A woman employed by a Macclesfield care home has switched departments from the kitchen to be a frontline caregiver build the career of her dreams.

As the care sector staffing crisis continues, one Macclesfield carer is encouraging others to think twice about their options, whatever their reservations may be.

For Mel Oakes, a support worker who helps older people and those living with dementia, it was the uncertainty of what to do with her life that once presented a challenge when it came to forging her career.

But, following a chance invitation to assist a carer at Belong Macclesfield, she found the inspiration to overcome her barriers and build the career of her dreams.

Having left college with a hairdressing qualification, Mel found herself bouncing between a variety of jobs; namely, retail, cleaning and working in a chip shop, before landing a role in her late twenties in the on-site bistro at the Belong care village in Upton Priory.

"I started off in the kitchens, helping to prepare the food for the residents, their families, and the visiting guests from the community," Mel said.

"I enjoyed the work and providing for our customers, though I didn't think working on the care side could ever be for me.

"However, after being asked to help a care colleague one shift, I absolutely loved it and little did I know it would be the first day of a fulfilling career in care. I felt I had even more of a purpose going to work and I was determined to make becoming a carer happen."

Since that pivotal day, Mel jumped at all the opportunities to help the care team, before finally taking the plunge and successfully applying to become a support worker.

Caroline Ray, general manager at Belong Macclesfield, said: "Though she didn't hold any previous qualifications, Mel's work ethic made her the perfect candidate for 'The Care Certificate' which forms part of a carer's robust induction programme.

It's on-the-job training which certifies new starters in the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected for the high standards of the role, whilst also building their confidence."

Despite initially not thinking care was for her, Mel has since progressed through the ranks to a lead senior support worker position, overseeing a care team in one of the care village's 'household' cohorts of residents.

Mel is currently working toward her NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care, which she hopes to

complete in the next few months. Mel adds: "I never thought I'd do another qualification after my youth, but Belong Macclesfield provides lots of help and guidance for its colleagues to achieve, and being able to help older people enjoy a high quality of life and independence makes it all worth it; the future's very bright for me." Belong Macclesfield is located on Kennedy Avenue, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 3DE. It is one of the five Belong Limited facilities in the local area ran by the charitable organisation. It operates villages providing a range of care, housing and support options for older people, as well as extensive amenities in the village centre. These include bistro, hair salon, exercise studio and function rooms, all of which are open to the public as well as to the Belong community. The dementia care specialists offer 24 hour support. Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our FREE Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top 10 Macclesfield news stories, and one EXCLUSIVE article? 1200 of you have signed up already. Simply enter your email address in the shaded box below or on this link. Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 20-30 stories a week for our town. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.