Happy Birthday to our hero to the cause for 33 years

Posted in: Featured

As Wendy looks to celebrate her birthday in May, we wanted to shout from the rooftops and thank her for everything she does for St Margaret’s, her continuous commitment and drive to never stop is what has kept us all focused to continue to grow and help more families when they really need it.

Wendy Kneller, started her vocation into caring 33 years ago when she opened a nursing home in Harrogate 1988.  At that point she knew caring was something she would do forever, and now as she looks to turn 71 in May 2021, she is running St Margaret’s with as much determination and focus as she was when she embarked on this journey.

Her story is unique, as caring is an individual skill and one that has enabled Wendy to share and instill in her team of over 80 staff today.  Not only did Wendy evolve from having the nursing home to then become a homecare service recognising that individual care in the home was going to be a considered option for families when they had to start planning for their elderly family members, so she took St Margaret’s on a journey to become what is today a leading provider of homecare to elderly clients in our 3 key areas Harrogate, York and Selby.  As a qualified NVQ Registered Manager with CQC she like them sets the standards for the entire business.

Today at St Margaret’s, after the year we have all experienced with the impact of Covid 19, Wendy has not been phased by this, her drive and determination to power through and ensure all clients receive the best care at a time when they needed it more than ever is more than commendable.  Through dedication and commitment despite such a worrying time for all sectors and businesses, St Margaret’s were in a vulnerable sector with so much at risk in terms of staff and client safety – the staff are loyal and followed in Wendy’s footsteps to ensure our frontline service continued and our friendly faces were present in our client’s homes throughout the pandemic.

St Margaret’s attract the best carers, this is again down to Wendy, who has from the outset ensured the team around her are compassionate and above all family led so that in turn we deliver a safe, warm care plan for each client. Tailored homecare is at the heart of what we do and with regular continuous teams, our clients benefit from dedicated carers ensuring friendship and trust is formed from the beginning.

A personal thank you to Wendy from some team members: 

Ross Kneller, Director

I joined the business in 2020 mid pandemic after my Dad passed away, to pick up from Dad has been an emotional journey but also rewarding.  Working alongside Mum has been amazing, her focus has always been instilled in me from a young age, and her passion for what she has done and continues to do with St Margaret’s is just exceptional.

 

Abby Yates, York and Selby Registered Care Manager

Wendy is literally our guardian angel.  You can contact her any day or night and she is there for you no matter what. I have a soft spot for Wendy as she always believes in me more than I believe in myself and she has pushed me to a potential I never thought I had. Even on my down days when everything gets too much that conversation with Wendy I end a different person and back to being positive. Wendy never has anything negative to say she is such a positive person which shines through everyone else who crosses her path.

Nothing is ever a challenge for Wendy she approaches everything with caution and as our saying would go ‘there are never any problems, only solutions’ which has been embedded in my brain and has been my main focus throughout my journey at St Margaret’s it is so positive and I always point back to this saying from Wendy and john when in tough times and it really is the truth.

Wendy is not only a boss she is a treasured friend and feels like family.  Wendy is an inspiration to all and if I continue to follow in her footsteps I hope one day I will reach the quality registered manager Wendy is myself. I have learnt from the best.

I have so much to be grateful to Wendy for as I would not be where I am today without her.

 

Vicky Clark, Harrogate line manager

Wendy has been my mentor and friend for 10 years. She has shown trust in me from day 1, allowing me to grow and encouraging me along the way.