My name is Alan Deaton. I am a support worker at at a service in York that has recently been transferred to the Wilf Ward Family Trust. I’m a York lad born and bred. I have a wonderful wife Vicky, and have a daughter Shannon who works at A&E in Pinderfields hospital in Wakefield. I also have 12 year old twins, Kenzie & Mason.
I have a fun personality with a dry sense of humour, I have lots of hobbies which are mainly sport orientated. I’m a massive Chelsea fan and try to get to see them whenever I can. I love my PS4. I’m a bit of a Fallout 76 freak, and I love my films, drama’s and thrillers.
My job career started off being a lifeguard at the now demolished barbican swimming pool, to those who remember the pool, it was a pyramid shape next to the Barbican centre. Stayed in the leisure industry until 2000, when I decided to get into the pub trade. I was the Manager at the Bonding Warehouse when it flooded in late 2000 and the place never re-opened as the damage to the building was too great.
I was also a retainer in the Fire Service and in February 2001, was one of the first crews to arrive on scene at the Selby train crash at Great Heck. A little insight to that day….to this day, I never have my mobile phone on ring, only vibrate. This is because of all the mobile phones that started ringing when it broke on the morning news. It was a very harrowing time.
I went on to manage a cafe bar in Harrogate, my own pub in Chapel Allerton in Leeds, and I was a restaurant Manager at a country hotel before starting at Waitrose as a wine specialist. So if anyone wants any recommendations….then I’m your man!
I fell into the care industry purely by accident. My wife worked at the then newly opened minster Grange care home and there was a resident in there who suffered from Huntington’s disease who was the same age as me at the time. He was a big Chelsea fan, as am I, so my wife asked if I fancied coming down to watch Chelsea games with him on TV, almost like a volunteer. We struck up a great friendship, and his mum said I’d make a great carer. I quickly dismissed this, but after a bit of a pep-talk I took the plunge and got a job with the Wilberforce trust! I stayed for 4 years there which I really enjoyed. The highlight was when the residents all came to my wedding at the Hospitium in York in 2014.
I left there and went to work for LD services at The Retreat before embarking on working for ILS which is where I’ve been for the past 5 years. We are like a family here at Alder, always there to help others including new starters to whom we make feel very welcoming. So that’s where I’m at today—life’s never a dull moment!