North Wales mum who trains 3,000 care workers a year shortlisted for major award
30th September 2026
A mum who helps train up to 3,000 care workers a year across North Wales has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to the sector.
Jenna Evans, who leads the Pendine Academy of Social Care, has been shortlisted for a prestigious honour at this year’s Wales Care Awards in the commitment to training and development category.
The ceremony takes place at Holland House Hotel in Cardiff on October 16, with finalists attending from across Wales.
The 42-year-old, who has worked in social care for 23 years, heads a team helping staff from 30 care providers across North and Mid Wales develop the skills needed to provide high quality care.
Mum-of-one Jenna was appointed the manager at the academy in April by the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation who have nine care homes of their own in Wrexham and Caernarfon.
Jenna, who started working at the academy nine years ago, said: “So much of the work that goes on in the social care sector day in, day out, is just amazing.
“I am really honoured to be named a finalist to be honest, I’m very proud of that and my family are all very proud of me too.”
Jenna leads a team of seven assessors and three administration staff at the Wrexham-based academy which offers a virtual training centre featuring realistic recreations of a residents’ lounge, bedroom and dining area.
She was previously the academy’s deputy manager, supporting her predecessor Ann Serridge who retired in March.
Jenna said: "We are always busy at the academy, no day is the same, but it is hugely rewarding.
"We have about 850 staff in our homes at Pendine alone, and I oversee all their training, but I don't, and couldn't, do it on my own, it is a team effort.
"We have our own toolkit that we have developed, we have in-house training, we have trainers in each home, we have trainer network meetings – and we oversee all that.
"I have amazing staff in my team by my side who share my passion to deliver the best training possible.
"We work on various other projects too, for example team leader training for our homes, so there's always plenty going on.
"I just love my job because I love developing others and seeing how they improve what they do all the time.
"At the end of the day, all our staff have to be highly trained to deliver safe care, that is the most important thing, and we can do that through our own academy.
"Our carers must be highly skilled because they support some of our community's most vulnerable people, some of our residents have challenging needs and you have to do specific training around that."
Jenna lives in Wrexham with partner Gavin Adamson and their 16-year-old son Dylan, who is about to start an enhanced Level 3 engineering course at Coleg Cambria.
She started out in dementia care provision as a teenager as she felt she wanted to make a real difference to people's lives.
Jenna said: "A lot of our assessors have come from being a care worker at Pendine and have progressed their careers from there, there is a real career pathway here.
"I chose health and social care because I really wanted to do something which I knew would be rewarding to me."
Jenna said being nominated for the care award was extra special because the nomination had been made by Ann Serridge.
She said: "Ann was just the best manager, she was fantastic and a wealth of knowledge.
"She is such a good role model to me and I still use a lot of what she taught me now, she was just excellent."
Ann said: "She consistently demonstrates a high level of knowledge, skill, and dedication to best practice.
"Her ability to support learners while maintaining the highest standards of care is exceptional.
"She ensures that all assessment decisions are fair, evidence-based, and fully aligned with regulatory and awarding body requirements.
"Her professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail ensure that assessments are robust, accurate, and meet both organisational and awarding body standards.
"She leads by example and consistently promotes the values of compassion, respect, and excellence that are central to health and social care."
The Pendine Park care organisation was established in 1985 by Mario Kreft MBE and his wife Gill.
Mario, who founded the Wales Care Awards which has given out more than 900 awards to social care heroes since it was established in 2003, said: "Jenna plays such an important role in the training of our country's carers and being named a finalist in this year's awards is such a well-deserved honour.
"We want all carers to provide excellent care and to do that we need their training to be of an excellent standard.
"Jenna and her team at the Pendine Academy of Social Care strive to provide that excellent training on a daily basis and I am delighted that hard work is being reflected in this year's Wales Care Awards.”