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www.carers.org We Care WORKING TOGETHER TO REACH AND SUPPORT CARERS SPEED DATING RAISES MONEY FOR CARERS DRAWING ON A NEW RELATIONSHIP NEW WEBSITE TO SHOWCASE SERVICES May 2011 Issue 4

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Page 1: Magazine: We Care, issue 4

www.carers.org

We CareWorking together to reach and support carers

speed dating raises money for carers

draWing on a neW relationship

neW Website to shoWcase services

May 2011

Issue 4

Page 2: Magazine: We Care, issue 4

www.carers.org

An introduction from the Chief Executive

Inside this issue

This is the fourth issue of We Care magazine, which, I am proud to say, really reflects some of the work we can achieve for carers thanks to your help.

I have been associated with The Trust for the past 17 years, the last three of them as Chief Executive. This has been more rewarding than I could have possibly imagined.

At the time of going to print, I will have passed the baton to Liz Fenton as The Trust’s new Chief Executive. Liz joins The Trust from Care for the Carers, a Princess Royal Trust Carers’ Centre based in East Sussex, where she has been Chief Executive since 2005. She has held senior management roles at Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust and East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Health Authority. She also currently acts as an ‘expert advisor’ on carers to the Department of Health.

Liz joins The Trust with a wealth of experience and knowledge about carers and the management of charitable organisations. This puts her in an excellent position to steer the work of The Trust into the future.

I am very proud of what we, as an organisation, have achieved during my time in office: a stable funding base, a strong reputation across the marketplace, a highly qualified and experienced staff team and a very positive relationship with many policy makers, funders and, of course, our President Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The Trust has truly gone from strength to strength.

Before I return to work closer to home in Lancashire, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to all of you for supporting The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, for all the support you have given to me personally over my time in office, and for your ongoing assistance to an organisation and cause that will always remain incredibly special to me.

Carole Cochrane Chief Executive The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

Carole Cochrane addresses an audience of supporters as Chief Executive for the last time (read more opposite).

2 Introduction

3 Thanking our supporters

3 Supporting Carers’ Centres

3 Cartoons to help young carers

4 Supporter profile

4 Showcasing successful services for carers

5 Providing a Lifeline to carers

5 Speed dating event raises money for carers

6 Drawing on a new relationship

6 Charm for sale in support of carers

6 Carers Week

7 Reaching carers directly

7 How we have helped carers so far

8 Positively influencing policy across the UK

9 The Trust in the news

9 Fresh licks of paint for a local Carers’ Centre

10 We Care talks to Changing Rooms’ design presenter John Amabile

11 We Care survey winners

11 Your feedback

We CareWorking together to reach and support carers

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Thanking our supporters On 29 March, we hosted a ‘Royal Reception’ at The Langham Hotel in London, in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

Guests included over 65 of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers’ key donors and supporters from companies, trusts and foundations, the media and government, all of whom were personally introduced to The Princess during the course of the evening.

The event gave us an opportunity to thank supporters for their interest in carers’ issues, update them on our work, and discuss opportunities for the future.

The evening concluded with speeches from our Chair, Ray Robertson, The Princess and our out-going Chief Executive, Carole Cochrane. The event was Carole’s last

official engagement as Chief Executive. To mark the occasion, Her Royal Highness made a presentation to Carole and gave a moving speech in recognition of her contribution to the work of The Trust over the last 17 years and the improvements made to the quality of life for carers across the UK during her tenure.

Carole later said of the evening, “It was wonderful to have so many friends of The Trust in one place and I am sure that the evening had a very positive impact on both the current and future supporters who were present”.

Our thanks go to The Langham Hotel for their generosity in supporting the event and their invaluable ongoing commitment to The Trust. Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal thanks Carole

Cochrane for her many years of supporting carers.

Supporting Carers’ Centres

Cartoons to help young carers

International law firm Slaughter and May has been a supporter of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers for three years, helping to fund the redesign of our website, www.carers.org, as well as contribute to our online support to carers.

The firm, which is renowned for working with commercial clients to come up with creative and practical solutions to problems, also wanted to provide legal assistance to The Princess Royal Trust Carers’ Centres.

As a result, Slaughter and May has produced a toolkit containing best practice legal advice and information, which has now been distributed to all of the 144 members of The Network of Carers’ Centres and has already received positive feedback.

