Prized poet - Team member at Knebworth care home wins national poetry award

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Nov 27, 2020

A team member at a care home in Knebworth is celebrating after winning a national award for a poem she penned during the pandemic.

Colette Moreira-Henocq, residential care manager at Care UK’s Knebworth, on London Road, wrote a poem entitled ‘Tribute to My Residents’, which took first place in the ‘Bereavement’ category of the ‘Poems in a Pandemic’ competition.

‘Poems in a Pandemic’ is a competition run among frontline team members. The finalists and winners in each category will have their poems published in an anthology, called ‘100 Poems from the Frontline Staff’, with all proceeds going towards supporting the mental health of care workers through art projects.

Colette’s poem pays tribute to residents who have sadly passed away. Celebrating each individual’s personality, the heartfelt piece also expresses the close bond she and the team had formed with each and every person in their care.

Commenting on her win, Colette said: “I’m so pleased that my poem was awarded first place, not least for me, but for each of the wonderful individuals I wanted to pay tribute to.

“I’ve been at Knebworth since 2017, and everyone here has a real place in my heart. This year has been particularly challenging, and we have felt the loss of each and every person deeply. The poetry competition offered a special way to pay tribute to residents, and I couldn’t be prouder to have won.”

Vera Moreira-Henocq, home manager at Knebworth, added: “Everyone at Knebworth is thrilled that Colette’s poem was one of the ‘Poems in a Pandemic’ competition winners. She and the team have worked tirelessly through what has been a difficult few months, and her poem was a beautiful way of paying tribute to the much-loved members of our Knebworth family that we love and miss dearly.

“We can’t wait to see the poem published in the anthology – congratulations Colette.”

Knebworth delivers a full range of residential care for older people, including short-term respite care, nursing care and specialist care for people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

For more information on Knebworth, please call customer relations manager Paula Brown, on 01438 893411, or email  paula.brown@careuk.com.   

For more general information about Knebworth, please visit careuk.com/knebworth.