STAFF from Somerset Care’s team in Melksham have welcomed a group of Dutch students into their offices on the Challymead Business Park in Bradford Road.

Accompanied by their tutors, 16 social care students from Horizon College in the Netherlands were invited to meet the company’s Wiltshire Community Services home care team and learn more about the care sector in England.

They were given a warm welcome by the team, who introduced themselves and gave an overview of the company, and how they operate and plan their home care services in the Wiltshire area.

The students then signed up to become Dementia Friends, an Alzheimer’s Society initiative, for which Somerset Care has received national awards and recognition.

Somerset Care’s Business Manager, Jenny Futcher, said: “We would like to thank Bath College, the students and their tutors.

“It was wonderful to be able to support the next generation of caring professionals and create an additional group of Dementia Friends to help raise awareness of dementia.”

Somerset Care provides residential and nursing care for older people in 27 care homes in Somerset and on the Isle of Wight, and also manages a facility for adults with physical disabilities in Taunton.

The Taunton-based care company provides more than 15,000 hours of community support every week to people living in their own homes in Somerset, North and West Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset, Hampshire and Surrey.

Ms Futcher said: “We call our service Petals because it reflects the following values and actions: person-centred, empowerment, trust, activities, life history and stimulation.

“We support clients across the continuum of ability, and our services include person centred care and support services either at home, in the community or in a supported living environment.”

Somerset Care’s training company Acacia Training & Development provides training for company staff, external companies and individual learners across the South West.

Somerset Care also has a small learning disabilities team who can provide specialist services under the Realise brand to support individuals to live an independent life.