WEST Devon resident and owner of home care company Home Instead Tavistock and Tamar Valley, Lynn Roddy, was delighted to be awarded with the ‘Leavers to Leaders’ award at the English Veterans Awards this month.

The awards recognise the success of ex-veterans within their communities, rewarding those who have gone above and beyond in their fields after leaving the Armed Forces.

Lynn joined the Army after leaving university, spending time at Sandhurst before becoming an officer in the Royal Signals. Her husband was also in the forces, spending his time as a Royal Marine serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Towards the end of her time in service, Lynn’s role included looking after new and young recruits in special arms training — a position where she utilised her caring nature before retiring.

Lynn opened Home Instead in 2018, having been inspired to move into care by her mother. After her mother’s dementia diagnosis and experiencing trouble trying to find suitable care for her, Lynn knew there must be a better way of providing care.

Lynn commented: ‘My mother was a nurse, with one of her later roles being with Marie Curie, providing end of life care. She really did inspire me, and she raised my brother and I on her own after losing our father, as well as caring for others too.

‘She also inspired my move into care, as I cared for her throughout the final years of her life. It was so difficult to find support — I didn’t know where to turn and many local agencies just couldn’t help me. When I did manage to find care for my mother, it wasn’t very person-centred and I knew there must be better options.’

After finding out about Home Instead and their companionship-centred home care services, Lynn knew it was something she need to get involved with and bring to the local area. Since opening her office in 2018, she has grown her business substantially, providing ‘outstanding’ rated care to older people across the area as well as providing a number of jobs in the local area.

She is also involved in many initiatives locally which are helping to improve the lives of older people, continuing to lead in her dedication to helping older people live better.

Lynn commented: ‘I was overwhelmed to hear I had won the ‘Leavers to Leaders’ award; it truly means so much. When leaving the Army, I knew I still wanted to help others and found my perfect path in caring.

‘By launching Home Instead, I didn’t only want to provide better care to older people throughout the area, but to truly help and educate people throughout the local community on a range of issues that come with older age, including dementia and Parkinson’s.

Lynn is very much a leader within Tavistock and the local area — helping to make positive change. She is part of the Tavistock Dementia Alliance, a trustee for the Tavistock Support Services and a trustee for the local Cycling without Age chapter.