MP Gordon Marsden brings glowing praise for carersto parliament

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, he said: “I will speak principally on the excellent and enormously positive work done in Blackpool, often by our carers centre, which is of long standing.

“I have had the privilege to work with the centre over my 22 years as the local MP, and particularly with its young carers. Over the past 12 months, the centre has supported 666 young carers.

“Let us bear in mind that this is... certainly not the actual number of young people caring for a parent or family member in Blackpool. Various surveys over the years have suggested that the figure is anything between 2,000 and 3,000.

“Nevertheless, the good news from Blackpool is that there has been tremendous progress in the last few years. I have been privileged and very proud to be part of that.

“In 2016 we all got a little bit of BBC showbiz dust sprinkled on us, because the BBC’s “DIY SOS” programme descended on Blackpool to transform a building, Blenheim House—which is in the constituency of Paul Maynard, but which serves the whole of Blackpool—into a young carers centre.”

“Literally hundreds and hundreds of volunteers came from across the community, and I, along with some of my councillor colleagues, lent my hod, as it were, by clearing rubble and doing general labouring tasks in the morning.

“I also pay tribute to the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust—the local charity and local business that provided the property and has supported the centre very strongly ever since.”