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Our team at
Cedrus House

Trusted to care in Stowmarket, Suffolk

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Meet our friendly care team

We’re proud of our close-knit and passionate team in our Stowmarket home. Everyone, from our management team to carers, clinicians to catering colleagues, are dedicated to making every day enjoyable for residents. They love what they do, and you can get to know them better on these pages.

Sharlene Van Tonder

Home Manager

Sharlene Van Tonder

I’m a registered nurse by profession and started with Care UK in February 1997.

I moved up to managing a suite before becoming Deputy Manager and then to Home Manager in 2001.

After spending a little time away from Care UK developing my expertise in home management, I returned to Care UK in 2014 to commission Cleves Place in Haverhill before transferring to Glastonbury Court in Bury St Edmunds in 2016 as the registered Manager. I then had the incredible opportunity to become the registered manager for Davers Court at the same time, and I was so proud when both homes achieved an outstanding CQC rating with CQC (Davers Court got outstanding in all five areas!)

I believe in an honest, open and transparent approach to managing. It’s so important to be approachable to my team and to families, and to lead by example by being positive and passionate. 

Julie Dennis
Customer Relations Manager

I joined the team at Care UK after working for 15 years in the banking sector.

Moving into the care sector was a complete change – and a steep learning curve – but I’ve never looked back. I was keen to make a difference to people’s lives and I love the fact that my role enables me to do that.

Moving to a care home can be an extremely difficult and emotional time for families, so I’m proud to be able to make that journey a little easier. My role involves meeting and guiding potential residents and their families through the process of choosing a care home.

Matthew Reynolds
Clinical Lead

My background is in emergency care and I’ve worked as a staff nurse in a liver transplant unit as well as in a stroke unit.

One of the biggest challenges of my career was delivering a premature baby in a moving ambulance without being able to speak the mother’s language!

The best part of the day is always interacting with residents, ensuring their needs are exceeded and making them smile. I’m also passionate about helping to develop my team’s potential so that they’re happy and our residents are too.   

In any spare time I have, I enjoy foreign travel (I’ve lived and worked in the Middle East, Malta, South Africa and Arizona). I also collect classic and military vehicles, which has landed me some work as an extra in film and TV in the past. 

Ian Hetzel
Head Chef

I’ve worked in restaurants but spent some time working for an agency at another Care UK home.

I really enjoyed it, so I applied for a permanent position with the organisation. I have also run my own business, and the same determination, drive and discipline that that demands come in handy at Cedrus House. There’s always a lot to do and we’ve many mouths to feed and different dietary needs to meet.

I must admit, that, after the antisocial hours of the restaurant trade, it makes a nice change to be home in the evenings! Working more sociable hours, I’m able to indulge my passions of red wine, West Ham and walking my dogs!

Juliana Arantes
Head Housekeeper

I come from Brazil and I used to be a biology teacher back there in primary and high schools.

When I moved to the UK and started working for Care UK in 2017, I was delighted to be in a role where I could help other people.

While it was a big challenge to solve problems in another language, with patience and hard work, everything became possible, and easy.

I believe in doing everything with respect and love, and in just being nice. It’s that simple! I enjoy listening to residents’ life stories and seeing them happy and enjoying themselves. I feel very at home at Cedrus House – my colleagues are all great and there’s lots of positive energy in the home. 

In my free time I enjoy caring for my puppy. At the weekends I like to travel around, exploring different places.

Our experienced teams

Every day Care UK colleagues live our values of passionate, caring and teamwork to empower residents to enjoy fulfilling lives.

Carers

Our hardworking teams always keep individuals and their families at the heart of the care they provide. We work with you to shape the care your loved one receives, the food they’re served, the activities and experiences they want to do – even the ways they prefer to keep in touch with their friends and family. 

Nurses

The nurses at Care UK are highly skilled and receive sector-leading training, which enables them to keep developing expertise in different clinical fields from dementia to palliative care.

Lifestyle

Our dedicated lifestyle teams work hard to organise a range of activities and events at our home. From gardening and baking to quizzes, music sessions and even live entertainment. Above all, we get to know your loved one to make sure our activities are tailored to suit their interests and hobbies.

Home support roles

From catering to maintenance, housekeeping to administration, our home support teams play a crucial part in ensuring individuals enjoy an exceptional and safe service every day.

All our teams get to know each person they care for to ensure they provide a service that’s designed around their unique needs and tastes. 

Infection control

Each of our homes have a trained Infection Control and Prevention Champion – they are responsible for carrying out daily infection control audit and ensuring cleaning protocols are meticulously applied.