Our winners

And the winners are...

Congratulations to all our superheroes! Introducing our 2021 Voyage Excellence Award winners...

Covid ETHOS Heroes Laura Simmons, Sarah Jeffery, Bellfield Avenue and Karina Johnson, Quality Development Operations Manager of the Year Vicki Bennett, Central West

Care Home Senior Team Member of the Year Tracey Hurt , Ruddington View

Group Support Team Member of the Year Mark Hamilton, IT Support

Branch Manager of the Year David Bruin, VSH Sade Abayomi Award Ruth Bailey, Service Optimisation

Care Home Manager of the Year Magda Stankiewicz, Mandalay Community Support Worker of the Year Toni Lazarus, Upland Road

Branch of the Year DCA Norfolk

Learner of the Year Charlotte Henstock, Northfield House Outstanding Achievement Award Broadview

Care Home Team of the Year St Marks Road Newcomer of the Year Sarah Baldwin, Hurstville Drive

Group Support Team of the Year Service Optimisation

Community Senior Team Member of the Year Vlasta Bennett, Lions Cross

Care Home Support Worker of the Year Joseph Baker, Lavender House & Primrose Lodge Community Team of the Year Oxford House

Behind the scenes

It’s always busy behind the scenes of the Voyage Excellence Awards.

This year we were busy setting up the stage for our biggest VEAs ever. At the same time, we were preparing the tech for everyone watching at home. Here are some other key moments…

The team pack up some special hampers for our finalists watching at home Andrew and Jayne in rehearsals for the big night

158 attendees

78

regional winners

It’s time to get the place ready for our special guests Lots of you tuned in from home and watched along

Charlotte Henstock joined us from home

The team speak to our winners for this issue of Zest magazine

Question 3: How many people watched the VEAs virtually from home? A: Over 50 B: Over 75 C: Over 100 D: Over 150

19 national winners

22 hampers

150+ joined us virtually

1,196 nominations received

A moment on the red carpet

Ruth Bailey from the Service Optimisation team, was presented with our prestigious Sade Abayomi Award at this year’s Voyage Excellence Awards. We caught up with Ruth on the night to find out how she felt about winning this award.

Congratulations Ruth! How did it feel winning one of our special awards of the evening?

I was very shocked. I didn’t expect to win and couldn’t believe it when they called my name. It’s just amazing and the best feeling ever.

How have you kept yourself motivated in your role over the last year?

I’ve never lost my ETHOS and I want to make a difference. I know I deliver great quality care and make a difference to people’s lives.

What do you love the most about your role?

I’m just going into my 28th year working at Voyage Care and I’m very proud to work here. I appreciate that every day is a different day and working in the Service Optimisation team feels like you’re starting a new job over and over again!

The short story The Sade Abayomi Award is our most prestigious award of the evening and highlights the hard work and dedication of its worthy winner. Congratulations to Ruth Bailey for this wonderful achievement!

Ruth winning the award is a fantastic achievement and testimony to the dedication she shows to the people we support, and our teams. She will always go above and beyond regardless of who it’s for. It is an honour and privilege to work alongside Ruth, and she’s certainly a worthy winner!

Gillian Smith, Director of Service Optimisation

To read more exclusive interviews from the night, visit Hive!