Meet the The Cedars Bourne Care Home Team

My name is Becky and I am the Senior General Manager here at the Cedars Care Home. I have been a qualified nurse since 2002 and have worked at the Cedars(Bourne) since 2010. During my time here I have progressed through different roles.

As the General Manager I love meeting new residents and getting to know them as individuals, providing a great environment for our residents to live in. I am very proud of my team who offer a wealth of experience to provide tailored care to all of our residents. My whole team are passionate in the care and support they deliver.

I look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to our home.

Hello! My name is Tonderai Charity. I qualified as a nurse back home in Zimbabwe in 2010. I relocated to the UK in 2020 where I joined Barchester Healthcare at Cedars, Salisbury. I have recently joined the amazing Cedars Bourne team as Clinical Lead and I couldn't be more excited.
I have so much passion for elderly care and feel a great sense of achievement when helping others to live their best potential.
I am in so much love with nature, boats, cruising and travelling.

Hi, I’m Rachel. I qualified as a nurse in 2008 and have spent a lot of my career in the RAF. Since I left I have done a variety of nursing and therapy jobs, but I decided to return to my roots, where I started my nursing career. I have loved working with this group of individuals again. 

I have only been here a short time but already feel part of the family. Outside of work, I am obsessed with decorating! My husband will quite often come home to a different coloured wall or ceiling. He’s used to it now. 

Hello, I’m Leanne- Administrator at The Cedars. I am very happy to be able to support our residents and their families with anything relating to communications, finances or administration. If you have any questions about these aspects it is probably me you need to speak to. I have worked in care for over eighteen years, many of those here at The Cedars. I have worked across many different departments over time; which gives me a unique perspective about how everything works. I like being part of a team that I have happily worked with for so long. We will ensure that our residents enjoy the premium quality lifestyle that they deserve.

Hello. I’m Helen, the Activities Coordinator at The Cedars. I joined the team in 2021 and I have lots of skills that I can use to create an interesting and varied programme of activities, events and celebrations for residents to enjoy. I am a qualified holistic therapist and offer an holistic approach to activities in the home, I love creating new activities that our residents enjoy, taking residents out on day trips and promoting wellbeing through lots of different activities. When I am not at work I love playing my clarinet, crocheting and art - I use all of these in my role.

Hello, I’m Kev, Head of Maintenance.

I started at The Cedars in October, and I already feel at home!

I have 25 years’ experience within facilities maintenance and management. The last 15 ½ years I worked in a senior school with approximately 1600 staff and students. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and our Yorkshire Terrier.

I joined Cedars Bourne as an Admin assistant in October 2023. I play a vital role in supporting our care home through liaising with all departments. I thrive on interacting with the residents who often spend time in the reception area, allowing me to form meaningful connections. I enjoy working in reception as I get to know everyone and meeting and greeting visitors gives me the chance to form lasting relationships. My hobbies outside of work include Karaoke, dancing salsa and bachata, travelling around the UK and different countries, and I cherish taking care of my cats.

Firstly, I feel a real sense of privilege to be asked to step into this role. To support families who choose The Cedars as the home for their loved one or indeed for themselves, as it really is a special place to be.  A team that truly respects it is the 'home' for each and every resident, a place for their family to visit in the same way their family home was.

My Dad, Colin Norman, has been in The Cedars since June 2023.  When searching for the best home for him, The Cedars stood out from the crowd.  From Becky calling to introduce herself and offering to meet with me on a weekend, her day off... This spoke volumes to me and Becky still offers amazing support!

The one outstanding element for us as a family is how Dad's welfare is a top priority, including enabling him to sit in reception, thus interacting with all the wonderful staff and visitors in a way that makes his world a happy place!

Having been on this journey over the past 8 years, full-time for the past 5 years with Colin, I would like to support other families on their journey in any way I can.  If I cannot help, I will do my best alongside all the team at Cedars to direct you to pathways and other professionals that can.

I have been a second chef at the Cedars for nearly a year. I have over thirty years' training and qualifications in various catering jobs such as schools, nurseries and restaurants. I enjoy experimenting with food-gathering varied (and sometimes unusual) combinations and trying to create a yummy and healthy end product.  

As well as food, my main passions in life are my ‘three’ children-the youngest of whom has four legs and a wet nose! As a family, we love to get together outdoors, enjoying nature and appreciating what can be so easily taken for granted in life.  

