A Gwersyllt grandmother is in line for a prestigious award for bringing comfort and colour to the lives of people living in a care home.

Judy Twidale, 55, is soft furnishings assistant at the Pendine Park care organisation which has seven care home in Wrexham and one in Caernarfon.

She’s been nominated for recognition at the annual Wales Care Awards, to take place at City Hall, Cardiff on November 17.

The host this year is Wynne Evans, familiar from the Go Compare TV advertisements and for his daily show on Radio Wales.

“My nomination came as a complete surprise,” said Judy, “and I’m really looking forward to the weekend at Cardiff. I really enjoy my work and feel really made up about the nomination.”

The category for which she is nominated is Commitment to Quality in Housekeeping and Hospitality.

Before taking up her present post, Judy was for many years a laundry assistant then housekeeper at Pendine Park.

Judy said: “Even if a resident is here for a few weeks, or long-term, we like them to choose their furnishings as they would in their own home. If they like purple, for instance, then that will be the colour.

“Everyone has a favourite colour, and it can make a difference to life. I hope I am making things nice for our residents and helping to change lives in the best way we can.”

Judy has three children, a son and two daughters, all grown up, and two grandchildren. One daughter is a health care assistant at Wrexham Maelor Hospital. A son is a corporal in the Royal Marines and has seen service in Afghanistan.

Offering a home from home is very much part of the Pendine mantra, and providing tasteful surroundings forms part of this. Judy was nominated by Pendine’s consultant artist-in-residence, Sarah Edwards, who has been with the organisation for more than twenty years.

“Judy helps to make the cushions, blinds and curtains and I liaise with the homes if residents have particular colour preferences, consulting with each person to ensure they have a choice and feel involved,” said Sarah.

“Sometimes Judy will chat to families so that she can help deal with specific requests. We try to accommodate any requests within reason. She has been training with our soft furnishings manager to be involved with the whole process, from measuring up and cutting out to finishing off with hand stitching.

“Originally Judy worked in our laundry department. She has gone through various areas of the business but showed an interest in our soft furnishings department so we agreed to take her on to train her in the necessary skills for this role .”

She added : “Judy is excellent at her job, she really understands the ethos behind what we are trying to achieve at Pendine, to make a home from home for our residents to enjoy. Judy has a lovely, friendly approach, she’s kind to the residents and wants a home to look as good as it possibly can by giving her all to every project she is involved with in each of our homes.

“Judy was chosen for the award because of her commitment to the organisation and her understanding of how important it is to have a lovely, homely environment for our residents to enjoy. Judy truly deserves an award.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the chairman of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards had gone from strength to strength. He said: “The event is now firmly established as one of the highlights in the Welsh social care calendar.

“The aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines across Wales.

“The care sector is full of wonderful people because it’s not just a job it’s a vocation – these are the people who really do have the X Factor.

“If you don’t recognise the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.

“We need to do all we can to raise the profile of the care sector workforce – they deserve to be lauded and applauded.

“It is a pleasure to honour the contribution of all the finalists. Each and every one of them should be very proud of their achievements.”