Meet the Manager… Timothy, Luff House

Tell us a bit about your background…
I was born and brought up in Nigeria, in Lagos. I first came to the UK in 2006 to study accountancy, gaining my qualification with the Association of Charted Certified Accountants (ACCA). For some years I worked as an accountant in the banking industry, but I started to wonder if I might be better suited to something else. I went to a careers advisor and did some tests. They told me I should work in the care sector. That was it – I realised that care was my calling and it’s what I will do for the rest of my life.

What kinds of roles have you worked in within care?
I started as a support worker for people with severe learning difficulties. I found it amazing to help people achieve things they would not be able to do on their own. From there, I started working with people with mental health issues. This was also incredibly rewarding but could be quite tough. After that, I decided to work with older people. Before coming to Luff House, I was managing a care home in Colchester.

Why do you like working with older people?
Caring for older people comes naturally to me. In Nigeria, it’s part of the culture to listen to and respect older people. After all, they have been alive for longer and so they know more than you! When I look after older people, it’s as if I’m looking after my own parent so it doesn’t seem to be a job for me but a passion.

What’s life like outside of work?
My family and I live in Colchester – my wife and I have three young children aged seven, three and 18 months. We moved to Colchester from London a couple of years ago. At first I found it very quiet, but I’ve got used to it and now I really like it. It’s a lovely place to bring up children, very calm with lots of green space. We’re still part of a church in Ilford and usually drive in every week. We’ve only just gone back after lockdown, and it’s been so good to gather together again. Zoom is not the same! My wife sings and I play the keyboard – now we’re just waiting for everyone else to be able to join in with the singing too! Music is a big part of my life – I love to listen to Christian musicians like Nathaniel Bassey, who is Nigerian, Zach Williams from the US and whose prison ministry I find very inspiring, and Jarrod Cooper, based here in the UK.

Timothy would love you to pray:
- That the two new boxes of Bibles that recently arrived at the home would be put to good use
- That everyone living in the home would be assured of a glorious future with Christ
- That he would quickly get to grips with the computerised systems for recording care plans and storing medications
- That he would be able to fulfil God’s purpose for the home and work to a high standard, at the same time trusting that everything is in God’s hands