As you may have read in our previous post, Just For U Care's NDIS team was recently awarded 'The Most Outstanding In-Home Services Provider in the World in 2023' at the Global Awards. Earlier this month, members of our NDIS team and senior executive team were lucky enough to travel to London to attend The Global Awards and receive the award in person.
NDIS Senior care consultant Ash documented our team's trip to London and we would love to share some highlights of their experience with you! We hope you enjoy Ash's daily reflections and the team's photos from London, and feel free to share your favourite places in London with us too!
Departure
With our hearts and excitement soaring, the NDIS team (Ash, Elisha and Eliza) and senior JFU Care Staff (Gisele, Itay and Carolyn) gathered at Melbourne Airport to fly to London to accept The Global Award in two days time.
When we landed, we were greeted with typical November London Weather- a bit of a shock to the system having just come from Melbourne Spring; but we were ready with jackets. We all jumped into our transport to our hotel, excited to see the famous red double decker buses and phone boxes!
Day 1: Sightseeing
Travel sickness and jet lag couldn't stop our team from enjoying the beautiful sights during our first 2 days in London. After checking into The Courthouse Hotel (a real courthouse with many of its original fittings and fixtures still in place), we ventured to Soho. It is said that one of the best ways to fight off jet lag is with chocolate (only I say that though.. so I don't know how true it is). With that in mind, our first stop in Soho was for lunch at the Italian Bear Chocolate cafe. We spent a good few hours there and with all that sugar in my system, sleep was the last thing on my mind. Refreshed and refuelled, the JFU Care team set off to explore some of the London sights further; heading towards piccadilly square and then further refreshments at Covenant Garden Market.
Day 2: Sightseeing and The Global Awards!
Up bright and early at 6am, probably still working on Australian time, I thought a nice walk through Soho to get my bearings would be the best way to start to the day. I was pleased to see that there was a blue sky and sunshine this morning.. perhaps some Melbourne weather had followed us, and I marvelled at all the beautiful shop architecture.
Being a South Eastern suburb lad, I also found it humorous to see Berwick Street, Cranbourne Street and the Berwick Street Market.
Today the shoppers in the group wanted to hit the London shops and see the fashions. I was most impressed by all the cute Christmas ornaments, buying a number for my kids. And I spotted Gisele also purchasing some London themed ornaments, to adorn JFU Care's Office Christmas tree. Many hours later the group left with a number of shopping bags and big smiles.
That evening we attended The Global Awards, accepting Just For U Care's award for 'The Most Outstanding In-Home Services Provider in the World in 2023'. What a privilege and an honour.
Day 3: Comic Con
Anyone who has read my 'Meet senior care consultant Ash' blog entry, knows I build remote controlled life sized star wars robots that attend charity events.
So I was excited to see that London Comic Con was on while I was in London. With that in mind, I ducked away from the group on Saturday and headed in to London to check out what things were like on the other side of the pond and if there were any British robots.
Although there were a lot of people, I didn't see any British robots. But I did meet the Rebel Legion: Elstree Base crew. Like myself, they attend charity events to help out causes; but wear costumes instead of driving robots.
And finally, at the end of the day I headed via Tube to Earls Court to check in on one of the last remaining London Police Boxes.
Having visited London 10 years ago, I managed to get a picture with it (below left) back then. And I was glad to see it was still there, looking refreshed and brighter; while I just looked older :D (below right).
Days 4-6: Soaking in the Sights
During our last few days in London, the team really took advantage of everything the city has to offer. We ventured out on a hop-on hop-off bus tour of London, feasted on culinary delights (including our team's favourite dessert spot L'ETO Caffe), enjoyed musical theatre and explored the beautiful Christmas decorations throughout the city.
Our team is incredibly proud to have won The Global Award and thrilled we could represent Just For U Care on an internationally renowned stage. We are honoured to be recognised for the excellence in supports we provide. The award ceremony was a night to remember- and this trip was unforgettable- and I am proud to have been there as the JFU Care Senior Care Consultant.
If you would like to learn more about Just For U Care's services and how we can assist you or your loved one, please contact us.
