A FORMER rally driver-turned care business boss in Oswestry says she is delighted to have picked up Shropshire awards for its work.

Amanda Jones set up Approved Care and Support in March 2017 and this was the first chance she has had to enter the business for the accolades at the Shropshire Partners in Care awards.

The Salop Road-based business picked up Care Employer of the Year while member of staff Kirsty Penney picked up Care Worker of the Year with colleague Lenilila Morrison picking up a runners-up spot.

READ MORE: Oswestry care home to be auctioned for £495,000

Meanwhile, Emily Prydden was also a runner-up in the Office Team Member of the Year awards.

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Amanda, from Sunderland, first started caring at the age of 15 with her grandmother and while she had other jobs, including navigating for her husband in the era of Colin McCrae, she said caring was her calling.

She said: “Because of Covid, they haven’t held the awards for the last four years so this was the first chance we had to enter the team.

“To win these awards at the first time of asking is amazing and I’m exceptionally proud of them.

“I’ve been in Oswestry since 2009 and set up in 2017 and I’ve worked a lot of my life in care.

“I went away and did some other jobs but I always knew I was coming back to Shropshire and I knew I wanted to do this so I decided to put everything into this.

“I’ve been a rally driver in my time – I suppose the lesson to learn from that is to move quickly, but caring is in my bones.”

Amanda was full of praise for her team of carers and office staff, saying that Approve Care and Support would not exist without them.

She added that the reason why they had so much success was down to how they treat each other as colleagues and employees.

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She added: “We did well because we care as much as bout our employees as we do our service users.

“We care about each other and without my team, we wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“I’m so proud of them and I’m looking forward to taking them out next week for a massive knees-up to say thank you.”