An appeal to raise £25,000 to give Wiltshire’s thousands of unpaid carers a break has beaten the target.
The Time for Carers Appeal was launched in January by the charity Carer Support Wiltshire, to raise money to help fund a range of activities for carers to give them some respite from their caring role – a little time for themselves.
By the end of the summer, the appeal had exceeded its target by more than £2,000, and the funds are due to be distributed to carers.
Now, Carer Support Wiltshire has set its sights on raising another £25,000 by next summer, and has launched the 8 in 10 Appeal – so named following research carried out by the Jo Cox Commission for Loneliness and Carers UK, which showed that eight in ten people caring for loved ones feel lonely and isolated.
Catharine Hurford, Chief Executive for Carer Support Wiltshire, said she was confident the 8 in 10 Appeal would repeat the success of the Time for Carers Appeal.
“We are really grateful to everybody who supported the Time for Carers Appeal. The money raised will make a real difference to carers by helping fund activities that give them a little time to themselves,” she said. “Our new 8 in 10 Appeal has a slightly different focus. This time we want to raise money which will help carers to socialise and get out more into their communities, which will in turn help combat the feelings of loneliness and isolation experienced by so many.”
In Wiltshire, there are more than 47,000 unpaid carers – people who care for parents, partners, children, grandchildren or loved ones. The vast majority say they feel lonely or isolated.
Catharine said: “Loneliness can have a serious impact on health and wellbeing. Unpaid carers put their loneliness down to lack of money to socialise and difficulty in leaving the house due to their caring commitments. They also say they find it hard to talk to friends or work colleagues about caring, which adds to their isolation, so we really need to start a conversation around this.”
For more information about the 8 in 10 Appeal and how to raise money or make a donation visit http://carersinwiltshire.co.uk/ or contact Carer Support Wiltshire free on 0800 181 4118.
