A Fareham care home worker has been named National Foundation Champion of the Year.

Mervyn Knights, from The Fernes care home, won the accolade in the Barchester Care Awards 2024.

The awards honour employees who go above and beyond for the 13,500 residents in Barchester’s 262 care homes and private hospitals across the UK.

Mr Knights was among more than 5,250 nominations received from homes and hospitals throughout the country. His fundraising efforts for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation earned him the coveted title.

Earlier this year, Mr Knights organised a ‘cook off’ between the managing directors of Barchester’s five divisions to raise funds. The event, which was supported by the homes in the directors’ divisions, raised nearly £25,000 for the Foundation.

The Foundation connects vulnerable people and those living with a disability to community groups in their local area.

General manager of The Fernes care home, Alina Danetiu, said: "This is such a fantastic achievement, the whole home is so proud of Mervyn. He is so dedicated and always go the extra mile. The MD Cook Off was such a wonderful idea and he organised the whole thing brilliantly."

Dr Pete Calveley, CEO of Barchester Healthcare, said: "Hosting the Barchester Care Awards where we recognise and thank all of our staff for their hard work and dedication is without doubt my favourite day of the year. We have the best teams in the world and I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of our members of staff, they are all absolutely amazing."

Mr Knights’ win was announced at a national award ceremony that celebrates the achievements of Barchester’s staff.