A care agency manager who personally delivered a three-course Christmas dinner to many of her clients last year despite being heavily pregnant has been shortlisted for a major award.

Elizabeth McCabe-Boutros has been working in the care sector since she was a teenager and is currently Manager of Premier Care Plus which from its Mold headquarters provides daily care for around 60 adults, who are either elderly, mentally infirm or have learning or physical disabilities, across Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire.

Last Christmas she and fellow staff members cooked the Christmas dinners at their own home before delivering them to 24 clients.

It is this dedication and commitment to her role that has landed 40-year-old Elizabeth a place in the final of major national competition, the 2018 Wales Care Awards.

The ceremony will be held at City Hall in Cardiff on Friday October 19.

Elizabeth is shortlisted for the Leadership and Management in Supported Living or Small Group Community Living Award.

Married to production worker Gerges Boutros with a son Luke, aged six, and a seven-month-old daughter Molly, Elizabeth is originally from Frodsham in Cheshire and started work as a care assistant at the age of just 17 at a nursing home in Tarporley at the same time as studying for a qualification in health and social care.

Elizabeth joined Premier Care Plus in 2010 as a care co-ordinator in Wrexham but within only three months her talents were recognised and she had been promoted to the position of manager.

She is currently responsible for directing the efforts of a team of 45 staff and plays a key role in their professional development.

At Christmas she personally oversees the cooking and distribution of the hot dinners and does the same thing on Easter Sundays.

Elizabeth said: “Last year myself and some of the staff cooked the meals at home and then delivered them to clients in our cars. That was a little tricky for me as I was eight months pregnant with my daughter Molly at the time!

“I think it’s important to do things like this as there are a few of our clients who don’t have anybody and spend Christmas and Easter on their own. They deserve a special day too.

“The Christmas dinners have become very popular and people now put their orders in with us as early as October.”

In Elizabeth’s nomination for the Wales Care Awards her Deputy Manager Constance Scott says of her: “She goes above and beyond for not only our clients but for members of her staff.

“She is always there not just during working hours but anytime of the day or night. She is very fair and understanding and is always willing to go the extra mile to help.”

Elizabeth said she was shocked to hear she had been shortlisted for an award because she didn’t think she did anything out of the ordinary.

“I do what I do and don’t see anything special about it. I just find the job so rewarding and one big smile from a client makes your day,” she explained.

“Many of our clients don’t see anybody else during the day but our staff members, so our visits are very important to them. You treat people how you would like to be treated.

“I also love to see our staff getting on because that’s rewarding too.”

She added: “I’m looking forward very much to attending the award ceremony in Cardiff and will be going with my husband and one of my senior colleagues from the agency.”