Together, the staff can boast almost 500 combined years of service.

Rhona Forrest, performance and quality officer, has been acknowledged for her 25 years of service alongside Gail Barclay, from the service contracts team, who was recognised for her 15 years.

Rhona and Gail were two of 27 employees praised for the important and long-running role they play in enriching the lives of older people.

Rhona said: “I am really proud and delighted to have my career with Bield acknowledged and valued in this way. I can’t quite believe I have been with Bield for 25 years.

“My time with the organisation has gone really quickly and it is great to have been in a job for so long and still enjoy coming to work every day. It is the moments like these that make the job you do worthwhile and reinforces that the work you are doing is making a positive difference.”

Gail added: “It’s really amazing to have received my 15 years long service award from Bield as they are a great organisation to work for. I worked in the Care Services Department for 14 years and in the last year, I moved to property services where I work in the Service Contracts Team. It is great how much Bield does for older people.

“To be a part of an organisation that does so much for their customers and to actually see the benefits is really rewarding. It makes me really happy to think we are making a difference.”

The women were two of 27 staff members who between them have accumulated 495 years working for Bield.

As a thanks for her longstanding dedication to Bield, Rhona was presented with a certificate and flowers in front of fellow colleagues, tenants, owners and Board Members at this year’s AGM.

Charlie Dickson, interim chief executive, said: “None of what Bield has achieved over the last 48 years in delivering quality housing and care services would have been possible without the hard work, dedication and professionalism of our staff at all levels.

“We are extremely fortunate to have so many good people working for Bield who often go above and beyond the call of duty. It is so important for Bield to recognise their dedication as without them we would struggle to provide the consistent level of service that we do.”

Bield has been providing high-quality housing and related services in Scotland for nearly 50 years.