The founder of a home care company based in Framwellgate Moor has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to care and older people.

Trudi Jameson, 50, was inspired to set up the Durham office of Home Instead ten years ago having struggled to find quality care for her own mother who sadly passed away aged 66 in 2009.

Trudi has been involved in the care sector since leaving school and is passionate about the impact on quality of life that home care, delivered with compassion, can make.

Trudi’s commitment to her clients and the local community singled her out for this recognition.

Read more: What Darlington’s Anthony Hutton is doing now after winning Big Brother in 2005

She employs a team of 61, providing personal care, dementia support and companionship which allows people to remain living in their own homes for longer than would otherwise be possible.

Outside of running the care business, Trudi makes a huge contribution to the local community. Over the years she has run dementia family workshops, free of charge, to support family members who live with or provide care for a loved one living with dementia.

Since founding the business Trudi has set up and funded memory cafes for local people to attend. These cafes provide a safe environment for people living with the condition and offer respite for family members.

She also pays for Home Instead clients to attend ‘step back in time’ sessions at a 1950s cottage at the Beamish Museum where they are able to bake scones on an old range or toast bread over the open fire on toasting forks.

Trudi has achieved fantastic recognition already for Home Instead having been named by review site homecare.co.uk for the last five years as one of the Top 20 home care companies in the North East.

Even more impressive is that Home Instead Durham has achieved two Outstanding ratings from the CQC, the regulatory body for health and social care in England.

Trudi started to work in care aged 15 when she volunteered at a residential home for people with learning disabilities - this was initially part of her Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver award and she continued to volunteer with the home for her Gold award.

The husband of a client, now deceased, wrote to Trudi recently, saying: “I do hope your business is thriving as it deserves to because of the way you go about treating people with dignity, respect and concentrating priorities around what they need, rather than what matters to your business.

“It’s truly a unique service that no other care provider comes close to in my experience.”

Trudi will receive her BEM from the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sue Snowdon later in the year.

Speaking about the Honour, Trudi said: “I was so surprised to receive the letter telling me that I was to receive this honour. I kept reading the letter to check I’d understood the contents correctly.

“I’m certain that poor quality care contributed to my dear mum’s death at an early age, and this certainly influenced my decision to start my own care company.

“We have a thing called the mum test in the office – is the care we are providing good enough for our own mothers? We want to deliver a service that is responsive, effective, compassionate and caring.

“I’d like to recognise my fabulous operations manager, Annette Connor, who has been with me since day one and my whole team, including our fantastic Care Professionals, who understand the impact and importance of what we do – and who deliver our service with the utmost professionalism.

“This is a real milestone for me and all I can say is thank you for recognising my work in this way.”

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