Every year, Carers’ Rights Day serves as a poignant reminder to acknowledge and appreciate the invaluable contributions of carers in our community. Carers dedicate their time, energy, and often their entire lives to supporting loved ones who are ill, elderly, disabled, or in need of constant care. Although many carers find their caring role rewarding, they are often faced with a variety of challenges that can impact their quality of life such as financial strain, isolation, loss of employment, and negative effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.
At Carers Trust Solihull, we understand the importance of providing carers with the right support and information at the right time. That’s why, for this year’s Carers Rights Day, we celebrated by hosting a Carers Information Event at Solihull Council Civic Suite on Wednesday, 22nd November. The event brought together various local organisations, including Age UK Solihull, Citizens Advice Bureau, Act on Energy, Healthwatch, RNIB, and Sydney Mitchell Solicitors, who provided carers with valuable information, support, and advice. We were also honoured to have members of Solihull Council in attendance, showing their support for carers in Solihull.
During the event, our CEO, Brandon Scott-Omenka, hosted a panel of professionals who explained how their organisations are supporting carers in Solihull. Karen Murphy, Assistant Director for Adult Care and Support at Solihull Council, expressed her gratitude to unpaid carers; “our health and care system, as you all know, is stretched tight and it would buckle without you, so thank you all”. Our guest speakers also included Teresa Baxter, Winter Warmth Manager at Age UK; Melinda Tompkins, Community Outreach Officer with West Midland Act on Energy; Wesley Richmond, Lead Energy Advisor at Citizens Advice Borough Solihull.
You can watch the full panel discussions below, at the bottom of the page.
We were delighted to see so many carers attending the event, and we sincerely thank those who provided us with feedback. The overwhelming response indicated how useful the information and the presence of the participating organisations were for the attendees. We are also grateful to our sponsor, UBHealthcare, who supported the event and generously donated funds to provide a buffet for the attendees.
Although Carers Rights Day occurs once a year, Carers Trust Solihull is dedicated to supporting carers all year round. If you are in need of advice, support, or information, please do not hesitate to contact our team at 0121 788 1143.
We are here to help.
