After working in the Health and Care sector for over 17 years and witnessing the ever-increasing demand for services, Becky decided to set up her own not for profit Social Enterprise, Copeland Age and Advice Service (CAAS) in 2019. CAAS was set up to provide early intervention/preventative support to individuals who, if left unsupported, would more likely need to rely on Social Care and NHS services in the future. Through the provision of personalised advice and support, they helped older adults in the Borough to live safely and independently.

This service grew considerably in a very short space of time with new projects introduced including a Digitally Enabling project which they set up in partnership with other local agencies, a Dementia Café and Singing for the Brain class for local residents living with Dementia and their carers, which included activities such as chair-based exercise classes, art therapy sessions and reminiscence groups with local historians. The service also introduced an Equipment sales service whereby they sold “as new” low-level aids and adaptions as part of their Trusted Assessor work, taking donations of good quality pre-used aids and adaptions, cleaning these up and selling them onto the general public at an affordable price, their aim being to make these aids and adaptations affordable to all and, at the same time, reduce the need for items that are no longer used, unnecessarily going into landfill. The service, which she was very proud to be co-founder of, has helped over 2,000 individuals in the past two years and has also won multiple awards.

Prior to setting up CAAS, Becky worked for Age UK West Cumbria as an Information and Advice Officer, providing direct support to over 55’s in the area in relation to their finances, entitlement to benefits, their housing needs, their health and wellbeing and social interaction opportunities. The closure of this service was what led to the setting up of CAAS.

Becky also worked as a Community Connector with Age UK, helping to link lonely and isolated individuals with volunteer befrienders and community groups. She raised awareness through special events, distribution of information and local and social media of the impact of social isolation on health and wellbeing and engaged the help of local groups, organisations and citizens in identifying, supporting and referring lonely individuals to the project. She recruited, inducted, supervised and monitored volunteers in their roles, matching them with individuals to provide the necessary support to reduce isolation and loneliness

Becky is also a fully qualified Independent Domestic Violence advisor and so has a good knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and risk assessment procedures. In this role she delivered crisis intervention to survivors of domestic abuse, assessed the risks that they faced and created support plans that were tailored to their individual circumstances.

Becky has also worked with local housing associations, supporting their tenants (many with complex needs such as physical and mental health issues or learning disabilities) and older adults who needed help to remain living independently. Together they would create an individual package of support which she was responsible for delivering, either alone or in partnership with other agencies. She provided support to clients in areas such as financial matters, health and wellbeing, employment, learning and volunteer opportunities and with housing options.

Becky has also worked as part of the Local Authority as a Finance Assessment Officer, obtaining information about their financial and legal circumstances to assess their ability to pay a contribution towards the cost of their care.

Becky has an excellent knowledge of community development issues, having worked in the third sector for many years now. Her experience working in both statutory and non-statutory organisations has enabled her to identify opportunities and connections across sectors and communities, and she has worked both on her own initiative and in partnership with others to link up the two.

Her passion to help people and encourage them to engage and connect with their communities has always been to make a real difference to the lives of her clients and the communities in which they live. She has built up an excellent knowledge of and strong working relationships with relevant local agencies over the years, and through these links she has been able to assist clients to utilise the resources they provide.

Becky is a friendly, reliable person who has a genuine caring attitude. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her young family; they like taking advantage of all the lovely scenery in Cumbria by going on bike rides or long walks with their dog, and they especially enjoy stopping off for a coffee and a piece of cake afterwards in the many local cafes.