A CARE home is celebrating bucking the national trend as it eyes producing 100 graduates since the launch of its academy.

Townfield Care in Great Harwood opened its centre to train young care workers just over a year ago and has so far had 77 graduates.

The academy is now looking for another 30 to pass by the end of the year.

The news come despite national statistics gathered by the charity Skills for Care that more than 900 adult social workers a day leave their profession.

The family-run business in Church Street is owned by brothers Michael and John Timmins after being established by their mum Maria in 1975.

John, 29, said: “I think one of the reasons we’ve been so successful in launching the academy is due to the quality of the training we provide to the carers coming through our academy.

“It is very much vocational training not just following a computer screen and clicking a few buttons.

“We are there for those who come through our academy system every step of the way.”

Townfield is a 24-bed specialist dementia care home and also has a smaller six-place residential home in Rishton.

Michael, 33, said: “We have carers working here who do 40 hours a week and others who are perfectly happy doing a few here or there.

“What this means is that people who want to be carers can still do it and fit it around the other responsibilities they may have in their busy lives.

Townfield offers formal qualifications in health and social care to anyone who is with the group for more than six months.

Graduate and community support worker, Rosie Iqbal, 35, from Accrington said: “I always liked the idea of care work and it was a chance to do something positive for me and to feel like I was doing a good deed every day helping someone else.”

Blackburn graduate Sarah Yates, 36, who was previously a customer account manager, said: “Being a carer through the Townfield academy has really worked for me.

“I could have done any number of things after I left my previous job but I became a care worker because it’s so rewarding and Townfield have been fantastic since I started here.”

Bosses at Townfield hope to expand the service to provide to enable older people to live in their own homes longer.