Surrey County Cricket Club and Carers Trust have partnered once again to provide unpaid carers with a special day at the Kia Oval.
For a third year running, the Club and the 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.
The Club has offered complimentary tickets to over 120 young carers for Surrey’s match against Hampshire, the first home game of the season. A similar opportunity will be offered to adult carers in May when Yorkshire make their visit to south London.
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.
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 well-being 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 in their caring role, leaving little time to study and enjoy large parts of their childhood.
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.
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.
