A DEDICATED care home worker who dished up the best Indian food in Wales to delighted residents has been hailed as hero by a Senedd member.
Arfon MS Sian Gwenllian wrote personally to Fahim Bin Ferdous to thank him for providing the tasty tandoori treats to residents at Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd care home in Caernarfon.
The fantastic food served up by Fahim to the residents came hot from the kitchen at the Caernarfon Tandoori Restaurant in the town.
As well as working as a carer at the home, Fahim is also manager of the restaurant – which has been named the best in Wales for the second year running.
To celebrate the accolade, Fahim organised for a feast of Indian food to be prepared so Bryn Seiont Newydd’s residents and staff could enjoy the restaurant’s top tastes themselves.
Fahim’s kindness prompted the letter of praise Ms Gwenllian in which she said: “I’m writing to sincerely thank you for your generous gesture in providing a feast for the residents of Bryn Seiont Newydd.
“It was a heartwarming act of kindness that brought joy to many, I’m sure.
“It was also a wonderful way to celebrate your well-deserved recognition as the best Indian restaurant in Wales earlier this year, as well as to showcase the excellence of local produce.
“I hope you’re enjoying your time working with the team at Bryn Seiont Newydd.
“It must be incredibly rewarding, and it’s clear that your presence is helping to ensure the residents feel truly cared for.”
Fahim started at Bryn Seiont Newydd in October 2022 and had come to the UK from Bangladesh.
He works three days a week at Bryn Seiont Newydd as well as running the restaurant.
Starting off as a waiter, he was soon promoted to manager at the award-winning Caernarfon restaurant.
Modest Fahim, 23, said he was delighted to receive the unexpected letter from the politician – and was quick to offer praise to his colleagues for supporting him in his care career.
He said: “I really wasn’t expecting it, the letter was a real surprise, it was a bit like ‘wow’!
“It was so kind, it was a nice thing to get.
“Everything I do at the care home all comes from the support I get from my colleagues, they are amazing, very supportive.
“I love what I do and I love helping and supporting the residents and working with my amazing colleagues.
“Maybe I am lucky, but my colleagues at the care home are the best and I really enjoy managing the restaurant too.
“It’s nice to feel appreciated, and it’s great to have two jobs that I really love and which are about serving people and helping them.
“I’m only 23 years old, and I became the restaurant manager at 21.
“I really enjoy both my jobs, managing the restaurant and talking to our lovely customers and then looking forward to my shifts at the care home where I will see the residents again.
“It’s great to have these opportunities to help people, I love to make them laugh, tell them some jokes.”
Home manager Sandra Evans paid tribute to Fahim and all the staff at the home for doing everything they can to care for the residents.
She said: “It was lovely for Fahim to receive the letter and lovely for all of us here at the home to know that what we are doing is noticed, it is recognised.
“The Indian food Fahim provided went down a treat with the residents and the staff and it was a really special occasion.
“The staff work hard every day to offer the best care to the residents and it’s always fun when we do something to give residents an enjoyable experience.”
Nia Davies Williams, Bryn Seiont Newydd’s musician in residence, said the effort Fahim went to in organising the Indian feast was typical of the care and dedication given to residents by staff.
She said: “It’s great that Fahim is being appreciated, and we are chuffed to bits for him because he works so hard and he deserves it.
“He really did go out of his way with that meal, it wasn’t just a tokenistic thing.
“He went and got everything freshly cooked from the tandoori restaurant and brought in a full meal for quite a few of the residents and the staff.
“There was a lot of organising for him, and he provided a banquet basically.
“It’s very typical of Fahim to do something like that, he really does go the extra mile and always comes in with a smile on his face, he’s very hard working and very good.”
Nia, who leads the home’s enrichment team, said providing enjoyable occasions and experiences for residents was all part of Pendine Park’s ethos.
She said: “I’ve always said that just because people are in a care home such as this, it doesn’t mean that experiencing things from the outside has then to stop.
“Bringing in things from the outside, such as the arts, such as what Fahim did, is so important for the residents and is part of their care.
“The residents are not able to go out of an evening as a group to an Indian restaurant so to get that experience brought to them is lovely.
“We are always open to new things, it’s not a kind of tick box enrichment programme we have here, there is a lot of thought that goes behind what happens here.
“People like Fahim put 100 per cent into it because we truly want to enrich our residents’ care and experience.
“We’re a good team here and very supportive of each other, we’re one big family really.”
Nia said the leadership provided by Pendine Park’s owners Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, was key to the success of the organisation’s enrichment programme.
She said: “At the very top you have the owners Mario and Gill who are so passionate about the arts and any extra enrichment activities and experiences and that travels down to all the staff.
“Our manager Sandra is very supportive of the enrichment programme and always open to new ideas.
“She facilitates what we are doing and lets us get on with it.
“Enrichment should always be a part of the whole care we provide.”
The tandoori taster session is another highlight in a special year for Pendine Park which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Mario and Gill launched their first care home in 1985, after struggling to find suitable accommodation for their grandparents.
Now, four decades later, the couple operate nine care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon, with 440 beds and more than 860 employees.
Picture by Mandy Jones
