A Cumbrian charity supporting unpaid carers who look after their loved ones has secured two vital pieces of funding to help its work.
Carer Support South Lakes (CSSL) has been awarded almost £100,000 by BBC Children in Need to aid its work with young carers. And it has received a substantial grant from the Eric Wright Charitable Trust, most of which will be used to help carers who look after loved ones with dementia.
The BBC Children in Need award of £97,976.00 over three years will enable the charity, which works with carers of all ages, to provide one-to-one support to its young carers aged 5-18. It will fund residential activity trips to give them a break from the pressures involved in looking after loved ones who are ill.
Eric Wright Charitable Trust funding will go to help the charity’s work with carers who look after loved ones with dementia. The Eric Wright Charitable Trust has also made a special one-off additional payment to acknowledge the strain placed on charity finances by the coronavirus pandemic.
“These awards are hugely significant at a time when many of our normal fund-raising events have been badly disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Debi Marsden, chief operating officer of CSSL.
“Charities all over the country have had finances badly hit by the pandemic, with fundraising events cancelled or postponed. It’s a challenging time so these awards, from BBC Children in Need and The Eric Wright Charitable Trust, are very welcome.”
Supporting 130 young carers
The BBC Children in Need award will help support the 130 young carers the charity works with every year.
“Without this sort of funding we couldn’t give our young carers the sort of support, respite help and residential breaks that help them cope with the pressures they face,” added Debi.
“Funding from The Eric Wright Charitable Trust will help us offer a wide range of services to carers who look after loved ones who have dementia. That will include one-to-one support and our sitting service where volunteers step in to allow carers to take a respite break.”
Carer Support South Lakes is based in Kendal and was formerly known as South Lakes Carers. It estimates there are more than 12,000 unpaid carers in the South Lakes area alone.
They can be any age – from a youngster helping look after a sibling, to an elderly husband or wife looking after a partner. The charity currently supports more than 1,000 carers, of all ages, every year.
