A member of staff at Grantham's Gregory House has been singled out for praise at The Orders of St John Care Trust's annual Employee Awards ceremony.

Lisa Lawlor was named Homes (Support) Employee of the Year and presented with her award by Jill Hughes, Trustee and HM Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire.

Anna Lewkowicz, Gregory House Home Manager, comments: "Lisa is one of the best people at Gregory House and an amazing administrator. She is constantly willing to help in any way and nothing is of too much trouble.

"Lisa is known to be very thoughtful too and last Christmas she brought in a special treat for each of the residents. Congratulations Lisa!"

A Long Service Award was also presented to Sarah Porter, who has notched up 30 years at Gregory House, by Don Wood CBE, Chairman of the Trustees.

Sarah Porter started at Gregory House on 1 October 1988 when she was 29 and the home was owned by the local authority.

A valued member of the staff, she is dedicated to delivering nutritional meals to residents and always listens to resident's feedback - often adding something extra to the menu to ensure residents are happy.

When Sarah's mother passed away she donated £1,000 to the Residents Amenities to re-decorate the garden furniture and bought a water feature for the garden.

Sarah supports the Activity Co-ordinator every year with an entry for the Harvest Festival - a homemade chutney from her mum's recipe which the residents help to make.

More than 90 guests attended the awards ceremony, an annual event which recognises The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) care home and support team members for their work achievements, held last week at The Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa.

Certificates were also presented by Sue Lane, HR Director, to employees who achieved qualifications.

Dan Hayes, Chief Executive at OSJCT, comments: "All our employees work very hard and are committed to reaching and maintaining the highest standard of care for our residents.

"The award ceremony provides special recognition to those instrumental to the trusts achievements, made more special by the fact that they have been nominated by their colleagues.

"It is delightful to be able to celebrate individual successes together and I feel lucky to be associated with such wonderful people."

The Orders of St John Care Trust provides care, support and housing to residents and tenants across 70 homes and 14 accommodation schemes across Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, West Sussex and Suffolk.

OSJCT delivers high quality, dedicated person-centred care for the elderly including dementia, intermediate, respite, day care, and specialised nursing.

A not-for-profit charitable trust, financial surplus is reinvested for the benefit of residents.

Photo 1: Jill Hughes, Trustee and HM Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire with Lisa Lawlor, Homes (Support) Employee of the Year