Carers Week will run from Monday 7 until Sunday 13 June 2021 and its theme is to Make Caring Visible and Valued.
About Carers Week
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring and highlight the challenges unpaid carers face. It also works to get recognition of the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities and highlight the vital role carers play in our communities, drawing attention to just how important caring is.
Carers Week 2021
This year, people across the country are continuing to face new challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Many people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support.
They need to be recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, support and understanding.
So during Carers Week, we’re coming together to help Make Caring Visible and Valued.
There are 6.5 million people in the UK who are carers. They are looking after a family member or friend who has a disability, mental or physical illness or who needs extra help as they grow older.
Caring’s impact on all aspects of life from relationships and health to finances and work should not be underestimated, and carers are facing even more difficult circumstances this year. Whilst many feel that caring is one of the most important things they do, its challenges should not be underestimated. Caring without the right information and support can be tough.
It is vitally important that we recognise the contribution carers make to their families and local communities, workplaces and society, and that they get the support they need.
Is your Carer the best?
At SIL we recognise how important being a carer is; we not only provide care for nearly 75 people through our team of support workers but we also work with many families supporting them to get the help they need to care for family members and friends.
We want to recognise all unpaid carers and reward a special someone with a £25 M&S voucher – and so this Carers Week we would like you to send us your nominations for the best unpaid carer; their names and why they are they are so great to paula.palmer@s4il.co.uk by Sunday 13th June 5pm. We will put all nominations into a ‘hat’ and draw a winner on Monday 18th June. The winner will be announced on our Facebook page.
We will contact the winner by reply to their original email.
Please note we may use some of the nominations on our Facebook page to highlight the importance of carers. We will only first names to identify any stories we use.
Getting support as a Carer
SIL provides a Direct Payment Support Service – we can assist you with getting the right financial assistance from local authorities to ensure that you get the help and support you need, help with keeping the books and on recruiting and managing additional help if you decide that is the right choice for you.
You may like to follow our Facebook page or regularly check in here on our website. We share events, activities and news on support groups for carers in Herefordshire and Torfaen areas.
You could also go to www.carersuk.org to find out what support is available where you live.
On 12th June, I will be setting off with my wonderful friend, Rai, at 6 am in the morning to complete a 24.5 mile walk over the Yorkshire Peaks of Ingleborough, Pen y Ghent and Whernside. We have 12 hours to complete the challenge and we will have to tackle 5200 feet of ascent.
Sam Shepheard was a inspirational young man who loved life and who always greeted you with an infectious smile. He had a wonderful way of spreading his special blend of ‘Samshine’ wherever he went. Sam very sadly passed away aged 19 in 2016.
