Vinny Penny is known to everyone at our Poolemead site for his unstinting work around the buildings and gardens. He’s also known for his helpfulness with people generally – a true unsung hero, until now! Integral to the smooth running of Poolemead, he prioritises making sure that the site is safe and looked after. Over and above this, Vinny keeps an eye on everyone, both team members and people we support.
He’s one of those quiet people, with a warm welcoming smile and fantastic sense of humour. Vinny makes sure anyone on site knows where they are going and where they need to be. He also takes photos, sending them to people to raise a smile. His nominator, Carla Smith, says: He is just a lovely man who genuinely loves being around and doing what he can in his own caring way for everyone at Poolemead.”
Administrator, Tina Hunt, adds: “This is a very well-deserved award for Vinny to receive. He works tirelessly and endlessly at everything he does. I am proud to work alongside Vin, and I know he will always be there when needed.”
Runners up
Our two runners up in May are Tracy Gasson, Support Worker at Surrey and Sussex Outreach, and Ross Tonkin, Support Worker at Acorn Park Lodge.
Tracy is nominated for Employee of the Month by her manager, Sharon Bassett. For the last year, Tracy has been supporting CS to prepare for bariatric surgery. This has meant supporting CS to many hospital appointments (often out of hours), plus consultations, and arranging meet ups with people who have already been through the surgery.
Sharon says: “As her manager I observed the attention to detail that Tracy gives to supporting CS’s every need. She reflects our values in her day-to-day work. Tracy is very deserving of recognition for the work she does but especially for her support with CS.”
Ross has made a noticeable impact on the life of J, managing to communicate with him to create a great rapport. He has empowered J to be able to use his voice to tell the team members what he does and does not like when it comes to his care needs. As a result, J has flourished and has become more active after struggling during Covid.
Congratulations to our winner and runners up, plus everyone else who was nominated this month.
