Incredible work of unpaid carers in Brighton and Hove to be celebrated during Carers Week in June
The Carers Centre for Brighton and Hove thanks customers of Mecca and Grosvenor Casinos for supporting local unpaid carers through lockdown.
A Brighton and Hove charity is using this week’s Carers Week to shine a spotlight on the incredible extra work undertaken by local unpaid carers during the pandemic.
Carers Centre Brighton and Hove is also highlighting the importance of funding from employees and customers of Mecca and Grosvenor Casinos to Carers Trust – to support unpaid carers exhausted by long hours spent at home caring for a family member.
Vital role played by exhausted unpaid carers during lockdown
Even before the pandemic, unpaid carers were exhausted. Two thirds of them were spending 50 hours or more each week caring for a family member or friend, according to Carers Trust – a national charity that operates a network of over 120 local partner services including The Carers Centre Brighton and Hove.
Coronavirus made an already bad situation even worse, with many carers having to increase their already long hours when lockdown meant that many support services and day centres for carers and those they care for were forced to close. A Carers Trust survey found that lockdown and closure of local services meant that one in six carers were having to work an additional 40 hours a week on top of what they had already been doing.
How customers of Mecca and Grosvenor Casinos have been supporting carers in Brighton and Hove through the pandemic
Money raised by Carers Trust allows it to provide grants to unpaid carers via its local charities. Some of this money raised by Carers Trust comes from a special funding partnership with Mecca and Grosvenor Casinos, part of The Rank Group Plc. The Carers Trust grants mean:
- Carers can buy essential household items like fridges and washing machines that would otherwise be unaffordable;
- The Carers Centre Brighton and Hove can fund group activities for unpaid carers, bringing them together with other local carers and addressing loneliness and isolation;
- Exhausted unpaid carers can receive a grant to pay for a respite break so they can get some much-needed time to themselves in the knowledge that the person they care for is being looked after.
The Carers Centre Brighton and Hove also been running a peer support service for carers in work, wanting to be employed or become a volunteer, to give them skills and confidence. The aim of the group is primarily for carers to be able to discuss issues around care and work, and gain experience from others in similar situations, with facilitation by the dedicated working carers lead at The Carers Centre.
The first meet-up was at The Rank Group’s Grosvenor Casinos Pier 9 venue in Brighton, then after the pandemic hit the group moved online and has met all the way through the pandemic. Unpaid carers have gained confidence through one-to-one calls, guest speakers and peer support. The Carers Centre are about to host the 17th meet up, and so far the group has provided sustained support to many carers in the local community.
Tom Lambert, CEO of The Carers Centre for Brighton and Hove said:
“We were thrilled to work with Carers Trust and Rank to establish targeted support for working carers in our city. We have been able to sustain our peer support group beyond the life of the initial six month project which means it has a real legacy in Brighton and Hove.”
Jonathon Swaine, Venues MD at Rank said:
“I’m delighted that the support from colleagues and customers of Mecca and Grosvenor Casinos has allowed Carers Trust help unpaid carers across the UK, and made unpaid carers more visible and valued during the pandemic. Through Carers Trust and The Carers Centre, we were able to help unpaid carers support each other, as well as provide small grants to so many unpaid carers which helped them continue their lives to some degree of normality during lockdowns.”
If you are an unpaid carer in need of support, or you know an unpaid carer who needs support, please visit www.carers.org to find local support in your area.
Ends
For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Matt Whitticase: mwhitticase@carers.org and 07824 539481.
For more on Carers Week visit www.carersweek.org
The Rank Group PLC operations principally comprise:
- Grosvenor Casinos – The UK’s largest multi-channel casio operator. 52 casinos in Great Britain;
- Mecca – Rank’s multi-channel community-based gaming brand for the British market. 72 bingo clubs in Great Britain;
- Enracha – Rank’s community-based gaming business for the Spanish market. Ten bingo clubs in Spain;
Rank Interactive – Rank’s UK digital business operates a multi-branded strategy, using a combination of its proprietary and non-proprietary licensed software to provide online bingo, casino and slot gaming; and - YoBingo – A leading online bingo operator in Spain.
Carers Trust is a major charity for, with and about carers. We work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems. www.carers.org
We do this with a UK wide network of quality assured independent partners and through the provision of grants to help carers get the extra help they need to live their own lives. With locally based Network Partners we are able to support carers in their homes through the provision of replacement care, and in the community with information, advice, emotional support, hands on practical help and access to much needed breaks. We offer specialist services for carers of people of all ages and conditions and a range of individual tailored support and group activities.
Our vision is that unpaid carers count and can access the help they need to live their lives.