A cleaner who swept her way into the hearts of staff and residents at a flagship dementia care centre has hung up her dusters after 21 years’ dedicated service.
Myra Campion, who has been a key member of the care support team at Pendine Park since 1995 and its head housekeeper for the past 17 years, has left to spend more time with her growing family.
Around 30 of her fellow staff turned up to bid her a fond farewell and shower her with presents as she headed off into well-earned retirement.
Myra, 63, who was born and still lives in Brymbo, first worked as a sales assistant at a Wrexham town centre shoe shop when she left Ysgol y Gelli in Coedpoeth at the age of 15.
Later she took a break to have her three children – son Andrew, 46, and daughters Lisa, 45, and Emma, 37.
She also has four granddaughters and a grandson aged from 18 months to 24 years along with three great-granddaughters whose ages range from three months to three years. The entire family lives in and around Wrexham.
Myra, who became a widow when her husband Ken died just over four years ago, joined the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation in 1995.
She said: “I originally started at Pendine Park’s Cae Bryn home as a carer but I soon transferred over to the care support team and stayed with it for 21 years. I was promoted to head housekeeper in 1999.
“In 2010 I moved over to be head of housekeeping at Pendine’s Bodlondeb specialist dementia care centre which is where I retired from.
“My idea is to spend more time with my family, which is growing all the time. I also love reading, so I’m sure I’ll always find something to do and won’t be bored.”
She added: “I’ve really loved working first at Cae Bryn and then later at Bodlondeb and it’s been great to see how the centre and its facilities have developed so much since it opened six year ago.
“I’ve really loved all my time working somewhere like this where people with dementia are so well looked after.
“I enjoyed regularly meeting and speaking to the residents and the staff I’ve worked alongside over the years have been brilliant. I’m going miss them all and I’ll definitely come back to see them.
“They clubbed together to get me some lovely retirement presents, including a poppy brooch, a gold carriage clock, chocolates and flowers.
“For a laugh they also got me a toy cleaning set all wrapped up in shiny purple paper – and that shows how much fun we’ve had together over the years.”
According to Pendine’s housekeeping and laundry manager, Sheila George, who has been Myra’s boss for all 21 of her years with the organisation, she’s going to be missed by everyone there.
“I took Myra on in the first place when she started as a carer. But she soon decided she’d prefer to join the care support team and she’s been a great asset to it ever since,” she said.
“She’s been popular with other members of her team for whom she was a great leader and has communicated well with the Bodlondeb residents which can sometimes be a little difficult because of their condition.
“She’s always been so conscientious and will be missed very much as she’s been here for so long.”
Taking over from Myra as head housekeeper is Helen Briscoe, from Hope near Wrexham, who said: “She’s going to be a hard act to follow and I just hope I’ll be able to fill her shoes.”
