The Mayor of Ely, Cllr Ian Lindsay, launched a new Ely Carers Hub for Carers Trust Cambridgeshire on Friday, 31 March to support family carers in the area.
Carers Trust Cambridgeshire are the leading providers of family carers’ support in the county. Family carers and the people they care for joined healthcare professionals and partners for the launch at the Larkfield Community Centre.
The new Hub is supported by Cambridgeshire County Council, Care Network Cambridgeshire, Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Alzheimer’s Society, Parkinson’s UK, Headway Cambridgeshire, POS+Abililty (providers of chair based exercises), the MS Society, Welfare Benefits Service, Cambridgeshire Library Services and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust Dementia Carers Support Services.
Cllr Lindsay said he was looking forward to learning about the new group and that it was important that family carers were supported.
He said: “We are all going to know carers and they deserve our support.”
Melanie Gray, Deputy CEO for Carers Trust Cambridgeshire, said:
“The Carers Hub in Ely was developed in response to a need being identified for a place where family carers and the people they care for, could access a range of support and activities together
“The Hub will offer opportunities for family carers and their friends and families to access a range of support and activities. This will include art, craft, singing, holistic therapies, information and signposting on benefits and entitlements, access to training, access to speakers on wider health issues, access to carers assessments, What If? Plans and Family Carers’ Prescriptions as well as opportunities for short breaks, developing friendships, peer support and having fun.”
Ian Hitch, from Ely, who cares for his mother Janet, 82, who has memory problems, said he welcomed the opportunity to have support in a group with other family carers.
He said: “It is a good idea because it can be lonely caring on your own.”
The Ely Carers Hub will meet the last Friday morning of the month. Expert speakers will attend and activities which promote physical and mental health will be available too.
Flower arranging and tai chai were provided for family carers and their loved ones at the Ely launch.
There are 78,000 carers in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, some as young as 5 years old. Most go unrecognised and receive little or no support until a crisis point is reached.
If you would like to go to the Ely Carers Hub, or would like further information, please contact Carers Trust Cambridgeshire on 01480 499090 or email [email protected].
For media enquiries contact Ellee Seymour, Information Officer with Carers Trust Cambridgeshire, on 01480 499090 or email [email protected].
