2010 CARERS WEEK - THE BIGGEST & BEST SO FAR!

With over 12,000 events and activities notified by local partners, Carers Week 2010 reached levels way in excess of previous records.

In ten years the week has grown from 200 events to 12,000, due to the fantastic work by local partners, of whom there were more than 1,200 this year.

 In Manchester, Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine helped to launch Carers Week. The feisty redhead, who plays the role of Fizz in the soap opera, was at a special event at Manchester town hall, which had more than 80 stalls packed with information and help for carers, as well as pampering treatments and live entertainment.

Jennie said: “People who selflessly care for their loved ones deserve to be recognised and celebrated. They represent the spirit of loving families and a caring community.”

Another event in the north west was held at St. Catherine's Hospice in Preston, where carers were treated to complementary therapies and beauty treatments during a special event

Linda Gregory, Community Services Manager at St Catherine’s, said: “Carers play a vital role within our community but they often get little time for themselves and there is a danger they can start to feel isolated and alone. Because they are so devoted to caring for others, they often miss out on some of the activities they used to enjoy previously.

“The idea behind our event is to give carers a bit of respite, and maybe put them in touch with people who can help to share the load. “This was the third time we have staged this particular event and it was lovely to see so many carers mixing together.”

Meanwhile in the south-east Laura Sandys, the new Conservative MP for South Thanet, used her maiden speech in Parliament to highlight her support for carers and Carers Week. She said:

"We have come into government at one of the most difficult times for many generations and what we achieve in the next five years will define our future for the next generation. I am sure that none of us on the Government Benches are under the illusion that we will not have to do things that will make us unpopular. What we must be judged on is whether we are being fair and whether we are rewarding those who take responsibility.

"It is on fairness and responsibility that I want to contribute to the debate. This week is the start of Carers Week. In South Thanet, we have one of the largest numbers of carers in the country. Coastal towns have a high percentage of carers. Young, old, frail, healthy-carers are selfless family members whose lives become dominated by the responsibilities they voluntarily take on.

"Being a carer is not subject to any working time directive; carers are full-time, on call 24 hours. Their lives are dominated by the needs of others. When helping those with chronic illnesses, they often forfeit their own life, and certainly their livelihood. Having watched my mother look after my father for five years before he died, I have seen at first hand the toll that can be taken on the carer.

"We need to ensure that we put carers at the heart of our review of care for the elderly. It is crucial that we look at the role they play. In many ways, they will be one of the front lines in public services in the future. I urge the Government to ensure that we support those who support their loved ones. We need to look again at providing respite for carers. We need to review the cut-off of carer's allowance when people reach pensionable age-just when they need it most-and we need to place the carer's role at the heart of our review of care for the elderly.

"When we leave the House-not for many years, we hope-we might all need carers, or we might all need to care for others. I would prefer that to be done by a loving relative-someone who will be there for me in my time of need-and I am certain that many other Members would, too. As the Prime Minister says, we need to reward those who take responsibility, and never can that be better said than about 6 million carers who give up their lives and selflessly give their time to their loved ones. "