A care home worker is celebrating after winning a prestigious industry award.

Lesley Quigley, who works at Addison Court care home, scooped the Best Dementia Activities Co-ordinator at the 2014 National Dementia Care awards, which recognises excellence in dementia care.

She was presented with a trophy by stand-up comedian Paul Sinha at a gala night in Brighton attended by more than 600 people.

The judges said they were hugely impressed by Lesley’s care and professionalism.

Lesley, 49, a mother-of-three who has worked at Addison Court for four-and-a-half years, said: “This award means everything to me.

“I just felt ‘wow’. I didn’t expect to win.

“But what really inspires me are the simple things, like a resident smiling. I get tremendous satisfaction from my job. I want to do for residents what I would want for my own parents.

“My own grandmother had dementia, and I have worked with elderly people since I was 16.”

Addison Court home manager Anne-Marie Potter said: “Lesley typifies the quality of care to which we aspire at Addison Court. She is outstanding at what she does, constantly imaginative and innovative, and we could not be prouder of what she has achieved.”

The home is no stranger to awards. Last year the home also received two nominations in the Great North West Care Awards.

The whole team was runner-up in the Care Team category while Lesley Quigley again triumphed in the Care Home Activity Organiser Award for developing an ‘abundance of original activity ideas based on spontaneity and person-centred care’. This year there was a nomination in the 2014 Great North West Care Awards for maintenance worker Lee Blakely.

Adrian Pancott, CEO of Amore Care, part of the Priory Group of Companies which owns Addison Court, said: “This is another example of why Amore is now recognised as the No 1 provider in the older people’s care sector in the UK.”