Surrey County Cricket Club and Carers Trust have joined forces once again to provide unpaid carers with a special day at The Kia Oval.
For the second year running, Surrey County Cricket Club and Carers Trust have joined forces to provide an opportunity for exhausted unpaid family carers of all ages to get a much-needed break from their caring role with a day out at The Kia Oval.
Young carers and young adult carers will enjoy complimentary tickets for the first two days of Surrey’s County Championship game against Somerset on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th April.
In early May it will be the turn of adult unpaid carers to get a break and enjoy days one and two of Surrey’s Championship game against Warwickshire on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th May.
Unpaid carers are people of any age providing dedicated care at home for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without support. There are an estimated 7 million unpaid carers across the UK, including an estimated 1 million under the age of 18.
The closure of many local social care services in the community in recent years means unpaid carers are having to take on ever greater caring responsibilities. For many adults who are unpaid family carers this all too often means having to give up paid employment. Carers Trust research has found that almost two thirds of adult unpaid carers have had to cut back their working hours or give up paid work altogether. This can place an immense strain on unpaid carers’ wellbeing, as well as pushing many into poverty. These strains have been exacerbated further by the recent cost-of-living crisis.
Caring can also have a serious impact on the wellbeing and life chances of young carers. Carers Trust has found that as many as 15,000 young carers are spending on average 50 hours a week or more on their caring role, leaving little time to study and to enjoy large parts of their childhood.
Carers Trust’s Head of Young Carers and Young Adult Carers, Vicky Morgan,said:
“We’re extremely grateful to Surrey County Cricket Club for this opportunity. Many young carers find it difficult to find time for themselves away from the constant pressure of having to think about a sick or disabled parent or sibling. So these days out at The Kia Oval are a wonderful chance to get a break from those pressures and enjoy the company of other young carers with a day at the cricket.”
Carers Trust works with a network of more than 120 local organisations across the UK to provide funding and support for unpaid carers, while campaigning for them to get a better deal.
If you are an unpaid carer who needs support, or know of someone who does, visit www.carers.org to find your local carers organisation.
For anyone who would like to learn more about the ticket offers for Surrey’s match against Somerset starting Friday April 12th, or for Surrey’s match against Warwickshire starting Friday May 10th, please contact Theresa Peters at accessibility@surreycricket.com.
To donate to Carers Trust, visit www.carers.org/support-us
Watch this Carers Trust video to hear young carers describe the pressures they face and their hopes for a fair future for young carers.
Denise’s story
Denise Wilkins, 52, cares for her 86-year-old mother Maureen Shields who lives at home with her in southeast London. Maureen lost sight in one eye when Denise was 14 and her daughter has cared for her ever since. Maureen, who has osteoporosis, has since suffered spinal fractures resulting in limited mobility and now cannot walk unaided.
Denise had to give up her full-time job as a chartered accountant when her mother couldn’t get out of bed anymore. She can now only do occasional part-time work but otherwise they live on disability benefits and Denise’s savings. Denise is paying nothing into her pension which will cause her problems in the future and is struggling with costs like soaring heating bills.
The delicate balance of their finances means unexpected costs cause Denise huge problems. So, when the microwave she relies on to reheat her mother’s meals and the vacuum cleaner she needs to keep her parents’ homes clean both simultaneously broke recently, she had to apply for a grant via Greenwich Carers Centre, part of the Carers Trust network.
Denise said: “Without the grant from the Carers Trust we would either have gone into debt or been late in paying the rent or other utility bills. The grants from the Carers Trust are a financial lifeline to unpaid carers.”
Ollie’s story
17-year-old Ollie, from Bridgend, cares for his younger brother Leo, who has multiple conditions including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), combined ADHD and paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). Ollie helps with household tasks, helps to deal with his brother’s challenging behaviour and also looks after his little sister.
He has a great relationship with their mum Hayley and she is beyond grateful for everything he does.
Ultimately, he would love to become a teacher and to support young children in the way he has been supported, to give back to the community.
It was very tricky to fit in school and caring for his brother. While he was taking his GCSEs, he found it very demanding to carry out caring duties while doing his exams.
He said: “I found it hard to fit in with my peers since the very beginning of school and have always felt out of sync with them. I am not able to go out all the time. And they don’t understand the severity of my brother’s conditions, what that means for me or how that impacts my life.”
The cost-of-living crisis is making it very hard for Ollie and his family.
He said: “As for everyone, I believe this is a real problem. I think that this affects people who can’t work so much because as prices go up, the benefits don’t, so it’s almost impossible for people to live.”
