Born and raised in Turkey, Luke grew up in Bursa (north-west Turkey), then went on to study first mechanical engineering, then shipping management in Istanbul. After completing his national military service in 1990, Luke came to the UK to improve his English, settling in Ramsgate to begin with.
As a teenager Luke would help his parents run their Singer Sewing Machine franchise, while also spending lots of time with his sister, to whom he has always been very close. During this time, Luke was heavily set on pursuing a career in engineering and worked in this field for several years after leaving university.
However, later in life, he found that he was more of a people person, working in several other fields – with children in clubs or camps, training teachers and even being a traffic warden – where he first saw the ‘other side’ of the British people! Three years ago, he opted for care of the elderly because it felt like a natural transition from children as he gets older.
Luke loves his role as activities organiser. “The best part is getting to hear amazing stories of our lovely residents and we have so much fun together,” he says. He plans to carry on doing what he loves until he moves into the home himself!
Luke met wife Emma in 1993 and the couple married a year later. They have four children together, aged between 17 and 24. The eldest, Leah, followed Luke into care, working as an A&E nurse, while the other children are still studying. The big-hearted family has also welcomed a 15-year-old Afghan refugee into their home.
Outside work, Luke enjoys travelling, especially between here and his home country of Turkey where he can experience what he describes as ‘the best of two worlds’!
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