When Shirley Rhodes was made redundant from her office job five years, she decided to do something completely different, and she knew just the place to apply for a job.
That’s because when Shirley first moved from her homeland of Zimbabwe over 16 years ago, she worked one night a week as a Care Assistant at The Millings.
She explains: “My late husband and I left Zimbabwe due to the political situation at the time and we were not allowed to take any money out of the country.
“We came to North Yorkshire because my sister-in-law lived here so I needed a job so we could start bringing some money in.”
Shirley’s daughter also worked at The Millings at the time and although Shirley eventually left to accept a job as an office manager (in Zimbabwe she worked as a Bursar at a private school) she never forgot about the positive experience she had at the home.
And now, she’s back working on a part-time basis, which she combines with helping out on her partner’s dairy farm.
“It’s a lovely place to work because everyone is friendly and even though there was quite a gap in between, when I returned it was like I had never been away,” Shirley says.
“It can be hard work but also very rewarding too.”
When she’s not at The Millings or helping out in the farm, mum-of-three Shirley enjoys playing the piano and visiting Zimbabwe where her two sons, and four grandchildren, live.
And with her daughter now living in Australia and only recently married, there’s another destination for Shirley to visit in the future!
