National Siblings Day is a chance to celebrate just how much our brothers and sisters mean to us.

It was created by American Claudia Evart, who lost her sister Lisette and older brother Alan as a young child; the former paralegal developed a national holiday to remember them, falling on her sister’s birthday, April 10.

And today a Burscough care home celebrated siblings who work together at Sandstone Care Group.

Kirsty Faulkner, 38, and her sister Gemma Ivanov, 39, work together at Burscough Manor Care Home on Liverpool Road.

Kirsty is a Non-Clinical Deputy Manager with a 20-year career working in care, and Gemma, a Senior Care Assistant, has worked in care for 14 years.

The sisters have been working together for almost two years, starting at Ribble Court Care Home and moving over to Burscough Manor when Sandstone acquired it.

So, how do the sisters like working together?

Kirsty said: “We see each other more and, as we don’t live close, it's a blessing.

"We work in the same way and share the same work ethic. We finish each other’s sentences all the time and the residents love the fact we are sisters. I am not a ‘stresser’ and Gemma is the opposite, so I am known to keep my sister calmer throughout our shifts!”

Gemma agrees that younger sister, Kirsty, has a calming effect on her.

“It’s the extra support she gives me,” she said.

“We trust each other and that makes the job very easy. I can always call on her when I need help. I have struggled with anxiety in past, and to know she is here gives me real comfort, she picks up when I’m stressed and helps me get through it. Even though she is my little sister, I am proud of her being my manager and couldn’t think of anyone better to do the job she does.”

#NationalSiblingsDay2024 #ItsaSiblingThing