Guest Blog: The Carers Week Quest

Helen Clarke, Manager at Carers Week, writes about the work done each year for Carers Week (9th – 15th June) and the new Carers Week Quest to support carers.

Helen can be reached at [email protected] or on 020 7378 4955.

Did you know that every day 6,000 people in the UK take on new responsibilities caring for a loved one who is ill, frail or disabled? When caring affects you or your family, it can have a major impact on your life.

Each year, we organise Carers Week to help raise the profile of caring and reach out to people who are new to caring to make them aware of the support and services available. In 2013, to mark the start of the campaign, we launched a report Prepared to Care?. The report highlighted the devastating impact caring without the right advice, information, support and services can have on a carer’s life.

Since then, I have been working with the 10 national charities that come together to plan Carers Week each year to develop this year’s campaign, Our aim is to reach out to the thousands of carers in the UK who are missing out on support and services. This is the Carers Week Quest.

Since our launch in February 2014 with the Minister of State for Care and Support Norman Lamb MP, hundreds of individuals and organisations have signing up to pledge their support to the Carers Week Quest. To see the wide range of pledges to date and make your own, visit http://www.carersweek.org/get-involved/pledge-wall

In the coming weeks, the campaign will continue to build momentum with more announcements of major supporters and developments. All the activity and events will take place during this year’s Carers Week (Monday 9 to Sunday 15 June 2014). To find out who is involved near you and what they have planned, see http://www.carersweek.org/carers-week-quest/events-near-you

We all have a role to play in raising awareness of the support and services available to people looking after someone and there are lots of ways you can support the campaign:

• Find out more at www.carersweek.org and sign up and pledge your support
• Find out about events and activities happening locally to publicise or attend
• Organise your own events and activities or link up with local organisations
• Use the opportunity to talk to people about caring and the difference that support can make to them and the person they care for

Be a part of something big: the greatest ever drive to reach out to carers in the UK.

Join in. Help carers.

To find out more about how you can get involved, visit our website www.carersweek.org or follow the campaign on Twitter @carersweek

Some facts about caring

• There are over 6.5 million carers in the UK.
• 1.5 million carers are aged over the age of 60.
• There are 175,000 young people under the age of 18 who provide care, 13,000 of these provide care for 50 hours or more per week.
• One in nine workers in the UK combine work with caring responsibilities for a disabled, ill or frail relative or friend.