love’

Yetty Adepegba, Village Manager of Eden Court Care Home in Battersea, talks to Sarah Dale about the luxury care market and why she loves working with older people.

“I always say to my daughters: ‘When you make my cup of tea with love, I can taste it’ and it’s the same with care,” says Yetty Adepegba.

“If you care for residents with love, they can feel it. We want everyone to feel special and comfortable.

“Eden Court is very beautiful and very different from other care homes. Every time you come in here, you feel special and comfortable. We want residents and their families to feel that emotional connection.”

Yetty is the Village Manager of Eden Court Care Home, which won the prestigious Knight Frank Care Home Design Award in collaboration with Catalyst Interior Design who were commissioned to design and fit the luxury care home. Located in the heart of Battersea, it provides 24-hour residential and dementia care and professional nursing care.

The care home and retirement village are part of the Cinnamon Care Collection group, which is due to open its 23rd care home in early 2025. With 30 years’ experience in the care industry, Yetty is passionate about what she does.

“I love my job,” she says.

“It is a privilege to work with older people. I love talking to older people; they have such a wealth of knowledge and experience and it would be foolish not to tap into that knowledge.”

The care does not stop at the residents – the company prides itself on providing a workplace that staff love to work in with higher rates of pay, meals provided and emotional support.

“We want to set a high standard and you have to pay for that to attract the people you want – well trained, highly skilled people who understand the luxury care market,” she says.

“Cinnamon does this very well. We provide a high level of care to our team too. The job can be stressful so it is important that there is a gym on site, meals are provided, regular breaks and they feel that they are cared for too.

“I may be the Village Manager, but it is a village here.”

That collaborative approach is integral to their role as a Patron member of Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce.

“We joined so we can fully establish ourselves within the South London business community,” says Yetty.

“Networking and increasing our brand awareness are very important to us. Sometimes you can feel like you’re the only one in a particular situation so it is good to talk to other businesses. You learn a lot from other people’s perspectives.

“It is a very competitive market. Gone are the days when you were the only luxury brand and we are also facing a rise in the cost of living, but we have an excellent premium product which we believe the Chamber can help us spread the word through their members.

“We want to be able to promote the retirement village and care home to the business community. It is also a chance to change any misconceptions of the industry and an opportunity for recruitment. It is not only carers we recruit, but also hospitality, managers, maintenance. We are also always looking for new ideas and ways to collaborate with others to bring new activities to the residents.”

Juggling the demands of residents and staff and the inevitable sad times experienced in the care industry can take their toll, but Yetty’s passion for helping others shines through.

“The smile on the face of someone who has come in so tense and anxious is the most rewarding part of my job,” she adds.

“It’s a big thing handing over your loved one, your most precious person – your mum or dad – and the most rewarding thing is when you can see the trust and smiles. It makes it all worthwhile.

“Being in care is about the resident, their families and the team members. Happy team members make happy residents and happy families. I always say to new residents it is like the first day of school and they will soon make new friends, and they do.

“My job is such a privilege, and I do feel very grateful for the opportunity to work with older people.”

Partner with us: Showcase your business and power a year of creativity

Known for its vibrant and diverse communities, the borough has a proud cultural history as home to Battersea Arts Centre, Battersea Power Station, Tooting Market, the Clapham Grand, the Royal Academy of Dance and much more.

Starting in April, Wandsworth Council, arts and culture communities and local partners across the Borough are gearing up for a spectacular year.

From Roehampton to Battersea, Tooting to Putney, every corner of Wandsworth will come alive in an explosion of creativity. Our cultural programme is being created with local people and organisations, with many events free for everyone. From a mass dance event to a choral spectacular, we will come together to share experiences and supercharge our health and happiness.

We have huge ambitions for our year as London Borough of Culture. Wandsworth is changing, and culture will be at the heart of developing a people-led approach to boosting health, happiness and equality of opportunity.

Our London Borough of Culture programme will be a trailblazer for London becoming a Creative Health Capital City - a place where better health outcomes are achieved through the power of culture and the arts.

We are working collaboratively with arts, culture, business, voluntary and community partners to build an unforgettable programme that will bring out the best in Wandsworth, celebrate our communities and showcase the talent of our borough. By connecting us, our year has the power to supercharge our health and happiness. It will open doors for our residents and help young people find creative careers. It will be a catalyst for change, so that creativity is recognised for improving our health.

We want our local businesses to be a part of the year so please spread the word to friends, family and employees. There will be many opportunities to participate or even be a volunteer. We are also looking for sponsors so if you are interested in finding out more about the offer then please contact Christine.boakye@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Funders, Partners and Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our funders, partners and sponsors, whose support is making Wandsworth’s year as London Borough of Culture 2025 possible.

Become a sponsor

We are offering lots of opportunities for local businesses to get involved and be a sponsor of our year as London Borough of Culture.

From year-long headline sponsors to individual event sponsors, we can offer local businesses access to wide ranging audience groups in all corners of the borough. Wandsworth is also a young and dynamic borough with half of our residents aged between 20 and 44. It is popular with those moving to London away from family and friends and 36% of residents are private renters – one of the highest proportions in London.

If you want to be a sponsor of London Borough of Culture then contact us on Christine.boakye@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk