“I didn’t quite believe that Carers Trust had taken a chance on me.”
90,000 of the UK’s unpaid carers have been supported thanks to funding raised by players People’s Postcode Lottery.
This support has enabled Carers Trust, a UK charity working to transform the lives of unpaid carers, to develop innovative programmes and provide more comprehensive support to unpaid carers struggling with poverty and isolation during and after the pandemic.
Marking five years of player support, Carers Trust would like to thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising over £2.8million. These vital funds awarded by Postcode Care Trust enable the transformation of lives through campaign plans to address carers’ loneliness and social isolation, grant provision for essential household items like washing machines and laptops, and facilitates desperately needed respite breaks.
Trudi and Bob’s story
Trudi Pope from Leicestershire stopped working to care for her husband Bob, a former skilled carpenter, in 2007. Bob is substantially disabled because of a stroke 15 years ago. He has global aphasia and right-sided hemiplegia and can only walk a few steps. He also has epilepsy and diabetes.
He needs help from when he wakes up to when he goes to sleep with every aspect of daily life.
While their lives and dreams changed radically following Bob’s illness, they continued with their love for camping. They have adapted their folding camper to accommodate Bob’s disabilities, and these days most sites are well equipped for disabled people.
Trudi said: “Our problem now is the rocketing cost of living. So, the grant that we received from Carers Trust was so welcome. We were able to book a pitch for seven days on the Caravan and Camping site at Kingsbury, Warwickshire, alongside our daughter-in-law, who also has a folding camper, and were able to spend precious time with family.
“We were also able to have days out during our week away at Tamworth castle, and the lovely city of Lichfield and its beautiful cathedral.
“We simply couldn’t have afforded to do it without the grant. The break came at the perfect time to blow out those winter cobwebs - we needed the pick-me-up it gave us.”
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery supported Carers Trust’s Internship Programme
This popular pilot scheme, which completes on September 23, has seen 11 young adult carers, from across the UK being offered paid internships with teams across the charity.
Three interns from the first intake are now working, and one has continued with education. Three of the current cohort are returning to university, and another has been supported to secure a part-time job. Another is going to volunteer and pursue creative freelance work, and four are being helped to find the next steps in career or education.
Sam, a recent intern, said: “I didn’t quite believe that Carers Trust had taken a chance on me.”
“I have learned many interesting and useful things to help me at work in the future, from how to write a report, research skills, to how corporate partnerships work! There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes and to be part of it, seeing how partnerships are formed, secured, and looked after is amazing!”
Latest News
This July, seven young adult carers from Perth, Kinross, and Edinburgh Young Carers attended an Insight Day at the People’s Postcode Lottery offices in Edinburgh, thanks to player support.
They had a tour of the offices, met staff from across the organisation, and heard about their career paths. They also took part in actual sessions with the customer experience team and social media and marketing teams, allowing them to create social media content for the Scottish Young Carers Festival.
One of them said:” I really enjoyed it; people were so friendly. It was good to get the experience of talking to each other as if we were on the phone with a customer. I also liked the company's staff sharing their stories, and how even if you don't go down the right path in your career, you still have time and can do what you love.”
Nine Postcode Lottery staff also volunteered at the Scottish Young Carers Festival, providing crucial support in setting up the site, guiding young carers to their tents, and distributing t-shirts and goodie bags.
Kirsty McHugh, CEO at Carers Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their outstanding support. We estimate that the supported programmes have transformed over 90,000 unpaid carers’ lives. We are incredibly grateful for all the support and look forward to achieving even more in the months ahead.’
- You can view the Internship film here.
Key achievements through the five years
The past five years of player support has seen an incredible number of unpaid carers supported. This is through Carers Trust’s key campaigns, grants to individual carers for breaks away and essential household items (Carers Funds), and grants for group activities (Carers Getting Together grants). People’s Postcode Lottery employees have also volunteered at Carers Trust’s annual Scottish Young Carers Festival and delivered workshops and insight days to support young adult carers into the workplace.
Player support has also helped with the development and launch of key programmes such as the Carers Trust internship programme. It has also enabled Carers Trust to launch a peer support programme to reduce loneliness and social isolation among unpaid carers, which was particularly important during the pandemic. Postcode Care Trust is a grant-giving Trust funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
About Carers Trust
Carers Trust works to transform the lives of unpaid carers across the UK. We partner with our network of local carer organisations across the UK to provide funding and support, deliver innovative and evidence-based programmes and raise awareness & influence policy.
Our vision is that unpaid carers are heard and valued, with access to support, advice, and resources to enable them to live fulfilled lives.