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A former Disney cruise ship entertainer has swapped treading the boards at sea to working at a care home.
Ella Yard has joined Loose Valley Care Centre on Linton Road in Maidstone as a well-being and recreational champion where she cares for elderly residents.
It is a completely different world for the 30-year-old, who lives in Rochester, but one where she still feels she can use her performing skills, albeit in entirely different surroundings.
“I was a youth entertainment host last year when the pandemic happened,” said Miss Yard who had been a Disney Cruise Line youth entertainment host, performing seven days a week, prior to the coronavirus health crisis.
“We had to be repatriated.
“Obviously the cruise industry took a big hit, as most hospitality sectors did.
“So I thought how do I use the skills I was using on the boat in a different capacity? How can I use that in finding a different job?
“I did a couple of different jobs prior to working at Loose, which I’m very grateful for, because it was really tough for a lot of people to get work.
“I started looking at activity coordinator jobs and thought ‘this will be really good’.
“What I was doing on the ship was planning shows for children, planning activities for children and ensuring they all had a good time, and they had snacks and water.
“So I thought even though it is for a different age group, I can utilise all those different skills I used on the ship for a different audience."
Miss Yard had worked on the cruise ship since July 2019.
“It was a really good experience,” she said.
“It was really uplifting.
"You meet new people all the time. It was great working there, especially dealing with the kids.
“I’m not saying adults don’t have an appreciation for Disney, I am sure they do, but the children on the ship really appreciate its magic.
“With everything, it is like they are seeing it for the first time.
“To see it through their eyes and be able to experience that over and over again, that gives you a lot of energy to keep going and do your best every time because you see how much your audience appreciates it.”
The role saw Miss Yard visit Estonia, Russia, Finland, Bermuda and Norway on the 11-deck entertainment liner Disney Magic, the first cruise ship launched by the entertainment giant.
She said Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, was the favourite destination she had visited.
