My nan was a strong-minded and inspirational lady. She was a deacon at her church (Elm Church on Charlotte Street) and was one of the people who pushed to get this place built. In her earlier life, she worked for the Admiralty, starting out in Whitehall before being posted to Bath. She worked at the Empire Hotel, which the Admiralty had taken over.

Nan never stopped pushing for the things she believed in. It’s thanks to her that there’s so many “dipped” pavements in Bath. To get to the chemist, she was having to take a massive detour on her mobility scooter, so she campaigned to get dipped pavements introduced.

As a teenager, I used to come and visit Nan at Bridgemead. My brother Justin and I came every week to give her a lift to church. Her room was number 202 and whenever I step in there I’m hit by pure nostalgia.

The way I see it is I have 32 grandparents. Each of them deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, just as I would my own nan. Making sure someone’s room is clean and tidy is an important part of that. We also take care over people’s laundry. There are some ‘family members’ [as we call those who live with us] who like to have their trousers ironed in a certain way with a crease down the front. It’s all part of the service.

I run a tight ship. My team sometimes tease me and say ‘are you checking up on me?’ They know I’m regimental. When you go into someone’s room, you shouldn’t see any cobwebs, when you run your finger along the skirting board (which I do), you shouldn’t find any dust. And to be fair, my team are outstanding – I can’t fault them!

Insects are the bane of our life. The summer months can be a nightmare. At sunset especially you notice them – when the sun is low you see all these shadows of bugs descending. Then there’s the ants. They are attracted to food and sometimes people will keep a little stash and forget where it is. Easter can be tricky as there’s so much chocolate about.

One thing I love about my role is hearing the stories of those living with us. There was an amazing lady called Rosemary who used to play the piano on a cruise ship, and another gentleman called Tom who used to teach at the Royal Academy of Music. Elton John was one of his students and he used to say that he had bad habits! We also have Stan, a Normandy veteran. It’s just amazing.

The support of our ‘family members’ has also helped me get through some tough times. Last year, I lost my brother to cancer. There’s a lady living here called Margaret who also lost her son to cancer. She understood what it was like to be grieving and said that it takes time. It was brutal but working here got me through it.

Being around older people gives me perspective. Many of them have health challenges but you see them soldiering on through things that are difficult. Seeing how they carry on stops me complaining.

In his spare time, Elliot likes:

• listening to music

• watching sport, especially football

• Going fishing

• Playing the African drums

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