Caremark Family – Richard

“It’s fantastic working in Caremark. It’s brilliant! All the staff are great, friendly and the management are approachable.”

Hello, I’m Richard and I’m a Caremark Care Assistant providing home care in Harrogate. I’ve worked in care and support for years, with a lot of experience working with adults with learning disabilities. I joined Caremark in December 2022 and everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. I’m proud to be a part of this team and actually look forward to going to work!

I was born in Kent and I’ve lived in Harrogate since I was 12. As well as being a care assistant, I’m also a writer and poet.

I was inspired to write by my Great Uncle Eddie, Edmund Blunden. He was Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford and wrote about his experiences in World War 1, like his good friend Siegfried Sassoon. Sadly, I didn’t get to meet him because he died just before I was born.

Nevertheless, I’ve followed in his footsteps and have published several books. I have written novels aimed at 8-12 years olds and collections of poems for adults. It’s become a family enterprise with my Dad doing the illustrations. My most recently published poetry collection, titled ‘A Fragile Mind’ is about care, addiction and mental health. The experience I’ve gained working in the care and support field have helped to inspire this collection.

My books are listed on Amazon, you can find them here.

Apart from writing, I really enjoy darts. I love hockey too, and am now retired from playing. It’s a little bit unusual, but I also have an interest in the paranormal. I find it really fascinating and have had a couple of unexplained experienced myself. In a well-known pub in Harrogate I saw the ghost of a little girl and watched a man float across the room.