The Chief Executive of Hillingdon Carers’ Centre says, “I received the toolkit this morning and have dipped into it straight away – on first glance it looks fantastic and exactly the sort of information I have needed repeatedly during the past year. I can see this will be ‘well thumbed’ within a very short while…”

We are working alongside a design agency and educational experts to produce cartoon characters that can help primary school children in Scotland identify themselves as young carers. The young carers’ ‘mascot’ will also point young carers towards available support and will show peers that there is nothing wrong or strange about a caring role.

To help come up with the design, we ran a competition with four primary schools across Scotland, asking pupils to draw designs of what they thought the ‘mascot’ might look like. The winning design is now being worked up by a professional designer.

The finished product will be used in school packs, on GLOW (an interactive learning website for teachers and pupils used widely in primary schools across Scotland), and in lesson plans. It will feature on YCNet, our website dedicated to young carers, and will have its own Facebook page. We’ll also be producing life size cardboard cut-outs for events, such as the Annual Scottish Young Carers Festival, and t-shirts featuring the winning design.

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Supporter profile Macdonald Hotels and Resorts were one of the very first corporate supporters of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and now, nearly 20 years later, their commitment has never wavered. The group has raised more than £1.5m for carers, much of which has been generated through the guest donation scheme that operates across its portfolio of over 40 hotels.

We are very grateful for the countless events, dinners and meeting space that the group has provided, as well as some amazing prizes of luxury breaks, dinners and respite breaks.

At the Macdonald Manchester Hotel and Spa, in November of last year, the group hosted a ‘black tie’ dinner with our President, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, in attendance. Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, Cardrona Charitable Trust and Graham Stewart Silversmith generously donated auction prizes and the event raised more than £45,000 in additional funds.

Marjorie Macdonald, spokesperson for Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, says,

“We are delighted that we, over the years, have had a working partnership with The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and look forward to that relationship developing and continuing over the forthcoming years. Having become a carer myself for short intervals over the last couple of years, I can really appreciate how invaluable The Trust is for carers no matter how young or old they are.”

Marjorie Macdonald (far right) with Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

“The Carers’ Hub provides help in

extending existing projects as well as

developing new services effectively.”

Showcasing successful services for carers

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Carers’ Hub. The new website, produced in partnership with Crossroads Care, highlights services that have successfully helped carers across the UK.

By showcasing a variety of original and innovative practice examples – from a mobile carers’ centre to a service that combines benefits advice with complementary therapies – we aim to inspire commissioners with ideas about creative, inventive and cost-effective ways of developing and delivering support.

The Carers’ Hub, funded by the Department of Health and developed with assistance from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), is based on a holistic model that encourages commissioners to involve carers and families in the development of services in their local area.

The website is predominantly a resource for England, but it contains original and innovative services from all over the UK, making it a very practical tool for all those involved in developing and delivering services for carers.

There are already close to 40 successful services featured on the site, with more being added over the coming months. We’ve received lots of positive feedback from Princess Royal Trust Carers’ Centres, commissioners and other organisations. One Network member praised the site as a useful tool for service providers as well as commissioners, saying that, “for those of us already involved in delivering services for carers [the Carers’ Hub] provides help in extending existing projects as well as developing new services effectively”.

Visit www.carershub.org to see some of the innovative methods that have been developed with and for carers.

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Speed dating event raises money for carersA pre-Valentine’s Day speed dating event took place in February, raising more than £2,000 for carers. The event was held at Cherry Jam, Boutique Bar and Club in Notting Hill.

Providing a Lifeline to carersWe are pleased to announce that The Princess Royal Trust for Carers has been chosen for the BBC’s monthly ‘Lifeline’ charity appeal.

For the last 20 years, ‘Lifeline’ has helped raise money for and increased the profile of hundreds of charities across the UK and abroad. There have been 250 appeals so far and more than £6m raised.

Our celebrity supporter and Vice President Pam Ferris will be presenting the appeal. And, our President, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will be interviewed about the struggles facing carers and will talk about how The Princess Royal Trust for Carers can help. We are very grateful to both Pam and Her Royal Highness; their contribution will make a great difference in helping us to raise much-needed funds and our profile.

