Young Fylde coast carers set for Bloomfield Road treat

Young carers from Blackpool are to head to Bloomfield Road tonight as a treat to mark Young Carers Action Day.
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The national day aims to highlight the isolation and lack of support for young people caring for poorly relatives across the UK.

Faye Atherton, from Blackpool Carers which supports young hundreds of young people on the Fylde coast, said: “To mark Young Carers Action Day we have been granted funding from Carers Trust to take a group of our young carers to the Blackpool FC match against Sheffield United and the players will be involved in some awareness-raising throughout the night.

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The event comes as a new survey from the Carers Trust identified a steep rise in caring hours for young carers and prompted calls for more support for young carers after survey finds many feeling stressed, lonely and worried.

B Young carers from the Fylde coast will be off to watch Blackpool FC as a respite treat for Young Carers Action Day
Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSportB Young carers from the Fylde coast will be off to watch Blackpool FC as a respite treat for Young Carers Action Day
Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport
B Young carers from the Fylde coast will be off to watch Blackpool FC as a respite treat for Young Carers Action Day Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport

More than half of young carers and young adult carers said the amount of time they spend caring per week had increased in the past year. At least a third of respondents said their caring role resulted in them either always or usually feeling worried and 40 per cent of young carers and young adult carers said they never or not often had someone to talk to at school about being a young carer.

Carers Trust called for the Government to support more commissioned breaks and respite for young carers; to do more to monitor how local authorities are meeting statutory duties to identify and support young carers and for education providers to take a more integrated and collaborative approach to support by working with the NHS, local authorities and local carer organisations.

Carers Trust’s CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said: 'These stark findings underline the plight of young carers. Too many are left unsupported, struggling to access the services they need with knock on effects to their education, mental health and well-being.

“We need more investment in social care generally and local care organisations specifically to relieve young carers of the overwhelming pressure so many are under. In addition, the NHS must ensure its mental health services prioritise young carer support. Otherwise young carers will continue to be left alone to cope with complex problems and responsibilities that would overwhelm most adults, let alone young people.”