A Burton carer who has dedicated the last 31 years of her life to looking after others and insists she was "put on this earth to care" has been named Carer of the Year in the Burton Heroes Awards.
Karen Allen has been a carer since leaving school at the age of 16. More than three decades later she is still just as dedicated to helping others and does it all while keeping a big smile on her face.
Her first carer position was at Sherbrook Rest Home, in Shobnall Road. She was there for about nine years, loving every minute of her job looking after others.
She would help to feed residents, talk with them, take them on day trips, play games with them, help with personal needs and would always be cheerful, having a laugh with them and listening intently to their stories.
However, many of the residents would have been unaware of the issues she was facing as her dad was battling cancer.
She would spend a lot of time driving to Birmingham for hospital treatments with him at the end of a full day at work.
Following operations, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and getting home at 10pm after a year of treatment, he sadly passed away aged 51 when Karen was only 20.
Karen later married and had twin girls, but was keen to get back to the work she loved when the girls were eight weeks old, and opted to go part-time in the community.
To mark her dedication to others, she was given the "Carer of the Year Award" sponsored by Healthcare at Home.
Receiving her award, Mrs Allen said: "I have been caring for everybody since I was 16 years old.
"It's something I have always wanted to do. I was put on this earth to care."
This award was sponsored by Healthcare at Home, a clinical provider of health care services out of hospital, like at home or work.
A spokesman said the firm understands how important a role carers play for families and that it was a professional that truly deserves highlighting.
Runners-up
Michelle Gower
Michelle Gower cares for her terminally-ill son, Luke, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, which means he is wheelchair-bound and requires round-the-clock care.
She has shown immense bravery and patience looking after her son and even had to give up her beloved shop "Michelle’s Sweets and Treats" to care for him.
She is now a full-time carer for Luke and her day-to-day life sees her constantly making sure Luke is well looked after including medication and daily feeding and changing.
Samantha Evans
Samantha Evans is a bereavement midwife in Burton who helps families grieving the loss of their babies.
She works at Queen's Hospital and, along with the support of her team, Samantha introduced the Eye Movement Detection and Reprocessing service at the hospital in 2016.
The therapy, which is often used to treat people with post-traumatic stress disorder, works on the theory that rapid eye movements can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts.
It is thought that these movements dampen the power of emotionally-charged memories of past traumatic events - something grieving parents are dealing with after the loss of a child.
The trust which runs Queen's is one of the few trusts across the NHS to use the new innovation.
Samantha has been with the hospital for 13 years after starting as a student and has worked with grieving families at the trust for more than five years.
She is 31 and has delivered many Burton babies during her time at the hospital and has also co-ordinated a Wave of Light Ceremony at the Belvedere Road hospital for Baby Loss Awareness Week in November, which bosses said received a positive reception from attendees.
