Meet the Wood Grange Care Home Team

Our staff are what hold the home together. Each one of these team members are dedicated to providing high quality care and services to those we support, and ensuring that residents enjoy all aspects of life at our home. See below to meet some of our friendly faces:

Katya Petrova

Senior General Manager

It is my privilege to welcome you to Wood Grange Care Home where I have the honour of leading the team and serving residents. Choosing a care home can be a difficult and emotional step, so my team and I are here to support you.

My name is Katya Petrova and I have been working for Barchester since 2002. I have enjoyed progressing through several roles to become a Senior General Manager.

During my time at Barchester I have been fortunate to win Barchester Nurse of The Year 2013, and was the divisional winner in the category of General Manager of the Year 2021. These are my greatest career achievements and proud moments.

There is nothing more important to me than making people happy, which sometimes can mean simple things, like making sure people feel heard and valued and ensuring peace of mind for the families and friends.

Residents are at the heart of everything we do here at Wood Grange, and we think we’re perfectly suited to meet your family’s needs now and in the future.

James Colley

Deputy Manager

Hi, my name is James and I am the Deputy Manager here at Wood Grange.

I qualified as a nurse in 2016 and joined Barchester in May 2022.

I have a passion for nursing and providing the highest levels of care for our residents and look forward to welcoming you to our home.

Sherill Manzon

Head of Willoughby Community

Hi, my name is Sherill, and I am the Head of Willoughby Community.

Ronald Vubya

Head of Memory Lane Community

Hi, my name is Ron and I am the Head of our Memory Lane Community here at Wood Grange. I am a registered mental health nurse and joined Barchester in 2017.

I have progressed my career from a nurse in our memory lane community to Head of Community since 2018.

Stefania Murariu

Senior Registered Nurse

Hello, I am Stefania and I am a senior registered nurse here at Wood Grange. 

I started my nurse training in Romania in 2003 before moving to the UK in 2007 where I started working as a senior carer until I got my nursing qualification and registered as a nurse in 2010. Helping people is the biggest reward in my job, I just love it. 

Outside of work I enjoy reading books, listening to music, dancing and travelling the world.

Petra Smith

Team Leader

Hi, I am Petra. I am a team leader here at Wood Grange. I started working here in 2015. 

Previous to Wood Grange I worked in home care. The favourite part of my job is making everyone happy everyday. 

Outside of work I enjoy swimming. 

Maggie Melvin

Home Administrator

Hi, my name is Maggie, I am the Home Administrator here at Wood Grange. I started in 2015 and prior to progressing to home administrator I was a care assistant.

I deal with all aspects of the administration in the home to ensure it runs smoothly, I have built good relationships with residents, relatives and the team,

My interests include gardening, baking  and cooking using our home grown ingredients. I enjoy walking my young cocker spaniel Tally and love organising just about anything and everyone.

Ruby-Mae Walker

Activities Coordinator

Hello, my name is Ruby-Mae and I am the activities Co-Ordinator here at Wood Grange.

My background is working in dance education and production as well as experience in the mental health care sector. I am extremely passionate about my role here in promoting life enrichment within the home and I feel privileged to work alongside such amazing people, and to be a part of our residents lives, spending quality time with them on a regular basis. I work alongside Louise to plan and organise daily activities to suit our resident’s needs, Louise and I are very enthusiastic about our roles and the resident’s well-being is always at the forefront of our minds.

 I love to dance, keep fit by going to the gym and spending time with family.

Radovan Smalo

Head Chef

Radovan joined us in September 2019 and has managed to very quickly impress our residents and visitors with his amazing cooking. He has achieved 5 stars from external EHO auditors!

Iain Moore

Head of Maintenance

Hello my name is Iain Moore, I am the Head of Maintenance here at Wood Grange.  I have been an engineer since leaving school. I enjoy repairing things and love a challenge.

I have been at Wood Grange since October 2023 and I am very passionate about my new role. In my spare time I enjoy motorcycle racing, travelling, and music. I enjoy singing for the residents and playing the bass guitar. 

Rita Singh

Head of Housekeeping

Hi, my name is Rita and I am the head housekeeper at Wood Grange. I started working here in 2021.

It is my job to manage our housekeeping team to ensure our home is well kept and clean at all times. My goal and favourite part of the job is to try and make our home as welcoming and homely as possible. 

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my pets and travelling around the world. 

Jacqui Tarrant

Admin Assistant

Hi I am Jacqui I am the Admin Assistant here at Wood Grange and joined the company in 2011. 

I have my IT Specialist certificate and have worked in administration for over 30 years. My colleagues always say I have a cheerful smile which to me is very important as I am the first face people see when they visit our home. 

Outside of work I love to cook and go for nice meals as well as walking my dogs and going on holidays to enjoy the sun. 

Kayleigh White

Senior Carer

Hello, my name is Kayleigh.

I am a senior carer here at Wood Grange and I started working here in 2014. Before working at Wood Grange I was studying level 3 travel and tourism at college and had a job in a fish and chip shop. My favourite part of the job is making our residents smile everyday. 

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with family and friends as well as going swimming and shopping! 

Vanaja Soma

Care Assistant

Hello, I am Vanaja, I am a care assistant here at Wood Grange. 

I initially started working at our home in March 2023. Before moving to Wood Grange and the UK I was a physician assistant in India. My job has a lot of responsibility which I enjoy as I like to challenge myself. 

Outside of work I enjoy singing and cooking. 

Louise Saunders

Activities Coordinator

Hi, my name is Louise and I am an activities coordinator here at Wood Grange.

My background is working in the design industry and I have also worked in the care sector, which led me to this position.

I work alongside Ruby-Mae to plan and organise daily activities to suit our residents needs, Ruby-Mae and I are very passionate about our roles and the residents well-being is always at the forefront of our minds. I feel extremely privileged to be part of our residents' lives and love spending time with them.

I am a mum of two and love to play tennis.

James East

Kitchen Assistant

Hello, my name is James. I started at Wood Grange in March 2023. 

I come from a chef and catering background and love my job so much - I really enjoy supporting the chef with making all of the meals. 

Outside of work I play football, go running and enjoy gaming on my PS5. 

Relative Ambassador - Mike

Relative Ambassador

Mike is a great people person who comes and visits his wife at Wood Grange every day. Mike has fitted in really well and has become part of the Wood Grange family. He has built great relations with both the residents, relatives and staff and always knows how to make you laugh and smile. He is a key figure and a great individual to chat to if you visit Wood Grange. Mike’s role here is to be of help and support to the relatives at Wood Grange who feel they need to discuss or have questions about something in relevance, he will always greet you with a smile. Prior to being awarded this role Mike has always been a passionate individual who is always happy to help, hence how this new found role came to light. Good luck in your new role Mike!