Information Fairs for Unpaid Carers across Surrey, marking Carers Rights Day

It’s a national event when unpaid carers are encouraged to learn about their rights, and everybody works towards ensuring carers get all the support they need. Marking Carers Rights Day, charity Action for Carers Surrey is running Carer Information Fairs,focusing on rights, at locations across Surrey from Monday 18th to Saturday 23rd of November.

Joining Action for Carers’ staff and specialist teams, are a variety of statutory services, local charities and other partners, all there to offer advice, information and support to Surrey’s unpaid family and friend carers who are looking after someone who couldn’t manage without them. Carers can feel under huge pressure, very isolated, and unaware of both their rights and the support available to them – something we need to change.

Fairs take place from 11am-2pm as follows:

Monday 18th November • CRANLEIGH Bandroom, Village Way, Cranleigh GU6 8AF • WOKING Knaphill Methodist Church Broadway, Woking GU21 2DR Tuesday 19th November • GODALMING Godalming Library, Bridge Street, Godalming GU7 1HT Wednesday 20th November • ASHFORD Ashford Community Centre, 223 Woodthorpe Rd Ashford, TW15 3NJ • CAMBERLEY High Cross Church, Knoll Road, Camberley GU15 3SY • EPSOM St Barnabas Church, Temple Road, Epsom KT19 8HA Thursday 21st November • FARNHAM Waverley Family Centre, Upper Hale Rd, Farnham GU9 0LR Friday 22nd November • LEATHERHEAD Leatherhead Community Hub, Kingston Road, Leatherhead KT22 7PX • MERSTHAM Merstham Community Hub, 2b Portland Drive, Merstham, Redhill, RH1 3HY Saturday 23rd November • GUILDFORD The Hive, Park Barn Drive, Guildford GU2 8EN

Organisations attending Participating organisations (at different Fairs) include (more to be confirmed): The Stroke Association, Parkinson’s UK, The National Autistic Society Surrey, The Hunter Centre, SCC Family Information Service, Surrey County Council, Surrey Community Action Warmth Matters team, Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey, Disability Equipment Service, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People. Please see the individual event listing for each event for details of who’s attending. These events are all drop-in, so carers should feel free simply to pop along. To find out more about the events, or if your organisation would like to take part, please email [email protected]

Support for unpaid carers Visitors will be able to meet with ACS staff and some of the organisations above to get informationand support – practical, financial and legal – about their caring role.

ACS specialist teams attending include our staff who work in Surrey hospitals; our Moving and Handling team who assist with carers’ back care; staff who support those carers looking after someone with poor mental health; and representatives from our young carers (under 18) service.

As well as meeting and chatting with attending organisations, carers will be able to pick up free resources and some little give-aways – plus enjoy free coffee/tea and cake.

These events are all drop-in, and of course free to attend, so carers should simply pop along.

FACTS ABOUT CARING • There’s an estimated 120,000 unpaid carers in Surrey.

• 3 out of 5 people in the UK will become carers at some time in their lives.

• At least six million people in the UK are currently unpaid carers.

• In Surrey there are likely at least 115,000 carers (10% of our 1.2 million population)

• Every day nationally another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility – that equals over 2 million people each year.

• Two thirds of unpaid carers are women, one third men.

• Over 1 million people care for more than one person.

• Carers save the economy £132 billion per year, an average of £19,336 per carer.

• Five million people juggle care with work, however, the significant demands of caring mean that 2 in 5 carers are forced to give up work altogether.

• Carer’s Allowance is the main carer’s benefit and is £81.90 weekly for a minimum of 35 hours, equivalent to £2.34 per hour – far short of the national minimum wage of £11.44 per hour.

• People providing high levels of care are twice as likely to be permanently sick or disabled.

• 625,000 people suffer mental and physical ill health as a direct consequence of the stress and physical demands of caring.

• Over 1.3 million people provide over 50 hours of care per week.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Barbara Cormie, Marketing and Communications Manager, Action for Carers Surrey Mobile 07719 715007 | Email [email protected]