Wokingham Borough’s carers services provider, TuVida, has announced an exciting schedule of events to mark Carers Week (6-12 June).
Carers Week is organised every year by Carers UK and Carers Trust, with a different theme each year drawing attention to issues facing carers across the UK.
A carer is anyone who looks after a family member or friend who has a disability, mental or physical illness, addiction, or who needs extra help as they grow older.
This year’s theme is ‘Making caring visible, valued and supported’ and each day has a different focus within the theme:
- Monday: Health and social care issues affecting carers
- Tuesday: Work and employment
- Wednesday: Visible, valued and supported
- Thursday: Younger carers
- Friday: Older carers
- Saturday: Mental health and wellbeing
- Sunday: Reflections on Carers Week 2022
Cllr David Hare, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services, said: “We know the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of unpaid carers and they need to be recognised so they can be given the support they deserve.
“Through Carers Week and the many events happening locally, I hope we can come together and shine a light on this incredibly important issue, as well as bringing more people to the services that can help.”
Unpaid/family carers deliver an estimated £132bn of care every year to loved ones and family members (Carers UK, 2022). As a group, they are known to experience worse health outcomes and are more likely to fall into poverty than non-caring peers.
There could be as many as 14,000 carers in Wokingham Borough, both adult carers and young carers aged between five and 18; as people commonly don’t identify themselves as being carers, it can be hard for support services to identify and reach carers in need of support.
A recent round of welfare calls delivered by the council’s adult social care team identified a total of 1,200 people known to us as carers, up from a previous 580.
The theme of this year’s Carers Week aims to address the visibility of carers and enable people to feel safe coming forward for support.
TuVida has the following on offer for adult carers in Wokingham Borough:
Monday 6 June
- 10.30am to 11.30am: Mindfulness – Online via Zoom
- 1.30pm to 7.30pm: Drop-in information – Wokingham Charity and Community Hub, Waterford House, Denmark Street, Wokingham, RG40 2YF
- 3.30pm to 6pm: Senior direct payments officer – Wokingham Charity and Community Hub, Waterford House, Denmark Street, Wokingham, RG40 2YF
Tuesday 7 June
- 10am to 1pm: Information/coffee morning – Bradbury Centre, Circuit Office, Rose Street, Wokingham, RG40 1XS
- 7pm to 8pm: Information for working carers – Online via Zoom
Wednesday 8 June
- 12 noon to 2pm: Carers Lunch – Bradbury Centre, Circuit Office, Rose Street, Wokingham, RG40 1XS
Thursday 9 June
- 10.30am to 2.30pm: Pampering session/stress management carers meeting – Early Crescent Resource Centre, Warbler Drive, Earley, RG6 4HB
- 2pm to 3pm: Tai Chi – Online via Zoom
Friday 10 June
- 10.30am to 12 noon: Herbal medicine – Online via Zoom
- 11am to 1pm – 13.00: M2M solicitors – Online via Zoom
Young Carers will not miss out, with the following activities planned for them:
Monday 6 June
- 4.30pm to 5.30pm: Stomper Rockets – St Pauls Parish Rooms, Reading Road, Wokingham, RG41 1ED
Tuesday 7 June
- 4.30pm to 6pm: Trampoline park, pizza and slush – RedKangaroo, Bridgewater Close, Reading, RG30 1JT
Saturday 11 June
- All day: Trip to Thorpe Park – Transport provided
If you would like to find out more information about any of the events, or are interesting in attending, contact berkshirehub@tuvida.org or call 0118 3247333. Please be advised that you will need to book a space for the young carers.
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