Each month, BBC ‘Lifeline’ focuses on one charity’s appeal. The Trust’s appeal is due to broadcast on Sunday 19 June at 4:55pm

on BBC One to coincide with national Carers Week 2011. (Read more about Carers Week on page 6.)

The BBC ‘Lifeline’ appeal will help carers of all ages and backgrounds.

Speed daters helped to raise more than £2,000 for carers on Valentine’s Day.

Capital Radio DJ Greg Burns and popular London-based girl band Serese mingled with guests, whilst listening to the award-winning sounds of DJ Sharif Nashashibi. Coaches were on hand to offer dating tips getting everyone in the mood for romance. Guests were also treated to couture cupcakes, kindly donated by our new corporate sponsors Cakehead, and champagne.

As if all this wasn’t enough to get anyone excited about Valentine’s Day, there was also a luxury raffle draw. Speed daters walked away with fabulous prizes, such as brunch for four at The Intercontinental Hotels’ Cookbook Café and a month’s membership at the exclusive members only club, Jalouse, in Mayfair.

Kim Britten, Director of Fundraising, commented, “We are delighted that the event helped us raise money for our work supporting unpaid adult and young carers. We’d like to say a big thank you to Cherry Jam for holding the event free of charge and to DJ Greg Burns and Serese for making the night special”.

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Charm for sale in support of carers Our subtle and entirely chic sterling silver charm, designed and handcrafted in Scotland, will fit almost any bracelet. Charms are perfect gifts for any type of occasion, such as birthdays or anniversaries, or you may like to give a gift to yourself. To buy a charm and support carers across the UK, visit the online shop on our website at www.carers.org/online-shop

We are pleased to announce a new long-term partnership with Staedtler (UK) Ltd, the leading manufacturer of writing, colouring and drawing instruments.

Famous for its black and yellow striped ‘Noris’ pencils found in schools across the UK, Staedtler (UK) Ltd has kindly pledged to support our work through various fundraising activities, such as their annual ‘World Kids Colouring Day’ which is taking place on 6 May this year.

Staedtler (UK) Ltd will also be actively promoting our schools resource initiative through their newly formed ‘Teachers Club’ which aims to bring teachers fresh ideas and inspiration.

Our publication, Supporting Young Carers: a resource for schools, guides schools

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is one of nine national partners of Carers Week 2011, which is being held 13-19 June 2011.

During this week, thousands of events and activities will take place throughout the UK, around the theme ‘The True Face of Carers’.

The aim of Carers Week is to highlight what life is like for carers and the daily challenges they face. The week-long event will give carers the opportunity to show how they think society sees them and the kind of help they receive from statutory agencies, and local and national government.

The other charities who are participating in Carers Week with us are Age UK, Carers UK, Counsel and Care, Crossroads Care, Dementia UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, MS Society, and Parkinson’s UK.

Find your local Carers’ Centre to see what’s happening in your area at www.carers.org.

Drawing on a new relationship

Carers Week

through all the necessary steps needed to help young carers, from developing understanding and identification, to strategic and practical support, and building a healthy school environment where all pupils can flourish.

“We are very excited about supporting The Princess Royal Trust for Carers during this year’s World Kids Colouring Day”, Duncan Savage, Managing Director of Staedtler (UK) Ltd commented. “We hope that this and the future projects we have planned with The Trust enable Staedtler (UK) Ltd to make a significant impact on the lives of carers and, in particular, young carers.”

This new corporate partnership will help us to support young carers more effectively.

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Reaching carers directly

How we have helped carers so farJenny* cares for both her son, who has Duchane Muscular Dystrophy, and her husband, who has bipolar disorder.

Through one of our grants programmes, we awarded Jenny with £162 to help pay for a Foundation Certificate in Counselling. Jenny has a heavy caring role. This course gave Jenny the opportunity to, not only, learn new skills, but also to help resolve her feelings of loneliness. Isolation can really take its toll on carers and, for Jenny, this grant gave her the chance to get out of the house once a week and spend time with her fellow learners.

Being able to drive a car can be a real lifeline for many carers. We helped Natalie* learn to drive by funding £250 towards the cost. Natalie is a single parent carer with three children, the eldest of whom suffers from a condition that causes progressive damage to the nervous system and requires care 24 hours a day. The family live in a rural area with unreliable public transport. Learning to drive will really help Jenny and her three children and give the family some much-needed independence. As a consequence, Jenny will feel less stressed and isolated, and will be able to cope much better with her caring role.

Thanks to your generous help and support, we have launched a new grant funding programme called the ‘Skills and Learning Fund’.

The programme will help carers to learn and gain new skills, increase confidence and improve wellbeing and quality of life. For some carers, this may mean reducing their social isolation, whilst for others new skills will support plans to enter the job market, return to work or engage in lifelong learning.

The fund has been separated into two strands: for individuals and for group-

learning activities. This will broaden both The Trust’s and Carers’ Centres’ ability to reach out to carers who have a wide variety of needs and reasons for learning.

The ‘Skills and Learning Fund’ will consider applications as follows:

Up to £500 to help individuals with the •costs associated with learning a new skill in a structured setting, such as educational facilities.

Up to £250 to help individuals with •the costs of driving lessons and costs associated with taking their practical and theory tests.

*Please note that the names have been changed.

Up to £750 to help Carers’ Centres •provide learning-focused peer events aimed at achieving positive results for groups of carers.

Like all our funding programmes, we are expecting high volumes of requests with limited funds available. It is with your continued support that we are able to keep these much-needed funds open for carers and make a real difference to their lives and futures. You can read about how our grants programmes have helped reduce stress and isolation for Jenny and Natalie below.

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At the time of going to print, the Scottish Parliamentary general elections will be taking place. Our team in Scotland is working hard to make sure that carers’ voices and opinions are heard loud and clear by those standing for election.

Most Carers’ Centres in The Network receive funding from local authorities and health boards, but with widespread budget cuts expected, the amount of money contributed is expected to fall.

We are working with Scotland’s National Carer Organisations, including Carers Scotland, Crossroads Scotland and the Scottish Young Carers Alliance, to produce a press and social networking campaign called ‘Carers Votes Count’. This will demonstrate the impact that cuts to public services and funding for Carers’ Centres will have on carers and their families.

Public Health Minister, Shona Robinson MSP, is on the side of carers. At The Princess Royal Trust for Carers’ recent Scottish Network Conference in February, The Minister said, “Carers make a huge contribution to society. Supporting them and their loved ones is vital to sustaining that important contribution”.

Whatever the election result in May, we will continue to put the pressure on politicians and ministers to acknowledge and support the work of carers.

In England, the pace of policy change in the carers’ world is, at the moment, frantic. The Coalition Government has set its mind to changing the way benefits are organised and this will have a major impact on carers and their families. Some of the changes may make things more straightforward, but inevitably, some will not.

The Universal Credit, which is intended to mean that people of working age only have to apply for one benefit to replace their income, may make things slightly easier for some, but there was a real risk that the Carers Allowance was going to be included in this. However, with other carers’

Positively influencing policy across the UK

organisations, The Trust successfully lobbied against this because it would have meant carers being means-tested, and, almost certainly, many thousands losing out. We’re pleased the Government listened. However, Carers Allowance is still far too little and we will continue to argue that it needs to be upgraded.

The proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are a real threat. We have joined a campaign to try to stop the removal to the mobility component for people living in local authority-funded residential care, as we know this will mean that the transport they depend on to help

them get out and about — often taxis or private cars — will just be too expensive. People’s independence is at real risk. There are also likely to be fewer people eligible for the benefit which replaces DLA, which will be called Personal Independence Payment. The Government is being told repeatedly that this will have a massive impact on families’ incomes and their ability to cope – we just hope they listen to this too.

Many thanks to all those carers and carers’ organisations who have written to your MP on these crucial issues. Your support is vital.

Thank you for your help in keeping carers on the political agenda.

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The Trust in the newsOver the last few months we have continued to keep carers’ issues and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in the news. Here are some of our highlights.

As part of our website redesign launch, we surveyed carers on Carers.org to find out about their experiences of isolation and how the website has helped them. Coverage of the launch appeared in the Daily Mirror, and the Guardian online, as well as in trade press Community Care and a series of regional newspapers.

Our new Carers’ Hub website was launched to commissioners looking to develop services for and with carers. We had coverage in Community Care with the News Editor describing the Hub as “something all commissioners should be looking at”.

