Very creative

Whether it’s engraving dashboards, designing shop displays or working in photography, Tara Chatterly-Russell has always been very creative.

Which is what made her the perfect choice to be our lead Activity Coordinator when Brockington House opened in 2019.

Tara ensures that our ladies and gentlemen have enough to do (provided they wish to of course) during the day.

That could be singing along to an entertainer, taking a trip to a garden centre, keeping fit and active doing chair exercises, or even being models for a student portrait art competition!

Before joining Brockington, Tara worked for a retirement living housing company where she got her first taste of providing activities for older people.

And with her creative background, she quickly put her stamp on her role at Brockington.

Tara says: “I had a friend who used to work at Brockington and when the Activity Coordinator position was established, she said she had found the perfect role for me, and she was correct.

“I have always been good at picking up and running with a job and this has been a good example and ultimately, it’s all about making things as interesting as possible for the ladies and gentlemen who live at Brockington.”

Tara says a lot of preparation goes into devising the activities, whether that’s booking entertainers, doing research ahead of staging our popular virtual cruises, and most recently, liaising with two local arts colleges ahead of what we believe was the first portrait competition to be held in a care home in the UK – and what a success that was!

“I love my job and thrive on it,” says Tara.

“I do as much as we can to make sure the activities are fun for our ladies and gents and tailored to their specific needs or requests.

“I get fantastic support from the rest of the staff, including our Home Director Shann and Dormy Chief Executive Helen, and no-one is ever too busy. There is always someone willing to help and it is a real team effort.

“It’s a lovely environment in which to work.”

Outside of work, married mum-of-two Tara, continues to be creative, producing art of her own.

Once an Activity Coordinator, always an Activity Coordinator!