An OSWESTRY care business has celebrated the long service of its staff.

Allenby Douglas, who are based in Church Street, presented flowers and certificates to staff members who have been at the company for a minimum of five years while employees have more than half a century of service between them.

Andrew Harris, who is chief executive officer at Allenby Douglas, says he was he delighted that his employees were able to buck a trend of 'job changing' and thanked them for their work.

"Current research shows that the average length of time someone stays in a job is four-and-a-half years and staff loyalty is a thing of the past," he said.

"Not so at Allenby Douglas and to mark Professional Care Workers Day on September 4 we recognised the long service of our staff with a presentation of certificates, flowers and a generous bonus in their monthly wages to staff with five, 10 and 15 years’ service.

"[We have a] quartet of staff (right) who have nearly 60 years of service between them and five staff (left) all have at least five years’ service.

"Two further staff have yet to receive their awards.

"More than 50 per cent of our staff have been with the company at least three years.

"We were keen to applaud these staff together with all our staff who are there day in and day out, in the snow, scorching sun and pouring rain, at night, at Christmas, and on Sundays.

"[We wanted to] celebrate our fantastic care workers who go above and beyond to deliver quality care and support to the most vulnerable in the Oswestry area.

"Delivering care is a skilled and unique profession that deserves recognition, respect and celebration.

"The skills and expertise that our care workers deliver every day make a significant difference to the lives of the people they help and support.

"This is not always fully appreciated or understood until people experience the care first-hand.

"Social care is about helping people live better lives and the best care starts with the best people."