Our Policy Team commissioned the University of Nottingham to devise a new manual to provide health and social

care practitioners with an instrument to assess the quality of life of adult, unpaid carers. Dr Moira Fraser, Director of Policy, was interviewed live on BBC Radio Nottingham and coverage appeared in the Nursing Times and Nottingham Post.

To signpost ‘hidden’ carers to our services, we contacted the agony aunt pages to alert them to carers’ issues and the support they need. To date, our services have been listed in Bella, Essentials and Pick Me Up.

News about how The Co-operative Group raised over £30,000 for YCNet, our website dedicated to young carers,on the front page of UK Fundraising.

We continue to be invited to speak to the media about carers’ rights. Carole Cochrane, Chief Executive, was quoted in a piece on young carers which featured in the Evening Standard. Dr Moira Fraser, Director of Policy, was interviewed live on BBC News Channel in response to a parent carer news story, and Danni Manzi, Young Carers’ Lead, was interviewed

about young carers for ITV’s Tonight programme.

Both The Trust and Crossroads Care continue to work together and issued a joint response to the Carers Allowance being retained in the Welfare Reform Bill. This appeared on the Press Association and Eastern Daily Press.

Coverage of our work in Scotland has been included in the Herald, the Big Issue and in the Paisley and Musselburgh local papers, as well as on Call Kaye Radio Scotland and BBC Radio Scotland.

Fresh licks of paint for a local Carers’ CentreOne of The Princess Royal Trust Carers’ Centres received a fresh makeover thanks to staff at insurance company and corporate supporter Markel (UK) Ltd.

Volunteers rolled up their sleeves to help carers who visit Carers Leeds feel more valued and welcome, by giving the waiting room and interview room fresh licks of paint. New chairs, lights, ceiling tiles and carpets were also installed and fitted.

Tens of thousands of carers in Leeds receive support from the Carers’ Centre and the revamp will help to make them feel more comfortable, providing them with the right environment to receive the best possible support.

Val Hewison, Manager of Carers Leeds, commented, “The work they have done would have cost us £10,000 or more, which we simply could not afford. Our rooms were starting to look dismal and tired and in these austere times we could not justify the cost of refurbishment out of our funds. I cannot tell you what a boost it has given to our morale”.

Steve Garbutt, Professional and Management Risk Underwriter at Markel (UK) Ltd, added, “Redecorating their premises was a great opportunity for us to do something first hand that benefited not only the carers using the services, but also the staff whose work cannot be valued highly enough”.

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John Amabile, TV presenter

We Care talks to Changing Rooms’ design presenter John AmabileJohn is a well-known face of British interior design and has presented such hit shows as Change That, Better Homes and 60 Minute Makeover.

John has come a long way from his student days of studying for a design degree in Glasgow, and is now the design presenter of ITV’s Changing Rooms, which is currently in its ninth series.

He is also a well established interior designer and is the co-owner of the design company Amabile Design.

You’ve been working as a design presenter on some of the UK’s top TV makeover shows for over 12 years – what has been your funniest presenting experiencing?

The shows I work on all involve team effort and boundless energy on the part of all those involved. We have a lot of laughs on the way. One particular time, we’d been working hard on a house and the whistle was about to blow. I was tearing my hair out (what’s left of it) when one of the team said to me, “John, we’ve found a leak upstairs”. I raced upstairs to the room and discovered the team had placed a leek under one of the units. We were filming in Wales at the time…

What’s the most interesting building or room that you’ve been asked to design and why?

Some years ago, I was asked to design a mother and baby room at the Queen Mother’s Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, where mums could spend quality time with their premature babies. It had to be a comfortable, tranquil place for them so it meant that I had to take different things into consideration, such as areas where they would feel comfortable expressing milk. I was a premature baby myself so it was very appropriate.

What exciting projects are you currently working on?

I’m very lucky because I love my job and so I find everything to be pretty exciting. The makeover shows are doubly rewarding, because it’s not just about the curtains or the cushions; we’re changing people’s lives. I’ve done work with carers in their homes, people who live in very humbling situations and that is constantly rewarding.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love travelling. I like to switch off and change the scenery completely. In recent years, I’ve been to Brazil, India, Africa and the Americas. But, I also love travelling by train and car, and so short breaks in the UK are ideal when we have such spectacular scenery close by.

What motivated you to support The Princess Royal Trust for Carers?

