Proud to Care Award nominations 2026

We're honoured to receive six nominations for the Proud To Care Awards this year. We've been recognised as a home/team, plus individual nominations for John, Jen, Karen, and Emma F. 

Care Provider/Team of the Year

Benoni Care Home is an exceptional team whose shared commitment to compassionate, person-centred care creates outstanding outcomes for residents, families, and colleagues alike.

Collaboration is at the heart of Benoni's success. Every department works together to ensure residents receive the highest standard of support, regardless of job title or role. Housekeepers assist with mealtimes and supported feeding when needed, the Activities Team regularly support care delivery during busy periods, and when the Kitchen Supervisor was absent through illness, the Clinical Matron stepped in to lead the kitchen team and maintain continuity for residents. Staff take genuine pride in the home, with one housekeeper recently volunteering her time and creativity to refresh the garden for summer, enhancing residents' enjoyment of outdoor spaces.

This culture of teamwork is underpinned by visible RN-led leadership, daily multidisciplinary debriefs, ongoing training, and a shared belief that everyone contributes to residents' wellbeing. Staff feel valued, supported, and empowered to raise ideas, solve problems together, and continuously improve the service.
Person-centred care is embedded throughout the home. Residents shape their own care plans, activities, and daily routines, supported by a strengths-based approach that promotes independence and dignity. The team goes above and beyond to create meaningful experiences, including taking a former Mousehole resident back to see the Christmas lights, arranging visits to galleries for residents with a passion for art, bringing shells from a favourite beach to a resident receiving end-of-life care, and organising regular trips to local stables for a resident who loves horses.
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Holistic wellbeing is central to life at Benoni, with pet therapy, live music, creative wellbeing sessions, exercise, spiritual support, community engagement, family events, and one-to-one activities tailored to individual interests. Families describe the impact best: "My grandma is thriving" and "Benoni gave my aunt a life she didn't have before." These outcomes reflect a remarkable team whose compassion, innovation, and collaboration improve lives every day.

Registered Manager of the Year: Jen

We are delighted to welcome our new Registered Manager Jen Richards, an inspiring leader whose passion, dedication, and commitment to exceptional care make her a wonderful addition to our home.
 
With a wealth of experience in health and social care, she brings not only extensive knowledge and professional expertise but also genuine warmth, compassion, and an unwavering belief that every resident deserves to live with dignity, respect, and purpose. She is passionate about creating an environment where people feel safe, valued, and truly at home.
 
Her leadership style is built on kindness, integrity, and collaboration. She believes that outstanding care begins with a happy, supported team, and she is committed to empowering staff through encouragement, professional development, and leading by example. Her open-door approach ensures that residents, families, and colleagues always feel heard, respected, and involved.
 
Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated a drive for excellence, embracing innovation while never losing sight of what matters most - the wellbeing and happiness of the people in our care. She is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of care, promoting person-centred support, and fostering a culture where everyone can thrive.
 
As she begins this exciting new chapter with us, she looks forward to building strong relationships with residents, relatives, and staff. Her vision is to create a home filled with compassion, laughter, respect, and opportunity, where every individual is encouraged to live life to the fullest.
 
Please accept my nomination for new registered manager, as we are all excited about the future under her leadership and are confident that her enthusiasm, professionalism, and caring nature will have a lasting and positive impact on everyone who calls our home their home.

Innovation in Care: John

​​John is a very kind strong leader he has many qualities of organisation looking how the work load and employees work to their strengths and abilities. He is always full of ideas to make Benoni a good place to work in and how to care and make sure the residents wellbeing is always met . He is a good listener to everyone there whether a employee or resident or resident families and is very good at solving problems and making us all feel at ease.

Learning Champion of the Year: John

John Clemens is an exceptional Learning Champion whose passion for education, professional development, and workforce growth has transformed learning opportunities both within Benoni and across the wider social care sector.

As Managing Director and Clinical Matron, John has embedded teaching, learning, and career progression at the heart of Benoni's culture. He has developed clear pathways for growth through apprenticeships, professional qualifications, work experience placements, and continuous professional development, ensuring staff at all levels have the opportunity to build their skills, confidence, and careers. His commitment is evidenced by Benoni's outstanding workforce development record, including 11 successful apprenticeship completions and the progression of a former apprentice to Acting Manager, who subsequently won Social Care Nurse of the Year at the Proud to Care Awards.

John's leadership extends beyond creating opportunities; he actively empowers others to lead. Recognising the strengths of colleagues, he has supported Emma Farley, Activities and Engagement Lead, to develop and lead key workforce initiatives. Under John's mentorship and encouragement, Emma now coordinates work experience placements for students and has established a partnership with the local Job Centre to create entry-level pathways into care. This innovative programme offers free training, workplace experience, and guaranteed interviews, helping individuals overcome barriers to employment while developing the future social care workforce.

John is also a passionate ambassador for the sector, visiting colleges across Cornwall to promote careers in care and attending recruitment events to inspire the next generation. His belief that investing in people leads to exceptional care has created a culture where learning is valued, ambition is encouraged, and colleagues are supported to achieve their potential.
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Through his vision, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to workforce development, John inspires excellence in others and exemplifies the qualities of a true Learning Champion.

Care/Nursing Home Worker of the Year: Karen

Karen always works so hard and is a brilliant teacher to our new staff. She's a joy to work with.

Hidden Treasure: Emma F

​Emma has put Benoni on the map with her social media skills . Emma has good communication skills this helps making sure the residents well being and activities are met . Emma is an asset to the company and has a very positive attitude and makes the residents happy with her organisation of activities I.e Benoni has a dog that visits every week . Cake baking . Music hairdresser . Outings which this is due to Emma organising.

Fingers crossed we get shortlisted for the third year in a row. We do love a party!