Matt Hanger, a businessman and former owner of two local companies, was inspired by a friend and business associate to follow in his footsteps and buy a home care business.

“I realised a while ago that I much preferred the B2C sector and dealing directly with people,” Matt said, “and through having long conversations with my colleague, he got me thinking about having a financially viable business in a rewarding sector.

“Then he told me about his home care business and how much he enjoyed it. We talked extensively about this and from that point I began to look around at home care providers and found Caremark.”

Whilst waiting for his registration from the CQC to come through, Matt contacted key stakeholders in his community, including his local authority social services commissioning teams, letting them know about his soon-to-open care service.

With CQC registration in place, Caremark Swindon is now trading and available to supply care packages for both local authority and private customers in their area.

Matt continued: “Initially, we will be providing personal care and support to older adults at home, but my intention is to expand into activity-related care, offering different kinds of day trips, outings, and companionship.

“My inspiration to provide this kind of service comes from my partner’s mum who is reliant on people visiting her and taking her out. Fortunately, Sharon my partner, can do this, but if she wasn’t around, the situation would be very different.

“Providing the opportunity for people to get out and about is important. Being housebound creates isolation and, as we know, isolation can lead to actual physical illness.

“I did a lot of research before I made my decision to go with Caremark, as I needed to find the right company who would fulfil what I was looking for in terms of a good business opportunity but, more importantly, had the right feel for me.

“Caremark’s passion for high-quality care delivery and their overall values appealed to me. I felt this was the opportunity I had been looking for, so I bought their Swindon franchise.

When he’s not working on his new business, Matt likes to escape the demands of business and watch live bands. He’s also a big fan of scuba diving and plans to get in another trip this year to indulge his passion.

“Being underwater is incredible; the weightlessness and silence is wonderful. Watching the fish whizz back and forth is peaceful, and when I’m down there, I forget everything else!”