Meet Our Team

Gemma Ridout-Bowden

Senior General Manager

What I do:
I’m really excited about commissioning Mornington and building a home for our residents and nurturing a new team members, I enjoy my role as every day is different and our residents never cease to make me smile.
As a general manager, I feel privileged to be looking after peoples loved ones and ensuring each individual residents received the best possible care suited to their needs.
I have a deep passion for individual person centred care to enable me to do this I nurture and develop my team members to have the skills, knowledge and understanding of our residents needs ensuring the team have care at the centre of everything they do.

My experience:
I joined the care sector in the late 90’s and have worked in different areas allowing myself to grow different skills with the understanding of residential, nursing, day care, domiciliary, rehabilitation.
I hold a level 4 qualification in social care and a leadership and management award this has supported my roles a General Manager in the last 10 years to support the running of 3 residential and 1 nursing settings this includes the commissioning of 2 new builds.

About me:
When I’m not at work…
I live in sunny Bournemouth and I enjoy walks on the beach or in the forest, I have a close family unit and enjoy family time
I enjoy travelling in and out of the UK and when at home holding dinner parties for friends and family.

Michelle Cuthbert

Deputy Manager

What I do:
I am excited to support the General Manager and the rest of the Mornington Court team in my role as Deputy Manager.

I am passionate about ensuring that our team are providing the best care for our residents and enriching our residents’ lives. I love to see our residents thriving in the environment.

I enjoy mentoring the team and seeing them grow in confidence and their roles.

My experience:
I have a background in retail management for many years. I took a chance in 2016 and changed my career to work in the care sector and never looked back- I wish I had done it sooner. I joined Mornington Court in 2021. I have held different roles: Senior Care Assistant, Team Leader, Care Co-Ordinator and now with a promotion to Deputy Manager. I hold my level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care.

About me:
I grew up in New Milton, living aboard for 5 years when I got married and my husband was in the British Army. Outside of work, I enjoy walks at the beach or in the forest with my Siberian Husky. I found a real passion for gardening during the pandemic, and love to get gardening advice from our residents.

Lisa Walsh

Home Admissions Advisor

What I do:
My role puts me as the first point of contact when a family and prospective resident contact the home enquiring about the services and support we deliver. supporting family & residents during what can be a difficult time, for a lot of people they have never had to think about care home for their loved ones or themselves, and it can feel quite overwhelming, I find it so important to really find out what it is they want and what they need, so I can help guide them the best I can, and sometimes just to sit and listen.

My Experience:
I have previously worked many years in events and Entertainment, working with people has always been a passion of mine, Joining Cinnamon almost 2 years ago has been a wonderful experience, helping and guiding families through every aspect, and finally getting to see how settled and happy they are after moving to Mornington Court, is extremely rewarding. Getting to know our residents and their families, has been one of the many highlights of this job.

About Me:
Away from work, I am planning my wedding to my Fiancé Darren, which is exciting. We have a lovely little dog Marlo, who keeps us quite active, and I love anything to do with the theatre, especially musicals, this stems from my childhood watching the likes of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, so any chance I get to watch a musical, I am there.

Tammy George

Administrator

What I do:
I have a very varied role as administrator, which includes finance, payroll, recruitment and HR as well as overseeing reception. The role is very diverse and I aim to provide the best administrative support possible for the residents and staff.

My Experience:
I have 20 years’ experience in finance and payroll, most recently within Retirement Property Management and prior to that running an events business. I love working in a busy environment and being part of such a great team.

About Me:
Life outside of work is busy looking after two teenagers, three dogs and my husband! As a family we enjoy travelling, paddleboarding, walking, swimming and we love music and film quizzes.

Jean-Raymond Dijoux

Head Chef

What I do:
As Head Chef my priority is to make sure that all residents and the team have a big smile on their face after each service. This is achieved by me and my team delivering meals that not only meet the nutritional needs of each individual resident, but also through our passion and respect for fresh and local produce.

My Experience:
I have been a Head Chef for the last 21 years working all over the world, my previous position was as Head Chef at local 4* hotel Carey’s Manor. I have achieved many accolades and certification during my career, including a Golden Fork award, I have a masters in both baking & pastry as well as culinary arts.

About Me:
When I am not working, I love to read and go to the cinema, to relax I practise Aikido. I also love to have friends and family over for meals …. Guess who is cooking!!

Alina Ciuta

Head of Housekeeping

What I Do:
I am extremely proud and happy to be part of the Cinnamon Care Collection and it is truly rewarding to work alongside such wonderful & professional people.
My role involves not only supervising and guiding my housekeeping team, but I also ensure that the highest standards of cleanliness are maintained to reinforce the luxurious appearance of the home.

My Experience:
My background is rooted in hospitality previously I have worked in 5* establishment, The Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa as a Supervisor.

About Me:
I thoroughly enjoy interacting with residents and making sure their needs are met. Outside of the workplace, I am a proud mother & wife who loves her family very much. I love cooking, travelling and I find every single day of my life full of happiness and rewards in different shapes and forms.

Mike Brierley

Maintenance manager

What I do:
My role here at Mornington court is Maintenance Manager.

My Experience:
Towards the end of my 14 years as a teaching assistant, I took on additional responsibility and became a school Caretaker, this led me to become the Maintenance Operative at a local senior school.

About Me:
In my spare time, I enjoy trail running, Parkrun, long-distance cycling and camping