MANAGERS at two specialist care facilities in Ledbury have been selected from more than 4,000 plus staff across the UK to receive awards for their work.

Julie Simpson, assistant manager at acquired brain injury facility Market Lodge, was presented with the Most Successful Mentor Award - Sponsored by Itec - at Shaw healthcare's annual Shaw Star Awards. Meanwhile, manager of the Ledbury Intermediate Care Unit, Joan Arrowsmith, won the Exceptional Leader award, sponsored by Brakes Catering Equipment.

The panel of judges selected six finalists for the Most Successful Mentor category and, of all the those shortlisted, they felt Julie shows great commitment and energy in providing support and sharing her knowledge which has been identified and commenced by others.

Colleagues of Ms Simpson commented about her passion for her work and how she wants the best for everyone. Her manager feels that Julie takes huge amounts of pressure off and has developed an amazing team.

She said: "It's an honour to have been recognised by my colleagues and peers at the Shaw Star Awards. Seeing how my team have developed has been so rewarding and getting the Headway accreditation recently was the icing on the cake."

Ms Arrowsmith was selected by judges as she clearly demonstrated Shaw's values of wellness, happiness and kindness in all of her work. Colleagues commented on her "fantastic level of knowledge" and how "nothing is too much trouble" for her.

Ms Arrowsmith said: "The health and wellbeing of our service users is hugely important to me and the team, so it's great to join other Shaw staff members from across the UK to celebrate what we do and share best practice, to ultimately further improve the care we offer to service users."

Julie and Joan were recognised alongside other award winners as more than 200 people gathered at The Forest of Arden Hotel in Birmingham for Shaw healthcare's annual awards ceremony, which aims to celebrate the achievements of outstanding staff members from more than 4,000 care workers across Shaw's 76 UK facilities.

Jeremy Nixey, chief executive of Shaw healthcare, said: "The Shaw Star Awards has become such an important fixture in the annual calendar. We are always delighted to be able to recognise the hard work of so many staff members in various roles and from across the Shaw healthcare family.

"A lot has changed in the care industry since we launched the Shaw Star Awards in 2008, but what remains is a dedicated and compassionate workforce that strives to improve the lives of each and every one of our service users.

"Picking winners is never easy and just goes to show the quality of staff in our ranks. The ceremony is a great opportunity to say a huge 'thank you' to all of our staff and recognise those who have gone above and beyond with these award wins."