Ian Barnes- Franchise Owner 

I started Bluebird Care Shropshire in 2008 having left my employment as Managing Director of a successful chain of Garden Centres shortly before.  At that time I felt that my commercial skills and experience were well suited to the Bluebird Care franchise model and decided to be my own boss for the first time.  It was a big step for me and a bit scary,  but I was confident that I could make a difference in the Care Sector and wanted us to be the best in the county. 

I had been very poorly myself having had kidney failure over a number of years  and  then needed a kidney transplant in 2007. My sister (Jacky) very kindly gave me one of hers, it is still going strong so must have been a good one!!  I will always be very grateful to her for giving me such a precious gift, but also to the numerous people in the NHS and the care sector who helped me when I needed it. To be honest that care has never stopped and continues today. 

So in starting Bluebird Care Shropshire I had an opportunity to repay some of the help and kindness that I was shown and set out to provide a high standard of care to the people of Shropshire who needed it.  It was my chance to give something back.  Through Bluebird Care I am passionate about providing excellent care and that passion has not diminished over the years.  

The culture of my business is about delivering excellent care to people in their own homes and to go the extra mile for the people we support.  A culture that is shared by the senior team in Shrewsbury, Church Stretton and Oswestry and filters down to all of our care staff.  That has enabled us to grow our service rapidly over the last 15 years. We have established a good reputation and work hard to maintain it.  We are not perfect and things do go wrong from time to time, but we try hard to improve and learn.  I am proud of what we have achieved together and look forwards to the next 15 years.

I have lived in Shropshire with my wife Rosanna since 1990, raising our 2 young children here. They are both grown now:  Gemma is a qualified Social Worker and manager with Action for Children and is mum to my two granddaughters Mia & Evie;  Chris works in Bluebird Care managing our payroll and has recently started his own property development business. He became a proud Dad to Elsie for the first time in February 24.

I am a keen golfer and play at Church Stretton Golf Club most weeks weather permitting, and I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.  

Claire Flavell- Director of Care

My journey in social care began in 1989 when I started working evenings in a local care home after my first child was born. My love for working in the care sector took off from there.

I found that I really enjoyed working with people who had an acquired brain injury and in 2009 I became an outreach worker for Headway Shropshire and progressed to Care Coordinator (Care Manager) whilst completing my level 5 in health and social care. In July 2013 I joined Bluebird Care Shropshire as the Registered Manager and whilst here I have completed my level 7 in management. 

I love my job as Registered Manager. As a team we strive to find solutions and make things work, adapting to the needs of our customers and the organisation. I have such a fantastic team around me and that makes a world of difference – understanding each other and having a good working relationship is key to our growth and development.

In my spare time, I love running. I run with friends and in events. It's my 'go to' thing for my wellbeing.

Claire Gwilliam- Training Officer

I started my career in care, with Bluebird Care Shropshire in 2013 and haven’t looked back!

It was one of the best moves I have done, I started as a care assistant, and after learning all about the business and care aspect became a Supervisor for the Shrewsbury area. Within my supervisory role, I completed some train the trainer courses to enable me to pass my knowledge on to new staff and I decided that this was something I was passionate about.  In April 2016, I got promoted to Training Officer and my role consists of induction and ongoing training for new and existing members of staff.

Since being with Bluebird Care I have completed my Level 3 and Level 5 in Health and Social Care along with other courses to develop my skills and gain knowledge. I am currently working on my teaching qualification to enhance my teaching skills.

Outside of work I am a keen baker and regularly deliver baked goods to friends and family sometimes dropping some off at work for the office to try.

I started my career in care, with Bluebird Care Shropshire in 2013 and haven’t looked back!

It was one of the best moves I have done, I started as a care assistant, and after learning all about the business and care aspect became a Supervisor for the Shrewsbury area. Within my supervisory role, I completed some train the trainer courses to enable me to pass my knowledge on to new staff and I decided that this was something I was passionate about.  In April 2016, I got promoted to Training Officer and my role consists of induction and ongoing training for new and existing members of staff.

Since being with Bluebird Care I have completed my Level 3 and Level 5 in Health and Social Care along with other courses to develop my skills and gain knowledge. I am currently working on my teaching qualification to enhance my teaching skills.

Outside of work I am a keen baker and regularly deliver baked goods to friends and family sometimes dropping some off at work for the office to try.

Kirsty Holland- Business Development Supervisor 

 I joined Bluebird care in 2012 as a care assistant. This is when I truly found my passion within the care industry, enabling people to live fulfilled and enriched lives in the surroundings that they felt most comfortable. I feel very privileged to have been part of my many customers lives. Whether it is after a hospital stay, to assist with frailty or at end of their lives. I followed the Bluebird Care career pathway and this saw me become an assistant supervisor, supervisor and then care manager. This progression allowed me to complete several qualifications to enrich and develop my skills, the latest being a level five in health and social care management.

In 2017 I had my son Frankie  and on my return from maternity leave I started a new challenge as specialist care coordinator. This role saw me leading the live in care team. In 2022 I had a second son Dougie, and returned again to a new role of Business development supervisor.

As part of this role, I am truly blessed to able to work very closely with our office and care team to lead in the provision of high quality care throughout Shropshire. 

Growing and progressing through the ranks here at Bluebird care has given me unique insight into the care worker role. This allows me to support the care team to meet their personal development milestones, and to deliver the best possible care to our much-valued customers.

Outside of work I love to spend time with my husband and sons, engaging in local events and walking our little dog Winnie. I have a keen interest in conservation and wildlife and have spent time volunteering in a wildlife hospital. I have a wide circle of friends, and we like nothing more than attending Folk festivals and listening to music along with little get always in our campervan. Music is a huge love of mine and as well as singing in local choirs, I also play the Flute.