Sadly statistics show that young carers are less likely to achieve their potential.  At school they are often bullied, have trouble with studying and getting homework done and find it difficult making friends.  It’s hard taking friends home if mum or dad are unwell, or your brother or sister has lperiods of challenging behaviour or you have too many chores waiting for you to do.  There’s often so much stress involved, which can all impact negatively on a young carers mental health.

Too often these young carers go unrecognised.  At My Time we aim to provide young carers with fun, care free time and an opportunity to make new friends with other children who understand what it is like to be a young carer.

We need to raise £35,000 per annum to give our young carers care free time away from the stresses at home. We are a true community group. We don’t receive any statutory funding, so it is the money raised and donated by local people and organizations that enables us to continue giving our young members care free breaks. Because of the financial support we receive from the public and the amazing input from volunteers, we are able to provide free transport, food and activities for our members. We spend our money wisely, and even though trips out are far from cheap, we are able to produce a very varied programme of activities.

Young carers are children or teenagers who provide care and support to another family member, who are often unrecognised and unsupported.

Some young carers regularly carry out significant caring tasks and assume a level of responsibility usually associated with an adult, to help a parent, brother, sister or other relative who suffers from physical or mental ill health.

There are many other contributory factors that impact negatively on the lives of young carers. Living with a sibling with challenging behaviour or with developmental problems can be very difficult. Similarly, living with someone with a serious illness or an alcohol or drug dependency, unsurprisingly causes anxiety and distress.

We believe that any child or young person becomes a carer when they are put in a situation in which they feel the need to protect or support another family member. If you know a young carer or are a young carer yourself who would enjoy My Time membership, please contact us and we’ll get back to you quickly.