Two care workers from Gwent have picked up awards at a national ceremony that celebrates excellence in the caring sector.

Roger Thomas, a building surveyor at the St Mellons-headquartered Shaw healthcare, and Nick Stevens, deputy manager at Maes-y-Dderwen care home in Tredegar, picked up their awards at the care organisation’s annual Shaw Star Awards.

Mr Thomas, 62, has worked for Shaw for 12 years, began his career as a handyman, working his way up to building surveyor in the property services department. He was selected for the award after a unanimous decision by senior staff, who recognised the significant contribution he made to supporting front line care services, ensuing that the organisation’s housing stock is maintained to the highest standards.

Mr Thomas said: “This award came as a complete surprise! A lot of my work takes place behind the scenes so it is great to be recognised, although it is the wellbeing of our residents and service users that is most important to me.

“I wouldn’t be able to achieve the high standards that we at Shaw always strive for if it wasn’t for the support of a great team who all deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication. I would also like to thank my manager for his continued support.”

Mr Stevens was chosen as the Wales and West regional winner in the deputy manager category. He was singled out for his leadership skills and the respect he commands with both staff and residents alike.

He said: “In this role you are so focused on ensuring that everything runs smoothly, the team are happy, and above all the residents are receiving the best possible care, that you don’t tend to think about winning awards.

“I would like to say a special thank you to the team at Maes-y-Dderwen who are all incredibly hard working and dedicated to what they do. They always go the extra mile to ensure the wellbeing of our residents.”

More than 200 people gathered at Norton Park Hotel in Winchester for the annual award ceremony, which celebrates the very best from amongst the more than 4,600 care workers working across Shaw’s UK facilities.

Jeremy Nixey, chief executive at Shaw healthcare, said: “Our annual Star Awards seek to recognise those individuals and teams across all of the services within Shaw healthcare who have demonstrated excellence in their day-to-day work during the course of the year; people who inspire others and deliver beyond expectations.

“Now in their fifth year, we can rightly be proud of the contribution that our people make to the quality of life of the vulnerable people in our care. We are also proud that nominations for those awards come not only from colleagues but from the people we care for and from their relatives and friends.”

Shaw healthcare is one of the UK’s leading health and social care providers. It provides care to individuals in nursing and residential homes, hospitals, supported living arrangements, extra care schemes and domiciliary care settings.

Its services range from comprehensive care packages through to low level support in the community for older people and adults with physical, sensory or mental health support needs.