At Godfrey Care, we believe it’s vital to deepen our understanding of how the people we support interact with their environment and navigate life’s challenges. Appreciating their sensory needs is a fundamental part of that approach.

It’s a principle which our service team have recently put into practice at The Meadows, our new service in Beeston, where we recently welcomed a new arrival who has moved into a self-contained apartment with bespoke features and specialist support to accommodate his visual impairment.

C engages deeply through sounds and smells. With that in mind, the team at The Meadows created a sensory garden with natural aromas for C to enjoy. Team Leader Lynsey reached out to local garden centres, who kindly donated a range of scented plants.

The team has also undertaken specialist visual impairment training. This included practising navigation around the home blindfolded to better understand C’s experience, enabling them to support C much more effectively.

They have also worked closely with C to help him establish healthy sleep habits. Prior to moving in, a disrupted sleep routine was affecting C’s college attendance but he has responded very positively to the team’s support and its energising effect has proved to be hugely beneficial to his daytime activities. He is now attending college regularly and thriving in his new environment!

It was wonderful to hear that C’s family and case worker are delighted with his progress since moving to The Meadows. We’re incredibly proud of how the service team has supported C – their empathetic approach has given him a greater sense of inclusion and their innovation has made him feel instantly at home in his new environment.

By working hand in hand with C, his family, and one another, the team at The Meadows truly brings our mission to life – Building Futures Together.

Godfrey Care are delighted to announce that we have appointed Paul Hayes as Non‑Executive Director to support our growth and governance.

With more than 30 years’ experience across the health and social care sector, Paul has served on executive leadership teams, both operationally and commercially, with some of the UK’s largest and most complex care organisations. His career spans frontline care work through to board leadership, giving him a unique perspective on both operational delivery and strategic growth.

Paul has a proven track record of scaling multi‑site operations and partnering with private equity and institutional investors to deliver sustained growth while maintaining CQC Good and Outstanding ratings. He has also served as Non-Executive Director of the Housing and Support Alliance and Care England. Paul played a key role in supporting the development of the care providers’ Driving Up Quality Code and Transforming Care Agenda.

Paul Hayes said:

“I am delighted to join Godfrey Care at such an exciting stage. Their focus on inclusion, empowerment and co‑production sets them apart, and I look forward to contributing to the next stage of growth.”

Andy Barnes, Co‑CEO of Godfrey Care, added:

“Paul’s outstanding expertise and values align perfectly with ours. His appointment will be instrumental as we continue to grow and enhance our services.”

Godfrey Care services have never been afraid to sink their teeth into Halloween festivities, and they’ve produced another monster effort in 2025 with some demonic decorations to mark the scariest day of the year.

Our service teams and the people we support have applied some hellishly good handywork to transform their interiors with spine-chilling creatures and spooktacular sights.

J, who lives at Pottery House in Stoke-on-Trent, has certainly been in high spirits this Halloween. He led the way in turning the place into a house of horrors. From cobwebs in the corners to cheeky pumpkins peeking out from shelves, every room is now filled with the fearsome flavour of the season.

Field House in Burton-on-Trent hosted a pumpkin party which turned out to be a smashing success. The service team worked tirelessly in the days leading up to the event, preparing delicious themed treats, planning party games, and decorating every corner to create a magical atmosphere. The home was transformed into a pumpkin-themed wonderland, complete with glowing jack-o’-lanterns, cobwebs, and all things spooky.

Ghoulish guests arrived from our nearby Ash Tree House, Station House, and Ashby House services. The people we support, their families, and the service teams came together to enjoy Halloween target games and even found time to show some devilish moves in a demonic dance-off!

At Ash Tree House, JB got into the festive spirit with a visit to Garden King Garden Centre for their Halloween Spooktacular. It was the latest in a growing list of community activities JB has embraced, including shopping trips, lunches out, an energetic visit to Inflatable World, and a series of swimming sessions. His confidence in the pool has been increasing each time and he’s having plenty of fun, especially when splashing members of the service team – JB has never been one to confine his mischief to Halloween!

Godfrey Care are delighted to share some exciting news about our service teams!

We’re pleased to announce that Aaran Fryer has taken on the role of Registered Manager at Ash Tree House, our residential service in Burton-on-Trent. With industry award nominations and extensive experience as a Multi-Site Manager with Godfrey Care, Aaran is one of our most creative and highly regarded team members, known for his dedication and ability to inspire others. We’re certain that Ash Tree House will continue to thrive under his leadership.

Meanwhile, Barbara Parkinson has stepped into the role of Registered Manager at Station House, another of our residential services in Burton-on-Trent. Barbara brings exceptional expertise in person-centred care for complex needs and has a proven ability to create supportive environments where people can develop skills and achieve their goals. She embodies Godfrey Care’s values of being resilient, inclusive and innovative in empowering the people we support.

With Aaran and Barbara at the helm, Ash Tree House and Station House are in excellent hands. Congratulations to you both — we’re confident your teams will continue to excel in building futures together!

DW and JOD, who live at Godfrey Care’s Station House service in Rolleston, have a shared love of animals and welcome every opportunity to connect with nature.

With that in mind, the service team at Station House went in search of a local petting farm and found the perfect destination a short drive away!

Run for nearly 60 years by the Brown family, Bluebell Dairy has a wide variety of friendly creatures for visitors to come and meet, from calves, sheep and goats, to chickens, rabbits, ponies, donkeys and guinea pigs. The farm also boasts an ice cream parlour which serves up delicious homemade gelato!

DW and JOD embraced an outing to Bluebell Dairy as they took every opportunity to interact with friends of the furry, woolly and feathered variety. JOD greeted some gregarious goats with a smile and a stroke of their heads while DW got to know some affable alpacas. The pair also discovered fluffy rabbits, turkeys and an impressively horned Highland cow.

After a jam-packed day of animal antics, DW and JOD returned to Station House with plenty of stories to share. There was some talk of adopting an alpaca or two, but for now they’re looking forward to visiting their new farmyard friends again in the near future!

A big thank you to the Station House team for organising such a memorable day out!