Natalie Cassidy has visited two Royal British Legion care services sites as part of her new documentary, with the episodes set to air from 1 to 3 June on One. The visits took her to the Battle Back Centre in Shropshire and Galanos House in Warwickshire, where she joined staff and service users in care and recovery activities.
Cassidy trained as a carer for Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together after being inspired by the time she spent looking after her father before he died. At Galanos House, she worked alongside Amy Cotterill, who mentored her through the visit, and got involved in bread making, saw dementia care in action and even changed into pyjamas to help with residents' bedtime routines.
The programmes are bringing viewers inside two places that do very different but equally demanding work. Galanos House is a residential care home for ex-servicemen and women and their spouses, offering nursing, residential, palliative, dementia and respite care, alongside day services at Poppy Lodge. The Battle Back Centre supports wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans through adaptive sport and adventurous activities, including wheelchair basketball, archery, climbing and cycling.
That work can still be misunderstood, which is why the documentary matters beyond celebrity access. Cotterill said Cassidy was passionate about caring for others, eager to learn from people working in health and social care, and fully immersed herself in the community. She also said care work can be unfairly stigmatised and hoped the series would show how meaningful and rewarding a career in care can be, and the effect it has on people receiving support.
At the Battle Back Centre, Gordon Perry introduced Cassidy to the multi-activity course and said the spotlight on recovery services can only help by showing those who have served and are serving that there is somewhere for them to get help and support. He also described the centre as a special place and said Cassidy embraced its spirit. The next fixed date for viewers is the broadcast window of episodes five, six and seven, when the two centres appear on One.
