14th Apr 2022 - Written by Katy Westaway
Reading time: 3 minutes
After receiving visits from our South Gloucestershire team for eight years, Phil was offered a full-time role with Brunelcare and couldn’t be happier.
Phil, 85, first met our South Gloucestershire team when he started receiving home care visits to assist him in caring for his wife, Friedl.
Friedl was visited by the team for eight years, until she sadly passed away. When Friedl passed, Phil told our South Gloucestershire team that Brunelcare was the only family he had and asked if he could still receive visits from us.
Friedl’s primary carer, Cherry, was a massive support to both Phil and Friedl, and Cherry noticed that Phil needed some additional support. Cherry suggested that Phil start volunteering at Brunelcare, and he was then offered a permanent role within our South Glos team!
I could see that Phil was giving up hope, but I knew he still had so much more to give. So I suggested he volunteer at Brunelcare, he started driving the buses and volunteering at some of our sites. Obviously, our customers loved him, and then Clare, the Operations at South Glos then offered him a role as a Community Support Worker.
Phil now works with us as a Community Support Worker three times a week, helping Brunelcare customers across South Gloucestershire with their shopping and day-to-day tasks.
After Friedl passed away, I felt like I was at a loose end, not only did I lose my wife of 47-years, but I also lost the magnificent carers that would come and visit Friedl and I. So I started volunteering at the day centre. The centre then closed due to Covid and the South Gloucestershire team didn’t want to lose me, so they offered me a role at the charity I simply couldn’t turn down!
Everyone absolutely loves Phil, he’s a breath of fresh air, and it’s a pleasure to have him work for us. We would truly be lost without him.
Find out more about our vacancies at South Gloucestershire here.