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Meet the Holiday Support workers:
When you book with Heads Up Holidays you will be assigned your own holiday support worker who is best suited to you and your holiday.
Our Portuguese team will make your holidays special. While they are trained nurses, counsellors, therapists and teachers above all else they offer support, advice and since they all live around the Algarve they have fantastic local knowledge.
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The Team
Graham Dexter
A successful clinical nurse, ward manager, hospital manager and nurse tutor, Graham has an infectious sense of humor with energy and enthusiasm to burn.
An author of three books and a doctorate from Durham University, his skills are based around counselling, facilitation and negotiation and Graham has committed much time to teaching, training and facilitating small groups. His work has extended to government and social services.
As a trainer in soft skills communication and a master practitioner in NLP is especially good at making and maintaining rapport in stressful situations.
Having lived in Portugal for 8 years he knows The Algarve like the back of his hand and loves sharing the hotspots and lesser known local delights.
Maria Kelk
Maria is a trained social worker who has extensive experience from her time as a Children's and Family social worker and on a Child Protection team in the Midlands.
She is a trained counsellor, and her experience as a social worker has given her a range of experience working with people and problems, from those who've had serious psychological problems to those with normal everyday family difficulties.
Maria is easy going, speaks Portuguese and has great local knowledge with many clients requesting her to assist them again on return Heads Up holidays to The Algarve.
Nicola Rogers
Nicola has intensive care and general nursing experience from her seven years in London hospitals. She has also nursed in Portuguese clinics and nursing homes and assisted disabled people on holiday in the Algarve.
Nicola finds working with clients on holiday incredibly rewarding as she has been able to see 'the amazing change in them' in experiencing such activities as swimming with the dolphins and horse riding.
She is fluent in Portuguese as she has been living in The Algarve with her family since 2002 where she gained experience managing villas and apartments for property rental companies.
Julieann Smith
Julie is our resident outdoors expert with a wealth of experience from her time as a sailing instructor and skipper, Royal lifesaving society teacher and examiner, pool lifeguard and trainer, avid skier and swim coach. Julie holds a coping with challenging behavior certificate and has gained valuable skills during her time as an inclusion support worker which helped troubled kids get back into school.
Julie moved to The Algarve five years ago working as a holiday rep and now has her own delightful bed and breakfast tucked away in the hills.
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What our clients say:
"My holiday support worker had heaps of local knowledge from living there which meant we didn't get stuck in the tourist traps"
"It was a great break from my normal routine and full time carers"
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