The silver lining
Date of news/blog: 1st November 2025After tiring of the bureaucracy in the job, Natasha Merry reluctantly left her job as a Teaching Assistant after 15 years – but she has quite literally found the silver lining in her role as a Care Assistant at Pine Martin Grange.
That is because in the recent 2025 Dormy Awards, Natasha won a Silver award in the Excellence in Care category.
This comes less than four years after Natasha swapped the classroom for our care home – a move she says couldn’t have worked out better for her.
“I taught at a school for children with special needs and when you consider some of our ladies and gentlemen at Pine Martin Grange are living with dementia, it meant I was able to transfer a lot of the skills I had learned,” she explains.
“I enjoyed working as a Teaching Assistant, but the paperwork was increasing all the time and care seemed the logical next step for me.
“It was the right move because every day is different here and I love working at Pine Martin Grange.”
Natasha says she was delighted to receive a Dormy Award although for her it has never been about personal recognition or financial gain.
“I am there for the residents,” she explains.
“Some don’t have relatives or people living close by so knowing we can make their day and put a smile on their face just by popping in for a chat often brings me to tears. It’s a very special job.”