Local MPs Justin Tomlinson & Robert Buckland attend Carers Week event

Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland attended a Carers Week speed networking event with carers and charities in Westminster, pledging their support to unpaid carers.

The event was in support of the recent Carers Week, to celebrate and recognise the vital contribution made by the 6.5 million people across the UK who currently provide unpaid care for a disabled, ill or older family member or friend. It matched up MPs and carers to share experiences of caring and discuss ways to build Carer Friendly Communities – places where local people and services support carers to look after their loved ones well, while recognising that they are individuals with needs of their own.

Both MPs committed to:

• meeting with carers locally and local services to find out about the challenges faced by carers
• encouraging organisations, services and employers in their constituency to become more Carer Friendly
• raising the profile of caring and speaking up for carers in Parliament
• raising awareness of Carer Friendly Communities in Swindon

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson said: “We are very lucky to have the fantastic Swindon Carers Centre locally who do fantastic work which I regularly take part in and support. Just this week I hosted the Carers Lead Forum in my office to discuss ways in which to support young carers, and the young carers themselves have had regular workshops at my office including film making, artwork and music production. I will continue to do all that I can to support our local carers and crucially thank them for the invaluable work they do.”

And South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: “I was proud to represent my constituents today at the Carers Week event and I pledge to support the 19,480 carers in Swindon throughout this Parliament.  Unpaid carers make a huge contribution to our society, providing vital and often hidden support to friends and family members, and it is right that we value them and ensure they have the right support at the right time. I look forward to working with the Carers Week charities, and, with unpaid carers, locally, to make a difference to their lives.”

Carers Week 2017 is made possible by Carers UK joining forces with Age UK, Carers Trust, Independent Age, Macmillan Cancer Support, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, MS Society and Which? Elderly Care and kindly supported by Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition and the Lockwood Foundation.

For further information visit www.carersweek.org

 

Facts about carers

• 6.5 million people in the UK are carers; that’s 1 in 8 adults (Census 2011)
• By 2037, it is estimated that the number of carers in the UK will rise to 9 million (Carers UK)
• Every day another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility – that equals over 2 million people every year (Carers UK)
• 58% of carers are women and 42% are men (Census 2011)
• The unpaid care provided by the UK’s carers is worth £132 billion per year, an average of £19,336 per carer (Carers UK, University of Sheffield, University of Leeds)
• Over 3 million people juggle care with work, however the significant demands of caring mean that 1 in 5 carers are forced to give up work altogether (Carers UK)
• A BBC Survey (2010) estimated there are more than 700,000 young carers
• There are 376,000 young adult carers in the UK aged 16-25 (Census 2011)
• 1 in 5 people aged 50-64 are carers (Census 2011)