Meet the team
With a history of providing care services for over 30 years
Our Leadership Team
John Towers
Managing Director
John set up Chesterford Homecare in 2015 to provide high quality visiting care in and around Saffron Walden and bespoke 24-hr live in care across Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Having assembled a vastly experienced and exceptionally talented management team, John is now able to devote his time largely to marketing and promotion. In his spare time John enjoys following current affairs and the arts, cycling, golf and travel.
Gideon Towers
Associate Director
After gaining a degree in Music Technology at university in Leicester, Gideon joined the recruitment industry and now runs an international recruitment firm specialising in the Overseas Property & Construction sectors. His role within Chesterford Homecare is to provide strategic advice in relation to recruitment and marketing. In his spare time Gideon enjoys composing and playing music and testing himself with physical challenges.
Heather Pegler
Registered Manager
After a successful career in the building supplies industry, Heather has been working in the care sector for more than 15 years. Her first job in care was as a healthcare assistant in a care home. She has since held a number of senior roles in homecare, specialising in the live-in care sector. In her spare time Heather enjoys cooking and baking, gardening and looking after her two cats.
Maggie Markowicz
Deputy Manager
Maggie joined us in October 2024 as Deputy Manager with specific responsibility for Care and Compliance. Since arriving in the UK in 2013, she has held a number of different and increasingly senior roles across the healthcare sector, including domiciliary care, residential care, independent living and care of those with special needs.
Before coming to the UK from her native Poland, Maggie studied at Szczecin University and then lectured there in Non-Verbal Communication. Fluent in several languages, Maggie also worked in her summer vacations as an international tour guide for TUI, a job which took her all over the world.
After a long and amazingly varied career, Maggie has now decided to specialise in the homecare sector, because she believes strongly that supporting older people in their own home is the best way of enabling them to maintain their dignity and independence. As she says: “Seeing the smile on clients’ faces is the best reward and motivates me to provide the best service possible”.
Some Of Our Amazing Carers
Kerry Stephenson
Care Assistant
Kerry was born and raised in South Africa and, after leaving full-time education, she worked as PA to the MD of a digital printing company for 20 years. She came to the UK in 2019 to work in the healthcare sector and after 6 months with a national care company, she joined us in 2020. Kerry says she prefers working for a smaller company because in a small company everyone counts and everyone has a voice – “It’s like an extended family.” Kerry has 2 grown-up sons back in South Africa and 2 grandchildren under 10. Her brother and his family also live in the UK, as does her uncle. In her spare time she enjoys keeping in touch with her family and friends, online shopping and watching TV.
Silvija Drikane
Care Assistant
Silvija was born and raised in Latvia, a Baltic State which shares a land border with Russia. After studying languages at university and then gaining a Masters Degree in Legal Translation. Silvija spent several years teaching English across a range of educational settings in Latvia. A passionate Anglophile, Silvija came to the UK in 2011 to work at an international school in Ipswich and then worked for 5 years in domiciliary carer and doing her round on a bicycle, as she doesn’t drive! She joined us in 2016 and says she enjoys working for a small family-run company, as she feels she is treated more as an individual, rather than just as a cog in a machine. In her spare time, Silvija enjoys country walks, visiting museums and art galleries, travel and reading.
Beata Chapman
Care Assistant
Beata was born and raised in Poland. After gaining a Masters Degree in English Philology, she started work as an English teacher. She got married in 1998 to an Englishman whom she had met on holiday in Spain and they settled down in England and had 2 little girls. When the girls reached school age, they went to live in Poland. In 2019 Beata decided to change careers and started looking for a care job in the UK. She found Chesterford Homecare, conveniently located within easy reach of Stansted Airport and came on board in June, 2019. Beata says she enjoys working for us because she loves her clients and appreciates our flexibility in terms of meeting her preferred work pattern. In her spare time Beata enjoys catching up with family and friends, reading and watching TV.
Why you should choose us
My wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, and we thought it wise to seek professional help, mainly in terms of companionship, so that we could build friendly and trusting relationships between our carer and ourselves. Our carer has also got to know our family, neighbours and friends in the community and my wife looks forward to her visits. Our carer is friendly and encouraging and it means that I can have some time on my own, knowing that my wife will be enjoying herself in safe hands. Our carer is happy to take my wife out for a walk, visit a cafe or remain in our home or garden.
Our future is uncertain, but I feel encouraged and supported in difficult times.
R A (Client)
When there was a need to clarify or comment on a particular need concerning my mother’s care this always received immediate attention.
The choice of live-in carer was such that my mother was provided with a new friendship as well as someone who attended to her physical needs.
Frances L (Daughter of Client)
I came back from holiday and was informed of the care received by both my husband and my daughter.
I read the daily notes and was impressed and very pleased with the detail and commitment given. Very professional company with excellent caregivers. Will be using them again.
M C (Wife of Client)
Very helpful, reliable and committed to providing a caring and excellent service for clients.
Daughter of client in Great Sampford.
Finding care for my father in his locality has been a challenge. 18 months ago he was discharged from a rehab unit and sent home where he lives alone. He had temporary bridging care.
I went through the list of local care companies and I could tell from the way that Chesterford handled the call that they would be the best solution to my father’s needs. They were stretched but were prepared to work him into the already busy schedule. All of the carers have dealt with his denial of the need for care…..he now looks forwards to the visits….they are part of his life.
He is at risk of falling and on more than one occasion, the carers have had to deal with the implications of this which they have done perfectly. It is our intention to keep my father at home, this will only be possible with the continued high level of care and support provided by Chesterford.
Mat K (Son of Client)
Very honest people who get back to you very quickly. Thanks so much for the Amazon competition prize which I got very quickly.
Alan Barrett
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