‘Born to a Sollerican mum and English Dad, I know I am 51% Sollerica and 49% British. Growing up in England in my dad’s world, us kids were sent off every year to Soller to be part of Mallorcan life. Teenage years were great family fun. The beach, the mountains, the village life. I learned Mallorquin phonetically in those summers. I always felt so at home in Soller.
In time my Mum returned home to live, and this challenged me to do the same. My career in Intensive Care nursing gave me a career that was transferable. In 2004, as my husband left the RAF and with our daughter we moved ‘home’.
Xesqui was a year old when we moved to Soller and Noah came along a couple of years later. Both love Soller, it is still home for them. It’s very deep routed, having been so involved in the culture of the Valley for as long as they could remember. Mum was a great babysitter and Aaron, and I worked hard to earn enough for our family life.
My career route in Mallorca was in the public hospital ICU and then into one of the newly opened care homes for the elderly. By the time I left, 7 years later I was the Manager. I loved that place and all its great people. I love the languages of the island and was also able to talk in English to those who needed it.
Returning to the UK in 2013, had a profound impact on me and my family, but my husband needed more than just seasonal work. I was also hungry to learn and professionally ambitious. Having been given fantastic opportunities to challenge myself in my roles in Soller, I wanted to continue to grow in ways that were not available to me in Mallorca.
In the UK, I joined a wonderful care home company in 2013, and have grown from my Soller Residencia foundations, to cover many roles within this organization. I am the Learning and Development Manager for 13 Homes in the Southeast of England. Also, the Operations and Compliance Manager for two small care homes for older adults with complex Learning Disabilities. I also support International Nurses in the UK, I know what it was like to be one of them, in my time in Spain.
In 2021 I was honored with the title of Queen’s Nurse (QN). This is available to individual nurses who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice. I am incredibly proud to be a Queen’s Nurse and following this achievement, I also received an award in 2022 at the Inaugural Women Achieving Greatness awards. This was for the work of developing talent in our sector. The following year I was invited to Buckingham Palace for a wet and soggy garden party! I fly the flag for Care Home nurses wherever I go.
Our two children are now young adults, and we are a foster family to an energetic and curious 10-year-old, who I have promised to bring to Mallorca very soon.
Soller will always be ‘home’ and every time I return, I fill my lungs with the Tramuntana scented air. When I leave, I cry, just as my mum always did…
We all still miss Mallorca, our friends and family, one day we will return to live.’
