Broome Park's Eric & Pauline - 79 years service

Broome Park’s Eric and Pauline Welton celebrate 79 years’ service.

With a total of 79 years service between them, Eric and Pauline Welton from Broome Park must surely set a record for years spent working in Care.

Eric went to work as a handyman for Broome Park Care Home on 1 March 1961. Broome Park was then a residential home for the Electronics industry.

In 1972 Pauline started working there as a cook. She had come fresh from Ireland where she had spent five years as a nun a convent. Pauline didn’t have any training for her work as a cook, but she said that the work at the convent had prepared her in a practical way for all types of employment.

When the home was bought by Mike and Muriel Choy in 1993, Eric stayed on to look after the maintenance and over the years Pauline has done laundry work, domestic and housekeeper roles at the home, as well as bringing up a family.

Pauline says “When you think I could only add up in Gaelic when I came her 32 years ago, I now have a NVQ Level 1 in Housekeeping and Level 2 Support Services which I finished in 2004. I’ve also done courses in Moving and Handling and Infection Control and many other short courses.”

Eric has also done training for his work. Although much of his skill in maintenance was learnt in his days in the army and working for a local builder, he’s kept up to date on Health and Safety.

For both Pauline and Eric they sum up the reason they have stayed so long at Broome Park, “We are treated with respect and valued, we are committed and take pride in our work and we are very happy here.”