YOUNG carers from across the borough paid a visit to the Town Hall for a meeting with the Mayor and Mayoress of Rugby.
Coun Bill Lewis invited the youngsters to the Mayor’s parlour ahead of today’s (Thursday January 30) Young Carers Awareness Day, an annual event organised by the Carers Trust to highlight the challenges young carers face and campaign for greater support.
The visit was organised by Warwickshire Young Carers, a charity which supports youngsters who help look after a family member or friend with illness, disability or issues with alcohol or drugs.
Nationwide, one in five youngsters care for loved ones – looking after siblings, carrying out household chores, managing the family budget or giving medicine to a parent.
Young carers are often socially isolated or bullied, suffer mental and physical health problems, and sometimes have to miss school.
Warwickshire Young Carers’ free and confidential service offers tailored support and advice to each youngster, giving them the chance to take a break, socialise, and achieve their ambitions and goals.
At the Town Hall, the youngsters spoke to Coun and Mrs Lewis in the Mayor’s parlour before taking a tour of the council chamber.
Coun Lewis said: “Children who care for a family member or friend carry a tremendous amount of responsibility on young shoulders, a responsibility which can bring its own pressures and challenges.
“Meeting the young carers in the Mayor’s parlour, I was struck by how well-adjusted and capable the youngsters were, and was interested to find out more about the work Warwickshire Young Carers does to support these often unsung heroes.”
Visit www.warwickshireyoungcarers.org.uk for more information about the charity.
