A grandmother who swapped spreadsheets for saucepans after retirement has been crowned as Wales’ newest culinary hero.
June Tong, 61, from Pontardawe, has been named joint gold winner for Excellence in Catering at the prestigious Wales Care Awards – just three years after taking up a “simple” part-time job to beat boredom.
The former admin worker, who trained in catering as a teenager but spent most of her working life behind a desk, has wowed judged and residents at Dan y Bryn Care Homes with her passion, creativity and heart – even icing a birthday cake in braille for a blind resident.
The glittering ceremony, sponsored overall by Meddyg Care and organised by care industry champions Care Forum Wales, recognise the outstanding work of those in the care sector, with all finalists guaranteed to come away with either a gold, silver or bronze prize in recognition of their achievements.
June was presented with the top prize at a glittering awards ceremony held at Holland House Hotel in Cardiff.
June, who has three grown-up children and is married to Kevin, said: “It was overwhelming, I was completely stunned! It’s only now sinking in.
“I’ve carried the award around for the last three days, I’ve shown it to all the residents, and they said, ‘we all knew you were going to do it!’
“To be honest I didn’t expect anything, I was just happy to be recognised and nominated. It was nice to think somebody notices what you do.
“We’ve achieved so much but there is more to do, but this award shows we are going in the right direction – this is just the start!”
June, who has food safety and kitchen management qualifications, originally set her heart on a career as a maths teacher but was talked into signing up at the local catering college by her grandmother, a keen cook herself.
Other than a short stint running her own catering business when her children were small, she set aside her passion for cooking to pursue other careers and ended up working as an administrative clerk for an insurance firm.
“It was all going ok until we had to work from home during Covid and afterwards, they started to offer redundancies,” she said.
“I decided to take it, retire early and enjoy life but a few months in I was already bored. My house was immaculate, my garden spotless, so I had to find something else to do. I saw a job advertised as a kitchen assistant, 24 hours per week. It sounded just right, a nice simple job where I could go home at the end of the day and forget about it, no hassle!
“But it wasn’t too long after I’d started that I ended up swapping roles with another lady who was a cook and wanted to become a kitchen assistant and there I was running a kitchen!
“I still do my 24 hours per week, but I often come in on my days off to do arts and crafts and gardening with the residents on a voluntary basis.”
With life coming full circle, June says everything feels like it has fallen into place.
“I’ve no intention of going anywhere else. I have less time at home and even when I am there, I’m busy knitting pumpkins to decorate the garden for the residents to celebrate Halloween. But even if I just make one person happier, then I know I’ve done my best.
“We must remember that this is the residents’ home, and it’s our job to make it like they are still living in their own home. They enjoy their takeaways as much as everyone else and so once a month we’ll have a Kentucky fried chicken-style meal or fish and chips served in real newspaper. We’ll organise a Chinese takeaway and serve everything in silver containers. We do lots of theme days – any excuse for a big party.
“When one of our ladies who is blind was celebrating her birthday, I made her a cake, piping icing to spell out Happy Birthday in braille.
“I used a particular icing that was very firm so all the dots stayed as raised so she could feel them. She loved it and still takes about it even now!
“I try to do things that mean something to the residents.”
June’s colleagues say she consistently goes above and beyond to bring smiles and joy to the residents to celebrate their special moments.
Janine Marouf, General Manager at Dan Y Bryn, who nominated June for the award, said: “I am not surprised June has made it through, she goes above and beyond daily, putting love and care into the food she provides along with coming in out of hours to carry out activities and decorating the home for special events – so much to list!
“Congratulations June and good luck, you are a winner in our eyes!”
Mario Kreft MBE, Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards once again shone a light on the “unsung heroes and heroines” who make a vital difference to the lives of vulnerable people across the nation.
He said: “For more than 30 years, Care Forum Wales has worked tirelessly to champion the social care sector.
“The Wales Care Awards underlines the importance of the sector – it’s the glue that binds our communities together, both socially and economically.
“Our mission has always been to be the voice of social care in Wales to stand up for the workforce and ensure their dedication is properly recognised.”
A special moment in the evening when Mair Elis-Thomas, widow of the late Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, took to the stage to present one of the awards.
According to Mr Kreft it was a touching gesture that reflected Lord Elis Thomas’s long-standing support for the Wales Care Award and for social care more broadly.
“Dafydd was a passionate believer in the power of the arts to enrich lives and support wellbeing and mental health,” said Mr Kreft.
“He is greatly missed, but his legacy lives on – not only through his contribution to public life as a Presiding Officer, but also through the positive impact he had on so many communities.”
