A woman has been commended for 25 years service to the disability charity Walsingham, making that the organisations longest serving employee.

Petrina Goodwin, a locality manager at Walsingham’s residential care service in Bushey, started working for the organisation as a support worker in 1989.

During the past 25 years, she has seen Walsingham grow from a small social care provider to a national charity that supports more than 400 people around the UK.

Mrs Goodwin said: "I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in the social care sector.

"I’ve always been very passionate about equal rights and supporting people to have a full life.

"I remember being incredibly nervous when I went for my interview. Walsingham is a great organisation to work for. 

"Having been founded by parents of children with disabilities, Walsingham has always been focused on providing high quality support to people."

To mark the occasion, Walsingham held a special presentation last week at its head office in Whetstone, London.

Paul Snell, Walsingham’s chief executive, presented Mrs Goodwin with flowers, an engraved picture frame and other presents.

Mr Snell said: "We can’t thank Petrina enough for her years of dedication and hard work. She is a fantastic example of the excellent people that we employ. 

"As Walsingham’s longest serving employee, Petrina has seen the organisation go through many changes, and I hope she continues working at Walsingham for many years to come."

Currently supporting more than 60 people in Hertfordshire, Walsingham welcome enquiries from people with disabilities looking for support in the area. For more details visit www.walsingham.com.

For more charity news click here.