Hi I'm Jo. I have been qualified as a nurse since 1996; and have a variety of experience in Accident and Emergency, trauma, neuroscience and working overseas as an International School Nurse. Most recently, prior to The Cedars, I developed a passion for supporting elderly people; especially those living with dementia; and have experience of eight years in complex care.

I love supporting the residents at The Cedars and helping them to enjoy life and (as much as possible) maintain their independence; especially ensuring that residents and families have everything they need to feel supported with their individual needs and as a part of The Cedars Community.

In my spare time, I love to spend time with my husband, two girls and little dog Charlie. I really enjoy sitting in my garden with a good book and a lovely little chocolate cake.

Hello. My name is Sarah Longstaff and I am the Care Home Assistant Practitioner here at The cedars. I have worked here since 2019 and my role is to support the nursing team and ensure resident care is effectively delivered. I have worked in the care sector for over 20 years and I love meeting new residents and their families. I enjoy the challenge of knowing that every day is different. It's great being part of The Cedars team and working in such a homely environment.

Hi, I’m Alison, I qualified as a nurse in 2000 and started working in Preston Hospital in the Surgical Wards. I spent 12 years there; before I moved to Bourne with my 4 kids. I’ve worked in the local Doctors Surgeries and with the Palliative Care Team working in people’s homes.  I have been working at The Cedars since 2020 and have loved working with such a great team since I arrived.

Hello, my name is Lisa and I am the Activities Assistant here at The Cedars in Bourne. I moved from Kent to Lincolnshire and joined the team here in 2023. I have a background in theatre, animation and owning my own soft furnishings company, and enjoy bringing all these qualities with me to share with our residents. I am passionate and enthusiastic about enriching all our residents' quality of life with person centred activities. 

As the Activities Assistant, my focus is learning about each of our resident's likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies and supporting them to remain receptive and active, in addition to supporting them to stretch themselves and try new things. I help organise activities to stimulate the mind, body and soul in an enjoyable, comfortable way. My aim is to diversify and increase activities ensuring that there is something for everyone but I guess my main objective is to enjoy each day with our residents and have fun as I have found in my short time here it is what brings the most joy!

Hi I’m Richard, the Head Chef here at The Cedars. I have been a chef for 30 years, having started my career in the armed forces. I am passionate about providing home cooked, nutritious food for our residents to enjoy every day. I enjoy making our residents happy by catering to their personal tastes; and talking to our residents about their likes and dislikes in order to create varied and exciting menu choices.

Hello. I am Donna. Since joining The Cedars team in 2013 I have always taken pride in delivering high standards. As Head Housekeeper I always provide a high quality service to residents and follow all protocols relating to hygiene and infection control. I enjoy working closely with my housekeeping colleagues and we always make residents' wellbeing our priority. I like getting to know residents' families too. The Cedars is a great place to be and I love our home.

Pauline is a very active member of The Cedars. An ex care-assistant; she has a unique insight into life in a care home, both as an employee and as a resident. Pauline will act as the voice for our residents, and is keen to help and support wherever she can in order to ensure that everyone receives the enriching, caring and fulfilling experience that they expect. She says: ‘I am particularly interested in helping new people and showing them the ropes. It can be quite daunting coming into an environment you don’t know or understand’.

I’m Debbie, and I have worked at The Cedars since 2021. I qualified as a nurse back in the 1980’s, mainly working in Elderly Care at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals. My life is centred around my four children and grandson, who I am very proud of. I adore football and tennis, days out with my many friends and holidays in the sun!

Throughout my working life I have met some amazing, caring people and the Cedars is no exception. Team Cedars work extremely hard to ensure our residents have the best life experience possible.  

Hi, my name is Charlie and I am Maintenance Assistant (Bank) here at the Cedars. I joined the Cedars in 2017, working in the kitchen as a kitchen assistant for around 3 years. I have since moved on to join the maintenance team, which I started in August 2020. I am always willing to help out to the best of my abilities whenever I can. 

I enjoy interacting with the residents: we can always have a good laugh and chat. I enjoy working on the maintenance team and helping maintain the home for the safety of the residents, family and the staff. 

In my free time I enjoy spending time with my amazing fiancée Lucy and our wonderful families; playing Xbox with Lucy and my best mate Jack, and watching Netflix.