Carers who look after a family member are invited to a special event at Sainsbury’s on Wednesday 10 June to celebrate Carers’ Week 2015.
Carers’ Time Off, a service provided by the Harrogate Easier Living Project, will be welcoming carers and the person they care for to join them for a free tea or coffee at Sainsbury’s café from 10am until 1pm. The carer can take the opportunity to pick up some shopping while they are there knowing the person they care for is being looked after by the team from the charity.
Carers’ Week celebrates the incredible contribution of the 6.5 million carers in the UK as well as raising awareness of the challenges they face on a daily basis. Sainsbury’s store in Harrogate is celebrating the week with a series of events and information stands.
Mark Edwards, Store Manager, said: It is important for an organisation like ours to recognise the challenges faced by our customers and help to make their lives a little easier.
We are delighted to partner with Carers’ Time Off and look forward to welcoming people to enjoy a hot drink and to enjoy shopping in their own time.
The event fits in well with Carers’ Week’s focus of building Carer Friendly Communities.
Christine Boxall, Carers’ Time Off Service Coordinator, said: Caring places a physical, emotional and financial strain on families and local businesses can play a part in ensuring the millions of a carers in our communities feel supported and welcome.
The simple task of grocery shopping can prove extremely difficult to a full time carer. Either they have to find someone to look after their family member, or they have to take them with them which might not be ideal dependent on their health.
Carers might also benefit from coming along to this event and finding out about additional support they can receive to help with their caring commitments.
The charity is also holding an Afternoon Tea Party at Community House in Harrogate on Thursday 11 June from 2pm to 4pm. Avril Hunter from North Yorkshire County Council will talk about the impact of the new Care Act and Dawn Tesseyman and Tina Westmoreland, Support Workers from Carers Resource, will be on hand to talk about some of the services that are available to carers in our District. The event is free and places can be booked by contacting Christine on 01423 813094 or emailing carerstimeoff@harcvs.org.uk
Carers’ Time Off works with a team of volunteers to provide short breaks for full-time carers to allow them some free time either to take a rest, meet with friends, attend appointments, go to work or pursue a hobby. The service provides an average of 190 hours of support every month to local carers in Harrogate and the surrounding areas.
Anyone interested in accessing the Carers’ Time Off service can either self-refer, be referred by family and friends or be referred by an organisation like Dementia Forward or Carer’s Resource. The service does not have a fixed charge but asks for a discretionary contribution. Due to rising demand, there is a waiting list so the service is appealing for new volunteers to help them reach out to a larger number of local people.
