Visiting Angels signs first two UK franchisees
Published: 20 September 2019
Visiting Angels, one of the largest care franchise businesses in the US, has welcomed its first two UK franchisees.
Gareth Redmayne and Dunni Awoyemi are both passionate about supporting their local communities in Hatfield and Windsor, respectively.
Gareth, who was the first to join the UK network, says: “I was impressed with the vision that Visiting Angels had for the UK. The whole concept of being carer-centric completely aligned with my values and I knew it was something that I had to be a part of. The size of the territory that I was able to work within meant I could make an impact on more people.
“Setting up a homecare business is hard work but it’s a fantastic commercial opportunity, which is matched by delivering a social benefit. I think I am most looking forward to having a great team in place delivering care that will have a positive impact on the local community.”
Gareth describes himself as an experienced healthcare manager but, just like all new Visiting Angels franchisees, he flew to the head office in Philadelphia for the first part of his initial training. Gareth, Dunni and the new US-based recruits met with the international franchise support team for four days of classroom-style training.
Gareth adds: “My time in the US allowed me to meet some of the best and brightest in the homecare business, and also network with my fellow franchisees. Part two of training, at the UK head office, provided me with a more in-depth grounding of what I needed to do to get my business up and running properly. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and it will be great to start putting it all into practice and making a difference.”
Gareth and Dunni will be championing Visiting Angels’ carer-centric approach, as UK managing director Dan Archer explains: “This means treating carers with the upmost respect, valuing them for their commitment and rewarding them well for the support that they provide to clients. By doing so, they will be happier in their job, enjoy what they do and, as a result, provide a better quality of care to their clients.
“I was thrilled to welcome Gareth and Dunni to the franchise family, as were the hundreds of franchisees stateside – they’re excited to have some British counterparts.
“It’s so important for us to award franchises to people who, like Gareth and Dunni, really share in our commitment and ambition to do things differently. We’re hoping that the rest of the care sector will get behind our carer-centric approach – in fact, some of them are already doing so, which is great to see.”
Visiting Angels was established in 1998 in the US and now has more than 600 franchisees operating in five countries.
