When Aisha Ali joined an unpaid carers support group as a teenager, she was looking for help with her own role as a young family carer.
Now, just three years later, Aisha is managing the Bradford and Airedale Carers Support service and is in the running for her second major award.
Aisha has been shortlisted for a Great British Care Award (GBCA), which recognises outstanding care sector workers who prioritise the independence, choices and privacy of the people they support. She is in the running for the Dignity in Care award.
Last year, Aisha and her former colleagues took home the GBCA Home Care Team trophy for their work at the Calderdale Carers Wellbeing service.
She has since been promoted to manager by national health and social care charity Making Space, which runs both carer support services. Aisha now leads a team of seven, who support carers across Bradford and Airedale.
Making Space community services manager Lydia Woodall nominated Aisha for the award in recognition of her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of carers by placing dignity and wellbeing at the heart of social care.
She said, “Aisha came to our young adult carer support group as a teenager and was invited to apply for a support worker role. It was immediately obvious to us that she had a lot of potential, and she’s proved that by working her way up to service manager in just three years.
“Aisha’s success is both a testament to her commitment and dedication to improving the lives of carers, and a shining example of the positive change that can be achieved when we work with people instead of for them. By valuing our mutual strengths, we can break down the barriers between the people who design and deliver services and the people who use them.”
As a family carer herself from a young age, Aisha is a passionate advocate for others in the same situation and embraces the opportunity to provide real insight into the support available.
She said, “I absolutely love my job, I’m so happy to give carers a voice and help them be the person they deserve to be. I can understand and relate to their needs and have a lot of empathy for the difficulties they face every day. Knowing I’m making a positive impact on carers’ lives is the best feeling in the world.
“Being shortlisted for a Great British Care Award is an honour. The recognition motivates us to keep championing carers and their wellbeing.”
Aisha will find out if she takes home the trophy for the second time at a ceremony at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on Friday 8 November.
