Two Longridge women set up adult caring business from home following pandemic redundancy

Maria Tomlinson, 33 and Cheryl Fell, 44, alongside aspiring entrepreneurs created adult caring service, Ribble Valley Bespoke Care, that not only brings people want they need, but also goes one step further to bring people what they want to create a more meaningful life.
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During lockdown they both found themselves facing redundancy with limited opportunities.

Cheryl said: “Like many people, we had mouths to feed and we simply needed a job.”

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Maria added: "We love helping people choose a career in care but that's not how our story started. Our story actually started with us setting up our own micro care company and serving our local area as self employed carers.

Carers Maria and CherylCarers Maria and Cheryl
Carers Maria and Cheryl

“Places weren't hiring as it was mid pandemic and we had little people to feed and bills to pay.

"I had toyed with the idea of starting a care company over the years, but there were lots of barriers to entry such as needing a lot of money to register with CQC and needing to find reliable staff, not to mention the sheer amount of paperwork was untrue.

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"But caring is something that I've always done, I'm good at it and I love making a difference to peoples lives. But working for low pay at companies that were more than stretched with their resources, didn't make for good care or happy people."

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Both ladies have 25 years of caring experience behind them. Now two years on, they are championing other people to take that leap.

Maria said: “Caring is something I've always done, I'm good at it and I love making a difference to people’s lives. Now we are able to offer the guidance we didn’t receive, making it more accessible and less risky.”

She added: "People do not need to worry about lack of hours; our care company has been inundated, the hours are there.

"We can help people connect with others, offer guidance in training and offer step by step support.

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"We still care for people as that is what lights us up, we love providing the best care service in the area and are super proud of what we have achieved."

To find out more visit: www.professionalcarersnetwork.co.uk where the first 100 members will receive a reduced discount.

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