Cygnet Social Care’s Trinity House and Trinity Lodge have been shortlisted four times at the Great British Care Awards 2026 Scotland regional finals. The Great British Care Awards celebrate excellence across the social care sector, recognising individuals and teams who have demonstrated outstanding dedication and made a difference to the lives of the people they support.
The Great British Care Awards finalists are::
- Charris Brown – Ancillary Worker Award
- Amanda Jackson – Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award
- Trinity House and Trinity Lodge – Co-Production Award
- Lorraine Platt – Care Home Team Award
The service has also been named as a finalist in three categories at the Scottish Care National Care Home and Housing Support Awards, which will take place in Glasgow on Friday 13 November 2026:
- Amanda Jackson – Ancillary and Support Staff Award
- Louise Anderson – Care Worker of the Year Award
- Hartnell’s Café – Care Innovation Award
Together, the nominations recognise different aspects of the team’s shared commitment to ensuring the people they support are at the heart of decisions about their lives and have meaningful opportunities to contribute to their community.
One of the biggest examples of that approach has been the creation of Hartnell’s Community Café, which opened at Trinity Lodge in 2025 and was developed through co-production with residents.
Named in memory of Greg Hartnell, a much-loved resident who lived at Trinity House for 20 years, the café provides residents with meaningful work experience and opportunities to develop skills including customer service, food preparation, money handling, food hygiene and health and safety.
Residents take on roles including welcoming customers, preparing food, serving drinks and handling transactions, helping them build confidence, independence and skills for future employment.
The café has grown to become a popular community hub in Lockerbie and has already received national recognition, winning the Social Care Star Award at the National Lived Experience Awards last year.
The success of Hartnell’s is now being recognised in two further ways, with the café shortlisted for the Care Innovation Award at the National Care Home and Housing Support Awards, while its approach to involving residents in its development has also secured Trinity House and Trinity Lodge a place in the Co-Production Award category at the Great British Care Awards.
Service Manager Lorraine Platt said: “To have seven finalist places across two major care awards is an incredible achievement and I am so proud of everyone at Trinity House and Lodge.
“What makes this particularly special is that the nominations recognise so many different parts of what makes Trinity such a wonderful place, from individual members of staff who go above and beyond every day, to our wider team and the way we work alongside the people we support.
“Hartnell’s Café is probably the best example of what we mean by co-production. It wasn’t something created for our residents; it was created with them. They backed the idea from the beginning and have played a central role in making it the success it is today.
“We have watched people grow in confidence, learn new skills, make friends with customers and take enormous pride in their roles. At the same time, it has opened our doors to Lockerbie and helped create some really special relationships with our local community.
“For our residents to see something they helped create being recognised for innovation and co-production is fantastic. Their voices, ideas and abilities are at the centre of everything we do.”
Among the individual finalists is Amanda Jackson, whose Outstanding Contribution nomination follows 25 years of service with Cygnet Social Care.
Amanda, who works as a cook at the service, has become a driving force behind Hartnell’s Café and is known for her commitment to making food and mealtimes an important and inclusive part of life at the service.
Earlier this year she received Cygnet’s Swan Award, which recognises long-serving colleagues who continue to make a positive difference. Amanda has previously described how she has always sought to make the kitchen “the heart of the house”, while using Hartnell’s to showcase what residents can achieve.
Her Great British Care Awards nomination for Outstanding Contribution to Social Care recognises an individual who has made a lasting contribution to the sector and whose dedication has had an enduring positive impact on the people they support. Her latest finalist place in the Ancillary and Support Staff category at the National Care Home and Housing Support Awards provides further recognition of the contribution she makes through her role.
Louise Anderson has also been shortlisted for Care Worker of the Year while Charris Brown has been shortlisted for the Ancillary Worker Award at the Great British Care Awards, a category which recognises those working in essential support roles who demonstrate person-centred values, initiative and a commitment to going above and beyond for the people they support.
Lorraine has also been named among the finalists in the Care Home Team Award category. Lorraine joined Trinity House in 2017 as an activity coordinator before progressing to manage both services.
Lorraine added: “Awards are lovely recognition, but what matters most is the difference we make every day. We want the people we support to have choices, opportunities and a genuine sense of belonging.
“We don’t want there to be barriers to what somebody can achieve because they have a learning disability. Whether it is working in the café, learning a new skill, building friendships or becoming more involved in Lockerbie, our role is to find ways to make those opportunities possible.
“To see Charris, Amanda, Louise, Hartnell’s Café, our co-production work and the wider team all recognised across these awards is something everyone at Trinity can be extremely proud of.”