Praise for care manager who took over Thatcham centre on brink of closure

Carnation Day Care Services, which offers specialist care for elderly people, was started by the former manager of West Berkshire Council-run Walnut Close Resource Centre, Gloria Bund.
The Brownsfield Road facility was one of five centres for vulnerable and elderly people threatened with closure in 2010 as the council sought to save money. In 2011, when Walnut Close’s opening hours were reduced to three days a week, Mrs Bund took voluntary redundancy. However, having recently lost her husband, and fearing for the well-being of centre-users, she said that she “had to carry on working”.
She decided to offer to run a service from Walnut Close on the days it was not operating, and about a month later – with the help of five full-time staff, some volunteers and £12,000 cash from the district council’s Community Solutions Fund – she opened Carnation on Mondays to Wednesdays.
She said: “Caring can be challenging but the rewards we reap far outweigh the challenges. It's so, so rewarding.
“I had a guy who was struggling with [caring for] his wife, and the relief on his face when he found somewhere, that’s where you get your rewards.”
Mrs Bund has won praise from the council for her service.
Council leader Gordon Lundie said: “Gloria is to be applauded. Carnation provides a service that enhances many people’s lives. It is a great example of how the Community Solutions Funds provided real benefits for the people of West Berkshire.
“Carnation was one of a small number of local businesses and groups that got start-up funding from CSL. In all cases, there has been great support brought to our communities and it has also proven to be a good return on the investment.
About five months later, Walnut Close was closed completely and Carnation moved into the newly-opened Alice Bye Court from Monday to Thursday, and on Fridays Mrs Bund took her clients to socialise with residents living in Neville Court sheltered housing.
She said: “[The carers at Neville Court] were concerned that their residents were being isolated. I go there now and they can join in activities and it gives Alice Bye Court residents a change of scenery.
“We are trying to provide a good quality of life and get them out into the community.”
Walnut Close has now been turned into a centre for people with dementia run by the council.