Carers Week
Friday, June 15th, 2007
As many of you may know, this week has given us an opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to the valuable work performed day-in, day-out by carers in Britain. Carers Week, in June every year, is a time when the role of carers is deservedly placed in the spotlight.
Carers devote much of their time to looking after someone close to them who would not be able to take care of themselves. They may be frail, ill, or suffer from a disability which prevents them being independent. Many of the carers are children themselves, with an estimated 175,000 child carers in Britain, and 18,000 children aged between 5 and 15 providing 20 or more hours of care a week.
People who choose to care for a loved one often make large sacrifices in terms of their jobs, careers and their own personal life. Caring can be extremely difficult and stressful. Yet the carers I have met not only work incredibly hard but do it modestly and discreetly.
There are many organisations across the country that help provide information, support and guidance for carers. Suffolk Family Carers in my constituency provides support for 98,000 family carers in Suffolk. Their efforts deserve to be recognised and highlighted and I am proud to have this opportunity to do so.
If you are a carer in Suffolk and would like further information about this organisation, please visit www.suffolk-carers.co.uk
Further information about carers nationally can be found at: