Keswick Care is a family owned business run by Gill and daughter Gemma.

Here’s the story of an organisation we’re proud to have created and grown – to benefit the lives of young people.

In 2007 we opened our doors to two young people for the first time.  This was the result of years of planning.

The idea first came when I worked in a Residential Special School.  A young man of 15 found himself homeless.  It was left to me to take him to his new home – a Bed and Breakfast in a dubious area of a South Yorkshire town.  This was very difficult for him, and left me very upset.  However the seed of an idea was planted. That was I never wanted another young person to be placed anywhere that wasn’t somewhere I would live happily myself. That idea never left me, but the reality of putting it into place was not easy.

It took years to gain the courage to take the leap of faith.  This entailed giving up full time employment with a guaranteed salary, convincing the bank to grant a mortgage, and not only convincing OFSTED that a Childrens’ Home was viable, but also trying to convince Social Services that their young people would be in safe hands.  The chance of failure was ever present, but something we were not prepared to let happen.

The hard work started, and the business wouldn’t have succeeded without the joint  effort of both Alan Fisher, and my daughter Gemma. We  often worked over 100 hours per week, as we had very few staff.  Together we made the commitment to make Keswick Care a success.

15 years on, we now have 4 homes and a fantastic staff team! Each home is headed up by a Registered Manager together with either a Deputy Manager or a Team Leader. We also have a Therapist to support the young people.

The driving force behind our success is Lorraine our Operations Manager and Lauren our Development Manager.  Together they work tirelessly to make sure Keswick continues to thrive. All of our staff do an outstanding job ensuring the lives of our young people are enriched by the experience they are given living in Keswick Care Homes.

Gill Spinks
Director
March 2022