I found out about The Princess Royal Trust for Carers through Marion White, the Chair

of The Trust’s Scottish Campaign Board (SCB). I have had a long involvement with Marion’s annual ‘Ladies Lunch’ which has raised a huge amount of money for The Trust over the years.

What do you think are the key issues facing carers and how can The Princess Royal Trust for Carers help?

Caring touches so many people – of all ages, from all backgrounds and all conditions. And, of course it can happen to anyone – it can happen to you. Carers need to know that they are not invisible and that there is support there for them.

Why should our readers keep supporting the work of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers?

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is one of the most personable charities I have worked with. It’s often difficult for carers to ask for help, so it is important that organisations such as The Trust exist to ask on their behalf.

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Staff at Eden Carers’ Centre shared their treats with carers in the local area.

Dear Editor,

Carers need more help than they are currently getting. Please go on campaigning on their behalf. More funds, more respite care.

Dear Reader,

You’re absolutely right – and in these difficult times with services being cut, even more responsibility is likely to land on carers. The Government has pledged more money for carers’ breaks in England and the other countries have also promised support. We’ll be campaigning to make sure this becomes a reality, and not just fine words.

Dear Editor,

I wonder if it would save costs to reduce the size, but maintain the content, for example, to A5? This would save postage too. Also what about an online version?

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your feedback. We Care is available online on our website,

Your feedback

We Care survey winners

www.carers.org, to keep costs down and readers are encouraged to contact us on [email protected] if they prefer to receive it electronically.

We chose A4 size to give you as much information on our groundbreaking work as possible and to make our communications accessible to all readers, including those with reading and sight difficulties.

Dear Editor,

I do not wish to give offence, but I would prefer if you use my donations on carers rather than a magazine for us.

Dear Reader,

We agree that costs do need to be kept to a minimum when printing resources. For each issue of We Care produced, we continue to recoup costs and raise further funds to help our work with carers of all ages and from all backgrounds across the UK.

Dear Editor,

Very useful to spread the word and to keep updated about this difficult topic. I wish I had known more about the support groups when I was a carer myself. It would have made such a difference.

Dear Editor,

I am particularly interested in the impact of caring on young carers and also ways in which older carers can be helped to stay well themselves so I value the stories as raising awareness is so important.

Dear Reader,

The Trust supports carers of all ages, from as young as five to 90, and so we try to include as many stories as we can to reflect our work across the nations.

What do you think? Do you have any feedback on a story in We Care or something to share with other supporters? Please email your letter to [email protected] or address it to ‘The Editor’ at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, 14 Bourne Court, Southend Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 8HD.

Editor

Emma Nobes

Editorial Team

Emma Baird, Kim Britten, Sonya Roberts, Sophia Smith

Thank you to everyone who completed our recent survey.

We have received some great feedback from you, our readers, letting us know that we are on the right track and also giving us pointers on how we can make the magazine even better.

And of course, your names were entered into the prize draw to win some delicious treats donated by our new corporate sponsor Cakehead who very generously donated the prizes. The three winners of the survey prize draw were Eden Carers' Centre in Penrith, Mr D.U., of Swindon and Mr J.B., of New Malden.

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Carers are ordinary people doing something extraordinary. Each day they put aside their own lives to help someone unable to manage on their own, whether it’s their parent, partner, child, grandparent or even a close friend.

It can be an incredibly isolating experience. And it means they often don’t have the chance of a ‘normal’ life. Doing things the rest of us take for granted, like enjoying time to ourselves or a trip to the cinema, are simply not possible.

But The Princess Royal Trust for Carers helps to give them a little ‘normal’ time. Through our unique network of 144 Carers’ Centres we offer practical assistance, emotional support and campaign for change on their behalf.

Now we’re asking you to do something extraordinary, which will make a real and lasting difference to carers’ lives. By leaving a gift in your will we can continue to help ordinary people like Lucy to look after her mum – and look forward to a life of their own.

Lucy*, 17, cares for her mum, Elaine*, 42, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and depression.

Ordinary people. Extraordinary lives.

To fi nd out how your legacy can help peoplelike Lucy, request an information pack fromwww.carers.org/legacy or call 0844 800 4361.

Registered Charity Number SC015975

Because Caring Never Stops

*Please note identities have been changed in interest of privacy.

11101 PRTC Ad 210x297mm.indd 1 13/09/2010 13:13