Merry Christmas from Anchor - Jane’s Journal

My festive video message for 2017

Well it’s been quite a year at Anchor and we have lots to celebrate.

The respected Laing Buisson recognised the quality of our dementia training when we secured the coveted Excellence in Training award. 

Our Apprenticeship scheme was rated best in the country by Rate My Apprentice, beating lots of big name brands. 

We’ve had lots of achievements in the Great British Care Awards, with loads of colleagues nominated and shortlisted, and 12 schemes were shortlisted in Elderly Accommodation Counsel awards, with one going on to win gold.

Our new developments, including Bishopstoke Park and Hampshire Lakes retirement villages are proving very popular. 

And we’ve worked hard to demonstrate to Government the hugely important role that our services play in enabling older people to get the best out of life.

We’ve also been ensuring the issues that matter to the people we serve get the attention they deserve. We launched our Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign because older people told us that there seem to be fewer and fewer seats in shops. Now Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and more than 250 independent retailers around the country have backed our campaign to retain or increase seating in their stores.

Christmas can be a really busy time of year and I’m always so impressed by the planning that my colleagues put in to making Christmas a great time for the people who live with us.

It can also be a sad time for those of us who have lost loved ones and bringing people together and creating an environment where you can make new friends is what later life is all about.

So, thank you to all of my colleagues across Anchor for your hard work, we’ve achieved a great deal in 2017 and I’m really proud to see more and more of that being recognised around the organisation.

If you are working over Christmas and the New Year, thank you, I know how important it is to the people we serve.

Have a great Christmas and New Year, next year is Anchor’s 50th anniversary so we will have loads to celebrate in 2018.

I hope 2018 is a happy year for you and your loved ones too.