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An Alva care employee has been recognised as among the leading homecare employees in Scotland at a prestigious evening awards ceremony celebrating the best of the independent care at home and housing support sector in Scotland.Sharon McKenna is employed by Mears/ILS at the company’s office in Alva, and was chosen as the winner of the Trainer of the Year Award category at the Scottish Care Awards 2015. She received her award at a ceremony in the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow on 5 June, hosted by entertainer Michelle McManus.Sharon was delighted to have been selected as a winner and said: “I am very surprised but thrilled and honoured to be chosen to collect this prestigious award.”Susan McCormack, Service Manager for Mears/ILS in Clacks, who nominated Sharon, said: “Sharon will always succeed in engaging her classroom and knows when to change to appeal to various learning styles. She is motivational, fun, extremely accommodating and always strives for excellence. She continues to be an extremely valued member of the operational teams and is a very deserving winner of this award.”Also shortlisted for an award on the night was Amy Proudfoot, a Clacks-based Mears/ILS employee who was nominated in the Carer of the Year category. Susan McCormack says: “Amy joined the company as a support worker in February 2014 and in that time, even though she had no previous experience in this sector, she has proven to be an asset to the Clacks team by demonstrating best practice at all times and doing all she can to ensure that her service users feel safe and supported.”The Scottish Care National Care at Home and Housing Support Awards follow a full day conference for the homecare sector, which is now in its ninth year. These awards have been hailed a huge success in recognising individuals, teams and companies, with more entries than ever flooding in each year from employers and employees nominating their peers and colleagues.The awards were judged by Marcia Ramsay from Leonard Cheshire Disability, Chris Bruce, Lead on Outcomes, and Dr Anne Hendry, National Clinical Lead for Integrated Care at the Joint Improvement Team.The conference, exhibition and care awards are the largest of their kind for the care at home and housing support sector in Scotland and are designed for those commissioning, planning and providing care and support to adults in their own homes across Scotland.For more information visit www.scottishcare.orgMears’ care teams provide support to around 20,000 people a year and it is continually expanding to meet the increasing needs of the elderly population and other people. Its services are designed to meet changing needs and promote independence for those who may require extra support.