Compassionate care workers in Hertfordshire who give back to the community are being celebrated throughout the month of July.
Many people rely on care workers, be that in care homes or through home visits, and Hertfordshire County Council wants to show how much it values their contribution.
Stevenage and Letchworth care providers have hosted events in July as part of The Good Care Month initiative.
This hopes to inspire enthusiasm for the care sector and is celebrating individuals who deserve to be recognised.
It is an opportunity for the wider public to share their thanks on social media to any care workers who have made a difference to them or someone they know, or to share a positive care story.
HCC is also launching the new Hertfordshire Care Professional Standards Academy, where care workers can demonstrate their qualifications to employers and earn skill development rewards.
An individual who has made an impact is Dee Casey from Stevenage, who is a care practitioner.
She works at Alina Homecare providing support for elderly or disabled adults so they can continue to live a fulfilling home life or be supported in a live-in community.
Dee has been working in this role for over five years, and feels that she really makes a difference to vulnerable people deserving a good quality of life.
She said: "Sometimes I'm the only visitor the people I care for might get, I want them to enjoy the time I spend with them.
"Some of the people I meet are really vulnerable, they depend on me."
James Dodd is a level two health and social care apprentice working at Orchard House Supported Living Unit in Letchworth.
The unit helps adults with learning disabilities to live an independent life as possible, while still accessing necessary care.
He said: "I've realised that mainly this job is about communicating, encouraging people, getting them to join in and as my confidence grows, so does their trust.
"A lot of people are intimidated by disability but everybody is human. Some people just have different needs."
There are currently 31,000 people working in adult social care in Hertfordshire, but each year 4,000 new care workers need to be recruited to keep pace with an increasing demand in the county. Visit hertsgoodcare.com to find out more.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here