A North Wales mum who nearly abandoned her ambition to become a nurse after the death of her eight-year-old son has qualified as one of a record eight new nurses at a care organisation.

Sarah Hughes, 35, from Felinheli, was applying for a nursing degree when her son Gwion died in 2021.

She had been planning to withdraw from the process, but her partner Darrel encouraged her to complete her online interview. Four years later, she has qualified as a nurse.

Sarah is one of eight care workers at Pendine Park to have completed nursing degrees through the organisation's “grow your own” scheme – the largest group to qualify since the programme began.

All eight completed four-year Bachelor of Science nursing degrees through the Open University while continuing to work in Pendine's nine care homes in Caernarfon and Wrexham.

They combined their jobs with university study, clinical placements and family commitments.

Sarah has worked for Pendine for almost ten years and is now based at Bryn Seiont Newydd in Caernarfon. She says her son Gwion was an inspiration for her decision to pursue nursing.

Gwion had Strep B meningitis when he was born and lived with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and blindness, requiring oxygen around the clock.

Sarah said she almost stopped her application after his death, but her partner persuaded her to continue.

She says becoming a nurse has brought greater responsibility and the need to make clinical decisions, while acknowledging that the course was difficult and stressful at times.

Another of the new nurses, 43-year-old Chris Jones from Penygroes, also studied while managing family commitments. His wife Kirsty was studying for a mental health nursing degree at Bangor University at the same time.

The couple spent several years balancing their studies with work and raising their four children.

Chris, who has worked for Pendine for more than a decade and has 20 years' experience in care, said the organisation supported him with his working hours and placements.

He described the programme as a way of developing nursing staff from within the care sector.

Pendine Park founder Mario Kreft MBE says the organisation is the only care organisation in North Wales running this type of nurse training programme.

He says the scheme demonstrates how people already working in social care can be supported to become qualified nurses, while stressing the important contribution made by the organisation's 500 carers.

The eight newly-qualified nurses are Sarah Hughes, Rebecca Armstrong, Chris Jones, Andrew Roberts, Kirsty Morris, Courteney Jones, Steph Lloyd and Michell Bevan.

Four are based at Bryn Seiont Newydd in Caernarfon, with the other four working at Pendine's homes in Wrexham.

They will celebrate their achievements at a graduation ceremony in Manchester in October.

The latest graduates follow Amy Rowlands and Sioned Williams, who became the first Pendine Park carers to complete the programme two years ago.

Further members of staff are currently undertaking nursing training as the organisation continues to develop its workforce.

Pendine Park has nine care homes, around 440 beds and an overall workforce of about 860 people, including more than 100 qualified nurses before the latest group joined the nursing team.