The vital importance of unpaid carers is being highlighted by a leading Swindon charity, with a fundraising event, ahead of Carers Week (5-11 June).
Swindon Carers Centre says it would like to see as many people as possible at its Walk A Mile awareness event on Saturday 10 June, to show support for unpaid carers.
Unpaid carers in Swindon save the local economy £592 million a year. This figure, recently highlighted in a report by Carers UK, is up by 43% on the previous decade and is the largest increase in the South West of England.
It shows that the role unpaid carers play, looking after a family member, partner or friend, is integral to supporting the often-stretched health and social care system.
Swindon Carers Centre is encouraging people to join its Walk A Mile event at The Swindon Hub, 36 The Parade, Swindon on June 10. Registration for the short, circular walk, is open from 10.30am with walkers setting off at 11am.
Walk A Mile is again, being sponsored by Pebley Beach Hyundai and Suzuki Swindon which will match fund donations up to £1,000.
Swindon Carers Centre is fundraising via an online raffle. Tickets are available to purchase now and cost £1 each. Prizes include hampers of goodies, beauty vouchers, restaurant vouchers and leisure vouchers.
These have been donated by Lalbagh Indian Cuisine, Kay’s Beauty Salon, Franclin’s Hair and Beauty, Lil Beauty, Kutting Chai, Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey, Delta Tennis Centre and Barnes Coaches.
Julia Smith, 60, is a registered carer with Swindon Carers Centre. Her caring role, looking after her mum Shelia, 86, who has dementia, is 24/7 and she has cared for her mum for three years with little respite.
She said: “Physically and mentally, it’s challenging. You know if you get up in the morning and want to go out you can’t, because mum doesn’t go out – she doesn’t travel well. There is no life for me at this time, I am looking after her all the time.
“I’m glad Swindon Carers Centre are there. I don’t know how I’d cope without them, because you do need to have someone to talk to.
“My mum was there for me all through my childhood and now it’s her turn to be looked after. But I do worry that people don’t understand it, or they don’t care – because it’s not something that they have experienced or would even consider doing.”
Data from the 2021 Census shows that the number of hours that people spend caring for someone has increased. In Swindon, more people are caring for 20 to 50 hours a week and over 50 hours a week.
Swindon Carers Centre aims to improve the wellbeing of people with caring responsibilities so that they can live a healthy, fulfilling life alongside their caring role. Services available to carers include its Carers Support Line, 1:1 support, welfare and benefits advice, and activities to give carers a break from their caring role.
Susanna Jones, Chief Executive Officer at Swindon Carers Centre, said: "The latest figures from Carers UK show that unpaid carers in Swindon save our economy a staggering £592 million. We also know, from the 2021 Census data, that carers are caring for longer hours than ever before - an indication that they are under increasing pressure due to the challenges of complex caring roles.
"Our Walk A Mile event is a brilliant opportunity for the Swindon community to show carers that they are visible, valued and recognised for the work they do. We would welcome people to support them by joining us at Walk A Mile or helping us fundraise by playing our online raffle.
"We would also like to thank our event sponsor, Pebley Beach, and local businesses for supporting unpaid carers by donating prizes for our raffle."
More information about Walk A Mile can be found at: https://www.swindoncarers.org.uk/support-us-for-carers-week/
Individuals can buy a raffle ticket online at: https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/raffle/swindon-carers-centre-carers-week-2023-raffle
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