St Albans care worker Tom Rose, 23, takes home £5,000 after stunning talent show judges with blindfolded piano performance of Purple Rain
A 23-year-old care worker who stunned judges by playing Prince’s Purple Rain on the piano while blindfolded has been crowned the winner of Care Sector’s Got Talent 2026, taking home a £5,000 prize.
Tom Rose, who works at Avery Elstree View care home in Borehamwood, beat seven other finalists at a spectacular Grand Final at Care Show Birmingham at the NEC last night, watched by an audience of 500 care sector colleagues, friends and supporters. He was up against an eclectic line-up of talent, including a stand-up comedian, a saxophonist, a three-piece blues band, a care home choir and a learning disability performing arts group.
Rapper Reward Jachiang Mangbon, from Ashbrook Court in Waltham Abbey, also had cause to celebrate after winning the audience vote. Reward was awarded a £1,000 talent development fund, which he can use towards lessons, coaching or equipment to help take his talent to the next level.
The victory capped the biggest year yet for the annual talent show, run by Championing Social Care, which celebrates the hidden talents, creativity and personalities of people across social care. This year attracted a record number of entries, a larger live audience and significantly increased media interest, as the competition continues to shine a spotlight on the people working in and being supported by the UK’s social care sector.
The competition was created to celebrate the talent, creativity, resilience and professionalism of people working in and supported by social care – and to give them a national platform often reserved for other sectors.
Tom, who has played piano since he was six, was initially reluctant to enter the competition and was persuaded to submit an audition by colleagues at the care home where he works. After deciding he needed something memorable to stand out for his audition entry, he took a friend’s joke that he could probably play Purple Rain without looking at the keys one step further – and performed it blindfolded using his muscle memory. He had never played the piano blindfolded before, and admits he was uncertain he could pull it off.
Asked whether being blindfolded on stage and not being able to see the audience made his performance less nerve-wracking, Tom laughed: “No, no, my nerves were 20,000 times worse!”
When his name was announced as the winner, Tom says he initially wasn’t sure he had heard correctly: “I kept thinking, did I hear him say it right? The microphone was buzzing, and I really couldn’t process it. I just felt insane amounts of excitement.”
Tom says “I think this was a really good test of my confidence. I have played in front of people before, but never a crowd this big and never blindfolded. This was an opportunity for me to really try and show myself that I could do it.”
Social care influencer and competition judge Bailey Greetham-Clark said: “Tonight was a talent show, and Tom truly displayed an incredible talent to play the piano with a blindfold. It was just insane. I’d love to see how well he could play without the blindfold! It was magnificent. He truly deserved the win.”
For Tom, however, the competition was about more than winning. He was particularly struck by the stories of the other finalists and the support they had received from the people around them, including residents who had travelled to Birmingham to watch their care home teams perform.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” says Tom. The audience was so invested in every single act,” he said. “Even just behind the scenes, I could hear them whoop and cheer and clap and everything.”
Tom also paid tribute to his colleagues at Elstree View, who had encouraged him to enter in the first place, and singled out his manager, Rosie Scott, for special thanks.
“They’re the reason I’m in it in the first place. The amount of people that kept begging me to submit an audition – I was the one who was reluctant at first. Their support has just been absolutely amazing.”
Tom has yet to decide what he will do with his £5,000 prize, saying he has “no idea where to start”. But one thing he does know is that he wants to keep playing. “I’d love to play to some more people. I think that’s something I’m really passionate about. I’d love to play in a pub or an event or a gig, whatever it is. I think just playing music to people is one of the best things ever, and it just makes everyone happier.”
Asked to sum up his Care Sector’s Got Talent experience in a single word, Tom chose one word: “Glorious.”
For care providers, the competition demonstrates the value of recognising staff talent, supporting participation and creating opportunities for people to bring their whole selves to work. Many providers use internal talent showcases, awards and recognition programmes to boost morale, pride and retention.
The full talent show will be available on the Care Sector’s Got Talent’s YouTube channel enabling care homes and people across social care to enjoy the competition in full.
