for at Pendine Park\u2019s Highfield Nursing Home in Wrexham like her own grandparents.<\/p>\n
And that dedication and her sunny disposition has seen Divya named as the overall winner of Pendine\u2019s annual Smile Awards after a vote by colleagues and relatives..<\/p>\n
Trainer Laura Shone said she was thrilled Divya had been recognised in the awards.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cIt was just so well deserved. I personally nominated her and then the residents also nominated her. What they said about her is what I would say about her too.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is a ray of sunshine. She\u2019s always happy, always got a smile, very helpful, just a genuinely nice person. She never stops smiling from the minute she gets in, to the minute she goes home.<\/p>\n
\u201cA resident might be poorly and a smile just brightens their day – that\u2019s what Divya does for our residents. She chats to them and helps them, but a smile goes an awful long way.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt always makes me emotional when the staff do so well, it\u2019s so well deserved. She fits the culture and ethos of Pendine Park so well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Care practitioner Divya, who has worked at the home for about six months, thanked everyone for supporting her in her award, especially Laura.
\nShe said: \u201cEveryone is very nice. I love my job. And the residents are very nice, I like to help them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the residents are like my grandmother or grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Special Smile Award also went to award-winning international illustrator Jason Bennion.<\/p>\n
Jason\u00a0is\u00a0a member of Pendine Park\u2019s enrichment activities team, leading art workshops for residents in the company\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n
Tracey Smith, manager at Highfield Nursing Home, paid tribute to Divya and Jason.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThe Smile Awards have been going for a number of years. Once a year, staff, residents and relatives nominate any member of staff that basically makes them smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cDivya is always positive, she\u2019s always smiling, nothing is too much trouble. She makes the residents feel good and she\u2019s a fantastic team member.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Jason\u2019s art classes have become very popular, the residents really look forward to their art class.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s lovely with the residents, he\u2019s interested in them, he\u2019s very calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than an art class, they are like social events.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see the residents are enjoying themselves, they look forward to it. It is so nice, because you see them all chatting with each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the residents have even discovered artistic talents they have never been aware of, which is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason said: \u201cThe award came as a complete surprise and I was really flattered, it\u2019s a really nice thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make the art sessions fun, I try to work out what the residents enjoy doing, and we genuinely have a really good laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly, each home is different and I have a different experience in each, but all the residents respond really well and really enjoy it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe residents ask when I am coming back in, and the residents say some really lovely things to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it very rewarding, and very emotional at times, and I find it inspiring, the residents have inspired me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a very satisfying role, especially when the care staff tell me they are seeing a positive difference in the residents who are taking part in the art sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love what I do. I feel very lucky and privileged to do what I do. I really look forward to going in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like a job to me at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to share something which I am really passionate about with other people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might provide the sessions, but it is the residents who are doing the art, they are making the effort, and that\u2019s hugely satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah Edwards, Pendine Park\u2019s consultant artist in residence, helped organise and publicise the Smile Awards.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cEverybody was encouraged to vote and the Smile Awards proved very popular. It went very well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always important to celebrate the great work we all do, and for everybody\u2019s contribution to be recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n