Bright & Beautiful, a Grays based ethical and eco-friendly professional housekeeping franchise business, hosted a tea party in April to reduce social isolation and loneliness for its elderly clients.

Franchise owner, Niamh Wakeling and her team of four housekeepers, invited more than a dozen of its elderly clients to a local café, May’s Catering Company, in Purfleet, Essex and threw them a lavish afternoon party of scrumptious cakes and sandwiches.  Not only did they pick up some of the clients who were unable to drive, but they also sent them home with a doggy bag full of food to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. 

Reflecting on the tea party, Niamh Wakeling, commented: “I had been wanting to organise an event for my elderly clients for a while now and decided that a tea party was a perfect way to show both gratitude and support to those that don’t have the opportunity to often socialise and get out of their homes.   Our clients were overjoyed at being in the café, and for me personally, it was hugely emotional, particularly when you saw the happiness on their faces!  The spread that the café put on was fabulous and we are so grateful for all their wonderful food – a big thank you.  

“One of our clients said we’d made her into a new woman and she felt like she was in a different world, and another client who haven’t been out for six months, except for hospital trips, wanted to know when could they do it again and if the next one could be at the seaside!  We would like to organise a similar gathering for these clients on a regular basis, especially after seeing how much joy this tea party bought to their lives.”

Launched in October 2014, Niamh now employs 16 trusted housekeepers from the local area and they provide a service that offers eco-friendly cleaning, tidying, laundry and ironing to a consistently high standard.  The business delivers over 240 weekly hours of professional housekeeping per week. 

Based in Grays, Bright & Beautiful covers Chafford Hundred, Upminster, Hornchurch, North Stifford, North Ockendon, South Ockendon, Purfleet, Rainham, Orsett, Bulphan, Langdon Hills, Stanford Le Hope, Canvey Island and surrounding areas.  It is part of a national network of 60 franchisees building their own local business, creating 600+ jobs and delivering more than 120,000 home cleans per year.