Announcing our Loving Later Life award winners for 2024

Our Loving Later Life Awards give others the opportunity to nominate and recognise residents who have made a real difference to their community. 

These annual resident awards are open to any Anchor resident and family members, neighbours, friends or colleagues are welcome to cast a vote. There are nine categories that residents can be nominated in, from being a “Knowledge Seeker” to a “Fabulous Fundraiser”. 

Each year the winners are chosen by our Resident Judging Panel and we are proud to announce the winners for each category in the 2024 Loving Later Life Awards are as follows:

Digital Dynamo – David Harris, Willow Court Leicester 

David has been supporting other residents in his role as a Digital Volunteer, helping them access WhatsApp, navigate online shopping and downloading spellcheckers for writing letters. David goes above and beyond to share his digital expertise with his peers and has made many friends along the way.

Knowledge Seeker - Steven Larn, Upton Grange Merseyside 

Steven has been learning an impressive 14 languages including French, Chinese and Turkish over the last 8 years using Duo Lingo. Initially Steven started learning the languages with the aim of becoming a freelance interpreter, but he’s now doing it for his own self-improvement. 

Paw’some Pet – Saffie-Bee, Solway Court Maryport 

Saffie-Bee is very popular with residents at Solway Court and often sits beside them when they’re not feeling very well. She’s Solway Court’s very own therapy dog and loves the attention from other residents and showing them love and affection. 

Greatest Grandparent – Mr George Dunn Keegan, St Columba Court Sunderland 

George is a doting grandparent who is affectionately known as Grandad George by his 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. George has written poems dedicated to each of his 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren, celebrating their individual talents and attributes. He’s also a bit of an entertainer, keeping them amused with stories and puzzles.

Fabulous Fundraiser – Sheila Jackson, Flowerbank Sowerby Bridge 

Sheila raises money for numerous causes in her local community and across the country. Her latest fundraising efforts were for MND and Overgate. Sheila raises money by organising parties in the communal areas of her location so that other residents can attend, or at the local cricket club. 

Sheila also attends a voluntary organisation called Outback which helps people struggling with their mental health or addiction. One of their weekly activities is growing and tending to their vegetable plot, and Sheila often cooks meals using those vegetables which she serves to the group. 

Sheila decided to throw herself into fundraising and charitable projects after the loss of her husband to seek solace in the local community.

Neighbour Like No Other – Betty Banford, Kenyon Rise Bolton 

Betty is a pillar of the community at Kenyon Rise. She checks on her neighbours and does their shopping for them if they’re unwell, takes them to hospital appointments and looks after their pets if they’re on holiday. Nothing is too much trouble for Betty. She also runs the local church café, exercise classes and badminton and helps support local food banks.

Onsite, she also hosts entertainment afternoons for herself and other residents to enjoy, sometimes culminating in dance-offs. 

Bloomin’ Marvellous Gardener – Ros Sexton, St Catherines Court Littlehampton 

Ros and fellow gardeners Christian Dennis and Peter Wilson transformed what was a once overlooked corner of their shared garden into a tranquil haven. 

Residents can now relax in a peaceful environment and wildlife now has a place to thrive. Ros was also mindful to keep the flowerbeds low and include lots of seating, making the garden accessible to all who wish to enjoy it. 

Inclusive Ambassador – Margaret Regardsoe, Hanover Court Hythe 

Margaret is actively involved in her community, participating in competitions and events on site. Last year she won a competition to design a Pride t-shirt that Anchor colleagues wore on a Pride march, and she has been featured on our website sharing what International Women’s Day means to her.

At home, Margaret makes sure that all residents feel included in activities and she approaches community events with a diversity mindset.   

Sustainability Champion – Margaret Thomas, The Manor House Barnard Castle

Margaret is passionate about the environment and likes to encourage recycling and sustainability at The Manor House Barnard Castle as much as possible. Arts and crafts sessions at the home usually involve re-purposing items that would usually have been thrown away.  For example, old Christmas cards are turned into gift tags, and bird feeds are created from paper tubes. Margaret also tends to the homegrown herbs and vegetables, which are then used in the meals served at the home. 

The importance of resident recognition

Our Loving Later Life Awards are a fantastic way for residents to be recognised, and to recognise others for the impact they have on the people and environment around them. Whether it’s through being a friendly and helpful neighbour or sprucing up shared spaces, these individuals and others like them make up Anchor’s vibrant communities and make our housing locations enjoyable places to live. The 2025 awards will open again next spring so be sure to watch this space!