Come with Verity on a tour of Cedar Park

Do you live near Shepton Mallet and need a flexible job?

Here at Discovery, we aim to be as flexible as possible because we understand everyone has different lives.

An understanding manager is just what you need in the twenty-first century, isn’t it?

So today let’s meet Verity, Cedar Park’s Locality Manager:

Photo of Verity - head and shoulders

“I understand people are busy. I am pleased to say we are too. Gone are the days of being stuck in a care home waiting for the cuckoo clock to chime. We have so much one-to-one support that it gets chaotic sometimes – everybody is always doing something! That is why we need many hands, to give that person-centred approach.
We have a minimum of seven support workers, seven in the morning, seven in the afternoon and two wake-in-night colleagues. Vastly different from somewhere you have two colleagues per shift. “

So, if you are:

  • a go getting fun-loving, upbeat individual
  • excited by the thought of giving people lots of opportunities
  • experienced or not.

Come with Verity on a tour of Cedar Park:

“The beauty of Cedar Park is that we support people in their own bungalows, one to one. Today I’m going to take you on a whistle-stop tour behind each door.”

*The following personal details are changed to protect identity:

Let’s start by knocking on Stacey’s at number one:

A person we support smiling at the camera whilst about to get in the car

“On a Monday Stacey has the car from morning until evening, for shopping, pantomime. Whatever she has planned that day. Tuesdays she does drama. Wednesdays is Art Bank Café. Thursday is rest day. Friday, she goes to Slimming World – and then for a meal!”

Now we pop next door to Anna at number two:

A person we support talking with their support worker

“Anna is autistic and can get anxious, so we have “talk time”. Ten minutes twice a day. This works because once she gets what she needs off her chest, Anna is happy to choose an activity, and if she starts getting anxious again, we can reassure her she has a time to speak about it coming.”

over the landing to Alfred’s at number three:

“Alfie calls his clothes his uniform. So, he must look smart! Alfie loves trains, buses and the car – even if he does not go anywhere or get out! We are going to the Transport Museum in London in the new year, and on the steam train through the winter lights. Alfie is specific about when you can go to his flat. A lot of the time, he is quite happy on his own. He has a bell to press if he wants you.”

And across to Richard’s at number four:

“Richard has a learning disability and shouts because he is deaf. Then, when you talk to him louder so he can hear, he says, ” I’m not deaf!” He is brilliant! He likes to go out as much as he wants to stay in and take pride in keeping house.”

Over to Emma’s at number five:

Person we support singing kareoke in her bedroom

“Emma has Down Syndrome. She loves drama, theatre and making up stories so the more imaginative you can be, the more fun you will have with her – think on your feet! Emma has siblings who adore her and are very involved. She loves anything Disney and Harry Potter, so of course, we are off to the studios.”

Round the corner to Sarah’s at number six:

A person being supported shopping in a supermarket

“Sarah is autistic and has learning disabilities. This time last year, she would not leave the house and lost her confidence. Now Sarah has a social life, independently orders what she wants and does her own weekly shop and is out all the time, which is massive for her”

And finally, to Frankie’s at number seven:

person we support at their dressing table smiling in the mirror with a tiara on

“Frankie is the autistic queen of Cedar. She loves to give her royal subjects a name. Someone called Dave came to do the fire risk assessment, and she said, “I will call you Daily Mail”! She used to go to drama but did not want to watch everyone else, so now she goes shopping instead. She loves dressing up and collecting, especially records and has an old-fashioned record player. Frankie’s finance ledger is as random as her flat -once, she bought a spine from a chiropractor’s window!”

So, as you can see, there is no waiting for cuckoo clocks to chime and no two days ever the same. Instead, behind each door is a whole new experience than the day before.

The people we support at Cedar are waiting to meet you – and so is the team!

Verity. Cedar Park Locality Manager

“We have a great and diverse team. We are all different, but we get along. There is no culture clash, and the same goal unites us; we all want the best for the people we support. Meet us through our one-page profile below, and if you like the sound of us why not give me a call on 01749343298 and ask for Verity, let’s have a chat, or arrange a visit to meet us in person?”

Cedar Park's One Page Profile

Or apply direct here by close of April 3rd.

Alternatively, if you live somewhere else in Somerset, or it’s past the closing date see our current vacancies here.

The Dimensions group (which Discovery is a part of) has been officially accredited as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute for two years running. Additionally, this year, we received a “Wellbeing” award and a “Great Workplace for Women” award.