Carer at Oak House Residential Home in Rutland is 'unsung hero'

On the face of it, Rutland care home worker Simon Smith had plenty to feel down about when the pandemic struck.

He worked in one of the most hard-hit industries, his wedding had to be cancelled and he could no longer take his autistic son Morgan to the park in Oakham.

But the 43-year-old is not one to mope and opted instead to throw himself into his work, build a huge sensory play area for his son, and fix a new wedding date with partner Vanessa.

He also made it his mission to make sure every resident at Oak House Residential Home in Greetham could video-call their families and stay in touch with loved-ones.

His efforts have now been recognised by Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns, who named him one of her Unsung Heroes for the week on Thursday (July 16).

Simon, who has two children and two step-children, said: “I was gob-smacked to be awarded it! It’s amazing but I’ve just been doing my job really.”

He added: “The pandemic is stopping people from seeing their families and some of our residents aren’t that good with computers so we’ve been helping them with Skype calls and I’ve been using my phone to do WhatsApp calling too.

“They love it! I think it’s a bit of a revelation to them. We’ve been doing regular calls throughout the week. We’ve opened the door slightly now to allow families to come and social distance in the garden but we’ll carry on with the video calls too.

“It’s great as it allows families to see their loved ones are doing well. It gives them that reassurance.”

Amazingly, he said the home had not had a single case of Covid-19, which was down to excellent management and communication.

Simon, who has worked at the home for eight years and is now an assistant manager, said: “We are keeping the home clean and keeping the residents healthy. Staff and service users have all been tested now.”

He admitted it could be difficult juggling work and home life but tries to “do his best”.

His seven-year-old son Morgan who has autism had been finding the pandemic particularly stressful.

“He’s not been coping very well with the lockdown and the situation in general,” said Simon.

“Like any kid he enjoys going to the local park and running around. Because this wasn’t happening I decided to bring the park home to him! I turned my back garden upside down and built a massive sensory play area. He loves it!”

Simon said he and Vanessa had been looking forward to their wedding, which was due to take place at the weekend, but they had managed to stay positive.

“We were meant to get married on Saturday (July 18) but obviously that couldn’t happen,” he said. “It got cancelled a few months back and now we’ve postponed until next year. We put so much into the organisation of the wedding, well, Vanessa did anyway!

“We’re just glad we’ve got a second chance next year - fingers crossed there won’t be any more pandemics!”

Alicia Kearns MP said: “I am beyond touched by Simon’s clear commitment to our community.”