Clover Home Services – Mr and Mrs Team

Roanne and Martin Bell – Clover Home Services

Roanne was a district nurse for 19 years and has a vast experience in caring for older people and supporting carers. She realised that people in her local community needed help at home that was highly personal and tailored to their needs and circumstances.

Now alongside her husband Martin, they support local people in Sandy, Central Bedfordshire through their own local community micro enterprise – Clover Home Services. Roanne says:

‘We understand it is hard to find the time for aging family when your own family has demands upon your valuable time. Time is precious and if we can help with the things people are struggling with and help their loved ones remain independent at home then we have achieved our goals.’

Clover Home Services started in April 2017 and was set up to support older people to remain independent at home by providing a range of services including care, companionship and practical home support.

Community Catalysts are running the Community Micro-enterprise Project in Central Bedfordshire to increase the range of local support for people.  Roanne and Martin linked with the project and have been using it to raise the profile of their service. Alistair Bucknall the local Catalyst ran a number of workshops to connect social workers with community micro-enterprises including Clover Home Services. As a result social workers are now referring people to Clover so Roanne and Martin can now help more local families. Some of their new customers have a Direct Payment and this arrangement works well for them as an alternative to employing their own staff.  Roanne says:

“A customer that I visit three times a week has memory issues and I work with her and her family to support her to remain at home and stay well. I have developed a relationship with her so that now she accepts my visits and I can assess her needs and adapt my support if needed. Because I support her each time, I can provide continuity which is key in developing the relationship which many bigger companies cannot provide.”

Clover Home Services prides itself with maintaining a strong relationship with families giving regular updates on the progress of their loved ones and highlighting any issues that may affect their happiness and wellbeing.

by Alistair Bucknall
Community Enterprise Catalyst (Central Bedfordshire)