Hampshire carer Val Cousins is celebrating 30 years of caring for elderly residents at Russell Churcher Court in Gosport.

Val joined Thorngate Churcher Trust before any residents even arrived, her first role being to ensure everything was ready to accept residents as the home was nearing completion.

Since then Val says she has enjoyed 30 very happy years caring for the residents and says the years have flown by.

“What I really enjoy is being with all of the amazing people we have living here and working with an incredible team of people,” said Val.

And highlights for Val are the many activities organised for the residents and their families to enjoy. “Christmas is always very special here with so many events for everyone to join in,” Val said. “And milestone birthdays are also celebrated in style.”

Thorngate chief executive Anne Taylor said Val was an extremely valued member of staff at Russell Churcher Court.

“It takes a special kind of person to work in social care and to care for residents for this amount of time,” she said. “The trust really appreciates the hard work and dedication that Val has shown since before we even welcomed our first residents here.”